People remember and are influenced by firsts and lasts. It is the same for our students.
If a student's day starts with a negative moment, then it can quickly spiral into a 'bad' day.
Simarlarly, conflict with a friend or teacher just before the bell can turn a great day into a 'bad' one. If a student arrives home after such an experience and is asked, 'How was your day?' or even, 'What did you do today?' How do you think they will respond?
In 2014 I want to plan for positive first and last experiences that bookend my students' school days. Here are some of my ideas for starting the day on a positive.
How do you think you could plan for positive school day bookends?
I have a few ideas:
Smile on arrival
It sounds obvious, but there is more to it than you even realise. Ron Gutman talks about the hidden power of smiling in his TED Talk. A smile causes a smile. It is an evolutionary reaction. The physical act of smiling cheers us up. Take time to welcome students and spread contagious smiles.
Begin with something unique, thought provoking and interesting
If you begin school the same way every day, even if it is a fairly exciting beginning, things become expectable. Change things up and start each day with something unique. Some of these ideas might help.
Post Interesting things for discussion
When I come across something that I think my students might find interesting, I send it to my 'interesting' Evernote Notebook. Displaying this interesting, often thought provoking, content as students enter the room provides an element of curiosity and can spark discussion.
Fango/Poll?Opinion Questions
You can have students answer a Fango, on any topic or based on the content you have displayed. For example display a post featuring Interesting Graffiti and ask,
'Is graffiti art? Yes or No?'
You can create a form or poll to quickly gather the data digitally. Numerous services such as Google Forms or PollEverywhere can be used to create forms or polls easily.
A Google A Day
I have written about 'A Google A Day Challenge' previously. I don't think my students would enjoy completing a challenge every day, but I plan to occasionally start the day with these search challenges. Thanks to Fred
Status Update
Have students make a status update as they enter the classroom. This can be done a physical status update. Written on the board, pinned to the wall, or spoken when their name is called. Or you can have students post a status update to a digital space. Class blog, Student Blog, GAFE discussion board, or even just a Padlet wall.
HotOrNot
On the TV show The Living Room they feature a gadget or trend and ask if it is Hot or Not. Show a quick clip of the Keeker projector robot below and ask, 'Hot or Not?'
Set the mood with tunes
Music is a fantastic mood booster and atmosphere setter. Spotify allows you to search for playlists based on mood. Cheer up the class with a happy playlist, get the energy pumping with a mood booster playlist or calm things down with some meditation music.
Some other ideas:
+ Feature student work
+News Update
+Student led school morning news
+Class Tweet
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