Start 2023 strong: The Ultimate Teacher Checklist

Whether you're a new teacher or a seasoned pro, we all know how hectic the first few weeks of term can be. Between setting up your classroom, planning lessons, and getting to know your students, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. That's why we've created this handy checklist to help you stay organised and on track for success. These resources will help you start strong and stay consistent for the rest of the year. So let's dive in!

Get to know your students

Taking the time to get to know your students (and for them to get to know you) will help you better understand how to support their learning, and create a more personalised and engaging classroom experience. When you know your student's interests and passions, you can incorporate them into your lessons and activities, making learning more meaningful and engaging.

When students feel comfortable and connected to their teacher, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to learn, ultimately leading to better academic outcomes. To get you started, we’ve created a ‘Get to know me’ template for your lower and senior students.

Setting SMART goals

Goal setting with your students helps build their confidence and contributes to their sense of achievement when those goals are met. By outlining priorities early, students can determine what's most important to them and focus on achieving those things. When students set their own goals, they’re more likely to be motivated to achieve them - and with specific, measurable goals, they can track how far they come over the year.

Setting goals also helps develop a growth mindset, which is the belief that they can improve their abilities and skills through effort and learning. This can help students become more resilient and persistent in the face of challenges and ultimately improve their academic outcomes and personal growth.

To support your goal-setting lessons, we’ve put together a bundle of templates to download, alongside a video lesson for your students on how to use them.

Create a positive learning environment

If you have the flexibility to customise your classroom, think about how you could provide opportunities or areas for collaboration, as it can help create a more engaging and interactive learning environment. Moreover, a physical space that is clean, well-organized, and comfortable can contribute to a positive learning environment by making students feel at ease and supported.

If your students need help with their set-up at home, you can share this ‘Setting up your study space’ video with them.

Plan engaging and challenging lessons

We know that incorporating a variety of teaching methods and activities into your lessons keeps students engaged and motivated. And if we want students to engage with content, it has to be compelling.

With thousands of video, text and interactive lessons, Atomi can help you deliver engaging, syllabus-specific content and allow you to juggle the needs of every student - giving them a personalised learning journey that’s tailored to their individual needs.

No matter what your teaching style or learning intentions are, you can create high-quality, robust lessons in a few easy clicks. Either you enable students to self-direct through full courses readily mapped to the curriculum, or you just pick the modules that meet your needs as a teacher. Instructional hooks, videos for flipped instruction or consolidation, snappy quizzes… whatever you need you will find it. Get started for free.

Assess student's skills and knowledge

By gaining an understanding of what your students already know, or where they may need extra support, you can tailor your instruction to meet the needs of your class and ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.

Differentiation is about tailoring instruction to meet individual needs; it aims to improve the skills and comprehension of every student, despite their initial understanding. To support these needs in your classroom, our ‘Differentiation Planner’ will help you outline those needs, so you can easily and consistently implement this pedagogical approach in your everyday practice.

At Atomi, we want to help you and your students get a head start this year, that’s why we’re offering our Back To School bundle to you, for free! This bundle includes everything you need to run goal-setting and get-to-know-you sessions, as well as planning and differentiation resources. Download it here.