Advice for Group Leaders
· Bentee to group leaders to stay with their group throughout the day especially during langar times (there will be other sevadars to serve). This is paramount as your amazing qualities are much needed- love, care, attention through talking, listening and engaging with the kids in your groups. Please do talk to them throughout the day providing lots of positive praise throughout each activity.
· Reward stickers will be with you throughout the day and the please help the teachers to enforce the B4L policy, please be strict and stamp down on little behaviours at the start of the day. Group Leaders to pick a student of the day with reasons why and give to Bally before divan please.
· Group leaders will be on registration desks to say hey to the kids, welcome them, write up lists and numbers of kids. One group leader to ensure they are aware of health issues, allergies etc. Any medicine etc to be passed onto Manj.
· Students should request permission to go to the toilet even during breaks. 5-6 year olds will need escorting please try to minimise this to small groups during the change over rather than during sessions.
· Please do head count at the start and end of each session.
· Timings of sessions will counted down throughout the day for you so please have a watch rather than a phone.
· As the kids walk from activity to activity please walk them single file with lots of simran! Praise the good kids (see the behaviour info to help and see Bally with any queries)
· Each group has two sevadars so please could one sevadar have langar first and then move over to the other side of the room to look after the kids who finish early please. Please utilise any unused ice breakers.
· At the end of the day BallyL will ask for numbers of kids and goody bags will be given to group leaders to hand out in main hall and say bye to kids
· Please have LOTS of FUN!!! Your feedback is always much appreciated.
Ice Breakers
· 8.30am Group leaders to get ready on their registration stations please. Ensure forms are filled in, issue name tags (with age and name please), check health information, answer parent queries, ask kids to take off shoes/socks, wash hands and enter divaan please. Ensure you keep your own master group list
· 8.45 registration opens- all children to go to the divaan hall
· BallyL to fetch children from divaan hall and bring out to main hall to play games with Prabhs from 9am onwards
· 9.15am ice breaker start with group leader/s- please utilise the below in any order you like, or utilise your own ice breakers. At 9.25am please go through behaviour rules and rewards with your group. If possible discuss behaviour in divaan, ask a student to model how sit in divaan, metha teek, parkarma, focus on maharaj, join in sangat etc. If possible explain parkarma (centre of our lives) meaning, metha teekna (giving your head, wiping sins etc) to kids. Please could you give a reward 3 to the child who sits really nice and divaan and really praise them in front of the other kids, encourage the others to do the same type of sitting.
· Ice Breaker Ideas
A 10 SECOND CHECK LIST!
· Be enthusiastic, whatever happens, be enthusiastic!
· Choose volunteers carefully and don't cause embarrassment.
· If something is not working move quickly on to the next activity.
· Timing is important. Don't flog them to death. Use only 2 or 3 icebreakers as a 20-30 minutes introduction to your programme. Finish each icebreaker while young people are still enjoying it.
· Choose icebreakers appropriate for your age group. No group is the same and your understanding of what will and will not work with your group is a core youth work skill.
Introduce myself
First introduce yourself, (name, age and what your studying\work). Then go around the group and ask children to introduce themselves (name, age, school, favourite school subject).
20 questions
20 Questions
Select one of the kids and ask them to think of an item that can be found in the gurdwara.
The rest of the group tries to guess the item by asking a question which can only be answered with a simple "Yes" or "No."
E.g Palki Saahib, Chandoa Saahib, Chaur Saahib, Jorae, Thaal, Jyot, Dhoof, Tabla...
Data Processing
Ask children to line up according to:
· Shoe size
· Birthdays
· Number of letters in last name (English and then Panjabi)
Spell It Out
Divide the kids into mini groups (girls versus boys!) give them a word to spell out with their bodies. I.e Seva. One person would lay down make an S, then another E etc
Duck, duck goose- (Previous campers have changed it to satnam, vaheguru instead of duck and goose)
A group of players sit in a circle, facing inward, while another player, the "picker" (a.k.a. the "fox"), (some young children call the "picker" the "ducker") walks around tapping or pointing to each player in turn, calling each a "duck" until finally picking one to be a "goose" The "goose" then rises and chases and tries to tag the "picker", while the "picker" tries to return to and sit where the "goose" had been sitting. If the picker succeeds, the "goose" is now the new picker and the process begins again. If the "goose" succeeds in tagging the picker, the "goose" may return to sit in the previous spot and the "picker" resumes the process. With older players, the "goose" may attempt to tackle the "picker".
"Popcorn"
The kids have to walk around the room. The group leader shouts out a number ie 3 & the kids have to get into groups of 3. The group leader then shouts out an item i.e. rocking chair - the kids have to become that item in their team!
