Once you have invested a full school year of hard work with a class of students, it鈥檚 hard to let them go at year鈥檚 end. Yet that’s what happens, year after year.
However, some teachers may be presented with the opportunity to stay with their same students next year. Classroom looping聽鈥� or multi-year teaching聽鈥� is when a teacher moves with his or her students to the next grade level. If given the opportunity, would you loop with your current class next year?
End the Beginning-of-the-Year Drag
The first week of school is usually filled almost entirely with learning classroom rules, procedures and teacher expectations. This is usually followed by several icebreakers to allow the class to get to know each other.
Looping with a class gives you an advantage during this first week. Provided you aren鈥檛 drastically changing any expectations or classroom procedures, your students will simply need a light refresher course when they step through your classroom door. In addition, students will already know each other, which allows you to cut down on icebreaker time. Can you imagine how much time you鈥檇 gain for actual teaching?
Meet Students Needs From Day One
The greatest advantage of multi-year teaching is already knowing the academic strengths and weaknesses of your students. You can start prepping 聽even before the school year starts, which means you can implement it that much sooner. You鈥檒l know how to group students for . You鈥檒l have a fair understanding of which students need a review of last year鈥檚 standards before any聽. You have an opportunity to hit the ground running.
But Start Your Preparation Early
Like all things in education, if you鈥檙e going to do this you鈥檒l need to commit to doing the extra work involved. After all, you鈥檒l be teaching a new grade that you may not have experience with. Researching, studying and becoming familiar with new learning standards will be very important. I recommend dedicating 10 hours a week during your summer vacation to ensuring you鈥檙e prepared properly for the coming year.
Once you have a solid grasp on your students鈥� new learning objectives, you can then prepare a plan and goals for each student. With this in hand, you can confidently further the relationships you鈥檝e already built with your students’ parents, collaborating as a team to help their students meet higher expectations. The prep work can seem intimidating but the payoff is worth it!
Classroom looping is 聽for teacher-student and teacher-parent relationships, as well as for聽overall learning growth in students. It requires teacher dedication, a willingness to learn new curriculum, and a continued investment in聽your students.聽If this is something you鈥檝e been exploring or that鈥檚 been offered to you by your leadership, you are the best candidate to take on this new adventure. As long as you have the time to prepare for it, looping聽will be a fun journey for the entire class.
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