Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

My name's Mrs. Riley, and I'll be teaching you today.

In our lesson today, we're going to be doing a lot of talking and a lot of listening.

And in our lesson, we're going to be discussing transitions.

Let's get started.

The outcome of today's lesson is to talk about your feelings about transitioning to secondary school, and using active listening skills to listen to other people's perspectives, and responding appropriately.

So being able to talk about your feelings about transitioning to secondary school, and being able to listen to others talk, and respond appropriately.

Now, these are our keywords in our lesson today.

So let's, first of all, practise saying them.

My turn, your turn.

Are you ready? Transition, discussion, and active listening.

Okay, lovely.

A transition is the process of changing from one condition to another.

So when you transition from primary school to secondary school, you are changing from one school to another.

It is a transition.

A discussion is talking about something in order to reach a decision or to exchange ideas.

And active listening is paying full attention to what someone else is saying, so you can understand them and respond thoughtfully.

So it's not kind of sitting there and kind of listening whilst you're also thinking about what you're gonna have for tea tonight.

It's really giving that person your full attention, and listening, and trying to understand everything that they say.

In our lesson today, we're first going to practise active listening when talking about transitions, and then in our second learning cycle, we're going to practise more about talking about transitions ourselves.

So some practise with listening and talking in today's lesson.

So we'll start off by looking at active listening.

So transitions are big changes in our lives, when we move from one condition to another.

A big transition for me was when I moved out of London, where I'd lived for about 10 years, and I moved out of London into a much smaller village, and that was a really big transition for me because it was a big change.

Here's another example.

When you went from being at home to starting nursery, when you were little tiny babies or toddlers, that was a transition, or when you went from nursery to a school, that was a transition.

These are all big changes in your life.

So I'd like you to think now.

What transitions can you think of? It doesn't have to be one that you've necessarily done, but just think of any transition that a person might go through, and see if you can share those now with your partner.

Pause the video now.

Okay, lovely.

I heard lots of really good examples.

Here are some examples of what I heard.

So moving between classes at primary school, so moving from year five up to year six, all of those changes in year group is a transition.

Moving into a new house or a new flat.

That can be a really big change.

Moving to a new town or school.

Getting a new baby brother or sister.

And finally, getting a new job.

All of these are big transitions, big changes that people might go through in their lives.

So let's check your understanding so far.

Which of these transitions have you experienced? And I'd like you to tell your partner.

Have you had to join a new school? Have you got a new baby brother or sister? Have you moved house or flat in your lifetime, or have you always lived in the same place? Have you got a new teacher? I would like you to pause the video and tell your partner which of these transitions have you experienced.

Pause the video now.

Okay, let's come back together.

So hopefully, if you were doing some really good active listening there, you should now be able to tell somebody else what your partner has, which transitions have your partners experienced, because hopefully, you were listening to them, as well as sharing your own ideas.

So everyone will have experienced different transitions in their lives.

Some transitions feel important, and some we barely notice.

Transitions can sometimes be difficult or challenging times for us, not always.

They can also be exciting, but sometimes they can be difficult.

So could you discuss now why do you think some, why are some transitions difficult? Why might they be difficult? Could you pause the video and discuss that with your partner? Okay, let's come back together.

Here's an example of what you might have said.

We're used to things being a certain way, and knowing pretty much what each day will be like.

Then, we reach a transition, like starting a new class with a new teacher, and suddenly we don't know whether things will be the same.

It makes us worry that things might be worse in some way, or that we will be expected to behave in a different way.

So which of these are true of transitions? A, everyone experiences them.

B, they are always stressful.

C, they can make us anxious or worried.

D, being anxious about them is unusual.

Pause the video and decide which of these are true of transitions.

Okay, lovely.

Hopefully, you found that the answers that are true are that everyone experiences transitions, that they can make us anxious or worried.

They're the two things that are true.

They're not always stressful.

