With Term 1 nearly part of the history books already, teachers naturally turn their eyes to what is coming in Term 2, which is always a very busy time of year for education professionals. With so many key events and assessments scheduled, it can start to feel overwhelming. That’s why we spoke with a few of our colleagues, all of whom are former teachers, to get their advice for making it through the upcoming term. With several decades of experience among the group, we hope their expertise can be of some assistance to you. Here is what they had to say about surviving Term 2:
- Prepare for assessments: While Term 1 eases education professionals and students alike back into a learning environment, Term 2 (and by extension Term 3) represents the ‘crux’ of the year where students have to start applying their knowledge. This means that assessments, SACs and other graded coursework will take the foreground and become the major focus for both teachers and students. To ensure that any planned assessment meets the requirements, take a bit of time from your much-needed holiday to read over your subject’s curriculum and course outline. Planning these tasks in advance ensures that you test exactly the skills that are required and also helps with the next two steps.
- Start considering student reports early: A big focus for Term 2 is end-of-semester reports; this is in large part why assessment activity picks up. Report writing can be one of the most time-consuming and stressful times for teachers so it’s important to be proactive. Start keeping records of all in-class activity well before the report writing period begins so that when it comes time to put it all on paper, you have readily accessible files to refer back to. Not only will this make the process much smoother, but it will also help you to collate more informative reports.
- Know what to do in parent-teacher interviews: Similar to reports, parent-teacher interviews represent the culmination of a term’s work. The timing of these interviews will vary from school to school but they’re something to keep in mind nonetheless. Following the above advice will help ensure you have plenty of material to discuss. While these meetings can be difficult to handle, remember that both teachers and parents are there for the benefit of their students/children. Keeping that in mind can form a common ground and make this important step an easier and more amicable one.
- Plan for NAPLAN: The biggest focus of the upcoming term for Years 7 and 9 teachers is that of the annual NAPLAN Used to test the skills essential for students to progress through school and life, these assessments are of significant importance to schools. Watch for more on this topic as the date of these assessments approaches but starting to prepare your students early is an easy way to maximize your students’ results.
What do you think of our cheat sheet for surviving Term 2? Is there anything of importance that we missed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. We wish you all the best for a successful Term 2 and hope you enjoy the Easter break!