The Unteachables Podcast

#88: How to nail the first 5 minutes of every lesson by controlling what you CAN control!

• Claire English • Season 5 • Episode 88

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Are you struggling with having a settled start to the lesson? Battling dysregulation and high energy?

In today’s episode, we’re exploring the importance of the First 5—those critical first five minutes of each lesson. 

This time can make all the difference in shifting energy from the chaos of transitions to a calm, focused learning environment. We’ll dive into practical strategies for creating an “invisible barrier” that allows students to enter a space primed for learning, leaving the outside energy at the door.

IN THIS EPISODE, I DISCUSS:

  • Why the start of lessons can feel chaotic: From dysregulation and unpredictability to the residual energy of breaks, many factors beyond our control impact students’ readiness.
  • What we can control: We’ll go over strategies for creating routines, setting expectations, and managing the physical environment to help students transition smoothly.
  • Three essential routines for the First 5: I’ll share my personal non-negotiables that create consistency and predictability every day:
    • Same welcome spot—Greeting students outside to create a transition from the hallway energy.
    • Same seating arrangement—Reducing guesswork and enhancing predictability.
    • Same starter routine—A consistent, engaging start to every lesson that signals it’s time to focus.



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Speaker 1:

Oh, hi teachers, Welcome to Unteachable's podcast. Congratulations. You have just stumbled across the best free professional development and support you could ask for. I'm Claire English, a passionate secondary teacher, author, teacher mentor and generally just a big behavior nerd, and I created the Unteachable's podcast to demystify and simplify classroom management. I want this podcast to be the tangible support, community validation, mentorship all those pretty important things that we need as teachers to be able to walk into our classrooms feeling empowered and, dare I say it, happy and thrive, especially in the face of these really tough behaviors. So ready for some no-nonsense, judgment-free and realistic classroom management support? I've got your teacher friend. Let's do this. Hello, hello, hello. Welcome back to another episode of the Unteachables podcast. Thank you for joining me. It is brilliant to have you here.

Speaker 1:

It is the start of a new month and that can only mean one thing here in the Unteachables world, which is there is a brand new focus area inside of the behavior club, which means I'm also going to be giving you plenty of snippets here on the podcast as well. In this month's focus area, it's all about the first five. It's called the first five, but we all know that the first part of the lesson often goes for 10, 15, 20, depending on your routines and you know whatever the students are doing that day. But it is all about how we can create a really wonderful, settled, you know, productive start to our lessons, which sometimes feels like a little bit of a lost cause, depending on the day. So let's talk about that first five minutes. How does it feel, you know, when you're teetering on that bell time? You might be setting up your class inside and you can hear just like imagining myself in a classroom right now. I'm just transporting myself there, I'm setting up my classroom, I'm popping things out on the desks and it's about to, the bell's about to go, but outside I can hear screeches and screams and laughs and just chaos outside. And then the bell goes and you can hear them pouring into the building. You can hear banging and all sorts of sounds as they come into the building and you go oh my gosh.

Speaker 1:

And that part always used to make me feel very nervous, and rightly so, because in my early career I would feel like every start of every lesson was just this huge slog and you know I was just sweating, trying to stay calm enough to get through that first part of the lesson and just always wondering whether or not I'm going to be able to get them, you know, really capture their attention, get them engaged, get them calm. Was I able to successfully bring the energy down to a level where I could teach them? It was always that question of am I going to be able to do this this lesson, or is this lesson going to be a nightmare, like he does never know what's going to happen? That part always made me feel really nervous. Sure, I had a lesson plan and you know I was really prepared and all of those things. I felt like things were really solid. But regardless of that, everything is still so much at the whim of the energy and the vibe of the students. You know, how was their day? What happened in the lesson before? Are they coming in late? Will they be hard to settle? Are they going to be in the mood for learning? Am I going to be able to bring that energy down and engage them enough to have a positive lesson?

