5 tips for a good end of school year

As a secondary school teacher, you are probably still buried in examinations and remedial work at the moment. You may not have had much time to think concretely about those last days of the school year yet. Well, we already did that for you. So here are some tips for a good end of the school year. Good luck with the final stretch!

Change things up

Do you still have some curriculum to cover before the end of the school year? You might want to cram all the material into a few more lessons, but maybe you should change things up? Let your students in groups each choose a topic to cover and then teach each other about it. It can give them extra motivation to absorb new material as each group puts its own spin on it. Moreover, it also allows them to practise their research and presentation skills. Want to create additional learning opportunities? Then let the groups also assess each other in a peer assessment. This way, they practice giving and receiving feedback which will only enhance their feedback literacy.

Look ahead

The end of the school year is often accompanied by some excitement and anxiety. After all, it is a farewell to something you have worked on as a group for a year. At the same time, after the summer holidays, a lot of new things await the pupils. To ease the tension, you could invite a teacher from the next class or grade to come and meet them and talk about what the pupils can expect next school year.

As a teacher, you can also reflect on what you need for the next year. Are there things you ran into this year or would like to approach differently next school year? Ask colleagues for advice or check if there are any interesting teacher training sessions you’d like to follow. For example, Centrum Nascholing Onderwijs organises teacher training sessions (in Dutch) on the evaluation of complex skills and peer evaluation in collaboration with Comproved.

Have your students fill in a report about you

Give your students the opportunity to give feedback on you as a teacher. What did they like or find interesting this year? What didn’t they like? What did you handle well? Where is room for improvement? You can get interesting insights and inspiration from this towards the next school year. Moreover, your pupils will appreciate the fact that you show that you value their opinion. At the same time, you show them that as a teacher, you too are not perfect and that you keep learning all your life.

Evaluate test data

Collect the most important test data from the past school year and review them critically. Are the results in line with your expectations or not? Did certain things not go as planned or, on the contrary, did things go exceptionally well? What could have caused this? Look for causes and solutions. If necessary, talk to a colleague if you can’t quite figure it out yourself. Finally, set clear objectives and possibly make an action plan for the new school year.

Organise an activity together

Matter of ending the school year with a bang, of course you organise a fun day trip or activity with the class. Involve your students in organising it. For example, draw up a list of possible activities together and hold a vote to choose one. You can always use the comparing tool to reach a consensus without discussion. Then let your students also help with the actual organisation of the day trip or activity. This will only enhance the group feeling. Finally, don’t forget to enjoy these last moments before you go on your well-deserved holiday!