Harrell Section II-Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Teaching Strategy...Predictable Routines and Signals: Reducing Anxiety. Predictable routines and strategies are crucial in the classroom to help reduce the anxiety of English language learners. These strategies are among the easiest and most important to implement into the classroom.

Set patterns, routines, and signals assist English Language learners in the classroom by allowing them to relax and not worry as much about the sequence of events and activities during the school day. This allows them to focus more of their energy on instruction and not as much on what they are expected to do next.

There are four basic steps to follow when implementing predictable routines and signals in the classroom: set up your room, establish routines, model routines, and contextualize directions.

Set up your room where areas are designated for certain activities, such as group activities, free reading, and partner work. Label the areas with sign and graphics to help the students remember.

Establish routines by setting up specific place for students to turn in assignments; pick up needed materials and keep the personal belongings.

Model each new routine as it is established in the classroom. Making sure to maintain the routines once they have been established is very important! Actively monitor students to make sure that the students are not confused about a classroom routine or expectation. If a student shows confusion, decide wether a set routine would reduce the student's confusion. Be sure to be explicit when modeling routines and make sure that each student understand the procedure.

Contextualize directions by being consistent when modeling as you give directions to the students. Modeling, gestures, and demonstrations are various ways to contextualize instructions. The most important part of contextualizing directions is to be consistent!

Predictable routines and signals can be applied in all classroom settings. These strategies can be used with all age groups. While elementary, middle school and high school students would all benefit in the classroom from the use of predictable routines and signals, it will be especially beneficial for the younger children in the early elementary grades. Incorporating predictable routines and signals in the classroom should not present any obstacles or time restraints for the teacher. These strategies should be a part of the daily routine and will not have to be modeled on a daily basis. Once these predictable routines and signals are established, the classroom should run smoothly and allocate more time to be spent on academic instruction.

I think that the implementation of predictable routines and signals is the most effective approach for classroom management. If your classroom is organized and managed well, the students feel less stress and are able to fully participate in the classroom community.