(gentle music)
[Narrator] Research shows that when students can predict events throughout the day, they're more likely to be engaged, demonstrate appropriate behaviour, and succeed in the classroom. Establishing procedures can be an effective way to create a predictable classroom environment.
Procedures are the process for how we do things. They describe the steps needed to successfully accomplish a classroom activity by breaking down behaviour expectations and rules into smaller, teachable steps.
By making it clear to students how things operate in the classroom, we give them the tools they need to demonstrate expected behaviour. This means they can spend more time learning and less time off task.
I like to develop classroom procedures with the students to give them a say in how we do things. Here's the procedure I've developed for arriving to class. As you can see, I've turned it into a poster to give the students and myself a visual reminder of how we do things.
I made sure each step follows OMPUA guidelines so that students know exactly what's expected of them. That means observable, measurable, positively stated, understandable, and always applicable.
But developing a procedure is just the start. Students need to be provided with opportunities to practice so that procedures become routines. First, we discuss the procedure and how it will help students succeed in the classroom, then I model the steps for the students, and finally, I provide lots of opportunities for the students to practice.
Once students have acquired the skill, I continue to encourage the behaviour to help it become a habit. This includes using prompts and pre-corrections to set the students up for success. "Morning, Rowan. Go ahead and put your bag on the hook." Active supervision to monitor students as they practice the procedure, and regular positive feedback to let them know how they're doing. "Great to see you being responsible by hanging up your bag when you arrived to class."
I also know that everything won't always go smoothly, so I have a plan in place to reteach the procedure as needed.
Together, these techniques help me set students up for success by giving them the tools they need to put behaviour expectations into practice in the classroom.
Updated