What are routines and why are they so effective in classrooms?
Every Principal, administrator, teacher expert, or colleague has probably told you about the importance of creating routines within your classroom.
Why are routines so effective? Having a clear and well-established routine provides structure, predictability and consistency that supports the learning environment for our students. But what often gets overlooked is how routines also support YOU. When students follow class routines with minimal input from you, it allows you to focus on other areas that might otherwise be neglected when you’re busy reminding students what they need to be doing for the tenth time!
Routines decrease the cognitive load for both you and your students, allowing more room for learning and teaching!
This blog post is going to break down the different areas in your classroom where you can create routines for and how this will benefit everyone!
These three areas are:
- Transitions
- Learning
- Structure
Transitional Routines
A transition is the movement from one activity, learning space, or environment to another. Having a routine in place during these transitions provides students with a guide that helps them get where they need to go without getting sidetracked.
When students are given too many directions, not enough directions, or constantly changing directions it’s not only really confusing for them but also allows room for THEM to fill in the gaps or make their own routines. Not sure about you, but giving 30 twelve-year-olds the option to make their own routines around moving around the classroom sounds like a nightmare to me! They will often choose something that you wouldn’t want or that is not productive for the lesson or environment!
Benefits of Transitional Routines:
I’m 100% certain that we have all had mornings that have been disastrous before we even got to the classroom door: photocopier out of toner, that dreaded parent phone call, flat tyre – everything all at once! When you get to the classroom, you are not as organised or mentally prepared as you were planning, so now you’re trying to organise yourself and 28-30 rowdy students and get them into a classroom and learning.
Now, if you have set up a transitional routine for entering the classroom and students know what they need to have on their desk ready to learn, you have reduced your cognitive load and given yourself at least 3 minutes to set up the projector (praying its working!) and get yourself sorted because your students need very minimal instruction and behaviour management – they KNOW what to do!
The first transitional routine I always suggest teachers set up and enforce is entering the class and having a task for the students to complete. Once you have nailed this, you will feel the POWER that comes from honing in and implementing a transitional routine.
Other transitional routines to implement would be for any time you need your students to move around the classroom or go from one activity to another.
Let’s get practical. Here are some basic routines that I have set up in my classrooms that you can too. Please remember that it is NEVER too late to start a new routine.
Example Transitional Routines to implement today:
Entering the classroom
- Students need: Books, pencil case and water bottle (Queensland weather 😊) What Students don’t need: bags, hats and phones.
When I can see everyone has followed this step, I give the instruction, which is the same every lesson: “When you go into the classroom, get your show me board pack and complete the problem on the board!”
This not only gives the student focused task to do, but it also gives YOU time to get things organised before you start the main teaching of your lesson.
Getting iPad/laptops from a Station
In nearly all my junior secondary classrooms, we have had a station of laptops or iPads. Each student has their own and it needs to be signed out and plugged back into charge at the end of the lesson.
Before I had set up an intentional routine around this process, I absolutely dreaded using technology as it quickly turned to mayhem during the simple process of students getting it on their desks. And don’t get me started about the pack-up time – I know in one class, I would tell them to leave them on their desks because it was easier for me to pack them up once they had left! Crazy, right?
My routine that has worked in most of classroom settings is as follows:
- Assigning an “iPad registrar”. This is a rostered job that changes weekly. This student’s duty is to stand at the station with the clipboard and assign each student with their iPad. (or whatever your school system of recording is).
- Student desks are set up in groups, depending on which group is ready – I tell one group at a time to go collect their iPad from the registrar. They know to line up and wait patiently.
- This process is repeated at the end of the lesson except the students each plug their iPad into their charger and the registrar’s duty is to lock the station and ensure they are all charging.
With these routines in place, transitions will become smoother and less stressful for both you and your students.
Routines around Learning
Routines are not just about moving around the classroom: they can also be implemented into the way you teach your lessons and how students learn. Setting up routines around the proper use of show-me boards (student whiteboards), and how to share ideas as a whole class, in small groups, or with a buddy all play an important role in creating a supportive, predictable classroom environment.
Benefits of Creating Routines around Learning:
Students love to share ideas, discuss problems, and gain your attention and praise. Unfortunately, when you have 28 students wanting all this at the same time, it can be overwhelming! When you have routines in place, students know your expectations, and the classroom will have a calmer and more supportive environment because students know that they will get an opportunity to share ideas and have your attention.
