Teaching my students my procedures and expectations is one of the cornerstones of making my classroom work. The importance of this cannot be overstated. I think sometimes, those of us who teach older kids (I have 6th graders) assume kids should know how to operate in a classroom by now through experience, or at least common sense. Well, about 2 minutes into class, those of us who have ever thought that have immediately regretted it. All students (whether the best or worst behaved!) need (and want!) to know how they are supposed to operate in your classroom, and what is expected of them.
In this post, I’m going to outline a list of procedures to think through for your own classroom. This is by no means an exhaustive list, especially if you teach a lab class or special class like choir or art, but is a start. Whether you’re a brand new teacher, or a seasoned pro, it is definitely worth your time to review your classroom procedures and expectations in the summer .
Your style changes, your students change, your room or set-up may change. What has always worked in the past may continue to work, or maybe you had a particularly challenging student that made you realize you needed procedures for certain classroom things. Either way, outlining exactly what you want clears your head before the school year begins.One of the most helpful things I saw when I first became a teacher was a teacher’s procedures laid out in an A to Z format in one document.
Committing your procedures and expectations to paper makes certain that you have in your mind what you want exactly. In my opinion, it is always best to have more procedures than needed thought through and ready to implement versus trying to get your students to buy in after the fact.
Another absolute God send when I first became a new teacher was Harry and Rosemary Wong’s book, "The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher", so if you are a new teacher or a veteran who feels like you need to brush up on classroom procedures/routines, I HIGHLY recommend this book.
Now, let’s get to the A-Z Procedures list with questions…THINKING THROUGH PROCEDURES
Attendance:
*What do you want kids to do if they miss a day? (with Notes, to get Make Up Work, etc.)
*What do you want kids to do if they’re tardy to your class?
Attention:
*How do you get the attention of students in your classroom?
*What does “being attentive” look like in your classroom (if just being quiet isn’t enough)?
Bathroom:
*What do you want kids to do when they need to go to the bathroom? (How to get your
attention, getting a pass, signing out, etc.)
Binders (or Folders):
*If your class has binders, are they left in your classroom or do kids take them with them
every day?
*Do you want them out at all times or under their desks?
*If they stay in your room, how do you want kids to retrieve them and put them away each
day?
Computers:
*How do kids check out computers in class, if they take them to their seat?
*How do they need to operate them?
*How do they need to return them?
*What procedures do they follow in the beginning of class on the computer so class starts
successfully?
*What if their computer isn’t working, needs to be charged, or they need help troubleshooting
something?
Electronics (other than computers):
*Can students ever have electronics in your room (like a phone or tablet)?
*If so, how do they know when an appropriate time to use it is?
*When they can’t be used, what do you want students to do with the device?
*What is the procedure if they have out a device at an inappropriate time and get caught with
it?
*If your school collects them, where are students supposed to put it, how do you notify
parents, etc?
Entering the Room:
*How should kids enter your classroom each day? (Begin from the hallway and work your
way to them being seated)
*Do they need to get something before sitting down?
*Can they get up to get something after being seated?
*Do students need to begin any work immediately?
*How will they know what that work is?
Exiting the Room:
*How should kids exit your room each day? (Again, think through a few minutes before they
leave to walking out)
*What must be done before they leave?
*Will you give a “Go” signal and let them do it all or will you lead them through the steps
each day?
Grades:
*How can a kid request to see his grade? By note? Raising his hand? Asking before class
starts?
*How can a student submit late work to be graded?
*How can a student re-do an assignment?
*Is that allowed? And if so, does the newly completed assignment go somewhere different
than tuning in regular work?
*How will you communicate grades to your students, and how often?
Homework:
*How will students know their homework each day?
*Do you require them to write it down somewhere?
*Do you need to check it?
*Where do they turn HW in?
*Do you spot check it before you go over it?
*What happens if a student loses a copy or the HW?
*What happens if a student forgets to do the HW? How do parents know it's missing?
*What does a student do with late work?
Independent Work:
*What does Independent Work look like in your classroom?
*What do you need to teach so this is implemented successfully in your room?
Intercom:
*If someone comes over the intercom to your classroom, what do you want kids to do?
(It never fails that when the front office says,“Ms. Heath?” 5 kids answer “YES!”
as if their names suddenly changed )
Lockers:
*What needs to stay in student lockers and can’t be in your class?
