School Resumes in Australia
For the information of my international readers, schools return on the 2nd February in Australia from the school Summer Vacation. Some will be sad, others ready for a new year. There will be stresses for students as classes change and their friends aren't necessarily with them anymore. Parents will breath a sigh of relief. Teachers of course will be a little stressed as they prepare for the year, and await their new students.
For children entering Primary School (Elementary school as many know it in other countries) some will be excited. They might well have enjoyed preschool, and the chance to spend time with one of their parents, or a grandparent who encouraged them at home when not at preschool as well as teaching them many things. But now they are off to 'Big' school as some young ones call it at first. While some are nervous, Primary school will open up a whole new world of learning.
1. How to Support Children in this Transition Phase?
a) Being positive about school
There will be a vast array of emotions about school commencing. Those well advanced in their education will be excited to catch up with old friends.Those attending school for the first time will have a different experience. Some will be excited, others not so!
Parents might do varied things to ease the transition, such as organising 'play dates' prior to the first day of school between their child and their friends. This has the secondary benefit of being able to 'talk up' the good things that will happen at school with their existing friends as well as new ones.
b) Shopping for School things
As well as shopping for school uniforms, there will be new back packs, and perhaps even a small desk for them to use at home while they prepare for school. You may need to shop for pencils, crayons, water bottles and other things too. Most children will enjoy getting these new things, and again, this will be preparing them for the 'excitement' of school.
In Australia, the school year commences in February which is late Summer. Many will be returning from beach holidays and fun at home to go to school, where the temperature might be quite high. This will be challenging. There are so many things that can make these first days and weeks difficult, especially for children new to a school. But hopefully, there will be excitement as well.
2. Adjusting to New Teachers and Class Mates
It's important to talk to your children before and after school in the first weeks and even months is very important. Students can be brutal to one another in new classes. As James Gee suggests, these early days require students to be "...apprenticed to new social groups". These groups begin to shape their position and status in groups. I talk about this in "Pedagogy and Education for Life" and offer examples of how this occurs in everyday school life. Barbara Rogoff takes the apprenticeship metaphor further, by arguing that students are effectively apprenticed into thinking in quite specific ways.
As well as the students who have an impact on one another, the teacher has an important role in leading these young apprentices into classroom and school life too. The words and actions of teachers matter! If we teach, we inevitably signal to our students what we see as appropriate, as well as the roles in life that are possible, important and valuable.
The things teachers sanction in classroom discourse as appropriate and valuable, will also be important. The teacher's role is not to try to be liked by simply reflecting the values, habits and hopes of the students. They need to shape attitudes by creating frameworks for classroom life, that encourage and create predictable behaviour and outcomes [see Chapter 5 of 'Pedagogy and Education for Life' for more details on this topic].
3. The Role of Guided Participation
To create the right environment in classes, teachers must understand the perspectives of the students, and in turn, students need to understand those of the teacher. American Psychologist Jerome Bruner saw this as a type of 'exchange' taking place, helping both to understand one another.
This notion of 'exchange' will of course look quite different for the teacher of 5 year olds compared to later Primary and Secondary.
If we observe our students holding unhelpful views of the world, or engaging in practices that are problematic, we will also need to guide them into new ways of seeing and acting on and in the world. Vygotsky, Bruner, Rogoff and others all suggest that as we create positive communities in classrooms, it is possible to exchange meanings and help students to grow. This in turn, will lead to common goals and pursuits.
4. Wrapping up
Parents might find it helpful to reflect on your own distant memories of school and the challenges of each year. As well, if we think about the challenges of the adult world of work and relationships, this should help us to have empathy for our children.
You can explore this and other topics of educational interest in my book 'Pedagogy and Education for Life'.
