Transitions...

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There will always be some area of a good teacher’s teaching practice that can be improved.  SOME AREA.  In fact, MANY AREAS! This is the hallmark of a good teacher.  The knowledge that there is always some area that can be worked on. 


For many of us, that area is transitions.  Transitions are a minor component of teaching, but if they are not  managed correctly they could cause a large amount of instructional time to be lost, cause discipline issues for students, and cause teachers unnecessary stress. On the contrary, if used correctly, transitions can set a positive tone for each upcoming portion of the lesson. 

Here are some ideas that could help make transitions more efficient in any class:
  • Place a daily agenda for the day’s class in a visible location and refer to it throughout the day/period
  • Give students time cues
    • Inform students that they have 5 minutes remaining to complete this task/activity
    • Inform students that in 3 minutes they need to be seated with their notebook on their desk
    • Tell students that they should have 6 questions completed in 10 minutes or the entire task completed in 20 minutes
  • Think through the best strategies to pass out needed materials
    • Will there be one person that passes out/collects all of the materials?
    • Will there be a central location where all of the materials are located?
  • Establish a classroom management strategy that gets the class’s attention
    • A call-and-response such as (there are many more options, just google it or you can make up your own) could be used
      • Teacher says “class, class, class”
      • Students say “yes, yes, yes”
    • A countdown could be used to get the students’ attention

Transitions can be difficult for some students.  They may cause students to feel confused and make the classroom chaotic.  Using the strategies mentioned above will help keep confusion and chaos at bay (if only for a little while).

What other strategies/tips/ideas have you used to make transitions easier in your class?

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