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Creating a Positive Classroom Environment: Nurturing Respect and Value for All Students

by Debbi Sherman | Classroom Tips, Planning | 0 comments

Welcome to the Back to School series for new teachers! Each week through September, I will be sharing my top tips for new elementary teachers, and this week I am talking about building a positive and inclusive environment in our classrooms, which is one of the most important aspects of your role as a new elementary teacher. As elementary teachers, it is our responsibility to create a safe and inclusive environment where all students feel respected, valued, and supported. Such an environment fosters not only academic success but also social-emotional development, empathy, and understanding. So, let’s dive into the most important things you need to know about creating a positive and inclusive environment.

Establish Clear Expectations and Ground Rules:

Creating a safe and inclusive classroom environment begins with establishing clear expectations and ground rules. I firmly believe this has to be done before ever tackling the curriculum. There are multiple ways to do this – you can choose a specific program to follow (like Whole Brain Teaching), create your own list, work with the students to co-create class norms or some combination of these. I have used specific programs and like the structure it gives, but I also feel it is important for kids to have a say in their own classroom. It’s also always beneficial to have positively worded classroom rules or norms. For example, instead of saying “NO (hitting, kicking, yelling, etc.) it is better to say, “Keep hands and feet to yourself” and “Use inside voices or voice level ___” Encourage discussions about respectful behavior, empathy, active listening, and valuing differences. By involving students in this process, they will have a sense of ownership, making them more likely to adhere to and uphold the established expectations, so I highly encourage you to try this even if you want to go with mostly preplanned rules/expectations.

Embrace Diversity and Celebrate Differences:

Recognize and celebrate differences among your students. Show them that you value the unique backgrounds, cultures, languages, abilities, and interests within your classroom by incorporating multicultural perspectives and experiences into your curriculum. Introduce literature, stories, and activities that highlight different cultures, traditions, and backgrounds. Encourage students to share their own experiences and traditions, fostering an appreciation for diverse perspectives. By promoting cultural understanding, you create an environment where all students feel respected, valued, and represented.

Foster Positive Relationships and Connections:

Building strong relationships with your students is essential for creating a positive and inclusive environment. Take the time to get to know each student individually–their interests, strengths, and challenges. Show genuine care and concern for their well-being, both academically and emotionally. Using a strategy like the 2 x 10 strategy is the perfect way to do this. In a nutshell, you spend 2 minutes a day for 10 days in one on one conversation with a student. You can break up the 2 minutes throughout the day or do it all in one sitting. And don’t stress about the two minutes – there is nothing magical about it, but instead should be taken as a guideline. If it is slightly more or less–no problem! The point is that it is quick and focused on getting to know the child. Another tip – try as much as possible to focus on things that aren’t directly school related. (I have a list of great questions/conversation starters you can use if you feel stumped. Just fill out your information in the sidebar and they will be sent directly to your email.) I always advise starting with the student you feel may be the most challenging and work through your list in that manner, but you do you! You know the needs of your students better – trust your intuition or take advantage of an opportunity that presents itself.

In addition, as students arrive, be sure to greet them warmly, listen actively, and show genuine care and interest in their well-being. Establish rapport and trust by being approachable and supportive. When students feel connected to their teacher, they feel more comfortable and more likely to participate, take risks, and engage in their learning. Also, provide opportunities for students to connect with one another through collaborative activities, group projects, and team-building exercises. We share lots of ideas for these types of things in the Teacher Success Club, our monthly subscription box membership.

Address Bullying and Promote Conflict Resolution:

Bullying can undermine the safety and inclusivity of a classroom environment. It is crucial to address and prevent bullying proactively. Implement anti-bullying policies and educate students about the negative impacts of bullying on individuals and the community. Teach conflict resolution strategies and model effective communication. such as active listening, empathy, and compromise, to help students navigate disagreements respectfully. Create a safe space where students feel comfortable reporting bullying incidents and ensure that appropriate action is taken to address them promptly. Important to note here–often any type of conflict between students is labeled bullying. While we want to address any conflict that makes a child feel uncomfortable, it is also important to be sure to help kids differentiate between a conflict and true bullying. Bullying is when there is an imbalance of power, it is repeated and intentional, and the person being bullied feels unsafe. Conflict is when there is not an imbalance of power, could be a one time disagreement, and no one feels unsafe. There are lots of great online resources for this. Check out Stopbullying.gov or https://pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/ for more information.