Example Routines around Learning:
How to share ideas (Hands Up, Turn and Talk, Show Me Boards)
It’s important to have a variety of ways for students to show their understanding and answer questions, depending on your own teaching style. My favourite ways for students to demonstrate their understanding are “show me boards,” buddy talk, or the good ol’ raise your hand.
I have strict routines around each of these as students need to know how I want them to respond. If I have a PowerPoint with the question – I include an image in the corner that tells the students how I want them to answer. This is a great strategy because it’s non-verbal, and students can already see what is expected before I have to tell them.
Early finishers
The dreaded moments when you hear, “I’m finished” two minutes into an activity that you planned to take at least 10 minutes! Having a clear routine around what students are to do if they finish work early is a proactive strategy. This allows students who haven’t finished to remain focused and gives early finishers an opportunity for extension or another meaningful learning experience.
Depending on my class, I have a system in place for students to let me know they have finished without having to yell at the top of their lungs, “IIIIII’m fiiiiinished”! Generally, this is a simple hands-on-your heads or turn your worksheet over with pencil on top. Students know that they have an early finish folder that contains extension activities related to the topic being covered. It’s Important to ensure that this folder doesn’t contain “fun” activities, as students will rush through their work just to get to the fun!
This gives the student a task to complete until I can come and check their work.
Structural Routines
I like to think about structural routines as “timetabled routines.” As teachers, we love a well-structured timetable because it allows us to plan, have consistency, and know how much time we have for certain units and assessment.
Students also thrive when they have a predictable structure. Now, I’m not talking about a weekly timetable that they have glued into their diary for ALL their subjects. I’m talking about what they can expect within YOUR lessons.
Benefits of Structural Routines:
Having a set lesson structure decreases students’ cognitive load because they KNOW exactly what they will be doing – not the content, but the process. They will be more organised as they get into the habit of knowing what equipment they need on certain days, and they will be more settled as you have removed the uneasiness of the unexpected!
Example Structural Routines
Timetable Routines
I plan out what activities will be completed on certain days. For example, Period 4 Mondays will always be homework check, Wednesday: Math groups, and Friday: Math Projects. This not only gives my weekly maths lessons a clear structure but also decreases my mental load when planning. Students also love the predictability and the feeling of control as they know what to expect and can independently prepare for.
Lesson Routines
I always ensure that my lessons run in the structure no matter what the main part of the lesson will entail. For example:
- Rapid recalls using student whiteboards
- What we are learning today/By the end of the lesson (I have a visual lesson timetable that we go through)
- Main lesson – this part will differ depending on the day of the week!
- Lesson recap and Exit ticket
I even maintain the same structure for the main part of my lessons. Whether it is an explicit lesson, math groups or Math Projects, students know the structure as it never changes!
Important Facts to know about Routines?
Routines are fantastic and life-changing and can make a real difference in your classroom… but… please be mindful of the following:
Prepare for the unexpected:
Always be prepared and OK with the fact that there will always be occasions when you’ll need to just go with the flow and make changes to your lessons on the fly. Lockdowns, last-minute room changes, failed technology, sick teacher aide – the list is endless.
Don’t Confuse having Routines with Boring Lessons:
I have often heard teachers comment that being too strict with routines in classrooms diminishes opportunities for fun and spontaneity. I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement. In fact, I believe the opposite is true. When we have routines in place and students are calm, settled and ready to learn, that is where we feel the confidence to inject fun into our lessons and be creative with trying new things.
It’s never too late to implement a new routine:
The beginning of the year is when people think you have start new routines, but it is not the be-all and end-all. The ideal time for me has always been a couple of weeks in. You have time to get to know your students- what works for them, and how you can best manage and organise your pedagogy around them!
I also believe that it is never too late or too early to start implanting a new routine. Do what feels right for you and your students.
Consistency:
Consistency is key. When you implement a new routine for a week and then don’t reinforce it, it will not become a habit for you or your students. You want the real benefit from a routine? Then make it just that – something that you do on a regular basis, and it will become habit!
What routines work for you?
Let me know in the comments what routines you have implemented into your classroom that have been a game-changer!
