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Do you ever find yourself driving to school and remember getting in the car, but not the drive? Do you have a shower routine: like shampoo hair, wash face, rinse, condition hair, wash body, rinse? Routines can take complex time-consuming tasks and make life simpler, more efficient, and less stressful.
In this episode, Khristen discusses:
- How to conduct a routine audit for your classroom
- How to automate routines
- Setting up your teacher routines
How to Conduct a Routine Audit for Your Classroom
Think about the current routines that you may already have in your classroom. How do you want students to come in? Do you have bell-work? How do they gather/clean-up supplies? What do you do on a usual basis? Make sure that your audit includes both what your students are doing and what you are doing. If something is taking you more than 2 minutes per class period, find a way to make it a routine.
How to Automate Routines
Visual cues can begin a routine on it’s own with very little effort from you as the teacher. As students arrive in class, they check for the visual cues and get prepared for the class ahead. Think about what can be written on the board or even hung on a sign. Visual cues can also help with clean up routines and organization so that students know where and how a tool, utensil, or supply, to be returned to it’s proper place. Another thing to consider is “mistake proofing” your routine. If your routine is not working well, then it could be an issue of it not being simple enough for your students to carry out automatically.
Setting Up Your Teacher Routines
We have the best intentions of getting something “done in the morning” and tend to put things off after a long day. Unfortunately, mornings can be hectic and interruptions and distractions will most likely come your way. If you want your next day to run smoother, consider what you can do at the end of the school day to help your classroom and you be ready. Remember, that nothing is set in stone and you have the power to make changes at any time to any routine or policy.
