The first weeks of school can be the most stressful time of the year. Teachers are trying to figure out their schedules and classrooms, and students are trying to make new friends. One of the best ways to start the new school year to help teachers and students get to know each other better is to introduce the hidden curriculum. Understandably, teachers want their students to know about the syllabus and assessment criteria. However, I sincerely believe in “go slow to go fast.” The hidden curriculum is the unwritten rules students need to learn to succeed in school and life. This can include social skills, attitudes, values, and unwritten rules. The hidden curriculum is often an unspoken part of school culture. A successful introduction of some aspects of the hidden curriculum at the beginning of the school year can significantly influence the students’ later learning and success. I am brainstorming ideas of bringing the idea of the hidden curriculum for the first few weeks of school.
When we feel safe, we can talk about anything, and that’s what it takes for students to build trust in their teachers and each other. The first step is to create a sense of safety by including everyone in the learning community. To do so, teachers can take steps to ensure students are not only accepted but also respected. It’s important to make sure every student feels like they belong in your class. This means no one should be left out or ignored because they don’t fit in. To foster a sense of belonging and build an inclusive community, teachers can encourage students to share their experiences and respectfully listen to others. In addition, we can share our pronouns and invite students to do so if they feel comfortable to do so. When we help students feel safe and connected, they will learn to advocate for themselves and collaborate with others more effectively. Student achievements are better when they are provided with an inclusive and safe learning environment. The following ideas might help create a safe and supportive environment that encourages inclusivity and diversity.
This fun activity can help students get to know each other and feel comfortable in their new environment. The teacher created a series of statements ahead of time. Alternatively, Teachers can also have students write three statements about themselves, one statement per sticky note. Students fold the sticky note and put it in a jar or box. When meeting students, the teacher reads the statement one by one. In this activity, let students know that if the statement resonates with them, shout out, “That’s me!” After which, students observe others who share the same commonality. This activity allows students to see what they have in common and how they are all different from one another. It allows students to see how each person is unique and special and can help build positive relationships among peers.
Watch the Youtube video to learn how to play this game. The description below the video provides a free resource that gives some ideas about the statements.
Our names are an integral part of who we are. They are how we are known to the world and how we introduce ourselves. Sharing the story of our names can help us feel more connected to our roots, our family, and our culture. Students learn about their identities and each other through the ‘story of name’ activity. Inclusion is an important value to uphold in our schools. By sharing the story of our names, we can help students feel included and a part of the school community. Furthermore, I think it is crucial for teachers and students to learn how to pronounce each other’s names correctly.
The University of Michigan handout warns against doing this activity on the first day of school as it may trigger identity-related trauma. Inform students in advance of this activity and its purpose. Students must have the choice not to participate in this activity if they don’t feel comfortable sharing their name story.
Listed below are some resources for the story of name activity in different variations.
Another idea from Make a World of Difference: 50 Asset-Building Activities to Help Teens Explore Diversity by Dawn C. Oparah. Students could also be guided by the following questions to understand better the value of people’s names and how mocking other people’s names can be hurtful.
It is important to start the school year on the right foot by creating an inclusive environment for all students. One way to do this is to role-play different scenarios that may occur during the school year. This will help students identify and respond to both positive and negative situations. I have been interested in exploring how to utilize advisory time to promote social-emotional learning, diversity, and inclusion. I discover this activity from the 20 Face to Face Advisories document. Please refer to pages 13-15 if you are interested in doing this activity with your students. Implementation steps and scenarios are provided, though sometimes they might be America-centric. You may need to revise the scenarios based on your own context.
“The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who recognize their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet.” (International Baccalaureate Organization) We do this through the written, taught, and assessed curriculum. As we begin the school year, we can enhance understanding and engage students broadly in exploring what it means to be internationally minded.
Identifying similarities and recognizing differences helps students not only feel included but become more international-minded. Students are encouraged to discuss the following:
An activity from the 20 Face to Face Advisories (page 18) that students can do to share similarities and differences is to create a Venn diagram. Students work in pairs to complete a Venn diagram. They write their names in the left and right circles, respectively. Individually, they record personal and cultural characteristics. (e.g., “speak three languages,” “like playing Minecraft,” “was born in Thailand,” etc.) Teachers may find it helpful to give students examples of personal and cultural characteristics. Once each student has completed their section, they take turns sharing their personal and cultural characteristics. Their similarities are noted by listing their common things in the middle section. The teacher then calls the whole class back together and invites volunteers to share what the pairs have found in common. This is a great way for students to get to know each other and start building relationships. Students also love hearing about how different they are from one another!
