Make my life easier!

Establishing classroom routine and procedures

Presentation by John Buckner

TEFL Peace Corps

“An ounce of prevention is worth a

pound of cure.” - Benjamin Franklin

Objectives for this session

• What activities do you do all the time in class?

•How can you save time with these activities?

• What is the first thing you need to do every class and why?

•What are some classroom procedures that you can establish?

•When is the best time to establish class routines?

•What are the benefits of establishing classroom procedures?

The first days of school

What do you do the first days of school?◦Day 1 – agreements, rules, rewards,

consequencesClassroom vocabulary, individual and class goals

◦Day 2 – establish and practice class routines◦Day 3 – agreements, rules, rewards, and

consequences quiz◦Day 4 – Diagnostic test

Personality Diagnostic (Myers Briggs) Gratis Learning-Type Diagnostic (Gratis. En Español)

An ounce of prevention…Seating chart

◦Learn the students’ names quickly. Establishes stronger relationships Helps manage behavior effectively

Which is more effective? Hey. You, student. Stop talking. Natalia, face forward.

◦Demonstrate authority

How do you organize the seating chart?

When do you do the seating chart?How do the students find their

seats?

Classroom VocabularyUse English to give classroom

commands.◦Stand up. Sit down.◦Face forward. Face me.◦Open your books. Close your books.◦Take out a pen and sheet of

paper/your homework.◦Get into (your) groups.◦Exchange (your homework) with

your neighbor.

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What activities are most common?“Get into (your) groups.”

How? (groups of 5)

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“Get into your groups.”How?

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“Get into your groups.”Occasionally, switching group members after forming the groups provides flexibility.

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“Turn in your (home)work.”One student in each row stands

up and collects their classmates (home)work.◦What are the benefits?◦What are the problems?

“Turn in your (home)work.”How?

PASSITFORWARD.

“Pass your (home)work forward.”

Students stay seated and pass their (home)work to the student seated in front of them.◦What are the benefits?◦What are the problems?

Collect money for copies.How?

PASS IT FORWARD?

• Benefits?• Problems?

Collect money for copies.When?

◦Ask the president of the class to do it before or after class and then give the money to you.

◦Other suggestions?

Taking attendance for 40 or more students

Question: How can you save time with this activity?Answer: Ask who is absent as opposed to calling each student’s name.

Class routine What should you do at the

beginning of every class?1. Write the objective on the board.2. Write the schedule for the class on

the board.

Class Objective ExampleObjective: Students will be able

to fill in the blank with the correct conjugation of the verb “to be” in the first, second and third person in the present tense when given a sentence with an accuracy of at least 70% (or 7/10).

Why do you need to write the objective?

Class Schedule Example

1. review and grade homework2. guided practice – “to be”3. individual practice – “to be”

(Write 15 sentences using “to be”.)

4. assign homework5. activity or game

Why do you need to write the schedule?

Don’t take homework home.Work smarter, not harder.

Can you think of a classroom procedure that could save you time grading homework?

Peer grading is one solution!

Speaking of homework…Routine doesn’t just have to

include activities where the students move around. ◦Write the homework assignment and

when it’s due in the same place on the board every day. Never change it.

◦Can you think of other routines that you can develop to save time and effort?

Develop your own procedure1. Write step-by-step instructions for the

activity.2. Say the steps or read them aloud.3. Show the steps visually in writing or

through illustrations.4. Demonstrate each step or have a

student demonstrate.5. Have the whole class practice until

each student masters the procedure and it becomes a routine.

6. If necessary, re-teach procedures.

Time Considerations◦tardiness and absences◦homework◦what is being prepared for class◦students who finish early◦student relationships◦how students expected to behave

toward one other◦types of group work ◦students helping each other

Consider teacher/student relationships

◦What will be your routines?◦How do students speak to the teacher and

when?◦Can students work while the teacher

speaks?◦What are the rewards and consequences

for the policies?◦Will you make an agreement with your

students about classroom rules?◦How will you present your policies to the

students?◦How will you give instructions?◦Do you expect your students to take notes?

Bibliography Doug Lemov. (2011). Teach Like a Champion Field Guide. Hoboken,

NJ: Jossey-Bass.