Recharging for the New Term: Tips for a Positive Return to School After the Holidays

After the winter break, transitioning back to school can feel both exciting and a bit overwhelming. With refreshed energy from the holiday season, you may feel ready to jump back in with new goals, classroom ideas and perhaps a few resolutions to support both your wellbeing and that of your pupils. Equally, this may not be how you're feeling.

So let's take a look at some practical tips to ease the transition and make this term your best one yet!

Table of Contents:

• Tips to Ease into the Spring Term
• How Can AI and PangoGPT Support Lesson Planning this Term?
• Prioritise your Wellbeing

Tips to Ease into the Spring Term

Start with a Positive Mindset

The return from a break is the perfect time to reframe mindsets and set a tone of positivity. Start by reflecting on what went well last term and celebrate those wins. While it's normal to feel some post-holiday blues, take a moment to set a small, realistic goal for the first few weeks back. This could be a focus on better work-life balance, or a new approach to lesson planning that allows for more creativity or flexibility. Starting the term with intention can keep you motivated when things get busy.

Plan for a Gentle First Week

Jumping into complicated lessons straight after the holidays too quickly can feel jarring for both you and your pupils, so use the first few days to ease back into routines. Incorporate low-stakes activities that are both engaging and allow pupils to settle back into the classroom environment, such as:

• New year reflections to encourage pupils to share their holiday highlights, set personal or academic goals, or write about what they’re looking forward to in the new term.
• Revisiting routines and reviewing classroom expectations to remind pupils of your expectations and, if you’re introducing any new classroom structures, gently incorporate them.
• Team-building activities can help to bring the class together with group activities or games that help rebuild a sense of community after time apart.

Refresh the Learning Environment

After the break, small changes to the classroom environment can create a fresh atmosphere that energises all who work in the classroom space. You don’t need to do a full redesign—just a few tweaks can make a big difference. Remember also to take down those left-over Christmas decorations too!

Embrace Flexibility with Lesson Planning

As everyone settles back in, plan for flexibility in your lessons, especially during the first few weeks. 

You may choose to start with mini-assessments or discussions to gauge where pupils are after the break, and use that as a foundation to refresh essential skills.

A great example are these Science assessments from Pzaz - you also get the answers provided! You can find further assessments here. 

After a break, it's more important than ever to keep pupils engaged with interactive, hands-on activities that stimulate their interest as they readjust to the academic schedule.

A great example is this linear equivalents activity or volcano activity.

How Can AI and PangoGPT Support Lesson Planning this Term?

With 10 AI-powered lesson planning tools to choose from, it's a great starting point when you're staring at your to-do list and unsure where to begin. From quizzes to assessments, and full lesson plans too, you can find what you need when you need it, including accompanying resources. You can find out more about our AI tools in this blog. 

You can currently try PangoGPT for free in full by signing up here!

Prioritise your Wellbeing

As you dive into the term, remember to look after your own wellbeing. Small daily habits, like taking a few moments for mindfulness, setting boundaries on work hours, and keeping an open line for support, go a long way in managing the busy term ahead.

The spring term is filled with so many learning opportunities and chances to connect with pupils and make a difference. By starting with intention, setting a positive tone and keeping an eye on both pupil and teacher wellbeing, you can make this a productive and fulfilling term for everyone.

Here’s to a wonderful, meaningful term ahead!

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