Cultivate a Growth Mindset:

Last week, we talked about growth mindset and why it is important for teachers. This week we want to discuss its importance for kids. A growth mindset is essential for creating an inclusive classroom environment. Teach students to embrace challenges, view mistakes as opportunities for growth, and celebrate effort and perseverance. Let them know that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, perseverance, and a positive attitude. Encourage a culture where students support and encourage one another, rather than compete or compare. By fostering a growth mindset, you empower students to believe in their abilities, take risks, and value the unique strengths and talents of their peers.

Use Inclusive Language and Materials:

Infuse your classroom library (and your read alouds) with multicultural and inclusive literature. Read aloud stories that showcase characters from various backgrounds, cultures, abilities, and family structures. Integrate materials from diverse voices and perspectives into your classroom library to ensure that all students feel represented and included. Use literature as a springboard for discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion. By incorporating multicultural and inclusive literature, you expose students to different perspectives, foster empathy, and create a sense of belonging.

Provide Support for Special Needs and Individual Differences:

Recognize and support the individual needs of all students, including those with special needs or learning differences. Students learn in different ways and at different paces.Collaborate with special education teachers, counselors, and support staff to ensure that appropriate accommodations and resources are provided for those students who need that support. And don’t be afraid to speak up if you feel an accommodation or differentiation doesn’t seem like the right fit for a child or your class. Differentiate instruction by using a variety of instructional strategies, resources, and assessments to cater to the diverse learning needs of your students, providing additional support and scaffolding when necessary. Additionally, consider the accessibility of materials for students with disabilities or diverse learning needs. Don’t forget that another type of learning difference is for students with academic talents or giftedness. Offer enrichment opportunities for those who need a challenge. By differentiating instruction, you ensure that all students have access to high-quality education and can thrive in your classroom.

Incorporate Student Voice and Choice:

Empower your students by incorporating their voice and choice in the classroom. You can start small by offering the choice of, for example, where they want to sit for independent reading time. If you use a Daily 5 or workshop structure, you can provide choices on learning activities. Even something as small as choosing whether to write with a pencil or write with a pen counts! Then you can build up to provide opportunities for them to make decisions about their learning, such as selecting topics, project ideas, or collaborative groups. Seek their input on classroom routines, rules, and activities. By valuing and incorporating student voice and choice, you foster a sense of ownership, autonomy, and engagement in their learning process.

Promote Collaboration and Cooperation:

Just as collaboration is important among teaching colleagues, you also want to encourage collaboration and cooperation among your students to foster an inclusive environment. Design activities and projects that require teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Provide opportunities for students to work in pairs, small groups, or as a whole class. By promoting collaboration, you create an environment where students learn from one another, develop empathy, and appreciate diverse perspectives.

Next week we will be talking about fostering positive relationships with families. If you have any questions about this topic, you can comment below, or email me: michelle@yourteachingmentor.com

In the meantime, happy teaching! 🙂

Why Should Teachers Collaborate With Other Teachers?

by Debbi Sherman | Planning | 0 comments

Welcome to the Back to School series for new teachers!

Each week, I will be sharing my top tips for new elementary teachers, and we start things off talking about collaboration. There are two reasons why I chose this first. Number one, it is actually my biggest regret from my first year of teaching and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. The second reason is that this series is starting in July, and this is an easy thing to implement after you first get hired and are working during the summer months (if you choose to do so.) I am excited to hear what you think about this series, so be sure to leave a comment!

Why should teachers collaborate with other teachers? For new teachers just embarking on your teaching journey, one of the most powerful resources you have is collaboration with your colleagues. As I mentioned above, this is honestly my biggest regret from my first year of teaching. I am embarrassed to say I came in with a know-it-all attitude and didn’t fully take advantage of the wisdom of my veteran colleagues. I quickly realized my mistake though, and I am so grateful I did. I was teaching the grade level I always said I didn’t want–first grade–and honestly, I couldn’t have made it without them. I just wish I had been more receptive from the beginning. Collaborating with other teachers not only enriches your teaching practice but also creates a supportive and dynamic learning community. So, let’s explore the most important things you need to know about making the most out of collaboration with your colleagues.

