Teaching Procedures

I believe that one of the most important days during the school year is the day I teach procedures. For me, that happens on Day 2 and part of Day 3. Day One is all about relationships--getting to know the students, helping them to get to know me a little bit, and building that rapport from the get-go.

When it comes to teaching procedures, I wanted to think about somebody who has to teach procedures often.  The first thing that came to mind happened to be a flight attendant demonstrating the proper technique to buckle your seat belt or reminding you to put your oxygen mask on before putting on your child. This was a convenient option since my classroom theme this year is "Soaring to Great Heights."  My intention will be to dress like a flight attendant, although I may not look as ideal as I envision because I do not own a pair of wings or a vest.  (UPDATE: A coworker of mine was kind enough to supply not just wings, but other "flight props" that I was able to display in the classroom. Her husband is a pilot...Thanks to her for helping bring this lesson together!)

This is the way that I have decided to arrange my classroom for this lesson:

 

When the students come in, they will receive a boarding pass that tells them where to sit. Besides showing the seat number, the boarding pass includes a welcome message and shows the "arrival" date of the SOL (end of course assessment), the time of the class, and my room number. It looks like this:

 

Alright, all set. Now, what will class time look like?  

As the students are finding their seat, I intend to play a video of a flight simulation from the cockpit similar to this one. I want to try to make the experience be as real and engaging as I can make it. 

Once all are situated, I go over my classroom rules. I use the rules that the principal at our school mandated last year, with one major addition: my favorite rule!

My classroom rules are:

1. Move with a sense of urgency.**
2. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
3. Follow directions the first time they are given.
4. Don't use vulgarity or profanity.
5. Be respectful at all times.

**Students will hear me say this over and over. I stick to it. Whether coming into class, going to the restroom, grabbing a pencil, or pulling something out of their book bags, my students learn very quickly the need to do things with purpose.  We first model what it looks like to NOT move with a sense of urgency. Then, the students model what it looks like to move with a sense of urgency.

Next, I have a PowerPoint as a visual aid as I explain and we rehearse many different procedures. Some of those procedures include:

• entering the classroom
• Do Nows!
• finding a seat
• making eye contact with the speaker, except when I am correcting another child's behavior
• asking questions
• responding to my own questions
• going to the bathroom
• food/drink
• keeping binders organized
• pencils and pencil sharpening
• turning in homework
• how I intend to get their attention and how they should respond
• making suggestions to improve class
• group work
• leaving the room
• fire drills, other crisis plans

For each one of these procedures, we model what it should look like and also what it should not. I never move on to the next procedure until I feel confident that my students understand the one being discussed. When I get to the food/drink procedure, I pick up with the flight attendant persona again. I have a projector cart in my room that I transform to be my food cart by merely putting white butcher paper over it like a table cloth and putting Kroger-brand water bottles and pretzels on top. (A special thanks to my local Kroger store for providing me with a gift card to cover the costs of the water and pretzels). I then go around and pass out each of these down the aisles as I explain my food and drink policy.  I tell the kids to keep the water bottles because they will not be allowed to go to the water fountain during instructional time. The good news is that they now have a water bottle that they can fill up in homeroom and during lunch and recess!

When I teach the procedure on group work, we will ask the kids what they think group work should look like. After getting their responses, I give them a group task. This year, I am going to have my students attempt the Marshmallow Challenge. This challenge encourages kids to work as a team to construct the tallest free-standing structure out of spaghetti, string, marshmallow, and tape. The marshmallow has to be able to sit on the top of the structure. This challenge incites creativity, innovation, and teamwork, while engaging them in learning. I think that I can gather a lot about my students from what I will see them do with this activity.  I intend to ask whether or not they observed what they had previously shared in terms of what group work should look like. 

We continue modeling procedures after I have explained them, even lining up and walking outside after I attempt a "fire alarm" sound. All of this modeling pays off in the long run.

On the third day of school, I quiz the kids on these procedures. No child has ever scored below a 100%. I won't let them. They need to know how my classroom operates. They need to be able to function within that system in order for instructional time to be maximized. Following this quiz, when they have demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of the classroom rules and procedures, I begin to hold them accountable. The flight is ready for takeoff...