Seamless
by Martha Doennig, Coordinator of Professional Learning

STANDARD #5: Creating a Positive Classroom Learning Environment
Quality Indicator #2: Managing time, space, transitions, and activities

I am certain you have experienced the satisfaction of a smooth day in the classroom, and, on the flip side, have also experienced releasing the breath you held all day wondering what went astray. Both of these feelings are typical of any educator. Countless factors beyond our control affect what might happen in the classroom, but the factors within our control allow smooth days to far outweigh the days needing to be reclaimed. Managing time, space, transitions, and activities are a few of the factors that we can control as we work to exceed the expectations of Missouri Educator Standard #5: Creating a Positive Classroom Learning Environment.

Strong management in the classroom is directly related to a positive learning environment. As noted in Robert Marzano’s book, Classroom Management that Works (2007), attention to classroom management as we begin the school year is a critical ingredient in a well-run classroom. You have likely dedicated much of this school year to building a positive classroom environment through management of time, space, transitions, and activities that support individual and group motivation.  

To complement the efforts you’ve made thus far, numerous research-based strategies exist.

From Teach Like A Champion by Doug LeMov (2010):

• Entry Routine:  Make a habit out of what is efficient, productive, and academically focused as class begins.  Students should know what is expected and routinely adhere to it each day.
• Tight Transitions:  Make the time when students move from place to place or activity to activity efficient: the goal is to achieve the least amount of time is wasted and the least amount of narration by the teacher. 
• Do It Again: Allow ample time to rehearse a routine; more practice encourages improvement.   When attention is needed to increase efficiency in a procedure or routine, do it again and do it right. 
• Seat Signals:  To lessen the time allocated to addressing routine needs such as bathroom usage or pencil sharpening, create signals. The use of these signals contributes to reduced instructional interruptions.  

From Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones (2000):

• Working the Crowd: “Either you work the crowd, or the crowd works you.” Regardless of the space in the classroom, being in contact with students through proximity allows for easiest management. Creating space that is easy to monitor and navigate maximizes opportunity for proximity. 

From Conscious Classroom Management by Rick Smith (2004):

• Settle Down Time:  Determine and adhere to an amount of time that is given to settling into class following any big transition. Use this time to have students “beat the clock” by settling in quicker than the expected time.
• Count backwards from 20 to 1:  Count down from any number to one. Students know what is expected once the teacher arrives at one, and the teacher has control of how quick the transition is based on the speed of the count down. 
• Music/Sounds for Transitions:  You may be familiar with the Quiet Signal, which is modeled in one of the videos in this month’s e-newsletter. You may also wish to play a sound or song for transitions. If using a song, students are seated and ready to go when the song ends. Use different sounds or songs for different transitions throughout the day.

Regardless of the procedural strategies used in the classroom, Harry Wong suggests a simple, effective way to support procedures as they become a routine in The First Days of School (1998):

ERR:
Explain a classroom procedure clearly.
Rehearse a classroom procedure until it becomes routine.
Reinforce a correct procedure or re-teach an incorrect one. 

By providing time for procedures to be perfected, you will ensure that management of time, space, transitions, and activities will run smoothly throughout the year. Interactions and movement in the classroom will appear seamless, making your management invisible. Through this invisibility, a positive classroom learning environment will develop as students are focused on learning. 

 

Jones, Fredric H., Patrick Jones, and Jo Lynne Jones. Tools for Teaching: Discipline, Instruction, Motivation. Santa Cruz, CA: F.H. Jones & Associates, 2000.

Lemov, Doug. Teach like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College. San Francisco, CA:    
       Jossey-Bass, 2010.

Marzano, Robert J. The Art and Science of Teaching: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007.

Smith, Rick. Conscious Classroom Management. Fairfax, CA: Conscious Teaching Publications, 2004.

Wong, Harry K. The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher. Mountainview, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, 1998.