First, embrace a growth mindset. This is something we work hard to instill in our students, and one of the best ways to do that is to model it ourselves. Be open to new ideas, feedback, and constructive criticism. Recognize that collaboration is an opportunity for growth and improvement. Embrace the mindset that you can learn from your colleagues and that working together strengthens your teaching practice. Emphasize the collective goal of supporting student success and approach collaboration with a positive and receptive attitude.

Strong relationships and trust are the foundation of effective collaboration. When I came in with such a know-it-all attitude, it is a wonder they even agreed to help me at all! So, don’t be like me and take the time to get to know your colleagues on a personal and professional level. Attend staff social events, have lunch together, or engage in informal conversations. My first principal gave this advice to all of her first year teachers, especially since several of us started just after consolidation of two districts. We were not tied to either former school, so as new teachers, we could help build the bridge to collaboration throughout the building. Building relationships and trust creates a safe space for open dialogue and collaboration. I am so grateful that they were so welcoming and friendly to me. This helped forge a bond that we shared my entire time at that school.

Finally, celebrate successes and support one another. Take the time to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of your colleagues. Share positive moments, recognize growth, and celebrate milestones together. Support one another during challenging times, offering encouragement, empathy, and assistance. By celebrating successes and supporting each other, you foster a positive and collaborative culture that benefits both you and your students. There are so many great ideas out there on ways to celebrate and encourage each other, but let me know if you would like to see a separate blog post with specific ideas.

Here are some innovative as well as time tested ways to collaborate with colleagues:

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs):

If you teach in a district that has multiple elementary buildings like one of the districts I taught in, Professional Learning Communities are one way to collaborate across buildings, see what other teachers are doing and have cohesion among the grade level. PLC’s are structured groups, but can be as formal or informal as you choose, where teachers with shared grade levels (or subjects for older grades) collaborate regularly. We met once a quarter and for certain special events, but you can meet more or less often as it fits in your schedule.PLCs provide opportunities for teachers to engage in meaningful discussions, share best practices, analyze student data, and design instructional strategies together. By meeting regularly, teachers can identify common challenges and develop solutions together, fostering a supportive and collaborative culture within the school or district.

Plan and Co-Teach Lessons:

Collaborative lesson planning and co-teaching are powerful ways to learn from and with your colleagues. Collaborating on lesson planning and resource sharing allows elementary teachers to benefit from each other’s expertise, creativity, and experiences. By working together, teachers can create more diverse and engaging lesson plans that cater to the needs of all students and differentiate instruction based on student needs. Collaborative lesson planning encourages innovation, saves time, and helps teachers leverage the strengths of their colleagues, leading to enhanced teaching practices and improved student outcomes.

You can also consider co-teaching lessons where you and a colleague work together to deliver instruction. Co-teaching allows you to observe different teaching styles, provide immediate feedback, and share the workload. Through collaborative planning and co-teaching, you gain insights, improve your teaching practice, and foster a supportive learning environment. This is honestly one of my favorite things about teaching – I love co-teaching and have done so in many different ways. Let me know if you want to know more about how teachers can collaborate with each other by co-teaching and I’ll share that in a future blog post.

Peer Observations and Feedback:

Peer observations provide an opportunity for elementary teachers to learn from one another through classroom visits and constructive feedback. By observing their colleagues in action, teachers can gain insights into different teaching styles, classroom management techniques, and instructional strategies. They can then reflect on their own practices and make adjustments based on what they observed. One of my principals valued this so much, she gave us release time to do it. If having to write sub plans makes you want to avoid the idea altogether, consider taking a plan period to go visit another teacher’s classroom.

As new teachers, you may be assigned a mentor. If so, they may come in and watch you teach and then give you feedback. Keep an open mind about this. Peer feedback allows teachers to provide support, offer suggestions for improvement, and celebrate successes. It fosters a culture of continuous growth and encourages professional dialogue among colleagues.