Sometimes it might be really enjoyable, a transition, and it's definitely not unusual to feel anxious.

It's really normal to feel a bit worried or anxious when we're facing a new transition.

Now, a good way of dealing with the challenges of transitions is to talk about them with a trusted person.

If you're ever worried about something, the worst thing you can do is keep that worry locked up inside you and just keep worrying about it in your own mind.

As soon as you open up and share that worry with someone, you are bound to immediately feel much better.

So why do you think talking about transitions could be helpful? Pause the video and discuss that now.

Okay, lovely.

I heard some really nice ideas there.

So here's an example of what you might have said.

Sometimes you think you're the only person who feels a certain way, but when you talk to other people, you realise that they feel the same.

Also, the person you're talking to might already have been through the same transition, so they can give you helpful advice about it, and make you feel better prepared for it.

So let's imagine you're a bit worried about, you're moving house at the weekend, and you feel a bit worried about it.

If you talk to someone, they might say "Oh, I've moved house before, "and I felt exactly the same as you." Well, that's instantly gonna make you feel better, 'cause you're gonna think "Oh, okay, "it's quite normal the way I'm feeling," and then they might be able to give you some advice because they've already moved house.

So who would you talk to about transitions in your life? Might it depend on which transition you're worried about? So have a think now.

If you were going to go through a transition, who would you like to talk to if you were feeling a bit worried? And then perhaps there might be different people in different scenarios.

Perhaps you might talk to somebody different about moving in secondary school, and someone else different about something that was going on at home.

So pause the video now and discuss that with your partner.

Okay, let's come back together again.

So here's what someone said.

"Most of the time, I'd talk to my friends "because they're the same age as me, "so they're going through the same transitions, "and I can completely trust them." Someone else said, "I think I'd often want to talk "to someone a bit older, "like my older brother or my mum.

"They've already been through the same transitions, "so they can give me some really good advice." Now, of course, there's no right or wrong answer here.

It's whatever you would prefer, and whoever you would feel comfortable sharing your thoughts with.

So sometimes a friend might come to you and want to talk to you about a transition that's worrying them, and when a friend wants to talk to us about something that's worrying them, it's really important to show active listening, and active listening means giving the speaker our full attention, and trying to show that we're listening really carefully.

Active listening makes sure that the person feels respected and valued, but it also allows us to respond appropriately.

So let's have a think now about what active listening looks like.

So you should always face the speaker, and give eye contact when they're speaking.

Don't interrupt with your own experiences.

You might want to share your own experiences, but don't interrupt.

Wait until they've finished speaking.

Avoid being distracted by other things going on around you.

If you're distracted and looking around the whole time, it's not really showing them that you're listening.

Empathise.

So try to understand how they're feeling, and ask questions.

For example, you might say, "I'm really sorry you're feeling that way," or "Do you think.

." Use body language and sounds to show you're listening.

For example, you might nod while someone's speaking to show that you understand what they're saying, or you might say something like "Okay" or "Mm," or "Uh-huh," but you don't want to do that too much 'cause we don't want to interrupt them.

But every now and again, responding like that just shows them, the person speaking, that we are really listening to what they're saying.

Okay, so which of these might we do when we are active listening? A, move around the room, B, look at the person and sometimes nod, C, say "I'm sorry to hear that," or D, hum.

(Mrs. Riley humming) Which of these do you think we should do when we're active listening? Pause the video now.

Okay, well, hopefully you realise that we definitely shouldn't move around the room or hum while someone's talking, but we should look at the person and nod, or say things like "I'm sorry to hear that." So you're going to work in a pair now.

Partner A is going to say, read the script below, and Partner B is going to practise active listening, and then you can swap.

So Partner A will take the script and read it, and Partner B is the important person because Partner B is really practising active listening, practising eye contact, nodding, perhaps asking a few questions, but not interrupting, wait till they've finished, and then you're going to swap.

Partner B will read the script, and Partner A, you've got the really important job of practising your active listening.

