Lydia Le - Layers of Communication: July 2014

“Teachers can enhance their classroom behaviour management with explicit instruction and practice in behavioural expectations and routines.” - COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN Vol.37-No.1 pp32-38

Classroom Routine – What is it?

Classroom routine refers to ‘a well-rehearsed response to a teacher's directive. The alternative is usually noise, milling around, and time wasting on the part of students, as well as nagging on the part of the teacher’ (Jones, n.d).
According to Dr. Jones, classroom routine is one of teacher's powerful tools of saving time and working energy during daily teaching activities. To him, however, classroom routines are not simply being announced. Classroom routines must be taught and experienced/practised until they become 'automatic' to all students that the students can be responsible.

In regard to a similar definition, classroom routines are techniques or ways of managing the classroom (TeacherVision, 2014). They are ‘a set of expectations that save time and ensure a smooth-functioning classroom’. These techniques have been used for smoothly transitioning between teaching and learning activities. Classroom routines help students clearly understand what is expected each day of their learning.

Why do Classroom Routines Matter?

…initial investments in teaching behaviours result in lasting improvements throughout the year (Taylor-Greene et al., 1997; Todd et al., 2002)

Routines and procedures are considered as the vital keys to the success in classroom management. It is believed that when classroom routines, such as rules and procedures, are established and discussed during the first days of school (and reinforced again during the first three weeks), the class runs more smoothly and challenging behaviours are minimized (Marzano & Marzano, 2003). Therefore, the routines become the effective ways in which students go about the academic process of learning (VisibleThinkingpz.org, 2014). Kaser (n.d.) affirms that classroom routines can positively affect students’ academic performance as well as their behaviours.

How to create Classroom Routines

Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment

An advice on Class Routines, that encourages student-teachers [also called pre-service teachers], is that it is never too late to start a routine. A schedule of the routines may need some adjustments to effectively control students’ resistance. Students need both consistency and limits, be prepared with how the student teacher will handle this resistance. A welcoming classroom climate, for secondary levels, includes classroom management techniques such as learning student names, tools used for gaining students’ attention and interest, a display of special artworks done by students, and the design of an Acronym that can help the teacher deal with classroom management. For pre-service teachers [also called student-teachers], using the school policies and its rules is the best choice to achieve general expectations and deal with challenging behaviours.

Learning student names

To make students feel welcome in a classroom, try to learn their names. Learning all students' names in a diversity of multicultural classes is difficult, in particular for student-teachers who only have a short time in their teaching practice. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln suggests a list of techniques for learning student names such as having students make name tags on the first day of class; spending some time during the first day of class for taking snapshots of all students (photos of students' learning activities or works could also be taken for this purpose)

Gaining and maintaining students’ attention and interest

It is believed that giving students clear expectations and explicit guidance on how to perform basic procedures and concise routines to follow is the key to good behaviour. Wagner (2011) suggests the kinds of routines that include:
· using a non-verbal signal, or a countdown for getting students to pay attention;
· giving/suggesting the ways on how students should respond to direct questions: for example, hand raising or a random choice of which students will answer [nominating someone to answer questions];
· allowing the noise levels in class: for example, some tasks may require silent individual attention, while others may require cooperative learning in pairs or groups - and students need to be made aware of acceptable noise levels and protocols for each task;
· explaining the rationale behind the routines or procedures.

In addition, it is important that consistency and practice are vital to make classroom routines an integral part of the classroom experience (Wagner, 2011). Implementing the strategy of Say-See-Do, for instance, is considered as one of the effective methods to engage students and gain their attention and interest.

Preparing and avoiding lag time in instruction through using of the techniques for smooth transitions.
Designing of an Acronym that can help the teacher deal with classroom management, such as the Acronym of SIMPLE, to manage the classroom (Tovey, n.d.):

S: Structuring for making sure that all students are aware of the routine of rules and procedures

I: Instructing for ensuring that all students know exactly what the teacher both does want and does not want them to do

M: Monitoring, watching and/or paying attention so that the teacher can be certain to have followed through

P: Praising in working with the challenging students

L: Laughing for accomplishing with a light-hearted touch

E: Empowering of teaching students how to think, not just what to think

References:

Jones, F. (n.d.). Tools for Teaching. Rules, Routines, and Standards In Elementary and Secondary Grades - Anytime is the Right Time for Rules and Routines. FredJones.com

Retrieved 11 July 2014 from http://www.fredjones.com/rulesandroutines.html

Marzano, R.J., & Marzano, J.S.(2003). The Key to Classroom Management. Building Classroom Relationships. Pages 6-13. September 2003-Volume 61-Number 1. Educational Leadership-ASCD

TeacherVision (2014). Routines and Schedules. Retrieved 11 July 2014 from https://www.teachervision.com/teaching-methods/new-teacher/48342.html

Tovey, S. (n.d.). Managing the High School Classroom Procedures and Routines. Retrieved 11 July 2014 from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/85485154/Managing-the-High-School-Classroom-Day-Two-Classroom-Environment

VisibleThinkingpz.org (2014).

Kaser (n.d.). Use of Classroom Routines to Support the Learning Process. Retrieved 11 July 2014 from http://education.odu.edu/esse/docs/classroomroutines.pdf

Wagner, K.J. (2005). Routines and Procedures for Managing Your Classroom. Education Oasis. Retrieved 11 July 2014 from http://www.educationoasis.com/instruction/cm/routines.htm

My links for today

5Classroom Management Tips For Every Teacher

Setting classroom routines & procedures: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

The Behavioural Feature Group

Teaching ideas
Rules & Routines in the Classroom
Thinking Classroom