In this section, we are dealing with teaching routines, not classroom routines which are dealt with in here. The difference is simple: classroom routines deal with what the kids do, teaching routines cover what you do.
Many teachers are averse to the idea of 'teaching routines'; it just doesn't fit with their notions of variety, excitement and inspiring exciting lessons. It's important that we realise that 'routine' and 'variety' are not opposites: the ideas involved are complementary, not contradictory. You cannot really vary from a pattern of behaviour unless you first have a pattern of behaviour to vary from.
Good time-management therefore involves first-of-all establishing sensible, workable, effective routines; and then – secondly – modifying or even abandoning those routines if there are better ways of working in particular circumstances.
This simple idea applies to everything you do which involves a decision: 'do I wear a business suit or more casual attire?', 'should I update my classroom displays regularly?', 'will I smile at the kids or not?', 'should I have seating plans for every lesson?'. For each decision, you should strive to make that decision just once, at the start of the year, then review that decision regularly.
This approach is clearly aimed at getting the best of both worlds, but there are two specific reasons why a teacher should adopt this approach. Firstly, it is much more efficient in terms of decision making. Deciding what you want to do once, at the start of the year, involves much less stress than repeating that decision for every lesson or every class. There is a subtle difference between making decisions regularly and reviewing a single decision regularly, but the simple shift in mindset can make a real difference to your life. For every aspect of your teaching life, you should have a default setting. It doesn't really matter if you answer the questions above “suit, yes, smile, no”, or “casual, no, scowl, yes”. It does matter that you make the decision once, and then it's done.
The second reason for adopting this approach is that it gives you a clear unequivocal fall-back position. During the course of the year, you may modify your teaching practices in a hundred different ways, depending on circumstances. However, at any time, under pressure and short of time, you have a default way of working that you can rely on.
If the line of thinking above isn't clear, consider this example: Imagine that we gave a group of teachers these two exercises.
List the planets of the solar system in order of distance from the sun.
List the key classroom routines in order of frequency-of-use.
Most teachers find listing the planets much easier, both in terms of starting the list, and in terms of knowing when the list is complete. Why is the first list easier? Several possible answers:
First, maybe we have a clearer understanding of how 'planets' are defined (though of course our personal definition may be wrong).
Second, maybe we have a clearer knowledge of how many planets there are, and therefore more confidence that none are missing.
Third, well, there are just some kinds of things which we learn and list, and others that we don't. Some things we regard as more structured, more formal, more well-defined.
The process of proceduralisation involves turning activities into well-defined routines; turning things-that-we-don't-list into things that we do list. We don't need to worry about a cut-and-dried definition of proceduralised-or-not, but we are looking for these features:
a) Does it have a name?
b) Can it be broken down into a series of specific steps or components that can be written down?
c) Is there a sequence for the steps, and a structure for the components?
d) Do we have a 'standard' set of steps (though there may be variations to that standard)?
e) Does it have a well-defined output or conclusion?
f) Can we measure or assess whether it has been successful or not?
There is value in proceduralising as many teaching and classroom routines as time allows; carrying them out in a standard stress-free way which with your students are familiar and comfortable, and monitoring their success. Here is a slightly banal example.
Register
1. Stand in front of class with sheet of names
2. Say 'Register. Silence please' and wait for silence
3. (Optional) repeat (2), or give a sanction and repeat (2)
4. For each student:
Call out name
If the answer is 'here', tick name
If not, say 'absent'
5. Say 'Thank you, class'
6. Sit down
7. Initial and date register
8. Address class prefect by name: 'Take the register to the School Office, please'
For trivial routines like this, there is rarely much real value to a teacher in writing them down. However, there is value - especially for teachers very early in their career - in making sure that they have in their mind a set of absolutely clear, unambiguous, sensible steps that they can carry out automatically without any thought or worry whatsoever.
For one thing, unless a task is clearly structured, it is likely to evolve at random over time. This may be a positive improvement or evolution in reponse to circumstances; or it may be a gradual deterioration (for example the teacher may over time forget to say 'thank you' as she originally intended.
There is also value, for teachers to have written routines to share with new classes, exactly corresponding to their own practise.
Register
When I say 'Register. Silence Please' you must stay in your seat and be completely silent until I say 'Thank you, Class'. There are two exceptions:
… when I say your name, you must reply 'Here' loud and clear..
… if you are class prefect, you must come to my desk when I say 'Thank you, Class'.