Teacher training days are an opportunity for school staff to improve their skills and to develop their careers. They are also known as INSET days. These days were introduced by the government. Former Secretary of State for Education, Kenneth Baker, allocated five days throughout the academic year for leader and teacher training. This is part of the 1988 Education Reform Act. It’s important to realise that these days do not merely incorporate teachers, but the full body of staff at the school. This includes kitchen and cleaning staff, as well as the teacher assistants and support staff. Below, we will talk you through some of the different ways you can build enthusiasm and spirit on these teacher training days.
- Determine clear objectives for the day – The first thing you need to do is figure out some clear objectives for the day. This helps to build enthusiasm because your staff knows what to expect. They will know what they are going to be able to achieve on the day, and this will make them look forward to what lies ahead. Plus, being left in the dark can create feelings of stress and uneasiness, so it is always best if you can give your teachers an understanding of what sort of things they will be doing.
- Ask all of your staff members to share some of the goals they would like to achieve – Another way to make sure that your staff members are excited for teacher training day is t get their opinion on what sort of goals they would like to achieve on these days. You can ask all of your staff members for their thoughts, but make sure that you ask all of them, so no one feels left out. Of course, you won’t be able to address them all on the same day. However, you can start with the goal that is appearing most frequently, and you will create enthusiasm because you are tackling something that everyone wants to learn about.
- Look for exciting and fun activities – You should consider team building activities that are fun and different from the norm. This is why escape rooms have become so popular for businesses that are looking to develop team spirit amongst their employees. This is the sort of thing that you should consider when you are looking to create a fun and effective teacher training day. A lot of staff members don’t look forward to these days because they view them as boring and mundane. However, teachers know more than anyone that learning does not have to be boring! It can be fun. It is this sort of attitude that you need to bring to your teacher training days in order to get everyone excited and on board.
- Make sure you get all of the supplies required – You need to make sure that you do not approach teacher training days half-heartedly. You must get all of the supplies you require to make the training day as effective as possible. For example, if you are focusing on health and safety for one of your teacher training days, you will need to get the right stainless steel signs and health equipment so that everyone will be able to complete the required tasks on the day and help to make the school a safer environment.
- Think about the whole experience – When it comes to planning the perfect teacher training day, you need to think about the entire day. After all, it can be very difficult to have fun and learn if you feel uncomfortable throughout the day. This is why everything from the heating to the seating arrangements needs to be considered, as well as the breaks and what is going to be served for lunch. A lot of schools cannot afford to provide lunch on teacher training day, so why not ask everyone to bring a dish with them, and then you can all enjoy a buffet-style lunch together? This is a great way to create excitement for teacher training day and get all of the staff members talking about what they are going to make for the day.
- Choose a host with care – Who is going to lead teacher training day? This is one of the most important factors you need to consider. You have two options here. You could opt for an internal member of staff to lead the day. The other option is to go to an external provider. Whenever feasible, the latter is recommended. This sends a clear message that you are willing to invest in the professional development of your staff and it can often add a lot of excitement to the day as well. Of course, there are going to be times when you do have to go down the internal route. If you do this, make sure that the internal members of staff that are leading the way have the required knowledge and skills to deliver the training, have the respect of their colleagues, and are well prepared.
- Make the materials engaging – Last but not least, it is important to make the materials you choose engaging. When you are compiling materials, keep in mind all of the techniques and ideas that you use when you are planning a good lesson. Make things interesting and relevant. You also need to make sure that there are a lot of opportunities for discussion and interesting. You can find lots of resources online, and do not hesitate to ask staff members for their opinion regarding the sort of materials that they will find interesting and useful on their teacher training day.
As you can see, there are a number of different ways that you can build team spirit and enthusiasm on teacher training days. We hope that the information that has been provided in this blog post will help your teacher training days to be as effective and fun as possible! After all, you need team spirit and enthusiasm to be high in order for your training days to be a big success at your school.