Seek Diverse Perspectives:

Collaboration with colleagues offers a wealth of diverse perspectives and experiences. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn from others who may have different teaching styles, approaches, or expertise. Be open to alternative viewpoints and consider how they may enhance your own practice. Again, this is one thing I didn’t do, that looking back on, I wish I would have. We can’t be so rigid in our thinking that we fail to see other methods that may be effective. Seek out colleagues who have strengths in areas where you want to grow, and be willing to share your own expertise in return. By valuing diverse perspectives, you can create a rich and dynamic collaborative environment.

Share and Reflect on Best Practices:

Collaborating with colleagues allows for the sharing and reflection on best practices. Be proactive in sharing your own successful strategies and resources with your colleagues. Very few things would light me up more than a colleague coming into my room and saying “Where did you get that idea?” or “Tell me more about…” Likewise, I always did the same thing when I went into other classrooms or had discussions with other teachers. Engage in discussions about what works well in the classroom and reflect on how you can incorporate these practices into your own teaching.

Engage in Professional Development Opportunities Together:

Participating in professional development opportunities together with your colleagues can deepen your collaboration and enhance your teaching practice. Attend workshops, conferences, or webinars as a team to learn and discuss new strategies, approaches, or educational trends. I definitely feel like I got more out of conferences I attended with a colleague. Having someone to discuss conference topics with always enhanced my understanding and helped me brainstorm ways to put into practice what was learned at the conference.

In conclusion, collaboration among elementary teachers plays a pivotal role in improving teaching practices and student outcomes. By working together, elementary teachers can make a significant impact on the success and growth of their students. We want our students to embrace a growth mindset and collaborative learning, so the best way to help that happen is by doing these things ourselves. We can share and model our experiences with our students to help them gain perspectives on these important topics. I wouldn’t be half as good of a teacher if it weren’t for collaboration.

Next week we will be talking about creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. If you have any questions about this topic, you can comment below, or email me: michelle@yourteachingmentor.com

In the meantime, happy teaching! 🙂

Valentine’s Party

by Debbi Sherman | Activities, Make It Personal, Planning | 0 comments

It’s finally here–what is likely to be your last classroom holiday party of the school year. Whenever you’re planning any classroom party, there are three main things that you need to take into consideration. You need to know your students, you need to know yourself, and you need to know your resources.

The first thing that is important when party planning is knowing your students. There are many factors to this–behavior, the age of your students, the interests of your students, and if you have any special needs to consider. An example of behavior you may want to consider would be if you have students who are really competitive and if they’re not first or the winner or whatever, then they get very upset–that’s something to keep in mind. You wouldn’t want to plan a party with several win/lose types of games, because that would be likely to backfire in that situation.

You may want to instead play non-competitive games or activities, so as not to set those particular students off, whereas if you have a group that can get along well and understand that there’s a time for everybody to be a winner, then you can have some of that element of competition in some of your games or activities.

Another example that you want to consider would be students who may be affected by increased noise level. Let’s face it, emotions and energy in general tends to ramp up on party days. And you may have some students who are really affected by that noise level. And therefore, their behavior is affected.

You might also have students who don’t particularly get along. So you might want to think about if you need to have activities where they’re in separate spots or where they are just not in the same group for doing stations.

Also important to having the best classroom party possible would be taking into consideration their interests. This is one of those things that can be a little bit more difficult because oftentimes what one group is really into another group isn’t quite so fond of, but there are those rare times when student interests seem to go across the board. For example, early in my teaching career I taught fourth grade and the Harry Potter books were still fairly newish, (I know for sure the whole series hadn’t come out yet, so this was definitely many years ago) we had a Harry Potter themed party. And that was something my whole group of students that year really enjoyed..

The last thing to think about when it comes to knowing your students is thinking about any special needs you may have. These can vary widely, from learning or behavior challenges to food allergies to cultural differences. All of these will factor into your decision making about the party.

Since this is a Valentine party, you probably already have a couple of class parties for the year under your belt. And more than likely, unless you have some really new students, you’re probably pretty aware of these things, but it is important to be aware of their impact on the decisions you make about the class party.