1- the letter n
2- a hammock
3- a rocking chair
4. a table
5. a circle
6. the letter s
7.nishan sahib
8. langar
9. a flower
10. a khanda
ABC
Pick a category each Fruit, Veg, Food, things found in a gurdwara first person has A, second person B....go around getting answers. A apple, B banana.
Utilise other classics such as Prabhs bean game and Simon says for getting up and being more active
Behaviour Tips for Group Leaders
1. Best behaviour tool is positivity!!! Rather than focus and tell of the bad behaviour constantly, keep giving attention, time and praise to good behaviours- so you are modelling. Kids will fall into line automatically. 'Simran you are sitting beautifully', 'Super well done for waiting your turn Jagveer', 'What beautiful manners Anand Kaur' etc Compliment wherever possible with fairness. Praise one, encourage all. Notice the small things. Pay attention, walk around, focus on the class, compliment at the door where possible. Verbal praise is more valuable than stickers etc.
2. Key thing is to be firm but fair.
3. Use the BfL policy and say things like ‘Stage xyz’ so they are clear on the escalation process. Follow BfL for all- not favourites, be clear!
4. Perfect the ‘teacher stare’- all students know the ‘look’ and when boundaries have been crossed
5. Don’t ever get angry or shout- students will know they can get to you. Use the fake shout but never get genuinely angry.
6. Silent whisper on an action is just as effective- it catches them off guard.
7. Use body language as students pick up on this. E.g. staring at your watch to show you’re waiting, walk over with the bin mid flow and point to it with your eyes for kids spit out gum.
8. Ensure that as kids walk from workshops they are behaving in an orderly manner and reciting simran. Praise and reward those who did a good job- again modelling the good behaviour
9. Have BfL conversation whether it’s time outside, keep them behind etc but ensure you differentiate between person and the behaviour.
10. Low level disruption is the key issue which new teachers face. This includes chatting. You develop the level of chat in a classroom but this can get out of hand. Some techniques for younger kids is traffic lights- RED is too loud, amber a warning, green is perfect. Older students treat as collective, stand at board and write up mins owed so they have to wait extra time for langar (exaggerate a little to enforce). Always wait for complete silence- stop and wait, keep them behind.
11. Avoid confrontation and use the walk away- let them cool down.
12. Avoid please- use THANK YOU. Please gives them a way out, thank you is an instruction.
13. Always use the sandwich approach- never leave on a negative.
FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE: Behaviour Toolkit, Top 10 behaviour tips (attached), Sue Cowley ‘Getting the Buggers to Behave’, TES website
Behaviour for Learning (BFL)
STAGE 1 – Verbal warning
STAGE 2 – Move to another part of the classroom
STAGE 3 – Miss a break
STAGE 4 – Removal from class room by activity leader or group leader
STAGE 5 – Removal from camp by coordinator
Rules
1. LISTEN
- To group leader
- To activity leader
- To other campers
2. RESPECT
- Each other
- Things around you
3. GOOD BEHAVIOUR
- No fighting
- No bad language
- No fidgeting
Teacher's Guide to the B4L Policy
How to use the B4L (Behaviour for Learning Policy).
Ø You can issue a stage 0 (informal) so warn the child that if they continue with xyz they will be issued with a formal stage, make clear all stages are formally logged
Ø Teachers should log all stages and keep PM informed please
Ø Use the official names, e.g. "I am issuing you with a STAGE 1 for xyz"
Ø Stage 3 onwards should ideally be communicated to the PM and subsequently the parent.
Ø Anything from a stage 2/3 onwards really requires the behaviour conversation (next page) whether outside the classroom or at the end.
Ø Simply moving children without the B4L conversation is pointless because they will continue misbehaving, being moved etc and this becomes a routine as they're never told why or how to improve.
The Behaviour Conversation
What did you do?
If they don't answer or say they don't know, describe their behaviour to them
(It's important to describe the behaviour and not the attack the actual student. E.g. rather than say "you're annoying the class" say "your behaviour is disrupting the class, I know you can do better" that way you're differentiating between the behaviour and the actual student.)
Why did you do it?
If no answer then move on. This gives them an opportunity to explain their actions
Which rule did you break?
If no answer... tell them. Use the B4L displayed or the copy in their books.
What would be a better choice next time?
If no answer... discuss! Options......
What can I do to help you make better choices? End positively...
E.g. I know you're capable of better, you're well liked, we have a good relationship, let's not spoil it.
Speaking to Young People
The Walk Away: Give the direction then move onto something else. Face saving
Open Choice: I need you to choose to... refusal stopper
Closed Choice: I need you to choose to... or you will choose. You decide!
Thanks and Cheers: Can you (or I need you to)..... thanks. No pleading or using please.
In this class we.. At Oadby Sikh School we do this and this... state the positive
Yes... and I'd still... Agree with them and still expect them to comply. NO BUTS!
Your notes
Group Leader PackPage 4