A Help Desk in a classroom is a hub where pupils can go during a lesson to help them with their work. It could be a table at the front, a portion of your teacher's desk or the top of some drawers at the side of your room.
The aims and benefits of the Help Desk are:
- pupils take more responsibility for their own learning and research
- takes pressure off the teacher during the lesson
- reduces time wasted looking for books and resources during the lesson
- can give roles to pupils
- increases peer-to-peer learning
Here are some top ideas to inspire you!
Setting it up
Think of a good place for it, easily accessible to pupils in your classroom and maybe somewhere you can keep an eye on it! Think of a name for it, make a laminated sign and you're off!
Books
Place useful books on the table that students may or may not need to use to complete their work. This prevents their desks being cluttered by books they might not need but puts them in an accessible place if needed. This includes atlases, textbooks and dictionaries.
Technology
Put a couple of laptops on the desk. One could be open on a search engine so pupils can look something up quickly (not sit at to work!). The other could be the PPT from the previous lesson or two to help pupils who missed a lesson, didn't complete previous work or have forgotten something.
Examples of work
Obviously depends on the nature of the lesson but there is an opportunity to put best examples of work by previous year groups or pupils from other classes. This is so pupils can see the kind of "level" they are aiming for, or to get help if they are struggling.
Roles for pupils
You can get pupils to man the Help Desk if needed. Maybe a high ability pupil or one who has already completed the task. You could give them a 'Help Desk Manager' badge (perhaps other costume props) and get them to sit behind it and help their peers.
It can also be used to encourage weaker pupil. Give them the answer to a task (or some extra coaching beforehand) then get them to man the desk. Imagine the confidence boost they will gain from being the 'class expert' for a particular task and their peers come to them for help or clues!
Other resources
These include factsheets, globes, leaflets, information booklets, postcards, maps, props, calculators and more! Let your imagination and creativity run wild! :)
Think about how to manage the potential challenges of a Help Desk, such as:
- The time it takes to set up / tidy up each day or each lesson. How can you make it more efficient? Can the pupils help you? Do you need a 'Help Desk' monitor in each class? It has to help you too, not just the pupils!
- Pupils walking around the classroom to reach the desk. Do you need to introduce the desk formally to each class alongside some rules about how to use it?
Do you use a 'Help Desk' idea in your classroom? Would love to hear from you.
