Let’s face it… We are all guilty at some point of not enforcing specific classroom procedures, expectations, or following through with consequences like we should when going into a school year. Sometimes it’s not even that we lacked in enforcing, but more so in that what we had in place simply didn’t work with our new group of students.
When we begin a new school year in August, we never really know what our students will be like. We can prepare our classroom procedures and routines, but until we have met our darlings and know the dynamic of our class, we cannot be certain that our routines, procedures, and classroom management plan will run smoothly. And, we all know how hard it is to try and change a procedure or consequence once the school year has started, so we are stuck trying to “survive.”
If you can relate to this, then I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS!!!
Coming back from the holiday break is a perfect clean slate! You are already going to have to freshen up on any procedures you have in place, so it’s the perfect time to add new procedures.
*Insert celebratory dance moves here*
But… There’s a big but here… Hehe!
You still have to be careful in planning your new procedures and incorporate them the right way.
When planning your new procedures, follow these steps:
- Reflect on what is working and what is not working in your classroom.
- Think about how you would like your classroom to run. Think what would help move your classroom smoother.
- Plan what new strategy/procedure you can incorporate that would help get your class to how you envision it to be
- Design a plan for teaching the students your new strategy. Remember that students need time to practice new procedures and strategies. It cannot simply be told to them and then expected. You need to rehearse this until it becomes habit and routine.
- Think about what your order of consequences will be for students who do not follow your new procedure.
- Remember that consistency is KEY. You need to always expect students to follow procedures. Do not let it slip for some and catch others; students pick up on this more than you will ever know.
When planning your new procedures, use the Classroom Management list shown below. This will help you think about which areas could use a little more structure.
*Click HERE for a printable version*
Professional Development resources are available on my TPT store to go with this blog post. When I was coaching, I used this to help teachers dig into scenarios in their own classrooms that could use restructuring. My professional development resource consists of:
- Question Prompt Slips: Plan your answers for these questions, cut them into slips of paper, tape them under/on the back of chairs, and have the teachers check their chairs and read their questions. These questions are the usual doubtful “what-ifs” that teacher may have toward new procedures
- Scenario Examples: Teachers read the different scenarios and think of procedures that could have PREVENTED the situation from ever occurring. This is not about how to handle situations (although, these could be used again for that)
- Procedure Implementation Plan: Teachers plan IN DETAIL their own new procedures (See example below). This helps them think through the different steps of their plan and how to incorporate it
- Implementation Reflection: Teachers reflect for the first 3 weeks of their new procedure.
- Group Reflection Questions: Questions for the teachers to answer when back in full group to reflect on what everyone incorporated, learned, and to see what worked
I welcome all questions and am more than willing to help with planning for new procedures. Yay for new procedures!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR (& PROCEDURE PLANNING)!
Shannon Olsen says
Great ideas for the new year! I’m still in winter break mode 😉 but it’s good to start thinking about a fresh start for when we go back!
Kristy Louden says
I do love the fact that we get to start fresh in January—it’s a great time to go over expectations, reflect on the first semester, and get the kids involved in making changes. “What do YOU think would make this class better?” I will check out your pd resources bc they might be helpful to me as a coach! Happy 2018!
Tori says
Wonderful reminders. As a coach for new teachers, I cannot emphasize enough the need for consistent and purposeful procedures. Organized routines that the students know and understand lead to a happy and smooth classroom. I love the resources available in your store, too.
Thank you!