Term 4 generally finishes earlier for secondary schools due to VCE exams happening through October and November. As a result, there are not as many secondary opportunities available. This can be seen as an opportunity to try working in a Primary setting and further develop your education and teaching practice. 

Teachers who are new to working in a primary setting may find themselves feeling out of their depth. It can be difficult to know how to effectively manage a class of young students, many of whom will have shorter attention spans and less developed fine motor skills. Luckily, there are some tried-and-true tips that can help make the transition smoother. In this blog post, we’ll share some top tips for secondary educators working in primary settings. Hopefully, these pointers will help you hit the ground running and feel more confident in your new role! 

– Learning every child’s name after the roll is essential for: 

  • Behaviour Management and engagement 
  • Safety 
  • Respect 
  • Any name you can’t grasp have the student spell their name on the board, then spell it phonetically. 
  • Takes only five to ten minutes, and your day will run far more smoothly.

– Model, Model, Model! 

  • Don’t just explain a bit ask to students, be sure to model it for them also. 

– Brain Breaks! 

  • As soon as students seem to be losing concentration, don’t persist. Stop and play a quick movement game to allow them to reset and help them to focus on the task at hand. Ensure brain breaks are regular throughout the day. 

– Model an example of the set task out well 

– Include good active hook in activities or brain breaks after recess or lunch 

– If it’s not working, change it! 

– Ask students about hobbies or interests 

– A bit of loudness isn’t a bad thing especially if they are on task or they just need a bit of prompting to remain on task 

– Soothing music can be great to play 

– Let 3/4 and 5/6 listen to their music to do independent tasks 

– Ask students themselves about their regular routine and what their favourite class game is 

– Use simple language. Get down to their level and try to wear some colour! Young people love colour and will warm to you more easily. Try it for yourself! 

 

Thanks to Angela, Nina, Candice & Jay for their tips! 

If you’re a secondary educator looking for an opportunity to work in a primary setting, or if you’re simply curious about what the transition might be like, we hope this blog post has been helpful. Please reach out to us if you want more information about opportunities to work in primary settings. We would be happy to chat with you and answer any questions you may have. Thanks for reading!