Do the students know clearly what’s expected of them in the way of procedures and routines?
A first set of questions to ask about the use of routines is, Do the students know clearly what’s expected of them in the way of procedures and routines? Do they know what they’re supposed to do?
“Since a procedure explains how you (teacher) want something done it is the responsibility of the teacher to have procedures clearly stated” (Wong & Wong, 2009, p. 170). Effective communication requires behaviors similar to those for communicating expectations for work, including:
p Being direct: procedures are explicitly brought to students’ attention.
p Being specific: all important details are explained.
p Communicating with positive expectancy: a “you can do it” flavor.
The next set of questions is, Do students know how to do what is expected? One of the most common misconceptions about routines is that procedures can simply be announced and that students should know how to behave by now. “Procedures become routines when students do them automatically without prompting or supervision” (Wong & Wong, 2009, p. 170). A routine is a well- rehearsed procedure designed by us. Therefore, it must be taught (Exhibit 9.1).
Direct teaching of a procedure includes the following:
p Modeling for students to see exactly what it looks like in action.
p Practicing until the procedure is mastered.
p Tenaciously adhering to it until integrated.
It is the responsibility of the teacher to have procedures clearly stated.
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p Reinforcement to make sure students absorb it and know that we con- sider it important.
In short, to establish routines we need to communicate procedures clearly, teach them directly, ensure that students understand and can practice them effectively, and revisit or have students practice them again when we notice they are slipping. Here are some additional thoughts to consider about procedures and routines:
p Along with teaching a procedure, provide the rationale for why it is im- portant and how it will be beneficial to students.
p Plan strategically which procedures to introduce when and how many to introduce at once. Korinek (2016) states:
Rather than simultaneously opening all specialty areas, centers, or equip- ment in the classroom for independent student use . . . strategically focus on a limited number of areas, model their use, and practice with feedback to ensure most students are using spaces and materials appropriately prior to introducing new options (Brown, 2013; Kenworthy et al., 2014). (p. 234)
p Post procedures for students to reference when they are still not sure what to do.
p To support students with limited reading skills due to age, disability, or language differences, add pictures along with words to allow students to be increasingly independent in following a procedure.
p Notice and acknowledge when students are practicing routines effec- tively. Catch them doing well rather than focusing on what they aren’t doing.
p Periodically, evaluate how well routines are working and whether you are getting the most mileage out of them. Take action when they need to be revisited, reviewed, or practiced again with feedback.
p Include students in assessing the effectiveness of the routine and in de- ciding what needs to happen to improve or modify it.
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Exhibit 9.1 Teaching a Routine
1. Explain: a. Define the procedure in concrete terms and give a reason for it.
b. Demonstrate the procedure; don’t just tell.
c. Demonstrate a complex procedure step by step.
2. Rehearse: a. Have students practice the procedure, step by step, under your
supervision. After each step, make sure that the students have performed the step correctly.
b. Have the students repeat the procedure until it becomes a routine. The students should be able to perform the procedure automatically without teacher supervision.
3. Reinforce: a. Determine whether students have learned the procedure or whether they
need further explanation, demonstration, or practice.
b. Reteach the correct procedure if rehearsal is unacceptable and give corrective feedback.
c. Praise the students when the rehearsal is acceptable.
ARE OUR STANDARDS APPROPRIATE?
The routines we establish and reinforce with students communicate to them what we think is important and what we believe they are capable of doing. We use the word “standard” to represent the level of challenge or rigor embedded in a procedure. We use the word “expectation” to represent the level of convic- tion we have—and communicate to our students—about their ability to meet the standard we set. Hence, another critical set of questions to consider is about the appropriateness of the standards inherent in the routines we establish. Are the standards challenging yet attainable for students? When a standard is chal- lenging (but attainable) students will have to rise to a new level and develop their capacity in order to meet the challenge. Thus when students demonstrate mastery of a routine they have reason to take pride in their accomplishment. If students aren’t successfully implementing a routine might it be because the standards we set are unreasonably high? Or conversely, are the standards we set
The routines we establish and reinforce with students communicate to them what we think is important and believe they are capable of doing.
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so low that students aren’t taking them seriously? Are they clear? And finally, what support structures are in place for the few students who will need initial scaffolding in order to perform a routine successfully? In Danielle Berwick’s first grade class, students enter class, immediately take out their planners, and copy in the homework for that night that is posted on the board (e.g., “Study your spelling words,” or “Read for 10 minutes,” etc.). One student in her class had very challenging attention issues. He couldn’t focus long enough to look at the board and look back at his planner and get the message copied. After a couple of weeks of both teacher and students struggling for up to 30 minutes to hold him accountable to do this, Ms. Berwick consulted with her instructional support team. Together, they developed a plan: create labels that match the homework assignments for the week, place them on the ledge under the message from the board, and have him go and find the label that matched the posted homework message instead of having him copy the message. Once he did so, he could bring it back to his seat and post it in his planner. Not only did this result in his getting the homework into his planner as was required of all students, but it did away with the frustration for both teacher and student, and sometimes he actually began to ask to try again to copy the message into his planner. Sometimes stu- dents just need a little support to be able to successfully execute a routine that is otherwise appropriate for the majority.