Again, thinking about all of those things to show that you are really listening, and trying to empathise, and understand what the person is saying to you.

So I'd like you to pause the video now while you practise active listening.

Okay, let's come back together.

Well done.

I hope you enjoyed practising your active listening.

So I'd like you to discuss now what did it feel like to do active listening, and what about to see someone active listening to you? So how did it feel being the person doing the active listening, but then also how did it feel when someone was really listening to you? Pause the video and discuss that with your partner now.

Okay, lovely.

Let's come back together.

So it's time for a task now, and we're going to, again, be practising our active listening when talking about transitions we've experienced before now.

So you're going to work in a pair, and you're going to each think of a transition you've experienced in your life so far.

You're going to take a few minutes to think about what it was like.

So if it was me, I might think about that transition when I moved from London into a much smaller village in the countryside, and I might just have a think and try and remind myself what things I was worried about, how I felt at the time.

So was I worried in advance and what about, or were you worried in advance and what were you worried about? And then what was it actually like when it happened? Were you worries justified, or did they not actually, were the things you worried about didn't actually come true? So take turns to share your experiences with your partner in a discussion.

So you're sharing your ideas with your partner about a transition you've experienced, and then really important thing is that you're practising that active listening.

So while your partner's speaking, you are showing them active listening.

So there we go.

Remember, active listening when your partner's talking.

So pause the video now while you complete this first task.

Okay, well done.

Let's come back together.

Well done for sharing a personal experience of a transition, and well done for practising your active listening.

So let's just check we were doing active listening.

And first, I want you to just make sure with your partner that they're happy to share the story that they told you, because maybe it might be something that's a bit private and they don't want you to share.

So quickly pause the video, and ask the partner if they're happy for you to share their story.

Okay, let's come back together.

So if your partner was happy for you to share their story, then I'd like you to now share with the class, with the group, what your partner said about a transition to show that you were really actively listening.

Pause the video now.

Okay, lovely.

Let's come back together.

So here's an example of what you might have said.

Jun told me about when he joined our school in Year 3.

He'd been to a much smaller school before, so he was really worried about being in a big school and getting lost.

He was also worried about what the new rules were, and whether he might get into trouble.

He said that he did find it a bit hard to start with, but he soon got used to it, and the rules turned out to be pretty much the same as his old school.

So he had lots of worries, but actually, in the end, it was very similar to his old school.

But I could tell, if someone just said that to me, that they were really listening to their partner because they've remembered all the details of what their partner had said.

So they were obviously doing some really good active listening.

Well done.

So it's now time to look at our second learning cycle, where we're now going to be doing a bit more talking about transitioning to secondary school.

So as we know, one transition you'll all experience soon is moving to secondary school, and really, this is just lots of smaller transitions, so lots of small things in your life will change.

You'll go to a new school.

You'll have new teachers.

Perhaps you might be at a different school to some of your friends who you are at school with now.

You'll have a different journey to school.

So maybe before, you could walk, but this time, you might be taking the bus, so your journey will change, and you'll have a different school uniform.

So lots of small changes.

And even if your school goes all the way from primary to secondary, it will still be a big transition because they will do things differently in the secondary part of the school than the primary.

So I would like you now to discuss with your partner, in what ways might secondary school be different to primary school? Pause the video, and discuss that with your partner now.

Okay, let's come back together.

So there'll be lots of things that will be different.

Here are some examples.

You'll have different teachers for each subject.

So now, you might have a different teacher for some subjects, like if you have a different teacher for PE, for example.

But when you go into secondary school, you will have different teachers for different subjects, like an English teacher and a maths teacher and an art teacher.

It'll probably be a lot larger than your primary school.

There's probably going to be lots more pupils there.

There will be lots of different children from different primary schools in your class.

So all these different children will have come from different schools.

You'll probably have to move to different classrooms for each subject.

