Establishing

Classroom
Routine

“Routines are the groundwork for a well-

orchestrated classroom.”
Introduction
• Routines have to be learned. We get used to doing
them in order for them to become routinized. It is
therefore , necessary that we identify and explain
specific rules and procedures in our classrooms.
When? The first days of school will be most timely. It
is also good to rehearse classroom procedures until
they become routines. Reinforcing correct procedure
and re-teaching an incorrect one will be of great help.
Some routines on the following can be of
great help
 Beginning and ending the class day or period
 Getting distribution of materials and equipment
 Group work
 Seatwork and teacher led-activities
Beginning and ending the class day or
period
 Mr Castro’s for starting and ending class were
designed to get the most from the 47 minutes
period and to shift some of the management
responsibilities to the students. To achieve this,
students were organized into groups with specific
roles assigned on a rotating basis. One student in
each group took the role of “organizer”.
Beginning and ending the class day or
period
 During the first minute of the class, the organizer
was to check. With each group member to
determine if anyone needed make-up assignments
explained and to ensure that everyone had
required materials for the class. Mr. Castro at the
same time, scanned the room to mark attendance
and tardies in his grade book. Within a minute or
two, the students and Mr. Castro were ready to
begin working.
Beginning and ending the class day or
period
 At the end of the class , the organizer was given
time to make sure that everyone had recorded and
understood the homework. If problems or
confusion occurred that could not be adressed
within the group, The organizer asked Mr. castro
for assisstance. This group aprroach in Mr. castro’s
opinion, helped to ensure that the students
individual needs were addressed immediately,
which minimized the potential for classroom
disruptions.
Beginning and ending the class day or
period
 At the end of the class , the organizer was given
time to make sure that everyone had recorded and
understood the homework. If problems or
confusion occurred that could not be adressed
within the group, The organizer asked Mr. castro
for assisstance. This group aprroach in Mr. castro’s
opinion, helped to ensure that the students
individual needs were addressed immediately,
which minimized the potential for classroom
disruptions.
Transitions
 Management of most instructional interruptions is
fully within the teacher’s control.
 Transitions can either be anticipated or
unanticipated.
Anticipated interruptions
 Beginning of an instructional episode.
 Between instructional episodes
 After an instructional episode
 Equipment set up and take-down
 Material distribution/collection
 From teacher-to-student-centered activity
 Beginning/end of class or school day
Solving Pre-lesson Transitions
 Delegate administrative tasks to students when
possible.
 Attendance, announcements, material distribution
and homewrok collection should be routinized.
 Use the first few minutes of the class and the last
few minutes to encourage creative thinking
activities.
Sample routines for the first five
minutes of the class
 Problem of the day
 Brain teaser
 Vocabulary “Word of the Day”
 React to a quotation
 Warm-up problem on overhead to copy and solve
 Respond to a newspaper editorial
 Conundrum(e.g. What occurs in a moment, twice
in a moment but never in thousand years?)
Solving transitions during the Lesson
 Give supplementary exercises for the fast workers
 Get the fast learners to tutor students in need of
help
 Ask the fast learners to assist you in your
administrative task like preparing for the next
learning episode
Solving Post-lesson Transitions.

 Create a routine for the last five minutes of the

day.
 Before “curtain activities”, observe routinize
dismissal procedures
Example,
Students, we will be working throughout the entire
period of this class each day. We wont pack up and
get ready to leave five minutes beforr the bell rings.
Instead, we will pause after the bell rings to make
sure that all garbage is picked up of f the floor.
Please look around you to see that the area around
your desk is clean and that materials are put away.
Then we are ready , you will hear me say the magic
words:
Example,
“Thank you and have a great day:” Those words are
what will dismiss you to leave the room. The bell
does not dismiss you. I do.
Unanticipated Transitions
 Prepare yourself and your classes for such
eventualities.
 At the beginning of the school year, you take time
to explain your expectations for dealing with
unanticipated interruptions.
Use of Materials and Equipment
 Make clear rules and procedures on the
distribution and collection of materials
Illustration
One of major roles assigned to Mr. Carpio’s
cooperative groups was “ Materials Captain”. Each
week, the student in the group who was assigned this
role took responsibility for handling out and
collecting materials throughout the school day. To
ensure that all students understood this role, Mr.
carpio taught the students the distinctions for each of
the three major areas where materials might be kept.
Illustration
He labeled these areas Yours, Mine and Ours. Yours
referred to the materials in the students’ own desks,
materials that the captains were not to touch. Mine
referred to the materials that belonged to Mr. Carpio
and that were not to be used by the students. Ours
referred to all other classroom materials that would
be distributed and collected by Materials Captain.
Illustration
All of the students, when it was their turn to be
captain, understood the importance of these
distinctions and that Mr. carpio expected them to
follow his procedures.. “You are the captains, but
remember, I am the Admiral”, Mr. Carpio often
joked.
Group Work
Research shows that group work like cooperative
learning has a positive impact on student
achievement, interpersonal relationships and
attitudes about learning.(Marzano 2003)
Rules and procedures on group work address the following
areas
 Movement in and out of the group
 Expected behaviors of students in the group
 Expected behaviors of students not in the group
 Group communication with the teacher
Illustration
Mrs. Milanes had avoided using group work in her
classroom for a year, until she took a workshop on
how to maximize group time.
As a result of the workshop, she realized that, in the
past,she had never made fgoup behavioral
expectations clear to the students. Now, whenever
she uses group work, she spend time at the beginning
and end of each work session going over the rules
and then processing with students how well the rules
worked for the groups.
Illustration
For example, one rule “ two before me” is intended
to remind the students to ask each other for help
before coming to the teacher. On the first day of the
new group project, Mrs. Milanes reminds students
of this rule and explains the importance of helping
each other. At the end of their work time each day,
she asks the students to describe in their individual
learning logs any example of how they :
Illustration
1. Received help from their group members, and
2. Might have helped each other better
Everyday, before they begin working, the students
read to their group members the learning log entry
from the previous work session. This starts their
work with a review of what is going well and what
behaviors need to be improved.
Seatwork and Teacher-led Activities
Rules and procedures in these area pertains to:
 Student attention during presentations
 Students Participation
 Talking among students
 Obtaining health
 Out-of-seat behavior
 Behavior when work has been completed
Here are some effective signals used by new and
experienced teachers
 5,4,3,2,1 countdown
5 for freeze
4 for quiet
3 for eyes on the teacher
2 for hands free (put things down)
1 Listen for instructions
 Talking among students
 Obtaining health
 Out-of-seat behavior
 Behavior when work has been completed
Here are some effective signals used by new and
experienced teachers
 Raise your hand if you wish to participate
 To obtain teacher’s attention:
 One finger: I need to sharpen my pencil

Two fingers: I need tissue

Three fingers: I need your help
Teachers’ hand signal means:
 Freeze(Stop what you are doing)
 Gently tap on your neighbors’s arm to get his
attention to freeze
 Face the teacher to listen to instructions.
Thank you