Last week, the Year 6 boys delivered a lesson from the ‘Second Step’ Program to the other classes. It was their first attempt at doing so and they accomplished their task with great success.

Working in groups of 5 or 6, the boys were given 2 hours to prepare their lessons. They were encouraged to design activities that involved as much student involvement as possible, incorporating visual aids, technology and design thinking activities such as ‘Think, Pair, Share’.

The majority of the lessons involved how we interact with others in our lives. The feelings we share, the resilience we show and the perspectives we take were all explored throughout the activities.

The lessons lasted approximately 30 minutes and judging from the levels of enthusiasm from both the students and the teachers of each grade, the boys did a wonderful job. The level of care and commitment from the Year 6 boys was evident throughout the planning and delivery process and they were rewarded with wonderful feedback.

One of the most interesting aspects of the whole process was the empathy shown by the boys towards the teachers and what they go through on a daily basis. They certainly gained a little more understanding of what it takes to deliver engaging and well-planned activities that deliver an important message for the other boys to understand, however, this was not a deterrent, as they can’t wait to do it again in Week 8.

They learned a great deal about themselves as peer tutors and how other people can react to that tutelage. We, their teachers, were extremely proud of the boys.

Mr Edwards and Mr English – Year 6 Teachers