QUESTION:

I will be teaching 1st grade in a month!   People tell me I need to plan my procedures but I don’t really know how to get started.  HELP!!!

RESPONSE:

You’re very smart to be thinking ahead to the procedures that you want to teach in the beginning of the year.  It’s a very positive and proactive thing to do.  And it’s the first step in the DWS Teaching Model.

The purpose of teaching procedures is to structure the classroom environment. With clear structures in place for how all daily activities should proceed, classroom life will run more smoothly.  Therefore:

  • discipline problems will be fewer,
  • the classroom atmosphere will be more pleasant for everyone,
  • learning will increase because there will be more time for academic focus, and;
  • as paradoxical as it might sound, you’ll be better able to do activities/project that involve the students having freedom; you will have  taught them how to handle freedom.

The goals are for all students to know:

  1. What it is you want them to do during every regular activity of the day, and;
  2. Exactly how you want them to do these things.

Think of teaching procedures as developing good habits in your students.  This is especially important for students who might typically be labeled as “behavior problems.”  Although on the surface it looks as if you are only training them to do chores, you are actually doing something far more important––you’re training them how to operate in your classroom at Level C. In plain English, this means that you are training them to be well-behaved.  Less proactive teachers don’t do this and suffer the consequences; they are continually reacting to misbehavior.

Of course, it’s impossible to plan ahead for every single thing that’s going to arise in the course of a day, but the beauty of this approach is that if you have established and taught procedures for most of the things that happen routinely, the kids get used to operating on Level C.  When students are used to operating on Level C, they often rise to the occasion when something out of the ordinary happens––they don’t fall apart in the same way that students do with a reactive teacher in a disorganized classroom.  In other words, the students start to become self-disciplined.

Over the course of the next month, I would suggest that you start a running list of all the activities that you and your students will be doing in the classroom during a regular day/week. Leave lots of space between items and just keep adding to the list as you think of more things.

Here are some examples:

  • Coming in to the Classroom
  • Being in the Coatroom
  • Getting Ready for Snack
  • Going to the Carpet or Calendar Area
  • Calendar Activities
  • Using the Washroom
  • Getting Drinks
  • Traveling through the Hallways
  • Using the Computer Lab
  • Eating Lunch/Snacks
  • Going Outside for Playtime
  • Using classroom supplies
  • Organizing/Cleaning Desks and Personal Supplies
  • Handing out Papers/Notebooks
  • Getting Kleenex When Needed
  • Classroom Chores (Watering plants/stacking chairs etc.)
  • Listening to Directions
  • Class meetings
  • Fire Drills
  • Earthquake Drills
  • Attending School Assemblies
  • Handling Spare Time (What do I do when I’m finished?)
  • Wise Use of Class Time
  • Big Buddy Time (if you partner up with an older grade)
  • Sharpening Pencils
  • Dealing with Trash/Recycling
  • Use and Exchange of Books (free reading, leveled readers, library books, etc. etc.)
  • Going to the Gym
  • Outdoor Play Equipment (Balls, Skipping Ropes)
  • Home Reading
  • Painting
  • Return of Permission Slips, Money etc.
  • Dealing with An Unexpected Knock on the Door or a Phone Call.
  • Getting Everyone’s Attention
  • Asking for Help
  • Speaking in a Class Discussion
  • Spills (of Juice/Painting Water etc.)
  • Show and Tell

Likely your list will go on and on and still you won’t be able to think of everything that will come up–especially in your first year of teaching!  But just keep in mind that the more things you have on your list, the fewer discipline problems you will have.  Silly as it might seem, it’s worth doing.

Then under each category heading, start to brainstorm procedures that you want to proactively teach your students.  Again, the more procedures you can list under each topic, the more confidently you will be able to teach.  The better you teach, the better behaved the kids will be!

Keep in mind that every teacher’s procedures will be different, so there’s no right way to do things.  Just think of how you want to do things in your class.  Ask lots of experienced teachers for their suggestions.

Another important thing to realize is that every procedure needs to be practiced at least EIGHT times for it to sink into the minds of all students. (See this link for more information.)  That’s a daunting task!  In the first days and weeks of school, in a grade one classroom, you’ll actually be doing little beyond teaching procedures.  Don’t be worried about this––just keep teaching procedures! Bit by bit you will soon start to notice the benefit of it.

Every time you move to a new activity––small and insignificant as it might seem––start by teaching little procedures.  The students will learn to behave themselves and in the long run you’ll be able to move on to more content!

Some related postings:

Can you give me examples of procedures for Show and Tell?

The most effective procedures are those that are carefully planned and explicitly taught.

I need help to establish procedures in the computer lab.

Difficulties on the first day of school.

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Posted In: Procedures in the Classroom
posted On: August 5, 2010: 1:13 pm: By Kerry Weisner
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