I’m in the fairly unusual position where I’ve taught pupils in every age category from P1 (when children are four or five) all the way through to S6, the last year of school in Scotland. Here’s what I’ve learned about teaching and learning across the ages:

Taking an interest works

It seems so simple, but whether you’re teaching a four-year-old or an 18-year-old, taking an interest in their life and learning about them is key to build a relationship. It isn’t hard either: I start off with hobbies away from school and try and remember something that they like. It was skateboarding recently for one secondary pupil, but when I taught P2, a more likely challenge was for me to memorise different breeds of My Little Pony...

Rewards always go down well

Stickers go down really well with young pupils, but I’ve seen S4 pupils take a bit of pride in this sort of thing, too. Free time, magazine reading, Lego building or games are all rewards that have worked for me across different age groups. It doesn’t need to be a lot of it either - just a little incentive now and then really works well.

Long read: How primary colours can brighten secondary learning

Opinion: ‘All-through schools are proving a missed opportunity’

Moving on up: 5 ways to help pupils make the transition to secondary

Expectations matter

It seems so simple but it is so true. I’ve seen how a new S1 pupil can feel dejected coming into their new school’s very first maths class after by years of negative association about number work. Sometimes a fresh start can do the world of good, and a new set of expectations can help with that. I’ve also seen how high expectations in P1 can be carried all the way through primary school to help build attainment throughout over several years. High expectations are important across all stages.

Be a human

The whole “don’t smile before Christmas” approach never ever did it for me. I’d rather show them parts of the real Mr Black alongside Mr Black’s teacher persona. Seeming like a real human in front of the class, not a robot, is appreciated by both primary and secondary pupils.

Humour

Humour is a really important tool in teaching. It can alleviate a situation, it can make lessons interesting and it can be the one part of a pupil’s day that they actually remember and share with their parents. I tend to make it more staged in primary - maybe I’ll tell a joke that leads onto little spin-off puns throughout the lessons that follow - whereas in secondary, it’s more about off-the-cuff little quips. If done properly, it helps to build relationships with all ages.

It’s common to hear primary teachers or secondary teachers say they couldn’t teach in the other sector. Well, I’ve done both and I can say with confidence that I think you can. Teaching is, most of all, about personality, compassion and getting the message across. If you can do that, you can do it at all ages and stages.

Adam Black is a teacher in Scotland who, in the 2019 New Year’s Honours list, received the British Empire Medal for raising awareness of stammering