Tips for New Teachers
For Classroom Order, Friendliness, and Calm, Try Interactive Modeling
Often in teaching, it's the small things that, added together, make our classrooms feel calm and productive—or put everyone on edge and interrupt learning. I've seen this repeatedly in my own classrooms and in the classrooms of teachers I've coached. Do students move safely through the room, or do they zoom around knocking things over? Do they sharpen pencils quickly or keep sharpening until the sound has driven everyone crazy? Do they line up quietly and efficiently or push, shove, and jostle their way into line?
It's easy to assume that students will know how to do these routine things. But keep in mind that younger children have been in school for only a year or two or are completely new to school, and these routines may not come up at home. Older children might have learned routines in earlier grades, but they won't know how they're expected to do things in this year's classroom.
Over the years I've learned that to have a safe, secure, and happy classroom, we need to deliberately teach children how classroom routines should look and sound. One effective technique for doing this is interactive modeling. Here are the steps of interactive modeling and what each step might sound and look like if you were teaching students how to line up safely.
Interactive Modeling: How to Line Up Safely | |
|---|---|
Steps to Follow | Might Look and Sound Like |
1. Describe a positive behavior you will model. | "When I tell you to line up by the door, it's important that you move directly and quietly to your place in the line. Watch while I demonstrate." |
2. Model the behavior. | Walk quietly to the door, without bumping into or touching things. You don't need to narrate as you model. |
3. Ask students what they noticed. | "What did you notice about how I moved into line?" Children name what they saw and heard. (If necessary, prompt students with "What did you notice about my hands?" or "What did I do once I got into the line-up spot?") |
4. Ask student volunteers to model the same behavior. | "Who else can show us how to move directly and quietly into line?" |
5. Ask students what they noticed. | "How did Quentin walk to his spot in line?" |
6. Have the class practice. | "When I call you by name, walk directly and quietly to the door and line up, just as you saw us do." |
7. Provide feedback. | "You did it. You all walked quietly and safely, and you kept your hands to yourself." |
Keys to Successful Modeling
Give clear, specific instructions. Rather than saying, "Sit safely," show exactly how you want them to sit. Rather than saying, "Use quiet voices," show students what a quiet voice sounds like.
Use a script. It can be helpful to write out what you will do and say. This also helps you avoid talking too much.
Follow through consistently. If you've modeled lining up quietly, don't ignore a rise in noise level the next time students line up. Instead, remind them of the expectation and, if needed, re-model how to line up quietly.
Keep expectations realistic. If students have a hard time with a routine despite reminders and re-modeling, consider whether you're asking them to do something unrealistic. For example, well-intentioned teachers sometimes set a policy of "no talking in hallways" to avoid distracting classes in session. But for many elementary students (and many adults!), remaining completely silent while walking with others is virtually impossible. A more realistic expectation might be to walk quietly. (Be sure to model exactly what volume of speaking is OK.)
Give plenty of opportunities for practice. Give repeated opportunities to practice a new behavior, and keep the practice fun and light. For example, you might have children race the clock to see how quickly and quietly they can get in line. And let students know when you see them improving with a routine: "You all lined up while keeping your voices to a whisper that time." This not only reinforces expected behaviors, but also shows students that you see and appreciate their efforts.
Margaret Berry Wilson is a Responsive Classroom professional development specialist with 15 years of experience teaching kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades. She leads workshops and coaches teachers on using the Responsive Classroom approach. Wilson is the author of What Every 2nd Grade Teacher Needs to Know About Setting Up and Running a Classroom and the coauthor of Doing Math in Morning Meeting: 150 Quick Activities That Connect to Your Curriculum.
ASCD Express, Vol. 6, No. 7. Copyright 2011 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.
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