Speaker 1:

Well, those anxieties that I had and those nerves that I had before every single lesson, I don't feel that way all of the time anymore. And I say all of the time because sometimes I do, because we're all human and sometimes we're not regulated. Sometimes, in general, our capacity is limited. Whatever happened the night before, maybe you're up all night with a sick kid or you know, maybe you had a fight with your partner in the morning, or maybe you got stuck in traffic that morning. Whatever happened, maybe you just have a limited capacity to deal with the behaviors in the room and regulate. So sometimes we do feel like that still, and that's okay, and that's normal, and that's human.

Speaker 1:

However, I don't always feel that way anymore. I don't always dread the first five minutes of. I mean, I barely dread that first five, even with the classes that are the most challenging. And the reason is because I know in my heart of hearts that I have done everything in my power, I have controlled everything that I can to create what I like to call an invisible barrier that students will walk into when they get to my classroom. They'll pass through that invisible barrier that separates the outside energy of what they're bringing to the class, to the energy that I need them to have in the lesson to be a productive and positive member of that class and actually get down to learning and engaging.

Speaker 1:

So in today's podcast episode I just wanted to share a couple of quick tips and strategies that you can use to start to develop that invisible barrier between the outside and the inside. Of course I'm not going to be able to go into all of the new ones and all of the detail and all of the strategy around that, because if I could, then there'd be no use of me creating trainings at all. I've spent probably two weeks putting together a training session on this two full-time weeks doing that. So it's definitely not going to be something I can cover in a 15 minute podcast episode without the visuals and all of that. But I can share a couple of snippets that you can take into your classroom immediately and see results with that first five, see a more calm, settled start.

Speaker 1:

But let's start with why. What is going on with the chaos? Why do some lessons feel more chaotic? As always, I like to give a bit of a behavior backpack moment, where we're filling our backpack with some information about the behaviors themselves, so we can take that into the strategies that I'll teach, because that way you'll be able to understand why they work.

Speaker 1:

So why does the start of some lessons feel really chaotic? The first reason might be dysregulation, and that can be fueled by lack of predictability. You know students are moving around. They're not knowing what to expect. It could be around a lack of engagement. If we don't grab them from the second they walk in. Something else will. It could be because of the energy that's probably the biggest one, the external energy from breaks or transitions that are spilling into the classroom. And it could just be because of how they feel. Maybe they're anxious about the subject or about learning, maybe they're anxious in general because they just hate feeling like they're not successful in classes. Or it could be for a variety of reasons. Maybe they feel low. They're, you know, feeling a bit crappy that day because of whatever else is happening on the playground. We just don't know. So it could be because of dysregulation, a lack of engagement you know really chaotic energy, or how they feel in terms of their you know emotional wellbeing.

Speaker 1:

If you haven't noticed from those things that I've just said, there aren't a lot of things on that list that we actually have control over. We can't, you know, their energy, like we don't have control over shifting their energy Only they can do that. We can't control how they feel. Only they can do that. We can't control the fact that they're showing up to our class feeling dysregulated. We can't control anything that happens outside of our classroom and if you know me at all, if you've followed my work for any amount of time, you will know that I am all about focusing on the things that you can do, that you can control right now in your classroom to make immense amounts of impact. I am not about talking about the things that we can't control.

Speaker 1:

Of course, learning about the behavior is really important, but without us actually thinking about the things that we can control with that, it's just theory, and you probably know a lot of theory around behavior. I feel like 99% of the training that's out there around trauma-informed and restorative practices is about the theory. I'm all about the action and what we can control. So we might not be able to control our students and their choices. We might not be able to control another teacher's practice. We might not be able to control what happens outside of the lesson, but we can control the environment they're turning up to. We can control how we respond, what we set up for them, how we follow up on behavior, how we craft an engaging starter and get buy-in, the way we welcome our students all of those things we can control.

Speaker 1:

I don't know about you, but hearing that stuff is super empowering because when we get into a pattern of thinking where we're like, oh well, you know I can't control my students' nervous systems, you know I can't control the fact that that teacher lets them out five minutes later, he lets them, kind of, you know, hang around and there's always a high energy coming from that class or I can't control that there's been a fight out on the playground or whatever it is. That's a really disempowering place to sit in. Of course those things are going to impact on our practice significantly. They're going to impact on the lesson. Students are going to show up in a different way, but we can't control that. So let's focus on the things that we can control, and I want to talk about routines, non-negotiable, consistent routines that you can create so you can control certain things when students arrive, and those things are things that students will expect every single time.

