MAKING THE FIRST DAYS OF THE TERM COUNT

Sep 08, 2009

ELIZABETH OKELLO<br><br>The first few days of a school term come with sluggishness, low morale and low motivation.

ELIZABETH OKELLO

The first few days of a school term come with sluggishness, low morale and low motivation.

When students get back to school, many of them take long to adjust from the home environment where things are done quite differently. For instance there are no bells at home for activities.

Students are likely to be idle. Many move in and out of class at their wish, wasting a lot of time.

This could explain why some students do not report to school on day one especially for those in day schools because they believe nothing significant takes place there.

This mentality could become a tradition if it is not broken and it can translate to the teachers as well.

Below are some tips that can help you make the first school days productive;

- Have a plan for the term. As a teacher you set the pace for the students. Your plan could include content that you intend to cover for a period of time, like a week, month or the entire term.

It could have activities that you plan to carry out with the students.

Resources that you want to use to help in your instruction.

- Share your plan with the students as soon as they get back into school. Do not wait for them to get settled.

The earlier the better.

- Communicate what you intend to cover for the term. You can break the content into sub-contents which can be printed out or pinned up for them to refer to. Let them have the whole picture so that they can prepare themselves accordingly.

- Ensure that they have the necessary resources like text books to help them in their individual preparation.

- Issue the lesson timetable immediately to help them tune in to a normal day’s activity.

- Ask students to write down their own goals for the term.

- Encourage them to draw out personal study timetables.

- Spend the first few minutes of your time with them to spur them into action. Remember, morale is quite low at this time.

- You could also arrange for some form of tests as soon as students are in school. This helps to ensure that they are keeping to a study routine even while away from school.

- Do not forget to review the previous examination papers. It helps students realise where they went wrong which is part of the learning process.

Remember, that the teacher is a key factor in the learning process. Engage the best gear from the start and it will reap bountifully. Enjoy your term.

The writer is a teacher at Gayaza High School

Useful tips for students
Third term is short and packed with many activities. Avoid falling into the trap of time wastage.
- Do not wait till the last minute to begin your revision. If you keep your notes for last minute revision you might be overwhelmed. Beginning revision early also helps you build a strong memory during exams
- Extra curricular activities are good, but ensure that you balance your activities and budget your time.
- The earlier you begin group discussion, the better. Revise your previous term papers and seek help from your colleagues. The first week of the term is an ideal time to go through the previous term’s work.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});