I teach teens and Young Learners. Most of my classes have three lessons of one hour per week and I have noticed a major difference in the concentration and the work we get done, depending on the time of day of the lesson or what class they had in the preceding hour.

First thing in the morning they’re still asleep, oral activities take a while to get going, they’re not concentrated enough to introduce new grammar points or anything too complicated.

After sport they’re over-excited and have developed a pencil allergy, meaning that either they don’t want to use one or they have to keep throwing it on the floor.

Monday mornings are very slow, Thursday afternoons they (and I?!) are tired, Friday afternoons are energetic, but no time for work requiring quiet concentration.

So when am I supposed to teach them? To make matters more complicated sometimes I teach the same level in separate classes, and it’s tough to do the same thing in one hour on Tuesday morning with one class and another hour on Wednesday after sport with the other class.

With some classes I have set up a routine that the students seem to appreciate, Friday is oral day, Tuesday is grammar presentation, and Monday is skills work. However I can’t do that with every class.

I won’t even go into what happens when it’s snowing, although actually I find wind excites them more.

What is the solution? Answers on a postcard please!