Speaker 1:

When we're thinking about the behavior backpack and what are driving these behaviors, dysregulation is a huge one. We need to be co-regulating with our students the more consistent and predictable routines that we can have in our, in having our space and having our, you know in our classroom and our island of safety, which is what I love to call it the more regulated our students are going to be and the easier it's going to be to shift that energy and have them walking through that invisible barrier to you know, transform the energy into, you know, a place of learning and engagement and all of those wonderful things. So I wanted to give you three examples of my own non-negotiable, consistent routines that I do at the start of every single lesson. Remember, I feel a lot better now about students rocking up to my class, about that first five, because I know that I have done everything that I possibly can in that space, with the knowledge that I have, with the strategies and skills that I have to make that run really smoothly. So here are three examples and you can take what you want or you can use it as just inspiration for your own entry routines.

Speaker 1:

The first thing that's a non-negotiable for me is having the same welcome spot. I wait in the same place and my students wait in the same place and we go in one by one Every single lesson. My students know what to expect and they know that that is always going to be something I reinforce. So there is a lot of non-verbal work around energy shifting. That does happen as I'm lining students up outside and as I'm sending them in one by one. My mission is always to not use my voice at all as I am lining students up and settling them and trying to shift that energy before I send them in. So a lot of me using my teaching persona If you haven't heard me talk about that before, head back to the episodes around low level behaviors I've done a few of those in the last couple of months and listen to those episodes because that's going to give you a really good idea around the non-verbals that you can use to start to shift the energy without using your voice at all, which is just absolutely magic.

Speaker 1:

So a lot of the work I do when they're lining up outside, when we're waiting outside, is around shifting their energy and co-regulating with them and trying to get them to pass through that invisible barrier into the classroom. You know, shifting that energy and not coming in with the same chaotic energy that they're showing up with. So, lining them up outside, walking the line, using my proximity, using my presence, using my credible persona, and I am, one by one, trying to get them to settle and to listen and to be ready to walk in the room. And this was really hard at the start and it becomes a lot easier as you do it more and more, because not only does it become a hardwired practice for us and it becomes easier for us to embody, but your students start to learn your non-verbal language.

Speaker 1:

Once I feel like they're kind of settling in the line, I'll be able to, one by one, send them in. And as I'm sending students in, I will be, you know, trying to meet them at the door, one by one, sending them in, but kind of trying to touch base with them, welcome them in and influence their energy with mine, you know. So you know how are you. Come on in, there's something on your desk and I'll be using a really private voice. I'll be, you know, embodying what I want from them when they walk through that door. Just say, if they walk in and the energy starts to rise and you know they're like, oh, hey, mate, and they walk over to their friends and they start to have a chat, I will get them to come back and I will get them to do that again. And it does take a long time at the start, but it's so worth the investment because that is you setting the tone for the entire lesson and it is my absolute non-negotiable. You don't have to do anything that I'm telling you to do, but it is definitely worth a try and there is obviously going to be a lot of nuance and strategy and skill that I can't convey through just a podcast episode. Go back and listen to my low level behavior episodes, um, or, if you're in the behavior club, of course, come in and watch the training, because I go through things explicitly. The second non-negotiable for me and non-negotiable consistent routine is the same seat. So same welcome spot, same seat, the same seat, the like.

Speaker 1:

The seating plan that I have is absolutely essential for me, not because of breaking up dynamics, not because I can change it when the behaviors start to amp up and I want to, and of course you can use it in that way and I do often use it in that way as well. But the number one reason I have a seating plan is for the predictability and consistency it provides. It takes away the guesswork, so there's less faffing about when students walk through that invisible barrier. They don't have to have that decision to make, they go straight to their chair. It's an automatic thing. They go, sit down and they know what to expect.

