I've been teaching for over 20 years. It's never been like this. Ever. Some of my hardest weeks occurred in the last 2 months of school (and I taught during a lockdown and subsequent remote/hybrid teaching the following year)!
When people ask me what it's like in the classroom right now, it's very hard to articulate the experience. Many people assume that because we are back to "normal" that everything is normal. It's not. I oftentimes tell people it's a "different kind of chaos". So, what's going on?
I've thought about it and I've come up with some ideas. But, in a nutshell, the basic views of school and the expectations we sometimes think are natural or ingrained in our students simply no longer exist. In seeking solutions, I've tested out some techniques and approaches to getting students back to the basics of school.
Use Simple, Basic Rules
My rules have evolved over time. At this point in my career I have whittled them down to the 4 basic rules listed below. Pre-Covid, students understood these rules. Posting them and occassionally reminding students of the rules was enough to keep classroom behaviors in check. Post-Covid, students need a little more support.
1. Follow Directions Quickly
2. Raise Your Hand for Permission to Speak
3. Make Smart Choices
4. Keep Your Eyes on the Target
At this point, students need more than occassional reminders. Some days we will pause and discuss a rule at length with specific examples of what it looks like in a clasroom. I will also thank students when they follow the directions. For example, "Thank you, Jane, for raising your hand." or "I love that you have your eyes on the target, John." It can be exhausting to constantly affirm when students are following directions. But, it helps remind students of the expectations for following the rules and gives a bit of praise to those who are already doing it.
Start with One Step Directions
My students are struggling with following directions. I no longer give more than one direction at a time. Some days that means I need to start with, "Put a pencil in your hand." Yes, that sounds extreme, but that's the reality. I've also implemented a lot of pointing and checking during directions and instruction such as, "Put your finger on the word 'directions'" or "Put your finger on number 1."
Having the students point to and physically work their way down the page helps keep them focused. It also helps teach them how to navigate a page. For many students they have been working on computer screens and platforms which have been automatically turning pages or advancing through question sets. For my students (and maybe yours), they haven't had to physically navigate through worksheets or packets in quite some time.
By giving one step directions I can also make sure everyone is pacing together. It keeps me pacing at a correct rate and gives the students the support needed to stay with me during the lesson. It has slowed me down; which is a good thing. The students sitting in front of me cannot work through the content at the rate my students could in 2019. There are too many gaps: educationally, mentally, socially, etc... I anticipate the need for one step directions for the next couple of years.
Practice Basic Expectations
WALKING IN A LINE
I worked with my students for 180 days. They still struggled with walking in a line. Fourth Graders. Struggling. Walking in a Line. I even practiced with them- extensively. Like, we would take 4 loops around the building to practice. And they still struggled. I have no explanation for why it was such a struggle. But, I will be reviewing the exact fromation that is expected: hands by sides, walk in front of or beind - not next to, alphabetical order.
AUDIENCE MANNERS
In-person school assemblies took a hiatus during Covid. We used the power of video and live stream to get together as a building. We did get together in the auditorium as a whole grade level before the end of the building. But, students have been passive audience members for a very long time. They need to learn and adjust to what it looks and sounds like when you are a live audience and there is something being presented or performed on a stage in front of you. Making noises, calling out, shuffling around, or leaving your seat may be acceptable when you are seated behind a screen and can mute the mic and turn off the camera. However, it is not when seated in an auditorium with a couple hundred people seated around you.
Students need to learn how to sit and attend. To get my students better prepared for sitting in a large auditorium, we will practice sitting attentively and quietly in the classroom. I plan to start will shorter videos (such as a BrainPop) and build their stamina.
HANDS TO YOUR OWN BODY
This one is always a struggle. It continues to be. Even post-Covid some students need to be reminded every day to keep their hands (and feet) to their own body. This is reflected in Basic Rule #3: Make Smart Choices. My fourth graders know the rule- most elementary students know the rule. We still need to remind and practice keeping our hands to our own body.
TAKING TURNS
Taking turns is one of those skills that is oftentimes taught and practiced in the primary grades. In a post-Covid world, the students walking into the classroom have not had the practice. I plan to use a lot of tangible ways to help students remember and navigate taking turns.
- Talking Trays: One way I use talking chips is to get a dollar store tray and place numbered chips (1-6) inside the tray. Each student is assigned a number and they are given a certain number of chips. As they chat and participate in the group discussion, they place a chip from the outside section into the middle. The chips help students keep track of who has spoken and who still needs a turn. When all of the chips are in the center, students can re-sort and start the process over. See Talking Trays in this blog post.
- Speaking and Listening Cards: Students work in pairs with this activity. I go over the expectations and model the first couple of exchanges. If students see the behavior and activity modeled, they will have better success when completing it with a partner. Students are given sentences starters and prompts to help them become familiar with the process and engage in meaningful conversation. You can get a FREE set of Speaking and Listening Cards in my TpT Store.