I have previously engaged students in a discussion of the Thai soccer cave rescue as a way to explore what it means to be human. There are two guiding questions for this activity. What does it mean to be human? What is our shared common humanity? My friend, Gary Green, created a graphic organizer to help students investigate the question, “What does it mean to be human?”.
Then I used the storytelling approach and guided students to imagine the situation. This story happened in Thailand, and many of our students were familiar with the rescue.
I showed the BBC news clip after students had a chance to imagine the situation.
Then, I used some facts to get students to think of unity as a powerful force.
Then, I used some facts to get students to think of unity as a powerful force. Using the systems iceberg tool developed by Compass Education, students then explored the question “What is our shared common humanity?”.
Finally, students reflected on the topic of international-mindedness by responding I used to think international-mindedness was…Now I think international-mindedness is…I have changed my thinking because…
This is a complex activity. Teachers will need to know how to use the systems iceberg tool and it may be a bit challenging for younger students.
International-mindedness is a multifaceted concept that captures a way of thinking, being and acting characterized by an openness to the world and a recognition of our deep interconnectedness to others.
” (International Baccalaureate Organization)
A great way to start off the school year is by celebrating the diversity within the classroom. This can be done in a number of ways, but one fun activity is to create a portraiture display. This activity idea is inspired by an IB blog post called Bringing international-mindedness to life. Here are three guiding questions for this activity.
The implementation steps are as follows.
Here are four examples of student portraits illustrating international mindedness.
International-mindedness means very different things to teachers, parents and students around the world, so how do you analyze how an individual develops an internationally minded outlook and behaviours?
(“Bringing International-Mindedness to Life | IB Community Blog”)
Research indicates that students can reach their full potential academically and personally when they are happy and content. Well-being is not a once-in-a-while process. Instead, it is a value that is constantly woven into our lessons. Teachers need to teach specific coping strategies in the classroom and draw their students’ attention to their well-being. During the first weeks of school, we can guide students in developing strategies to take good care of themselves, develop healthy habits to be happy, and manage stress.
It is essential to know our students. What are their interests? What hinders their learning, and what helps them learn? What do they need to feel comfortable with to be successful? What makes them feel frustrated? Students’ learner profiles help teachers determine which activities work best for each student and identify their strengths. Moreover, it allows students to reflect on who they are as a learner, how they best learn, and what motivates them to learn. You can find many examples of student learner profiles on the internet if you Google them. Here is one example: Learning Profile Templates to Help on the Personalized Learning Journey. A document entitled Developing Learning Profiles provides a detailed look at the why, how, and what of learning profiles.
I suggest providing a much more open-ended learner profile for high school students than a template. For example, teachers could give a list of questions for students to answer, and they address the questions in Canva or Adobe Education Exchange (@AdobeExpress) by creating a learner profile poster. This can also be beneficial for MYP Year 5 students to list skills, talents, and interests when brainstorming the topic for their personal project.
Hopes and fears are powerful emotions that can strengthen students’ resilience and motivation. Our hopes are aspirational, and our fears can be great motivators when we employ the right strategies. Teachers can use the “hopes and fears” activity to gauge student attitudes and understand their concerns for the new school year or the subject. In addition, it is an excellent opportunity for students to discover that they are not alone in their hopes and fears about the new school year or the subject. Students can begin this activity by writing down their hopes and fears on sticky notes. One idea per sticky note makes sorting and categorizing easy. Here are some examples of hopes and fears that students might have.
After every student has finished identifying their hopes and fears for the new school year, they post their thoughts on the chart paper in the hopes and fears columns prepared by the teacher. The students silently read all the responses, then group similar ideas and identify patterns. Finally, the teacher can guide a discussion by asking probing questions, such as “What are some ways you might achieve your hopes?” or “How can we help each other succeed and overcome our fears?” Teachers may focus on two or three specific concerns depending on time constraints. The detailed implementation steps of the hopes and fears activity can be found here.
