Classroom routines

Last week, I didn't have practice because children were on a school trip so from this week I would like to post two blog entries. This one will focus on a classroom routines and the second one on classroom management. 

What I observed is that all lessons start with checking the list of attendance, teacher marks it in the electronic register. Next step is a quick warm-up to get kids into the classroom mood. Usually, it is a  kind of revision from the previous lesson. 

When the teacher introduces a new topic in project class, in grade 7, she does the lead-in. In that lead-in, the teacher asks questions connected with the subject to check what children already know about the things that they are going to learn. Here children do a lot of groups and pair work also they have a lot of listening. All those things always start and end in the same way. When it comes to cooperative work, the teacher always tells them what to do before giving materials. Then she always does the example with the kids and after that, they start working.  She goes around the classroom and gives them feedback. In activities that involve listening, children always listen to the recording to times.  First without any concrete questions and then with answering questions.

At English lessons, the teacher introduces new vocabulary with the use of flashcards. Children sit on a carpet, learn the pronunciation of new words and they also play games that stimulate them to memorize vocabulary, for example miming, playing hangman, repeating with use of different voices or with clapping. Then they get back to their chairs and do exercises. Children usually do activities from the book, but the teacher also prepares additional materials for them. 

In project class in grade two, children sit on the carpet by the whole lesson. Except for the moment when they need to dance, in that case, they get out to the corridor.  At the beginning of the lesson,  they always revise the previous lesson and then the teacher gives them a new topic and they do the brainstorm. They share their ideas and the teacher asks them additional questions. When they need to remember new words, they play hangman or charades. 

Engish in grade five starts the same as all the lessons, with checking the list and revision. Here the teacher sits for the whole lesson in front of her desk and kids do exercises from the book.

In the smart school, there aren't any ring bells so the teacher always informs kids when is a break. All classes end with a quick sum-up of the things that kids learned. Further, the teacher usually tells them what they will do in the next lesson.

Classroom routines are very important in classroom management. Routines make kids feel more secure. Thanks to them children know what they can expect after particular steps of the lesson. They know how each activity will look like and what the teacher requires from them. Routines also help to reduce disruptive behaviours by constantly giving students something to do.