So you might walk to one classroom for your first lesson of the day, which might be English, and then you'll pack your stuff up and move to the next classroom for your next lesson.

So you'll be moving around the school much more than you do currently.

You might have a bit more homework, and you will probably have to carry around your own equipment in a pencil case instead of using what's in the classroom.

And you might have less contact with the headteacher at primary school.

You might not see your headteacher as much.

So lots of different things that will be different, and some of those things, you might think you're excited about, and some of them you might feel a bit worried about.

For example, I used to love having my own pencil case and getting all my own stationary.

That was something I really enjoyed.

But having different teachers was something that I remember feeling a little bit more apprehensive about because I was used to just having one teacher who taught me all my different lessons.

So I'm sure there'll be things that you're excited about and other things you're a bit anxious about, and that's completely normal.

So we can see that going to secondary school is a big transition, and we have mixed feelings about it.

We might have some mixed feelings.

So discuss, why do you think we might have mixed feelings, like some excitement and some nerves? Why might that be the case? Pause the video and tell your partner.

Okay, let's come back together.

Here's an example of what you might have said.

Well, personally, I'm really excited about having the chance to study lots of different subjects and have specialist teachers and classrooms for each of them.

But I'm worried about being in a class with so many people I don't know.

I've been in a class with the same children for seven years.

What if the new people don't like me? So that might be something, an example of one thing you're excited about and one thing you're nervous about.

So which of these are you feeling about the transition to secondary school? Are you feeling anxious, excited, determined, or sad? It might be that you feel more than one of these things, or you might feel something else that I haven't written down there.

Pause the video and tell your partner how you are feeling about transitioning to secondary school now.

Okay, so as I said, you might feel all of these at the same time, or you might feel none of these things.

Everyone will feel different, but it's very normal to feel a bit anxious about a transition, even for adults.

So even as adults, for example, if I start a new job, going to teach at a new school, I feel excited, but I also feel a little bit anxious about that.

Your first day at a new job is a bit like your first day at a new school.

So if we have mixed feelings about our transition to secondary school, it's a really good idea to discuss them.

Don't just keep all those feelings trapped inside you.

Share them with someone.

So discuss what might be a good way of starting a conversation about this.

So imagine maybe you're sitting at home, and you're with an adult, or you're with a friend, and you've got this butterfly feeling in your tummy, and you're a bit nervous 'cause you're a bit nervous about starting secondary school.

How could you start a conversation with somebody about how you're feeling? Pause the video and think of some ways you could start that conversation now.

Okay, let's come back together.

Here's an example of what you could say.

You could just say, "Can I talk to you for a minute?," or "Do you have time later to chat about something with me?" So maybe now's not a good moment.

Maybe your dad might be busy doing the washing, but you could just say, "Do you have time later to chat to me about something?," and that way he knows that there's something serious that you want to talk about.

You might say "I'm a bit worried about secondary school.

"Do you mind if we have a chat about it "when you're finished?" So that the other person can do active listening, you might want to wait until they're not busy, so things are nice and quiet.

I would now like you to discuss with your partner, who would you discuss the transition to secondary school with and why? Pause the video now.

Okay, lovely.

I heard lots of different answers there, which is all great.

There's no right or wrong answer.

It's just whoever you feel is appropriate.

So one person said, "I'd talk to my older sister about it "because she goes to the same school "and she can tell me everything about it, "and that makes me feel less anxious "because I know what's coming." You might have said, "No one in my family has been to my secondary school, "so I think I would talk about my friend to it, "about my friends.

"Some of us are going to the same school, "so it would be good to know if they felt the same, "and then we could support each other." So if someone comes to you with worries about the transition to secondary school, you could respond in lots of different ways.

You can listen, empathise, and comfort them.

You could say "I know, it's stressful, isn't it? "But don't worry, we'll help each other." You could try to give some advice.

For example, "If you've got a problem at secondary school, "you can always tell your form tutor." So you're giving them some specific advice.

