School assemblies are a great way to teach students how to communicate, build skills, and build confidence. If you want to maximize the impact your program has on your students, then you need to know how to build it and how to create it. Here, we are going to help you learn how to make the most of school assemblies and how to create a program that is going to be educational, interactive, and interesting for everyone included.
Keep on reading to learn more about school assemblies, how to maximize the potential of the program, and what the things you need to steer away from are if you want to be successful.
1. Create a theme for the program
When you think about the school assemblies, make sure that you pick a theme for the whole program and that you incorporate as many events and lectures that are going to be fit for the theme. You can go with something like an anti-bullying campaign, you can choose to educate your students on a certain topic, you can help them develop a certain set of skills, or you can include anything that you want.
As you can see with Teen Truth, there are different school assemblies that you can choose from, and you can decide if you want to go with something custom and unique that is going to be fit for your school, or if you want to incorporate a theme that has already been tested, tried out, and proven to be successful.
Prepare properly
When creating the school assembly program, make sure that you prepare properly. Create a plan on what you are going to present, how is that going to be presented, if you need any special video and audio equipment; if you want to incorporate something else that is going to help the students feel more engaged, and if there are items that you need to implement to make the whole plan successful.
Think about who is going to be the speaker, how they are going to present the program, and if they require any additional help or equipment. Collaborate with every speaker that is going to partake in the process and try to work with them to create the best scenario possible.
Before the assembly starts, check to see if every piece of equipment is working properly. The biggest mistake that can happen is something malfunctioning right before the program starts, so make sure that you test all of the devices and equipment and address any potential issues. It is recommended to have a backup plan in case there is an issue so that you can continue with the plan without any delays or setbacks.
Make sure students know about it
Experts suggest that when it comes to school assemblies, you need to make sure that the students are introduced to the program far before the date. You need to look at this from a marketing point of view, and you need to spark interest in your target audience far before the assembly starts. The way to do this is to practically create a campaign that is going to spike everyone’s interest.
You can choose to do this via social media, you can put up banners, Flyers, talk about the student assemblies in classrooms, and even get the students to come up with their own ideas or suggestions that you can incorporate into the program. This is going to help everyone feel included even before the assembly starts, and you may get ideas and solutions that are going to help you further down the line. The more students know about your plan, team, and goal the bigger the chances are going to be for the program to be successful.
Include everyone
This is probably the most important part of all the school assemblies. You have to include every student in the workshop, the program, and the plan. Some students are far more likely to be outgoing, interested in talking, interested in sharing their ideas and just contributing to the workshop. However, there are always going to be students that are going to be more introverted, shy, or just have stage fright. They will not willingly participate in something, even if that stops them from reaching their full potential. As an educator, it is your job to find and create a safe space for everyone to be included, brainstorm, and collaborate with peers and teachers.
If you want to get the most out of the school assemblies, then you need to let students share their own ideas, contribute, and get to know each other without the stress of lectures and grading. Encourage them to share their point of view, no matter what the topic is, and create a space where they can have a healthy debate, talk about their opinions, their views, and what they would do to find a solution to an existing problem. This is going to help develop social skills and critical thinking and is going to encourage students to have their voices heard.
Help students have fun during the program
Ultimately, you need to create a space where students are going to have fun. We all know that more often than not, traditional lectures and classes can be somewhat boring. Not every professor knows how to create an interactive class, and they tend to follow specific plans and tend to follow specific plans and guidelines without trying to get the students to communicate or share views.
If you create a space where students are going to have fun, the student assemblies are going to be much more successful and exciting for everyone included. You don’t need to go above and beyond and you don’t need to create a comedy show, but make sure that the whole atmosphere is more laid back and that you will allow students to talk to professors and peers, and even disagree with them. Create a space where everyone will feel included, no matter what their opinion or viewpoint is. Try to be as interactive as possible, including audio lessons, videos, and even movies.
There are different ways to make the most out of school assembly, so make sure that you think what you believe would be the best fit for your school and your students. Test different things out, reach out to professionals and see what they would suggest, and if you want to keep it safe, you can start by introducing plans and projects that have already been proven successful, and tweak them depending on your desires and goals.
