If it is clear that what you've planned isn't working

Stop and regroup. Pens down. On the carpet. All focus on you.

• Assess the problem - students may not tell you right away they don't understand. Have them chat with their neighbour about what they don't understand.

1. If you feel it is possible to salvage the lesson:

• Start from square one, assume they know nothing.
• Teacher model the task if necessary.

2. If the task you have planned seems far too difficult (or easy) even with teacher modelling, abandon ship.

• Switch to Plan B - something which requires no prep. A good idea is to ask students to write something related to the topic/instructional goals. e.g. write me down 3 facts and 3 opinions about ________.
• Have students discuss / check each other's work. This will be a useful gauge on their current level.
• Link that lesson's work to the next class - revisit the topic at the appropriate level or use that writing as a new starting point.

Train wreak: World cup reading comp

When a class is going well, you know.

Students are engaged in their work, they are on-task, they are responsive to your questions...

The Y3 board game design class worked extremely well - it worked great for a number of reasons:

• students found it meaningful, they could play the game they made!
• it was approximately the right level for the class - challenging for some, but gave enough room for creativity in the high ability ones.
• it was well scaffolded

...and things were as smooth as clockwork.

But Y4 today was another story. I had the vague sense last night that it wouldn't be a great lesson, but at least not the complete train wreak which it turned out to be.

Obviously, things in the classroom can fall apart when:

• Students don't understand or find it too difficult
• Students are bored or think it is too easy
• Students are not interested in a topic
• You cannot manage a classroom
• Technology fails and students are just waiting with nothing to do

...and I think I had all these issues today.

The problems started right away from the third minute. A Powerpoint wouldn't load. I was trying to hold the discussion together whilst praying that the PPT would start. As it dragged on, some of the boys got bored and started poking each other and tattertailing. I tried to ignore them and prayed that the PPT would load - big mistake, it didn't and things got out of hand. I had to shout. Luckily, my class teacher intervened and took the troubling students outside.

Threatening to take away lunchtime etc only stems the tide... and increases the bad atmosphere. In retrospect, I should have stopped the lesson right there, admitted my faults for not being prepared instead of trying to carry on, and ditched the Powerpoint.

Without activating background information, the rest of the class never improved. The reading task was pitched at a level too high anyway, and with only a quarter of the students showing vague interest, I should have ditched the whole exercise instead of trying to ram it down their throats.

In the end, the problem lay with poor planning - choosing a poor topic, didn't generate student interest, and the inexperience of being able to salvage the lesson on the spot.

Learning to live and learn together. I get it.