At Head Held High, our aim is to connect with our Junior Students (defined as Year 1s to 6s) in ways that reflect their natural exuberance and playfulness. Our lessons are not only designed to be engaging and interactive, but also fun and imaginative.
We believe that imagination is essential! A pencil can be transformed into a key that unlocks a candy land; a book can become a guide to finding a troll that's stolen all the whiteboard markers, and a water bottle can be a potion that turns everyone's hair green.
The possibilities are endless!
Meeting Students Where They Are
Engaging young students can be a challenge, but we're up for it!
To effectively connect with the imaginative minds of this age group, we need to meet them where they are and embrace their sense of fun. As adults in the classroom, we model this approach by being willing to participate in their antics.
By demonstrating a willingness to be silly and playful, we can capture the hearts of our Junior Students, who will enthusiastically reciprocate and embrace our lighthearted approach to learning.
Managing The Pace
At Head Held High, we believe that teachers need to adopt a student-centred perspective while being mindful of their developmental needs.
One critical factor that can make or break a lesson for this age group is pace.
Fast-paced, fun, and seamless transitions are vital keys to maintaining their attention and keeping them on their toes. And we have a few tricks up our sleeve to achieve this! As examples…
We make transitions between activities into games, using imaginative and exciting prompts that capture students' attention and seamlessly transition them into the next activity. We may call students to come quickly by offering tickets to an underwater museum, or announce that water is coming in through the windows and encouraging students to take a big breath. These kinds of prompts allow us to avoid losing the children's attention between activities and maintain engagement throughout the lesson.
Being a great speech and drama teacher (particularly of Junior students) requires a range of skills, and maintaining engagement with young, imaginative minds is just one aspect.
By managing the pace of the lesson and using imaginative transitions, teachers can create a fun and engaging learning environment that meets the needs of their young students. But we don't stop there!
Nurturing Imagination
To help our students learn effectively, as teachers we believe that displaying our own imagination is essential!
By nurturing the imaginations of our Juniors, we can create a nurturing environment that encourages their imaginations to soar. And it's not just limited to the classroom!
We encourage parents to ask themselves a few questions to make learning more fun for their children, such as:
• How can I transform this moment?
• How can I turn this into a game?
• How can I make them laugh?
• What can I reveal about myself here?
• How can I spark their curiosity?
By playing with young students, building on their ideas, and finding the magic in every moment, as teachers and parents both, we can create an environment where every moment is an opportunity for discovery and excitement.
Conclusion
At Head Held High, we believe that learning should be fun, and we're excited to help our Junior students discover the magic in every moment.
We excitedly invite you to come and join us on this journey to ignite the imagination of our little ones!
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