The next thing to think about when you’re planning a class party, besides knowing your students, is to know yourself, and you’ve got to do what feels right for you. For example–are you a person that wants to control every single aspect of the party right down to the last detail? Or are you more laid back and perfectly fine with letting someone else come in and take over? Do you want your party to be very regimented and scheduled? Or are you fine with having it be more open and free flowing? Do you want the party to be your responsibility and parents just send things in, or do you want the parents to take it over– plan it, run it, bring in all the materials needed–that sort of thing. Do you want a big giant elaborate event or are you okay with a “Netflix and chill” kind of thing. (A little side note to that, some of you may have heard about the big brouhaha with Disney suing teachers for public performance of their movies at school events. Our media specialist has told us for years that using your personal Netflix or your personal Disney plus, or your personal DVDs, things like that, are all against copyright law, so I am using the term “Netflix and chill” strictly as a euphemism for laid back here)

We talked about students who can get upset with noise levels. Maybe you’re a teacher who gets upset with noise levels. You don’t like it really loud and boisterous and active. You want something more calm and quiet and orderly and directed. It’s kind of like that old saying, if mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy– but in this case it is if the teacher’s not happy, nobody’s going to be happy, right? If you’re miserable doing a class party, then the kids are going to feel that, and they’re not going to have as much fun either. Everyone has to do what feels right for their personal teaching style.

The third thing that you need to take into consideration are your resources. And in this case,the resources that you are probably going to be considering are the resources of time, money and parent participation. When thinking about time as it relates to a party–think about when the party is going to happen. Is it your choice when you have the party or does the school decide the time?

When it comes to money, do you have a budget? Is there PTA money or classroom money that you can use for your parties? Or is it whatever you have, the parents or you are bringing in. If you do have parent support, how much is going to be your responsibility and how much is going to be parent responsibility for this party.

Finally, when it comes to parents, you have to think about how much do you want them to be involved? Do you want them to just send some things in, do you want them to come in and help, but you’ve planned it or do you want them to control the whole show?

There’s no one right answer. I can’t tell you, this is the perfect formula for having the best party ever because these three factors are going to vary, not only from teacher to teacher, but classroom to classroom in year to year. Every year, you’re going to have to make this decision and decide what you have in mind for parties is going to work for this particular class.

And I’ve done it many different ways, depending what works best for the class. I’ve had years where I’ve had fantastic parents who just had these brilliant ideas that were better than anything I could have done. And the kids loved it– just absolutely loved it. And it was their chance to be able to get into the classroom and do something that was their gift or their talent. And I’ve had other years where we didn’t even have a tray of cookies sent in, so it was all completely on me. And I’ve also been a room mom where it was expected that the room moms planned, purchased, ran, cleaned up everything, sent the invitations out, everything for the party.

When you’re thinking about having the most successful party, I hope these tips have helped. And like I said, I’ll come back and talk a little bit more about some specifics for Valentine’s day so that you can have the best party ever. If you’re looking for the best place to get all the greatest tips and ideas for your classroom, consider joining our Facebook group, Happy Classroom Collective. We’d love to have you join if you’re not already a member!

How to Teach Classroom Procedures – Part 3

by Debbi Sherman | Classroom Tips, Planning, Start of School Year | 0 comments

Today we pick up at Step 6. If you need to review the previous steps please click here.

If you or your friends are parents, this idea would work at home too. So feel free to share this blog with anybody you know that has children at home that may benefit from this as well.

How to Teach Classroom Procedures

Define what procedures need to be taught
Brainstorm the steps of the procedure
Break the process down into as many steps as needed by asking yourself questions
Answer the questions by thinking through how you want the procedure to go
Explain the importance of the procedure
Determine age-appropriate ways to teach the procedure–use the model, practice, review approach
Practice until you feel comfortable with students’ understanding of the procedure

Determine age-appropriate ways to teach the procedure–use the model, practice, review approach

The sixth step is to make sure that those things are kid friendly in the way that you explain them. This is actually three steps put together, but you’re going to repeat them until you have achieved the mastery level that you expect for this particular procedure. So the three parts are model, practice and review. When I say model, that means you want to make sure that you show them exactly how you want them to do it either by modeling the procedure yourself or having another child do it. Sometimes we also use video or pictures or anchor charts, whatever the procedure may call for. It will vary, of course, depending upon the procedure that you’re teaching and the age of the child.

