I stand in the doorway, like I would a normal lesson. When the first few students turn up I say hello and introduce myself before letting them in. When the number hits 6ish, I let one student in. I stay in the doorway, and tell them to go stand here

I tell the next three students to go stand next to them in complete silence. I don't leave the doorway. Then another three etc, until they are all standing in complete silence along the back. >

If a student starts disturbing I say "in this classroom we don't talk. please come back outside and you can try again in a second." (don't send them to the back. shuffle them back into the queue)

When they are all in the room I come and stand in the middle. I say "morning everyone, I'm Mr Boxer and I'll be teaching you this year." I then walk to the side and point at the end seat on the front row, and name the student who will sit there. They then go and sit there.

I then name the student who will sit behind that student, and they go sit there, and then next and then the next.

I invite those students to look at the questions on the board, open their exercise books to the back and get started. I tell everyone else that this is what they are going to be doing too, and name the next four in a column.

I go column by column, till the room is full. I pause inbetween each column, to check that everyone is working, and that remaining students are quiet. I then hit my Perch and wait till everyone is deep in the work.

I call a register, ask any students if I mispronounced their names. Ask about siblings if they have, then circulate. Then we just do the lesson like normal. I'll say a bit about me and how I expect hard work, but pretty much straight in. None of this (first 4 google hits)

Anytime in the lesson that students are doing quiet practice, I use my seating plan to try and learn their names. I'm silent, but I exaggerate my pointing, and mouthing names to myself. This is deliberate, I want them to see that I am trying.

By the end of the lesson, I have crammed all students' names. I'll have forgotten them by next lesson, but it's a nice way to end the lesson, and students love it.

And that's it. Critical things are to: Be slow, pause inbetween instructions to check everything has been done correctly. Show, not tell. Expectations are lived and breathed, and children don't need lengthy discussions of them. Just crack on with the work and set the tone.

@adamboxer1 New Y7 class: Do now. I see doing a retrieval quiz from KS2 content they should have covered in primary being problematic. What do you recommend that very first do now to be like?

@_Sam_Stevenson_ Basic maths stuff for me

@adamboxer1 Fantastic

@adamboxer1 Lots of excellent advice here!

@adamboxer1 @josephkinnaird And the hardest thing - not having your own room so you can't do any of these things and arrive at the same time as your class or worse, they are in there raising hell and you previous lesson was a 5 minute walk across campus. Just saying- spare a thought.

@adamboxer1 @threadreaderapp unroll

@adamboxer1 I posted the seating chart on the board. I was impressed at how many kids found their name and sat down. One class I had a severely disabled student from the previous class who was lost & melting down. They all got into their seats while I helped him. 🥰

@adamboxer1 Very useful piece of advice here, definitely going to apply it to my upcoming new classes.

@adamboxer1 @threadreader unroll

@adamboxer1 Pretty much do this. Sets the tone.

@adamboxer1 Brilliant advice. I always say to ECTs and PGCEs, don't tell them your expectations, just do them... If one starts talking and you tell them off, they will get the message a hell of a lot quicker.

@adamboxer1 We get straight on with it too. I’ve already had my class for 2 whole transfer days and even during those, we start the ground running alongside some team-building exercises. I greet them too, check uniforms (shirts tucked in), have work on the board and crack on with the day.

@adamboxer1 I’m impressed.

@adamboxer1 Are you me ?