The holidays are quickly approaching, and keeping a focus on academics during the holidays can be tough. I’ve been through that and want to share some strategies for you, but, first, let’s set the stage.
In our personal and professional roles, there is a mixture of challenges and excitement during this time of the year. Holiday performances, festive celebrations and decorating, family and friend gatherings, traveling, shopping, and even holiday blues make staying focused during this season a challenge. As an educator not only do you have to manage your demands, but you must also navigate the students’ distractions, shifting priorities, and growing anticipation for holiday breaks. Therefore, staying engaged and focused on teaching and learning is essential for academic success and well-being. Here are a few tips for staying focused and productive during this holiday season.
Proactive Planning
It is essential to outline specific objectives and standards you aim to cover prior to the holiday breaks. You may want to incorporate a themed discussion post or activity. Additionally, you may need to complete a unit study, review key concepts prior to final exams, complete grading, and submit grades and other documentation. Effective planning and prioritizing tasks can help reduce stress and avoid feeling overwhelmed by work responsibilities and holiday planning.
Be proactive; start planning early using specific dates. A digital planner, a written list, or a schedule is a great method for tracking your goals and monitoring progress. Standards tracking is a great way to record and track covered standards. You can also use standards tracking to identify standards still needing to be covered to ensure all standards are covered.
Anticipate and plan for problems. Identify potential distractions. When possible, limit distractions during work hours. Equally, it is essential to acknowledge and plan for activities and obligations on the personal front.
Incorporate Festive/Themed- Academic Activity or Lessons
The holiday season is an opportunity to connect with students and build upon their interests. It is a great opportunity to incorporate culturally responsive teaching. You can tap into students’ enthusiasm by blending the festive spirit with learning objectives.
If your curriculum allows for additions, try incorporating a holiday-themed reading article or passage which also covers state-specific standards and skills. Math problems or activities involving budgeting for grocery shopping, decoration shopping, or traveling is a fantastic way to offer valuable real-world connections to learning. Writing prompts or research topics can allow students to explore various cultural holiday traditions. A holiday-themed science experiment can serve as a creative way to blend instruction with fun.
However, Padlet, Ice Breakers, Bell-Ringer Questions, Discussion or Forum posts, and Mind Break Activities are also ways to incorporate themed activities for any type of classroom settings and curriculum restrictions. Allow students to share their traditions if they feel comfortable.
Combining fun and interest with academics is helpful for channeling students’ energy and engagement. Themed lessons are a meaningful way to maintain focus, stick to the curriculum, and meet standards.
Maintain Routines and Expectations
Routines are an anchor in a sea of chaos – especially for academics during the holidays! With the approaching seasons, it is helpful to review expectations and maintain a sense of normalcy. Try to maintain a schedule by keeping regular times such as class starts, open-office hours, deadlines, and responding to emails. Remind students of expectations. Structure will help with productivity. Consequently, reducing the distractions induced by holiday chaos.
Embrace Flexibility
While maintaining routines are essential, it is equally necessary to embrace an attitude that welcomes flexibility. Unexpected events and issues are inevitable. Perspective and mindset are the main determinants of navigating those events in a positive manner. Look for ways to adjust and adapt plans without jeopardizing key learning objectives. Remaining adaptable is a skill that will enable you to maintain momentum during the holiday season.
CONCLUSION
With the correct recipe of planning, structure, engagement, and festive seasonal spirit, preventing the loss of focus on academics during the holidays is an attainable goal. Educators can stay focused and help students remain engaged by keeping routines consistent, integrating festive themes into lessons, and effectively planning. If you find yourself experiencing educator fatigue or burnout, I have a course on the Stride PD site that may be of benefit for you. Here is a hyperlink to that on-demand course – Beat the Burnout.