With the drive-thru example, I have a picture of a drive-thru projected on my Smartboard to help bring up that prior knowledge that they have about it. I would say something like, “You’ve been through a drive-thru, right?” And the most common one at my school was McDonald’s because there was a McDonald’s very close to our school. Next, I would say, “How many of you like French fries?” and most kids would raise their hands. “And how many of you go to McDonald’s for French fries?” And they’d raised their hands again. “How many of you have ever gone through the drive-through to get some?” So I’m building that up and again accessing that prior knowledge of theirs.

And then we talk about, “Okay, well, when you go through the drive-thru, can you just speed around someone if the line isn’t going as fast as you would like or if there is someone who maybe isn’t pulling up? Like if you’re super hungry, do you just get to go to the front of the line?” And immediately, of course, they’re like, no, no, you have to stay in your spot in the line. And I would respond by saying, “You know, that’s right–you have to pay attention to what cars are in front of you when you come in and no, you can’t just speed past them. If you did, you’d get in an accident or make them angry because you cut in line.” And so, right then, I’m explaining to them and modeling to them, giving them a specific picture in their mind of how it is they need to think about lining up. Next, I would tie it into our classroom and explain that lining up is just the same. We have to go from where we are to the line in an orderly way and not just push past or zoom around others.

I would show them exactly where I would want them to walk, how I would want them to walk and what I would want them to do. And then I would have the students practice. And as they say, perfect practice makes perfect. So we would practice until I felt they had achieved the method of lining up I wanted them to do. It’s also important at this stage to be sure if they aren’t quite doing it the way you expect, that you stop right then and in a calm, respectful manner explain what was wrong and what correction is needed. This is not to call anyone out or make them feel bad, but rather, to help students understand each specific part of the process. We want them to understand what the wrong way looks like and what the right way looks like from the start.

The class would work towards the mastery that I wanted them to have, and if they were even slightly off, I would say, “Nope, this is what I saw (and explain where the procedure was executed incorrectly). So let’s go back and try that again.”

Practice until you feel comfortable with students’ understanding of the procedure

For step seven, you’ll do the model, practice and review until you get to the point that you feel like the procedure is completed the way you want it to be. Then you will just need to go back and review as needed. This will likely be each time you line up for the next several days, so plan a little extra time to line up so that you can fix any missteps right on the spot and still get to where you are going on time!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at michelle@yourteachingmentor.com or send me a DM on Instagram @yourteachingmentor.

How to Teach Classroom Procedures – Part 2

by Debbi Sherman | Classroom Tips, Planning, Start of School Year | 0 comments

Today we pick up at Step 4. If you need to review the previous steps please click here.

If you or your friends are parents, this idea would work at home too. So feel free to share this blog with anybody you know that has children at home that may benefit from this as well.

How to Teach Classroom Procedures

Define what procedures need to be taught
Brainstorm the steps of the procedure
Break the process down into as many steps as needed by asking yourself questions
Answer the questions by thinking through how you want the procedure to go
Explain the importance of the procedure
Determine age-appropriate ways to teach the procedure–use the model, practice, review approach
Practice until you feel comfortable with students’ understanding of the procedure

Answer the questions by thinking through how you want the procedure to go

Step four is answering the questions you just came up with, and thinking through each part of the procedure. Using the lining up example again, I knew that I wanted them to put their materials away, push their chairs in, and I knew exactly how I wanted them to walk in the line. I wanted it to be something that was very smooth, no pushing, no shoving, no racing to the front, walking very calmly and in control on a certain path to line up only after being sure their materials were picked up properly and their chair was pushed in if they were sitting in their seats.

**Side note– Most of the ideas I share with you are not completely original to me. That’s one of the things that good teachers do – They seek out advice and help from other teachers.
Blogs and social media have really made a huge impact in this area. It’s the whole reason I am writing this post (and probably why you are reading it!) – to share ideas to make teaching easier and more efficient. Teaching how to line up is one of my favorite procedures to teach because of Leslie at the blog Kindergarten Works. She has a great idea for teaching this particular topic that I used and just tweaked and made it my own, like we all do. We get the idea from someone, but then we make the necessary changes to make it work in our own classroom. And it just worked like a charm.

