Staff Room Activities

setting time scales for each bit, breaking down the task and promising yourself a rewardfor completing each chunk, having a break, doing something completely different, sleepingon it, walking around, visualising or thinking about what it will be like when the task isfinished, asking others to help, talking through what you are doing, receiving feedback fromothers.When you have finished, create a staffroom poster of your favoured ways to keep going.Applying learningComplete the task with the children in your class and create your own classroom poster. Itwill be interesting to consider how you might accommodate some of the strategies thechildren may suggest (such as walking around, having a break, doing somethingcompletely different or working towards a reward).As a whole staff or phase group, you might also agree to consider with your class what todo when you are stuck. Children might agree five key actions before they ask an adult forhelp. These might be put on the wall or on each child’s table.Activity 4: encouraging autonomyWhat to doThis activity is best carried out in phase groups. Consider the questions:• What choices did the children in our class make for themselves today/yesterday?• How many ways do we encourage autonomy in our classrooms?• What ideas can you think of that will encourage autonomy? Think creatively and includeall the ideas you can think of (even those that seem impractical).Compare the lists each phase group has come up with.Applying learningUse an additional strategy each week. Review progress.Activity 5: knowing ourselves as a learner (1)ResourcesA copy for each person of the resource sheet How am I clever? (From the Yellow set: Year 3).Teachers’ planning filesWhat to doThere are many ways of categorising the way we are as a learner. As a school you mightalready have adopted a particular approach. The advantages of using one or more of theseapproaches is to help us provide a rich learning environment for all children, encouragingthem to use all their senses and learning styles to the fullest extent. The danger is that welabel children and so reduce opportunities and expectations.4Going for goals! Staffroom activities © Crown copyright 2005Primary National Strategy DfES 1350-2005