Thoughts and musings
The new academic year is upon us. Thoughts of preparation for a new class, new term, new year will be percolating, or indeed may well be underway. Memories of the summer holidays possibly start to become a distant memory. However, it is at this point where I encourage you to stop. To pause. To savour the moments where, separate to your teacher persona, you were flowing well and truly as ‘you’.
I have often mused, particularly at the start of my teaching career, about Miss Spargo. Sometimes I felt like a whole different person in my role as a teacher. And although it is true that teaching, as a profession, has standards, guidelines and policies to abide by, there will always be room for your personality, preferences and personal choices.
Similarly, the children enter classrooms as names on registers, notes passed on from their previous teacher, possibly a sibling of a child previously taught. Of course, activities will be planned to find out more about each pupil, and conversations over time will reveal even more about interests, achievements and hobbies. However, can the learning environment (and choices within this) offer the possibility of immediate investment in the value of autonomy - for both the teacher and their pupils?
Ideas and practical suggestions
So, how can seemingly small additions within the classroom environment seek to place a deliberate emphasis on autonomous choices for teachers and their pupils. Below are two suggestions which I hope can be actioned with minimal time spent preparing. Think of these more as conscious considerations when planning and preparing learning environments.
1. For the teachers
You will spend many hours over the coming year in your classroom. I have often described it as my second home. There are a number of ways in which you can make the classroom your own space, a place which reflects those glimmers of you which will ignite interest, conversation and connection with your class.
How about including:
A reference to your hobbies? How you like to spend your time out of school hours. Perhaps you are part of a running club, or a walking group. Maybe you are a devoted supporter of a particular sports team. Including items which may promote discussion or conversation can support the pupils in speaking about their own interests - or even help them to find a new one.
Items you have made or others have made you? One of your hobbies may include cross-stitch or perhaps this has been an interest of a child previously taught. Displaying these hand-made items with pride creates a positive culture in the classroom where outcomes are valued. Effort is appreciated.
Photos? Little reminders across the day of joyful memories and moments which contribute to your life beyond the school day. Another talking point with your class and the opportunity for them to build further connections with you.
What you are currently reading? The influence that teachers have on children’s reading choices is well-documented. With a plethora of books available, children often will seek a recommendation. An informed choice. Displaying the book invites discussion and allows pupils to visibly see that you are a reader too. Better still, when the children are having time to read independently, be sure to join in! If you are looking for some inspiration for your next read, I would always recommend taking a look at the Just Imagine website (https://justimagine.co.uk/childrens-books-reviews/)
Morning music? The power of music to create an atmosphere truly is prominent in classroom environments. It also supports the curation of a recognisable routine across the day. Music to enter the classroom to. For transition. When tidying away. Preparing for home-time. This is also your opportunity to introduce pupils to music that you like. Perhaps different artists, varying genres, a band that you are looking forward to seeing at the weekend. This could develop into taking suggestions from the children, encouraging conversations with grown-ups at home, supporting them in taking an interest in an array of music suggestions.
2. For the pupils
Creating a sense of belonging and a team ethos for children within the classroom supports a feeling of autonomy in their daily choices. Again, it can just be those small little shifts and considerations which can make a big difference to the space which children learn and grow within.
How about including:
Table names? For organisation purposes (and perhaps also as part of positive reward systems) tables in classrooms are often named. Instead of preparing these in advance of the children arriving, pass the choice over to the pupils. An exercise in compromise and collaboration (and with the clear understanding that they may move tables over the course of the year) creating personalised table names can be a motivating factor for children. The names also often create humorous moments and a shared sense of connection.
Reading choices/recommendations? Just as what the adults in the classroom are reading has a prominent impact on subsequent individual choices, as do the reading habits of children’s peers. Creating collaborative spaces on displays, possibly in the reading corner, where children can add their recommendations and interact with these allows for an easy space to do this. The creation and inclusion of book marks, where children can share their thoughts with the next potential reader, is another inventive idea.
Show and tell? Often associated with the younger year groups but valued by children all the way up the school, protecting slots of time for children to share any news/items of interest not only promotes speaking and listening but values autonomy. Collecting the sharing of news online is another creative way of capturing the sharing of pupil’s interests and allows for videos and photos to be stored and revisited digitally (which may support the pinch on time that can often restrict regular show and tell slots). Platforms like Padlet (https://padlet.com/) would be useful if creating a digital shared space.
Learning resources? The independent choice of these. Carefully considering how they are made accessible in learning areas. Children may also need to be taught how to select these, when they would be useful and for which tasks. As with the reading recommendations, choice could potentially be overwhelming. Informed choice, modelled and scaffolded, may need to be part of a process which values independent selections to support learning.
Call and response? As mentioned in a previous glimmer (linked below), the idea of creating a call and response which reflects class interests or school values supports a sense of community and belonging within the classroom environment. To keep this fresh, it could be changed to reflect different points of the year, events which are happening or the response to a shared class experience.
As always, it would be fantastic to hear any further ideas which you have developed for creating autonomy in the classroom. Please do share these in the comments below.
You may also be interested in revisiting the ‘glimmers’ below, as you set up for the new academic year.
I’ve added a couple of photos and some other bits to my lab after reading this, added a small plant and already it feels different in a positive way. Can’t believe I never thought to do this before🤦♂️ Keep the ideas coming!