Dyson vacuum cleaners are very popular household appliances. Some people don’t know that James Dyson had developed 5,127 prototypes and failed 5,126 times before the final product was released. He took risks and learned from his failures. The story of his success was inspiring. We can guide our students to view failure as an opportunity to improve, develop perseverance, and make better decisions. Teaching students how to learn from mistakes can encourage a growth mindset, self-determination, and entrepreneurship. A sense of well-being can result from students having strategies for learning from mistakes. When students learn from their own mistakes, they are likely to feel more confident about themselves.
Here is what I plan to do with the learning from failures activity.
The ‘comfort, stretch, panic learning zone’ activity was shared on Twitter by @teacher2teacher. By getting students to identify their comfort zone, stretch zone, and panic zone in learning, they will be more aware of their personal limits and how to approach new challenges.
Through all IB programmes, students are encouraged to develop empathy and take principled action. We encourage students to form partnerships with local communities to bring about change or solve problems or issues by applying their understanding, knowledge, and skills. Before getting involved in the wider community, teachers can start by developing a sense of community responsibility in their students and guide them through co-creating the norms and expectations of collaboration. To achieve this objective, these are some ideas teachers might consider.
Community circles on a regular basis are a great way to begin the year with a focus on inclusion and positivity. By sitting in a circle, everyone is on an equal level and can see each other’s faces. Through the community circle, every student is given a chance to share something about themselves or the values they uphold. One thing that’s important for students to understand is the purpose and function of the community circle. Do not skip the step of introducing and explaining why conversations are held in a circle. In the Edutopia article Building Community With Restorative Circles, you’ll find 7 steps for facilitating meaningful circles explained. In addition, make sure to give students some time to think after you ask a question. Limiting students’ responses to 1 or 2 sentences is also more effective if you have a large class. Community circles establish rules such as when people may speak, what to say when others speak, and how long to speak about a topic. It also creates group norms that can be used to guide everyday activities and behaviors. After these expectations are established, it becomes easier for students to interact positively with one another because they know what is expected of them.
Kelly Hilton (@kellyihilton) includes a list of sample prompting circle questions in The First Days of School in the Community Circle section.
Community circles help provide the perfect foundations for implementing restorative practices. It’s not just about getting students to sit in a circle. Rather, it’s about teaching them how to listen and care for one another. Through these community circles, trust and positive relationships can be established, and students can feel comfortable discussing conflict with teachers or their peers later on. If you are interested in organizing community circles, Community, Circles and Collaboration: The First 10 Days by D. Bucci, A. Cannon & A. Ramkarran is a helpful resource.
It’s crucial that students feel like they have a say in how their classroom operates. We often put students in groups and assume they know how to work together. This isn’t always the case. Effective collaboration requires some planning and a common understanding. Collaboratively creating norms with students will help ensure everyone is on the same page and feels comfortable with how things are run. A group discussion, outlining expectations, and sharing personal goals can lead to productive working relationships. Teachers can use ‘looks like, sounds like, feels like to stimulate discussion about collaboration. Here are the implementation steps:
Large classes might break up into groups, and each compares their categories of ideas with the others. Students might then establish and agree on the expectations of collaboration. Teachers could use Thai soccer team rescue as a stimulus to have students consider what teamwork in success might look, sound, and feel like and discuss the benefits of collaboration.
The “How I Want to Be in a Group” activity is another great resource I recently discovered on Twitter shared by Lauren Porosoff (@LaurenPorosoff)
Design thinking is a process that can be used to teach empathy. It begins with understanding the needs of others, then brainstorming solutions that meet those needs. From there, you prototype your solution and test it out. Finally, you reflect on your experience and learn from it. The design thinking approach to service learning is important because students usually need to interview recipients in their local community to discover solutions to issues before taking action. “Design the Ideal Wallet” exercise engages students in exploring empathy and promotes collaboration, critical thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, and presentation skills. Stanford University’s d.school developed the wallet project. The Teaching Entrepreneurship website details the facilitation steps.
