With 2020 one of the most challenging years to date, it’s never been more important to start this year afresh and focus on the potential opportunities it brings for students and teachers alike.
Transitions to new school contexts bring changes to learning expectations, peer group relations, and rules and routines. Some students manage these changes readily, while others may take a little longer to adapt.
Associate Professor Penny Van Bergen, Director of the Macquarie School of Education’s Centre for Children’s Learning in a Social World, says there are a number of different strategies teachers can employ to help students adapt to the changes a new school year brings.
“General strategies to support students during transition might include closer one-on-one interactions that show the student your interest and highlight your positive regard; praise for positive interactions and behaviour; working with the student to establish achievable learning and behaviour goals; and activities to engage the peer group together and support positive relationships to form,” explains Penny.
“If needed, include parents or carers in the shared problem solving.”
When it comes to a successful transition into the new teaching year, Penny believes it’s important for educators to not just focus on students, but also their own self-care.
Penny’s 10 tips for transition success
1. Ensure students know not just about school rules but about strategies for learning and for navigating learning tasks. Make these visual so students can refer back to them easily.
2. If students are new to the school, provide opportunities for peer mentoring and friendship and highlight an explicit whole-school approach of kindness, respect for others, and respect for self. Discuss with new students what this means and why it is important.
3. Moments of change also bring opportunities to build resilience, and it can be helpful as a school to set aside ‘reflection time’: encouraging positive reflection on the change and the opportunities it might bring.
4. Encourage positive framing of the transition and the opportunities it brings.
5. Provide get-to-know-you activities with individualised feedback. Students form positive relationships with teachers who demonstrate care for them as people, who want to know their interests and experiences, and who give them a fair go.
6. Ensure all students get a fresh start each year.
7. Transitions set the scene for the future school year, so it is important to pay attention if a child is struggling to adapt. Identifying the cause of the struggle is always the first step. Try to rule out other problems, such as bullying, which necessitate their own response.
8. Children with learning difficulties may struggle with transitions and change more than their peers so think about what individualised support the child may need and ensure you have all the information (learning plans, special provisions, etc.) so you’re fully prepared.
9. Prep the parents. Parental anxiety around school transitions is understandable, but can be contagious to the child. Share with parents what the new routines will look like, what attributes and behaviours the school values and fosters, and what the school’s vision is for each child. This positive and uplifting focus can reassure parents immensely.
10. Look after yourself! 2020 was a challenging year for everyone. Our research shows high rates of burnout and emotional exhaustion among teachers, together with change fatigue. Much of this exhaustion comes from the deep care we have for our students and jobs. Teachers have done an amazing job. Ensure you engage with friends, exercise, and do activities you personally find relaxing. If things still seem overwhelming, reach out for professional help. We encourage students to do this and may make arrangements for them, but we are sometimes slow to look after ourselves. This self-care is important for activating our own positive coping approaches as we transition into 2021.