Procedures

Morning & End of Day Routines


Procedures


The following are procedures I plan to implement in the classroom:

Classroom Jobs

  1. What it Looks Like: Each week, students will be assigned a new job or responsibility within the classroom. Jobs will include line leader, caboose, lights (responsible for turning the lights off/on when the class exits/enters the classroom), door holder, flag holder, messenger, mailman, etc. During morning meeting each Monday, new jobs will be assigned. There will be a sign containing a visual for each job and the student(s) assigned to it will have a clothespin with their name on it attached to the sign. That job is that student’s responsibility for the week. The clothespins will simply go down the line in order, so every student has multiple opportunities to have each job throughout the year.

  2. How I Will Teach: I would introduce the concept during the first week of school but will not assign jobs until the second week, so students have time to settle into the class. When I teach students each job, I will explain what each job is verbally while also modeling what it looks like. For example, when introducing the caboose job, I would choose 3-5 students to form a line and show that the caboose stands behind all the students in front of them. I would show that the caboose keeps a small amount of space between themselves and the person in front of them, keeps their arms and legs to themselves, and faces front. I would explain that the caboose is responsible for kindly reminding other students in the back of the line follow this as well. Last, I would show that the caboose does not cut in front of other students in line by cutting in front of the student in front of me and asking students if that is something the caboose can do. Each week when new jobs are announced, I will call on a student to share a review of that job’s responsibilities.

  3. Connection to Philosophy & Theorists: Assigning classroom jobs aligns with the democratic classroom component of my teaching philosophy the theorist Alfie Kohn. Kohn stressed the idea of classrooms as communities in which the students are members. Therefore, students should be able to fully participate in matters of the classroom. Assigning classroom jobs transfers some of the responsibility for maintenance of the classroom from the teacher to the students. Entrusting them with responsibilities emphasizes that the teacher views them as capable and valuable members of the classroom.

Student & Teacher Signals

  1. What it Looks Like: Instead of interrupting the lesson to ask to use the restroom, get a drink of water, etc., the student can raise a fist in the air and the teacher will respond non-verbally with either and thumbs up or thumbs down. If the teacher gives a thumbs up, the student can get up without interrupting the teacher and disturbing the learning of the other students. If the teacher gives a thumbs down, the teacher is non-verbally telling the student they cannot get up right now, but the teacher will get back to them when they are able to.

  2. How I Will Teach: Each day during the first week of school, I will explain and model that when students need to use the restroom or get a drink while the teacher or another student is talking, students should raise their fist in the air instead of raising their hand to ask. This will be retaught if a pattern occurs where students are either interrupting a lesson to ask to get up or if students are excusing themselves without permission.

  3. Connection to Philosophy & Theorists: Student and teacher signals align with the democratic classroom component of my teaching philosophy as well as ideas from theorists Lee and Marlene Canter. By using nonverbal signals to communicate, the teacher and students are collaborating to allow the ongoing lesson to continue to function without interruptions. The Canters believe that all students have the right to learn, so therefore, interruptions to the lesson infringe upon that right.

Pencil Sharpening

  1. What it Looks Like: Since electric pencil sharpeners are noisy, the pencil sharpening station will be in the back of the classroom. At this station, there will be an electric sharpener as well as handheld, mechanical sharpeners, pencil erasers, and two cups labeled either “Sharpened” or “Please Sharpen” for either sharpened or dull pencils to be placed. The weekly pencil sharpener is responsible for sharpening the pencils in the “Please Sharpen” cup and placing them in the “Sharpened” cup.

  2. How I Will Teach: Each day during the first week of school, I will go over the procedure for getting a sharpened pencil. I will explain and model that when a student’s pencil is dull, they should hold their pencil up in the air to ask to go to the pencil sharpening station to replace their pencil rather than raising their hand to ask. I will relate this to the hand signal students should give to ask to use the restroom or get a drink of water. I will show a thumbs up to allow students to get up to replace their pencil. I will show students that they should walk over to the station with the pencil lead facing down to avoid anyone getting hurt, put the dull pencil in the “Please Sharpen” cup, and grab a sharpened pencil from the “Sharpened” cup. If the “Sharpened” cup is empty for whatever reason, the student may use a handheld sharpener to sharpen their pencil as to not disrupt the class by using the electric sharpener. Students should then walk back to their seat with the pencil lead facing down. This procedure will be reviewed throughout the year as needed.

  3. Connection to Philosophy & Theorists: Using student and teacher signals to go to the pencil sharpening station align with the democratic classroom component of my teaching philosophy as well as ideas from theorists Lee and Marlene Canter. By using nonverbal signals to communicate and using handheld sharpeners during a lesson, the teacher and students are collaborating to allow the ongoing lesson to continue to function without interruptions. The Canters believe that all students have the right to learn, so therefore, interruptions to the lesson infringe upon that right.


Transitions

  1. What it Looks Like: Transitions are what the class is doing while moving between different activities (ex. Between math and reading instruction). No learning is happening during transitions, so it is important that transition time is short. I plan to implement transitions aimed towards having students keep to themselves and remain on task to maximize learning time. For example, I would have students focus on getting from one place to another by having the class sing a song while moving, ringing a bell and making sure students get to where they need to be before the bell stops ringing, or projecting a timer and making sure students get to where they need to be before the end of the countdown.

  2. How I Will Teach: I will teach the songs and model countdowns for students on the first week of school. For as a long as it takes for students to memorize the song, I will project the lyrics on the Smart Board for reference. Students will review these transitions daily, as they will be used every and multiple times per day day during transition times.

  3. Connection to Philosophy & Theorists: Implementing effective transitions align with the teacher accountability component of the teaching philosophy as well as the beliefs of theorists Jacob Kounin and Lee and Marlene Canter. Teachers are responsible for managing the behaviors in their classroom throughout the day and minimizing distractions to increase the time spent learning. Jacob Kounin believed that to do this, teachers need to develop skills to effectively manage the behaviors in their classrooms. The Canters believe that disruptions to learning infringe on the right all students have to learn. Implementing transitions that allow students to stay on track minimize unwanted behaviors and distractions.


Lining Up

  1. What it Looks Like: Before traveling anywhere as a class, students need to line up. Each week, there will be a new line leader and caboose. Otherwise, there is not a particular order students need to line up in, but they do need to maintain space between themselves and the person in front of them and behind them by keeping their feet on the footprints on the floor, facing forward, remaining silent, and keeping their arms and legs to themselves.

  2. How I Will Teach: During the first week of school, the class will practice how to properly line up throughout the school day. I will model with 3-5 students to show the class to do’s and don’ts of lining up. The class is able to practice throughout the year and multiple times a day when the whole class travels together. If enough students are not lining up correctly, I will have them go back to their seats, ask students what the procedure is, and ask them to repeat the procedure correctly.

  3. Connection to Philosophy & Theorists: Having students line up in a calm and orderly manner aligns with the teacher accountability component of my teaching philosophy as well as the beliefs of theorist Jacob Kounin. Kounin believed that the teacher needs to develop effective ways and skills to manage behavior. The teacher is responsible for the behaviors that occur in the classroom, so they need to teach students how to properly line up to prevent noise and distractions in the hallway that could disrupt other classes.

Connection to SEL