And so once I had defined for myself the exact steps I wanted them to follow, I had to think about how to teach it to the kids. And this is where Leslie’s idea came in. She uses a great analogy of the drive-thru. And the best thing about using the drive-thru example is that almost every kid has experienced this. Even for those beginning kindergartners I was teaching, most of them at some point had gone through a drive-thru somewhere to be able to have some background knowledge for what you’re talking about.

Explain the importance of the procedure

Then what you need to do for step five, (and this is key for student buy-in) is to explain the importance of the procedure, aka why do they need to know this? So, if I’m talking about lining up, I need to let them know that it’s important that they do it this way for safety reasons and so that we all can get to where we’re going in the most timely and efficient manner possible.

This same idea holds true at home. If you’re teaching a bedtime routine, you want to tell them that it’s important for them to understand this so that they don’t forget something and then have to get up, which would interrupt their sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is so important for children to function well the next day.

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If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at michelle@yourteachingmentor.com or send me a DM on Instagram @yourteachingmentor.

How to Teach Classroom Procedures – Part 1

by Debbi Sherman | Classroom Tips, Planning, Start of School Year | 0 comments

Today’s blog post is going to focus on one of the most important things we have to do once the kids arrive for the start of the school year – teaching procedures. This is crucial at the beginning of the year to set the tone of the classroom, but it is also important to revisit many times throughout the school year. Having a specific method to follow will help you be consistent no matter where or when you teach or review your procedures.

Also, this is a topic that’s not just reserved for teachers. If you or your friends are parents, this idea would work at home too. So feel free to share this blog with anybody you know that has children at home that may benefit from this as well.

I’ve got a step by step process for you that would work with pretty much anything that you may need to teach. And I’ll give you an example along the way as well.

How to Teach Classroom Procedures

Define what procedures need to be taught
Brainstorm the steps of the procedure
Break the process down into as many steps as needed by asking yourself questions
Answer the questions by thinking through how you want the procedure to go
Explain the importance of the procedure
Determine age-appropriate ways to teach the procedure–use the model, practice, review approach
Practice until you feel comfortable with students’ understanding of the procedure

Define what procedures need to be taught

The very first thing that you need to do well before the students arrive is to define what procedures need to be taught both for you and for the students. You need to think about what things kids are going to be doing on a routine basis. For example, in the classroom, that might be things like arrival procedures, dismissal procedures, lining up, or turning in work. All of those are things that kids are going to do on a regular basis and something that most teachers have a certain way that they want it done in their classrooms. If you’re at home, you may have a bedtime routine or a homework routine. So any of those ideas would apply for this particular topic.

Brainstorm the steps of the procedure

Next, brainstorm the specific steps you want children to follow for the procedure you have in mind first. You want to make sure that you know exactly what it is you want the students to be able to do. You also have to think about how you want to explain that to the students. This probably goes without saying, but explaining a procedure to a six year old kindergarten student is very different than explaining even the same procedure to a fifteen year old sophomore in high school. It sounds crazy, but just because you know what you want them to do, doesn’t mean that you necessarily have the language for teaching them. So you want to think about your age group–your target audience, so to speak–and how you can best explain that procedure to them.

Break the process down into as many steps as needed by asking yourself questions

Step three is to break that procedure down into as many steps as you possibly can, not to make it a bunch of steps, but to make sure that you don’t forget anything. For example, let’s talk about lining up. That’s something that probably every elementary classroom in the world does at some point. And it’s actually one of my favorite procedures to teach. I had to stop and think, what is it that I need them to do? Well, I had to think about how I wanted them to transition from whatever it was we were doing to where it was they were going. I had to think about these things:

Are they sitting on the carpet?
Are they sitting in their chairs?
Where will the line be?
Where are they going?
What are they going to need to do before we can even line up?
Do they need to take things with them?

Then, I had to think about how I wanted them to line up…

Does it matter if they’re in one line or two?
Is there a line order?
Does it matter which way they go to get to the line?
Does it matter if they walk or can they run?

I mean, I don’t know any classroom in the world that would let kids just run up to the line. But again, those are the kinds of things that you want to think through in this third step. As teachers, we realize that running would not be a plausible idea, but kids need to be specifically told that. Be sure you think of everything that you would want them to know, and then how you’re going to teach it.

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If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at michelle@yourteachingmentor.com or send me a DM on Instagram @yourteachingmentor.

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