- Getting to Know You Games: Students love to play games. My students especially love games where they get to talk about themselves. Why not combine taking turns with some speaking and listening and a little game board fun? I usually play some getting to know you games in the fall to set the expectations. I keep the groups to no more than 4. And, I usually play these games after we have done a couple rounds of speaking and listening cards. (I plan these activities throughout the whole first month of school.) Once the students are familiar with the format and expectations, I will leave Getting to Know You Games in my sub plans (when necessary). See the games I use here.
Grit
When we were remote/hybrid it was tempting to close a chromebook when the struggle became too much. Too many students gave in, closed the computer, and did not re-engage in the lesson. After a couple of years of this practice, some of my students were now faced with all day instruction where there wasn't an escape from the productive struggle required for growth. This lead to more meltdowns and shut downs than in previous years.
Many, many (did I say many?) times I had a student walk up to me and stand there with an open Chromebook. Sometimes they expected me to be able to read their minds, or look at the screen and know what the problem was. We spent a lot of time as a classroom community discussing how to articulate frustrations and explain where the exact breakdown in understanding was happening. It was difficult to near impossible for some kids.
To help get the communication going, I oftentimes had students start at the beginning and asked them to walk me through what they had completed. If they struggled with that, I would begin by starting with the first part of the activity or assignment and ask them yes or no questions. "Do you know how to..." "Do you understand how to..." "Where you able to..." I would also ask them to "tell me where you are" or "what is the next part you need to work on?"
I was also careful with my word choices. I avoided using the word "can't". I would use phrasing such as: "Where's the hiccup?" "Which part is the biggest struggle right now?" "How can I help you?" "What have you tried?"
Using affirming language also helps ease tensions and discouragement. "We'll try it another way." "Let's see if we can get this figured out together." "Please ask for help, that's why I'm here." "Yes, it's hard. That's why you are feeling a bit frustrated- we are trying something new." "Trust yourself, you can do this!" "It will be easier next time." "That's a tough one. Let's break it down one step at a time."
Practice, Practice, Practice
FINE MOTOR SKILLS
Tech has invaded classrooms like never before. Teachers were churning out digital lessons as quickly as their fingers could type. Students learned keyboards at an unprecedented rate. All these advances in tech came at the expense of fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. Once I was out of the worry of quarantined students I reverted straight back to pencil/paper and color/cut/paste. It's the first time in over 20 years of teaching that I had students moaning when I told them they would need scissors and glue for a lesson!
My students (fourth graders!!!) struggled with cutting on a straight line. Some students were struggling with the proper way to hold paper and/or scissors. This is not an exaggeration. It's a fact and an unintended consequence of the level of tech used the past couple of years. This fall I am going back to as much color/cut/paste as I can. We are going to slow down and practice what it looks like to cut on a line, color inside lines, glue pieces together that are lined up correctly. We are going to practice fundamentals. To prep for these particular lessons, I will be making extra copies. One way students stayed motivated to cut or color slowly and neatly was to know if they did not, they would get a fresh copy to try again. We had several discussions about it being better to work slowly and neatly than rush your work and have to start over.
LETTER FORMATION
This has always been a tough one; it's been tougher since handwriting was taken out of the curriculum. However, students are now faced with a double ding. Poor fine motor skills coupled with poor letter formation.
I can only speak to my own classroom, but I race against the clock all day every day. However, I do find time to squeeze in a little bit of letter formation. I sneak it in during my phonics or vocabulary instruction. I restrict it to writing single words. I model the formation and encourage students to do the same.
I know some teachers that have been using morning work to practice. They take a few minutes at the start of the day to go over how to form letters and the students review and practice independently.
Use Extended Wait Time
Woah, Nelly! I speak fast, I too often teach fast. I have been battling my pacing from the first day I walked into a classroom. I've slowed down quite a bit but I continue to hone my craft.
With that said, I have learned to embrace Wait Time. After asking a question, I wait longer now than ever before. Like, what feels like a millennial; and some days it's outright painful. But, its what my students need. Processing time post-Covid looks very different. Students are still adapting to learning in a classroom environment (and all that entails). Their brains need more time to process both the information going in and getting information out.
One way you can extend your wait time but know when the group is ready to respond is to ask students to give you a thumbs-up (against their torso) when they have an idea or answer they would like to share. One quick glance around the room let's me know who's ready. It also gives me a clue as to how fast (or slow) I need to pace the instruction for a given topic or time of the day.
I also have taught my students to give me the sign language sign for "wait" if I am moving too fast. This is especially helpful when taking notes from the board. It's a quick (and semi-private) way to let me know they need a bit longer to get the information down on their page. Students are great at note-taking while signing "wait" with one hand.
If we have had time to process and think about a response, I ask students to share with a neighbor. This gives everyone a chance to share their ideas. It also gives students who may not have an idea something to share in the event they are called on. It's a win-win.
To Sum Up
When I stand before my class this fall I will look at them as if it is their first day in a classroom. I'm going to assume everyone is starting from "zero". My strategy is to dig deep into my days from teaching kindergarten and give every student a chance to learn things for the "first time" as well as the time needed to process the expectations and learn the routines. Putting the time and energy during the first month (or so) of school into teaching the basics will save time and energy for the rest of the school year.
For some additional ideas check out these blog posts!