Tips for moving classrooms a lot

[ginforall]

Hi, so according to my timetable I will be in 12 different rooms next year and will have to move rooms between period 1 and 2 (when there is 0 mins of moving time), sometimes to the other side of the school. I teach secondary maths.

I've started trying to think of ways to make my life easier for this and so far I have:

• having a list of starter ideas that I can just write up on the board as soon as a I get in the room.
• estimate a minute if the class look a little unsettled, everyone puts heads down on desk and have to silently put their hand up when they think a min has passed (may have to in case it to estimate 2 mins if logging on to the computer is taking a while)
• treating myself to a new work bag which is bigger, maybe with compartments.
• not planning to use technology in some lessons, so just write up work on the board old school style, no ppt.
• try where possible to cut down on photocopying so I have less to carry around (although lack of textbooks in rooms wont help with this).

Any other good ideas? Trying to stay positive about it all and come up with a bit of plan. But also know that there will be some days which will be a nightmare and I can only do my best.

[Nc13t765tyrv]

Do you have a mathsbo subscription? If not, its really cheap. They have AMAZING starters on there that you can project or even print and shoce under a visualizer if that js quicker. I use it at the start of every lesson anyway!

[Malbecfan]

We had a maths teacher who used to fire 10 questions at us at the start of a lesson (in the 1980s). So she would pick on child A and say something like 12 x 7. Then when they gave the answer, she would bounce it to someone else saying "halve it". Then something else. It forced us to listen to what the previous person had said so we were always silent.

You could plot your "route" round the class in advance so that in your 3 lessons per week or whatever, you ask everyone. Change the route once you have done it once to stop complacency.

[ginforall]

@Mistressiggi for us students will already be in room the room unless it's straight after break or lunch. I am fully expecting some issues to deal with when I get there. Especially as a couple of times I'll be moving from the other side of the school, taking the least direct route as I'll have to follow the new one way system.

[MsJaneAusten]

No worksheets will be ridiculous with mixed ability. Hole punch books and treasury tag to secure sheets.

This ^^

I’m planning to give out the next lesson’s sheet at the end of the previous lesson, complete with a ‘Can you complete this before Ms Austen arrives?’ challenge for them to do while they wait for me to hike across the school.

I’ve asked HOD to order lots of lidded plastic boxes so that exercise books and set texts can be left in classrooms.

[Mistressiggi]

In this scenario, do the pupils go into the room before you get there, or do they wait for the teacher in the corridor? If allowed in I'm thinking I could arrive to some kind of nonsense I have to sort out before I can even start teaching. But waiting in the corridor has its own problems.

[trinity0097]

Put the stuff you will need in there first thing in the morning so no carrying about. Collect later too.
Log onto the computer as the children write the date and title.

[Hercwasonaroll]

No worksheets will be ridiculous with mixed ability. Hole punch books and treasury tag to secure sheets.

We're waiting til Sept to even get which version of the TT we're going with!!

[ginforall]

@PumpkinPie2016 no worksheets is going to be tricky. We are allowed to copy and give out sheets (I think - it wasn't mentioned as a no), but not glue. So can't get them to work on a sheet and then stick it in. I'm planning to do some advanced planning too over the summer, I want as little 'extra' to do as possible in September whilst I get my head around all the changes.

@Whatelsecouldibecalled thanks, great idea - will add that to my list of speedy starters.

[Whatelsecouldibecalled]

I move classrooms a lot. Standard ‘starter’ activity I use is ‘starter for 10’ so in your case could be 10 sums that add up to 30 etc. It literally takes me a second to give the instruction of what the starter for 10 is and then they crack on while I log on load PowerPoints etc. It’s done in the back of their books and not marked.

[user1471525172]

@ginforall

He kept it folded on the top of his bag, although I think he'd have suited the curtain as cloak look

[PumpkinPie2016]

We have had confirmation that we can't use worksheets because we need to limit what is passed between pupils and teachers.

It's going to be tricky with certain things that's for sure!

Feel like I am going to have to do 'coronavirus' lesson planning over the Summer so that September isn't totally crazy. I do feel like it's going to be exhausting though!

