Transitions

I believe making smooth transitions between tasks and activities are one of the largest challenges a teacher faces. While routines and procedures are established from the very beginning and usually don't stray too far from the what is initially learned, transitions are opportunities for socialization, distraction, kinesthetic activity and more that students are quick to embrace. However, by setting structured transitions between lessons, and creating opportunities for learning during more active transitions, students will be more focused and less likely to devolve into wide-spread misbehavior.

Throughout the year, I will teach my students the structure of transitions between activities using direct instruction, teacher modeling, guided practice and independent practice (Burden, pp. 207-208). When an activity ends, I can use a rhyme (teacher: "One, two!" students: "Eyes on you!"), a clapped rhythm, a silencing technique like raising my hand, or ask the students to give me five: eyes on teacher, ears listening, mouth quiet, arms by your side, and feet still. One the classes attention has been obtained, I will give transition instruction, asking students to prepare for the next lesson. Because I will have the schedule posted clearly on the blackboard, my students will be aware of what lesson is coming, and be able to find the proper materials accordingly.

If the class seems restless, or the lesson being transitioned from involved sitting still for a long stretch of time, I will ask my students to stand by their desk and lead them through a quick physical activity, like a series of stretches, a quick game of Simon Says, or a group sing of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", in which the song gets progressively faster as it is repeated. The key is to make sure that these transition "breaks" are quick - no more than two or three minutes - and done as a class.

When the transition has been successfully completed, thank the class for their good work. A thank you is a simple, positive reinforcement technique that takes almost no time and lets the students know you appreciate their contribution to an efficient classroom.

Once task ends I will call the students' attention by saying, "One, Two!" and having students say, "Eyes on you!". I believe the ability to bring my class together in a simple way is very important to classroom management. I will also assign each student in the group jobs, for example, "One will return the materials, two will turn in work, three will put away books, four will monitor your group and be sure your teammates are following the instructions." I will let students know there will be no talking during transitions. I will have students raise their hands if they want to talk. I will keep a close eye on each student to make sure the transition procedure is going smoothly.

Students often move from whole-group lessons to small-group work, and it is important to plan for these transitions as well. Often these transitions happen during the course of a lesson, and if a procedure is set in place for the switch than the lesson will have minimal disruption. One way I can signal transition times and keep track of students as they move from one activity to another is to set a timer or a shadow clock to help students manage themselves and take responsibility for the move. The timer will let them know how much time they have and get ready for the next event. Let them know the amount of time allotted for this transition, and the students would be able see the time running out. Another way is to time transitions is to count down, out loud, from sixty. This gives the class enough time to gather up what they need and move to the next task. Additionally, it helps students become familiar with counting backwards, and usually ends up with a group countdown for the last ten seconds.

Beyond transitions that happen in the classroom, students make transitions throughout the entire school. Entering the building in the morning, going to the bathroom, walking to the lunchroom, walking to a different classroom and leaving at the end of the day are all transitions that often require students to act in a group, stand still in a straight line, and be quiet. Naturally, it is easy for these transition times to quickly become disorganized, with students talking, rough-housing, talking in clusters or pointing out anything that catches their attention. Additionally, several classes often transition at the same time, which means students will see friends in other classes, and want to talk, share something or just be together.

Fortunately there are several strategies for keeping students focused and orderly while completing these transitions throughout the school. As a teacher, the most important thing I can do is model, state and restate my expectations. If I want my class to stand up straight and be quiet, I should do the same thing. When I'm ready to walk down the hall, I will do so in the same manner I want my students to walk. I can point out students who are behaving as I expect them to, and praise them for their responsible actions, and I can stand next to clusters of misbehaving students to get them to focus.

There are also several quick activities I can use to focus my students while they are standing and waiting in line. Examples of these activities are:

• Ask students to show me numbers using their fingers. I can ask for them to show me four using two hands. I can ask them to show me six, using at least two fingers on each hand. I can have them to show me thirteen minus seven, or two plus eight. The only cautions I have for this activity is not to create sums that are larger than ten. When a student is suddenly asked to come up with a number greater than the number of fingers they possess, they tend to get silly, which quickly leads to chaos.
• I can ask the students to line up alphabetically, one at a time, so that everyone has to has to pay attention to see when it's their turn.
• I can play "I Spy", and have students raise their hand to guess what I see.
• I can ask my students to figure out their heart rate.
• I can ask my students to make different expressions.

There are several resources for creating smooth transitions throughout the day, both online and in classroom management books and articles. I chose the ones mentioned above as a sample of activities that I have either successfully tried, or would like to try with my class.