*What if a student forgot something in their locker they need for class?
*How do they ask to go to their locker?
*Do they need to sign out?
* Is there a consequence?
Make Up Work:
*How does a student know what he/she missed?
*How long do they have to turn it in?
*Where does it go in your classroom once it is completed (a special place for make up
work?)
*How long do they have to complete the make up work?
*How are due dates communicated to the student?
*Do students have the re-do option on exams?
*What is that process? How long do they have to complete the re-do?
Paper Headings:
*How do you want students to head their papers each day?
*With just a name? Name/Date?
*Assignment name at the top?
Parent/Guardian Contact:
*Do you have a system for parent/guardian contact?
*Do you only want parents to call school or email you to connect or can they call your cell
phone?
*If they send notes from home with students, where do the kids put those?
Partner Work:
*What does partner work look like and sound like in your room?
*What do you need to teach so partner work is productive in your classroom?
*Is there a place students can look to see if it is partner work time and what those
expectations are?
Pencils:
*What does a student do if he/she needs a pencil?
*What if it needs to be sharpened?
*How do you collect borrowed pencils?
Phone:
*What happens when the phone rings in your classroom? (Do 3 kids run to the phone? )
*Do you have a specific student answer the phone, or can only you answer it?
* HOW should they answer it for you?
*Do students continue working or does everyone get silent?
Receiving Help:
*How do kids ask for help in your room?
*Are there things you want them to do before they ask you?
Seating:
*How are kids seated in your room?
*What do you want kids to do if they have a huge problem with their seat (for whatever
reason)?
*Do you offer flexible seating? If so, when can they move around during class? How are
their seats chosen daily?
Small Group:
*How do you want kids to work in small groups?
*What does success and participation look like?
*Is there anything you need to teach them so they can work in small groups successfully to
meet your expectations?
Supplies:
*What do students do if they need to get supplies other than a pencil?
*What do students do when they need to clean-up/give supplies back during class?
Tissue:
*What does a student do if they need a tissue?
*Do you want them to step outside the room to use the tissue?
Trash:
*What do kids do if they need to throw trash away?
*Is it okay for them to get up and do it, or are they supposed to wait?
*Or is there a bin by each table?
Uniforms/Dress Code:
*What do you/ a student do if he/she is not in uniform/dress code in your class?
*Is there a procedure for getting the student in uniform/dress code?
Water:
*What if a student wants to go to the water fountain during class?
* Do you allow closed water bottles in your class? What if they need a refill?
Whole Class:
*What should you teach for whole class instruction to be successful in your classroom?
*What do the kids look like and sound like?
Visitors:
*What do you do if a visitor comes to your room?
*Does a particular student answer the door?
*If someone is coming in for the lesson, do you have a student ambassador to greet them?
*Or see if they’d like a copy of the assignment?
*Or do you handle all knocks at the door and students are to continue with what they’re
doing?
CREATING PROCEDURES:
Once you have thought through all of the procedures above (and I’m sure you even thought of others!) it is a good idea to commit your procedures to paper. When doing so, make sure your instructions are clear and concise (and maybe even in a numbered list format!) so they are easily understood by you and made so you can simply communicate them to students. It's also a good idea to print out a final copy to place in your Substitute Information, so the sub knows how the class runs. (and you don't have to retype it each time!)
Again, each year I go through this process so I can fully reflect on each part of my classroom and make sure that my actions and my classroom environment are all geared to maximize student learning time and to build a culture of achievement in all students.
TEACHING PROCEDURES:
Just like a brilliantly written lesson plan, you have to now teach these procedures to your students over and over again! When teaching procedures you will have to go over them often, if not daily with many of them, until students get the hang of it. In the first few days of school, you should be teaching procedures (explaining, modeling, practicing, etc.) as they come up in the classroom. Obviously simply going through the list and explaining to students what you want will not be enough. You and the students will end up frustrated!
I’ve heard teachers say many times “You’re spending how long teaching procedures?” I always explain that in the long run, the time I spend at the beginning of the year helping students get them down will save a lot of valuable instructional time down the road. It keeps me from going grey earlier!
I hope this list was helpful with thinking through your classroom procedures. Should you have questions, share your comments, and I will do my best to help! Have a WONDERFUL start to the new school year!
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