[ginforall]

@juliej00ls we're all moving more. So students stay in the same 'zones'. I'm hoping that been as we're all moving a bit that everyone will be a bit more careful about not leaving loads of stuff around, wiping boards etc.

Thanks for all the tips. Adding big pencil case, large water bottle and board cloths to by summer shopping list. Not sure about a curtain though - surely that was quite difficult to transport around @user1471525172? I suppose you could wear it like a cape?!

[Hercwasonaroll]

@juliej00ls Has the whole coronavirus thing passed you by?!

[juliej00ls]

I would be asking the HOD to look at your timetable. Surely it is possible for you to have less movement. Other members of your team can also move. I say this as a HOD with part timers etc.

[user1471525172]

I used to work with someone who carried a portable desk... which was actually a curtain! He'd simply put it over whatever was on the teacher desk and put his stuff on top. At the end of the lesson, he'd take everything off and pack up... no danger of leaving anything behind, or of taking someone else's stuff by accident.

[PenOrPencil]

We are going to have a “Do Now” menu so that (secondary) kids can crack on with that while we disinfect the desk, log on and register.
All books will be hole punched and copies filed in with treasury tags - no more glue sticks!
I might treat myself to a bigger water bottle. Hopefully that will be the heaviest thing I have to carry around the school!
I will also have: planner, any copies, BIG pencil case with board pens, microfibre cloth to wipe the board, USB stick (fixed PCs in all classrooms).

[ginforall]

I'll have a look at numeracy ninja, thanks @noblegiraffe

Love that idea @PumpkinPie2016 but don't think I'm allowed to give out glue or other equipment in Sept. So would only really work if every kid has their own glue stick, which is unlikely.

I normally do the same for paper @Hercwasonaroll. I've been in a couple of different classrooms a week the past couple of years, but always a maths room so always been a few spare books laying around.

[Hercwasonaroll]

I just rip pages out of other kids books, or leave one exercise book as a spare for kids out of paper. Leave a stash in the room once kids start using up their books.

[PumpkinPie2016]

Can you print a settler activity and stick in their books at the end of one lesson ready for the next?

So, for instance, if you see a class Mon/Wed/Fri, on Mon they stick in Wednesday's settler task and so on. That way,they can just get their books out and start while you get organised.

The visualiser idea is genius! I literally hadn't thought of that Our school has them in every room so I think I may be printing my title/do now slide and sticking it under the visualiser when I enter the room so the kids can be starting while I get set up.

I am also thinking of trying to rely on PowerPoints a bit less. That way, it will be less stressful having to log on, get on one drive, get the ppt up (while at some point dealing with the inevitable IT failure!).

[noblegiraffe]

Have five million board pens, some squared paper and a board rubber in your bag. Nothing worse than turning up to a poorly resourced classroom and other rooms never have squared paper.

Could you get the school to print off numeracy ninja booklets? They take 5 minutes (there’s a PowerPoint with a timer and answers but you could just use your phone) which would give you time to set up. If they’re in the classroom, the routine would be a kid hands them out, they crack on in silence, you then read out the answers.

[ginforall]

Thanks everyone, some great suggestions to add to my list.

[Hercwasonaroll]

If you're all over the place, take lunch that can be eaten without any prep or fetching from the fridge. Ditto drinks. Saves valuable time at break and lunch.

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

I teach in about 6 or 7 classrooms - seems like an eternity. I now carry no students exercise books at all. They drop them off for marking and pick them up afterwards. I basically carry a textbook or two, pens and maybe some photocopying.

Start of lesson - books out, bags off table, check homework for feedback, then activity from textbook.

No time for anything else.

[CarrieBlue]

Train a child in each group to clean the board at the start of the lesson - however many times you ask other staff they won’t clean it before leaving ‘their’ room.

Same with the front desk - identify a place where you will dump all the crap the previous teacher will leave on ‘their’ desk.

Invest in a crate on wheels for dragging everything round with you

[Hercwasonaroll]

I think I don't like the idea that being silent is a game. Being silent when asked is a base line expectation.

Be savvy with marking, can they do something on a sheet that is marked and glued in? Less to carry. This does depend on policy though.