TM4T Techniques 4.1.2.2 - Location Awareness -  In-Crate Example

Here is a little anecdote about lost property.

Recently, I was intrigued to see a teacher between classes: picking up textbooks, stationery and exercise books which had been left behind and - this is the interesting bit - carefully returning them to their correct place in the classroom, including a little pile which he told me was destined for the lost-property office at breaktime.

I asked about the next class: 'a particularly easy lesson?'. 'No' was the reply 'very difficult class; challenging behaviour'.

Now here's the thing: when we teachers seek help in dealing with challenging behaviour, there is some excellent advice available. It might involve behaviour plans, collegial meetings, the importance of classroom routines, or the need to rehearse careful teaching scripts. And what is often our response to this advice? 'Well that all takes time, doesn't it?'. Yes it does, and the teacher I described above was wasting some golden time in tidying up stuff which should simply have been dumped in his Personal Inbox, or the elves' crate. Instead of putting things away neatly, he should have been muttering to himself 'Right, 9B, Jack and Melissa, I need the seating plan up on the board, I'll line them up boys and girls separately, and I'll get Melissa to help me give the books out...' Whatever.

This habit - squandering some of the most precious minutes in the day on work with very little value - is an easy bad habit to fall into.