You can draw on your own or others' experiences.

For example, you might say, "My sister says the work in Year 7 isn't that much harder," or you might say, "Remember how we all used to be scared of Mrs. Begum, "but now we really like her? "I think it'll be like that." So these are all different ways that you could respond to somebody if they have shared with you something they're worried about.

Okay, let's check your understanding.

So your friend comes to you saying they're worried about secondary school.

Which of these are good responses? A, my brother says so long as you follow the rules, it's fine.

B, yeah, I'm a bit worried too.

We can look out for each other.

C, it's not a big deal.

Stop making a fuss.

Or D, don't forget there'll be lots of us from our school there still.

Pause the video, and decide which of these would be good responses.

Okay, let's come back together.

So hopefully, you identified that all of these would be good responses apart from C.

It wouldn't be a very kind and understanding response to just tell someone it's not a big deal, stop making a fuss, but the others would all be appropriate responses.

So what would you say if your friend came to you with this worry? I'm the only one from my primary school going to my secondary school because we're moving house.

I won't know anyone, and I'm really scared that I won't make friends.

Pause the video and discuss with your partner what you could say in response to that worry.

Okay, lovely.

I heard lots of really nice examples there.

Well done.

Here's an example of what you could say.

I totally get why you're worried.

It's a scary situation, but you're a lovely, fun person, and I know you'll make lots of friends.

You might just have to push yourself a bit more to talk to new people.

I'm sure the teachers will do lots to help you talk to the new people in your classes too, and you'll still see all of us from this school in the evenings and at weekends.

So there's an example of a response.

So it's now time for your second task.

Now, we're going to share our feelings about the transition to secondary school in a discussion with our partner.

So you're going to be working in a pair, and you're going to first take a few minutes to think about the transition to secondary school.

I want you to think what are you really excited about, and are there any things you're worried about? You're going to take turns to share your experiences with your partner in a discussion.

You should be active listening when your partner talks, and vice versa, and always remember to respond using empathy and advice or your own experiences.

So we don't want to use that example where you said, "Oh, it's not a big deal." You need to try to show empathy, understand how they feel.

You might give some advice.

You might use some of your own experiences to help them.

So I hope you enjoy sharing your feelings now and listening to your partners.

Pause the video now.

Okay, lovely.

That was so nice to hear you opening up about how you're feeling about this big transition, and well done for listening carefully when your partner was sharing their thoughts.

So here's an example of what your discussion might have looked a bit like.

So Partner A might have said, "I'm worried about getting things wrong "and being punished for accidentally breaking the rules.

"I've heard you can get detentions after school, "and I know my dad would be very cross," and the response might be, "Yeah, I'm a bit worried about that too.

"But think about it, "we have lots of rules here too "and you don't get in trouble.

"I bet they'll spend ages teaching us the rules "and all the routines at the start of Year 7, "so we'll know exactly what to do.

"My sisters only ever got one detention, "and even though Mum was cross, it didn't last long." So that response is showing empathy, and saying "Yeah, I'm worried too," and then giving some kind of practical advice, saying "Well, think, here we have lots of rules, "and I'm sure that they'll take time "to teach us the new rules," and then drawing on a personal experience about her sister, sharing that example of the sister that had detention.

So that's a nice way of responding.

So let's summarise what we've learned today.

We've learned that life is full of different transitions, big changes that we can't avoid, and it's completely normal to feel anxious or worried about transitions like these.

When we feel anxious about transitions, it's a good idea to discuss these feelings with others.

If someone wants to discuss something serious with you, you should show active listening, so they know they are valued.

Active listening involves giving full attention to the person speaking, and using your words and body language to show that you're listening well.

So I hope that it has been nice to spend a bit of time today thinking about this transition to secondary school.

And I really encourage you, whatever you're feeling about it, to always make sure you're talking to people about how you're feeling.

So thank you for all your hard work today, and hopefully I'll see you for some more learning another time.