Setting your school up for success this academic year

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As we welcome in the new teaching and learning year for our Northern Hemisphere schools, now is the time to consider what teachers, educators and other pastoral care school staff can implement to support a successful transition back to school for students - read this article to learn how to set up for school success this year! 

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Like any transition or change, the return to school after a long holiday period can require some additional preparation and support structures. We know that many students look forward to the return of school and re-connecting with their friends and school community; therefore, these students happily embrace the challenge of a new school year. However, there will be some other students that need additional considerations and support during this time of transition back to school. Here are our top tips for setting up students for school success from our psychology team here at Komodo.

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Modelling

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As educators, you have a significant role in modelling behaviours you want to see from your students. As we enter this new school year, enter as an educator with enthusiasm, energy and excitement for learning. Social-learning theory tells us that we learn by watching and copying behaviours around us - this is particularly powerful when this is a person we hold of high importance or in high regard (Bandura & Walters, 1977; Wenger & Wenger-Trayner, 2020e).  

Establish routine

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By definition, holidays are a time of leisure and recreation. Help your students settle back into the structure of school by establishing the new school routine and expectations early. Our brains like predictability and routines create this for us. Students who struggle with transition, change and/or anxiety will find immense benefit from a predictable routine (Alter & Haydon, 2017; Bailey, 2020; Rentenbach,  Prislovsky & Gabriel, 2017).

Orientate to goals

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As students come back into school and learning environments, help them create and connect with new learning goals. Having an idea of what they want to achieve or improve in this term/year helps build internal motivation and improves the likelihood of sustained engagement in class and the learning process (Day & Tosey, 2011; Martin et al., 2022; .Zimmerman 2012).

Support staff wellbeing

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Researchers are in agreement that when staff wellbeing is acknowledged and prioritised, we see increases in job satisfaction, productivity and performance. Also, reduced absence and staff turnover improve performance and job satisfaction which can lead to reduced staff turnover (Hinds, 2019; Jerram et al., 2020). When schools promote and support staff wellbeing we see positive working environments where teachers thrive and are then able to give energy and expertise to their students (Evans et al., 2021).

Support student wellbeing from a holistic perspective

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Research shows us that when schools prioritise student wellbeing, we see decreased behavioural difficulties, increased engagement and enjoyment in learning, and improved mental health and social relationships (Lindorff, 2020). When students are well, they have the capacity to develop on physical, neurological and socio-emotional levels. This, in return, means that students are able to be open to learning and opportunity for academic success follows (Evans et al., 2020). It can be difficult to know where to start with student wellbeing. At these links, you can read more information on how to monitor, measure and manage student wellbeing.

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As you prepare your students for success this school year, take a moment to learn more about how Komodo can support your school or, more specifically, your individual classroom.

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1. School Climate: the state of the social and educational environment at a school
2. ‍Learning and Achievement: student perspective on learning, workload and support
3. Emotional Wellbeing: the impact of the way a student thinks and feels about themselves and others
4. ‍Physical Wellbeing: the state of physical health factors and the impact on daily activities
5. ‍Social Wellbeing: the impact and quality of social interactions and relationships
6. ‍Sleep: the state of the quality and quantity of sleep 
7. ‍Digital Wellbeing: the level of use and impact of technology, devices and social media
8. ‍Critical Events: the impact of sudden and/or unexpected events on students.

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Find out how Komodo can help

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References

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• Alter, P., & Haydon, T. (2017). Characteristics of effective classroom rules: A review of the literature. Teacher Education and Special Education, 40(2), 114-127.
• Bailey, D. (2020). PBS in practice: A teacher’s perspective. In Developing Positive Classroom Environments (pp. 193-206). Routledge.
• Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (1977). Social learning theory(Vol. 1). Prentice Hall: Englewood cliffs.
• Day, T., & Tosey, P. (2011). Beyond SMART? A new framework for goal setting. Curriculum Journal, 22(4), 515-534.
• Evans, K., Yusuf, B., Roberts, F., & Hoyle, T. (2021). The Big Book of Whole School Wellbeing. The Big Book of Whole School Wellbeing, 1-100.
• Jerrim, J., Sims, S., Taylor, H., & Allen, R. (2020). How does the mental health and wellbeing of teachers compare to other professions? Evidence from eleven survey datasets. Review of Education, 8(3), 659-689.
• Hinds, D. (2019). Teacher recruitment and retention strategy.
• Lindorff, A. (2020). The impact of promoting student wellbeing on student academic and non-academic outcomes: An analysis of the evidence.
• Martin, A. J., Burns, E. C., Collie, R. J., Bostwick, K. C., Flesken, A., & McCarthy, I. (2022). Growth goal setting in high school: A large-scale study of perceived instructional support, personal background attributes, and engagement outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(4), 752.
• Rentenbach, B., Prislovsky, L., & Gabriel, R. (2017). Valuing differences: Neurodiversity in the classroom. Phi Delta Kappan, 98(8), 59-63.
• Wenger, E., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2020). Learning to make a difference: Value creation in social learning spaces. Cambridge university press.
• Zimmerman, B. J. (2012). Goal setting: A key proactive source of academic self-regulation. In Motivation and self-regulated learning (pp. 267-295). Routledge.