Setting the scene to get you started

Starting something can be a source of great excitement, with the anticipation of what will emerge, as is the case for many artists and sportsmen.

But it can also be a source of anxiety, which can prove counter-productive when you don't know where you're going. This is particularly true of the "blank page" syndrome, known to writers and students alike...

Fear of the unknown: a major obstacle

The difficulty of starting something lies most often in the lack of reference points. Apprehension about the unknown can get the better of learners and new teachers alike.

Yet it's possible to create the right climate to facilitate the launch of a new activity, a new project... If this is the main obstacle to getting a project off the ground, it's also the easiest to overcome. Whether you're a student or a teacher, a project leader or an implementer, nobody likes to grope ahead, left to their own devices in the dark about what's to come. It's a good idea, then, to take a closer look at what's going to happen, in order to build up a more reassuring picture.

For a teacher, reading testimonial blogs, whether for specific or more global help, or eveninstitutional sources, will provide sufficient reference points to face the first day or week of study with a modicum of confidence. There will always be time later to make the necessary adjustments to meet real needs.

For students, whatever their level or environment, an announcement of the diploma program, academic expectations, the amount of work to be done... will all be conducive to peace of mind. From then on, the boundaries thus set will provide a framework in which everyone can move forward at ease, without surprises or uncertainty, even in the event of repeated poor grades or failures.

The question is no longer where you're going, but how you're going to get there - and, for the most successful, how you're going to exceed it. For the less enthusiastic, knowing where they're going means they can put in place strategies that will enable them to improve their performance at their own pace, and set attainable milestones.

Knowing where you're going so you can do better

Getting off to a good start also means knowing the rules, techniques and methods governing the object in question. For a first-year student, the French teacher will begin by outlining the methodology to be followed to meet the expected academic standards. For the rest of the year, the teacher will set out the exercises and suggest cultural elements to be associated with them, but without a method, the results don't match up and motivation fades in the face of fear of failure. The same applies to other school subjects, sports, board games and so on, from an early age. Beginning life also means understanding the rules that enable interaction between the baby and those around him. The following years will serve to perfect these.

Getting off to a good start also means knowing how to set up routines so that even the most arduous tasks become part of everyday life, even outside school.

In the classroom, we know that we have to meet teachers' expectations - that's been a given since the first year of kindergarten. When it comes to educational activities outside school, however, it can be difficult to establish a routine, especially when it comes to homework or online study. In the early years, there is no homework, which distorts the daily routine. In CE1, for example, homework begins with short reading or writing exercises, which take little time but establish a new routine and a new rule: I come home, I do my homework, even if it only takes 5 minutes. Some children choose to stay in the study to benefit from the physical environment provided by the school.

As the years go by, the length of the sequence will increase, reaching a minimum of one hour per day in high school. For homework, this means understanding the child's personality so as to better adapt the way in which it is handled. For sporting activities, the rules will be laid down by a trainer, in a particular place, so that each child can integrate the limits and improve his or her practice from day to day.

The major risk of not getting off to a good start remains the inability of the individual to understand what is being asked of him or her. It then becomes almost impossible to improve, because you don't know what's expected of you!

Sources

Vocation enseignant "10 conseils spour bien débuter dans l'enseignement" - http://vocationenseignant.fr/les-10-conseils-pour-bien-debuter-dans-l-enseignement

Charivari à l'école "I've got 15 minutes to prepare my history sequence" (in French)
https://www.charivarialecole.fr/archives/2158

Mission maternelle académie d'aIx Marseille
http://www.mission-maternelle.ac-aix-marseille.fr/enseigner/acc_debut.html

Hufffington Post - Caroline Bloch - How to make your children love homework?
http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/carole-bloch/comment-faire-aimer-les-devoirs-a-ses-enfants_b_11721280.html

Eduscol - Educational support
http://www.education.gouv.fr/cid5677/accompagnement-educatif.html

Eduscol - Homework in middle school
http://eduscol.education.fr/experitheque/fiches/fiche11351.pdf

Le Monde - Bac de français et méthodologie pour l'écrit - 13/06/2016
http://www.lemonde.fr/campus/article/2016/06/13/bac-francais-conseils-et-methodologie-pour-l-ecrit_4949570_4401467.html