Speaker 1:

What I don't want for the first five is for students to be questioning where they're sitting. I don't want them to be thinking about the dynamics that they've just had in the playground. I don't want them to be thinking about oh great, I've just had a fight with Joel. Who do I sit with? I don't want that to play into it at all. I want them just to have their assigned seat. They can go and sit in. That reduces anxiety for some students significantly. There's no social pressure to choose a seat. There's no. You know, I feel isolated and alone because I don't really have any connections in this class. There's none of that. It's just this is a place for learning. I'm going to go to my assigned seat, sit down and get on with my work. So it just takes away the guesswork, takes away any faffing about, takes away any discussions that need to happen between students and they can just go in, sit at their tables and get started. So that is another one of my non-negotiables. And I don't care how old they are.

Speaker 1:

If you're in year 12, you're still having a seating plan, because year 12s can be really challenging, like the senior students can be super challenging for bringing that energy into the classroom, whether it's, you know, high energy or sometimes it is an issue with apathy and you're trying to upregulate the students. So, first, same welcome spot. Second, the same seat. And the third thing for me that is an absolute non-negotiable is the same starter activity routine. A consistent quality starter, delivered in the same way, in the same place, at the same time time, with the same kind of timing that I expect from them, is so crucial for me. And there's a specific criteria for this to get the most buy-in for a starter activity, because if you do it wrong then it can actually make things a whole lot harder for the start of your lesson. So getting this right is really important and just engaging students with something that is going to be achievable and that's clear and that's consistent and that has buy-in. You know you want to be able to engage them. You don't want something else to engage them.

Speaker 1:

I will actually be talking about starter activities in another episode this month, so you can keep your ears out for that. If you haven't subscribed to this podcast, please go and do that now. It would be so brilliant to have you, you know, get those episodes pop up. You can, you know, have them on your phone. They're downloaded, ready to go for your commutes during the week, and I just really try to give you, you know, actionable strategies that you can apply immediately. And if I have given you one strategy to take away per week actually I do two episodes per week now but if I can give you one thing to take into your classroom that day, try and have success with that, is bloody brilliant, that is amazing. Our practice is just built off one tiny shift at a time. So if I can help you with that, that's wonderful. So please make sure you're subscribing to the podcast so you get those episodes, and while you're at it, I don't know why I'm dropping this in the middle of the episode. I don't really ask for these things very often, but while you're at it, it would be so lovely, if you have gotten anything from these podcast episodes, that you would leave me a lovely review and it would just mean the absolute world to me. It just helps me reach other teachers and just it's wonderful. So please go and do that if you haven't, and if you have a little bit of extra time to be able to leave me a five star review. It would mean the world. Ok.

Speaker 1:

So just a recap of my three non-negotiables for every single lesson, for that first five, to make sure I am covering as many things as I possibly can and remember. There is more things that I do, but these are, like my three really non-negotiable things. First thing the same welcome spot. Second thing the same seat. And third thing, the same starter activity routine. If you haven't noticed, this is same same same.

Speaker 1:

The consistency and the predictability are really important. So here is one thing that I would like you to take away and do next time you're in the classroom a little bit of homework. I want you to think about the routines that you can create in that first five minutes to provide as much predictability and consistency as humanly possible. It could be anything. You could just practice the three that I've given you, or one of those three, or you might think of something else that you think is really important to have as a starter routine, an entry routine that is going to increase that predictability. The goal is to so students know what to expect when they rock up to your class. So, as I said, all of these of course come with a lot of strategy and nuance.

Speaker 1:

And if you are one of my fabulous behavior clubbers, this month inside the behavior club I have added a whole four part training on starting that first five strong or the first 10, 15, whatever it is and making every second of those first five minutes of the lesson count and be the best they can be, along with a bunch of done for you resources, like 250 agenda slides with preloaded starters.

Speaker 1:

So if you're in the behavior club, definitely go in there and download that. Now I have, like my master, download things for my behavior clubbers and this is definitely one of them to grab as much as you possibly can. And if you're not in the behavior club, you are welcome in a friend Anytime. You need me as your mentor If you want the training, the resources, all of the things to take the guesswork, the pressure, the isolation out of classroom management. It would be bloody brilliant to support you and you are welcome whenever you would like to join me. Okay, wonderful teachers, that is all for now. Have a fantastic week and I will see you next time here on the Unteachables podcast. Bye for now.

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Claire English

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