It is so important for students to feel like they are in control of their learning. When students know why they are learning, how to achieve their potential, and what they are learning, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. Being able to self-regulate means having control over our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. It’s an important life skill that helps us cope with stress, make good decisions, and achieve our goals. When students can self-regulate, they feel better about themselves and are more likely to succeed in school and relationships. It’s essential to teach students the vocabulary of self-regulation before teaching them self-regulation skills. The marshmallow test is a fun video that students can use to grasp the concept. The definition of self-regulation provided by positivepsychology.com is easy for students to understand. Below are some activities to help students develop self-regulation to inspire their ownership of learning at the beginning of the school year.
“Someone who has good emotional self-regulation has the ability to keep their emotions in check. They can resist impulsive behaviors that might worsen their situation, and they can cheer themselves up when they’re feeling down. They have a flexible range of emotional and behavioral responses that are well matched to the demands of their environment”
(Andrea Bell)
Students can benefit from setting goals at the beginning of the school year. Not only will this help them stay on track, but it will also give them a sense of ownership over their learning. Students are encouraged to set specific, measurable, achievable goals related to school work or social skills as a first step toward self-regulated learning. Not every student knows how to set personal learning goals for themselves. A suggestion might be first to help students identify their areas of improvement. The goal-setting engagement can follow the “comfortable, stretch, panic zone” activity. Positive psychology website also has a self-assessment test to help students identify areas where they could improve and become more motivated.
I adopted PEERS Goal Framework from Jim Knight to assist students in the development of their own personal goals. In my previous blog post, PEERS Goals, I also briefly explained why I prefer PEERS goals over SMART goals.
I have been supporting students with their MYP personal projects for many years and observed that students find breaking a big project into smaller and manageable tasks challenging. Many teachers experience feelings of frustration when they find out that their students haven’t turned in their work, even though they were reminded of the due date several times and were given adequate notice. Students are given time to set their own personal learning goals at the beginning of the school year, but now what? How do we help students turn these broad statements into specific milestones and outcomes? The answer is simple: Project Management! The process of managing a project from start to finish includes setting goals, breaking down a large project into small tasks, setting timelines, and tracking progress. With a clear plan, students are more likely to achieve their goals. We can’t teach project management skills without context. This is just an introductory activity at the beginning of the school year, and teachers will need to teach project management skills deliberately throughout their course.
Project management skills could be introduced and practiced through a small maker project. I will encourage students to practice their project management skills by listing the steps needed to achieve their personal learning goals. Additionally, teachers might get a list of projects students will need to complete this year, such as creating an infographic, making an oral presentation, or taking an exam. Students then work in groups to generate a list of all the tasks that need to be completed to finish the project. Next, students should create a timeline for each task. By creating a timeline, students can ensure their project stays on track and that deadlines are met.
The significant points are that students should be able to apply project management skills to any subject and project. Project management is closely related to time management, and it helps students plan their time more effectively, which can help reduce stress. I would love to hear from teachers about how they plan on incorporating project management skills into their courses.
During the student induction at the start of the school year, students can create metaphors that illustrate what makes good learning and teaching. (Teachers can ask any question relevant to the context. e.g. What makes a good assessment? What makes a positive learning environment?) A visual metaphor is an image used to represent an idea or concept. Visual metaphors communicate complex ideas in a way that is easy for people to understand. Using a visual metaphor is a great way to convey a message more memorably and creatively. This opportunity also gives teachers an understanding of the perspectives and thoughts of what their students think of what good teaching and learning mean. Teachers can display these posters in the classroom and on campus. It may be a good idea to design a Google Slide presentation with a designated slide for each student to work on. Another option for students is using Canva to create their visual metaphor using an Instagram template.
Examples of student work
In order to be successful, inclusive classrooms need to be proactive in meeting the needs of all students. The first weeks of school are crucial in setting the tone for the year and establishing routines. By incorporating some or all of these activities into your classroom, we might help all students feel welcome, appreciated, and engaged in learning. Towards the end of the student induction process, give students time to reflect and build their toolkit of strategies and ideas that will enable them to learn more effectively. ‘I’m Becoming An Expert Learner!’ Tweet from Pam Hubler (@specialtechie) is an excellent tool for guiding students as they reflect during student induction week.
I hope all teachers have a fantastic start to the new school year with their students and enjoy the energy. Thank you again for reading my blog post on 16 ideas to engage students with the hidden curriculum in secondary schools during the first two weeks of school.
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A Wonderful resource