Throughout my teaching practice I watched carefully to see how different teachers organised their resources. Now, a few months into my Induction Year, I still cannot decide which system is best and end up carrying boxes around, large bags with marketing and spend hours labelling and transferring items. What is the best way to sort this problem out?

Posted by: Anonymous User

(This was posted on our previous discussion forum. It will not be possible to contact the user direct.)

Like all good systems you have to go through a few bad ones until you find the one that suits you best. How you organise your classroom will be a lot to do with your personality. If you are by nature neat and tidy then your own preferences will lead you in that direction. If you tend to have everything out all day and then have a daily tidy up that will be fine.

There are a few golden rules:

1. An organised room where pupils can see some order will help with the general control of your class. Behaviour is linked to environment so don't let the "chancers" use your bad or untidy storage as a reason for larking about.
2. Pupils are creatures of habit and routine. So try to be systematic and not turn every lesson into a "hunt the jotter".
3. You must be in control. If you spend the first ten minutes of a lesson with your head under your desk looking for items in your array of bags your class will have you summed up. Lessons stop and you become the entertainment.
4. If you must use carrier bags for storage go up market. It will do your street cred no end of good.

Posted by: GTC Scotland