5 Minutes of Calm

I've been having a problem with a particular class at a particular time. For some reason this naturally energetic class go ape on a Thursday last period. This has been a reoccurring theme. One afternoon in a practical session I actually felt that their behaviour was becoming unsafe, and despite stopping the class on a few occasions and addressing this issue, the momentum of that precarious energy would rapidly escalate again.

I decided last week to start this lesson with 5 minutes of calm. I got the students to rest their heads on the desk, close their eyes and focus on a piece of music. Last week I tried Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. This week; Nostalgia 77’s Quiet Dawn.

The idea was to reset the mode for the lesson, and I think that is has had an effect. In general, the students say they like this approach. I believe that 5 minutes of the lesson is a small sacrifice for the price of my mental health and the students’ safety.

#Learningfocusedculture