The one thing my PGCE never prepared me for was what to do in the first lesson of the year.  I’ve now had 3-4 attempts and each time have tried to do it differently.  As for September, I am still undecided.

Admin first approach

The pros of this approach is that everyone starts from the same point and all the necessary stuff is done.  Rules are established and students are very compliant in this lesson, often regardless of ability.  My main issue with this is that sometimes there is not enough time for a language based activity or fun.  This means that students are left waiting until the next lesson for the real learning to start.  A lot of subjects also take this approach and it can get a bit monotonous after having done it 5 times before they reach your lesson.

Lesson learnt: if showing the kids what to put…