My protégé teacher, Colton Commodore is having trouble with their classroom transitions. Colton teaches at Paula Rutherford School and my feedback is based on any classroom teacher from K-12. Transition information is found between pages 230-231 in Why Didn’t I Learn This in College.

Colton,

I know that Vanderbilt prepared you well to enter the teaching field. Some days teaching will be just like your professors told you and many days teaching will be quite foreign and that is why I’m here to support you in your teaching efforts. Your classroom transitions can be helped with two things, proper planning and habitual classroom routines.

First of all, planning for your specific time and space has a lot to do with your transitions. Ask yourself the following questions: 1) Are my materials prepared for the students 2) Do I know exactly what I’m teaching and in what order? 3) Do I know where my students may have some trouble? 4) Is my classroom layout suffice for student movement I had you ask these question because if you are not prepared you students will find something else to do while you are preparing, which can cause off task behaviors. So make sure you are prepared with the order of what you are teaching. Make sure you classroom can handle a movement transition. Not all transitions require physical movement, but may require a change of mindset. You can also let your students know the agenda so that they can better anticipate the different transitions.

Secondly, you will need to establish routines in your classroom for transitions. When establishing a routine in your class, you will need to offer some practice time for the students to practice the routine. Depending on your students, give them the appropriate time to practice your routine. For example, I give my students a week to learn the transition from the classroom to the lab area. In my classroom we practice students getting their goggles, opening lab drawers, and cleaning the lab glassware as an activity. Model and practice your routine and give your students a set date in which they must be able to follow the new routine. Once you establish the routine KEEP IT! Students love routine and they would appreciate the structure of your classroom. Below is a list of different transitional strategies which you can use to help with your transitions.

Movement Transitions
HALL (Hands to side All eye forward Lips zipped Low Speed) Use this acronym to describe what a student looks like and sound like while walking in the hall.
Countdown 10-0- Count backwards from 10 to 0 while students are moving in the classroom. Say: When I get to 0 you need to be______. Then you begin counting. You will need to count either slow or fast depending on the students and the type of movement. Give recognition to students while you are counting for following directions.
Song transition- Sing a song that goes with the transition. For example, sing the cleanup song while students are cleaning up. (It works in high school) Or sing school song.

Transitions from one activity to the next
*Use a timer to signal the class to move on to the next activity
*Using routine sayings like the following:
Pencils down all around
All eyes on me
A Hush fell over the crowd
*2 minute warning (Which lets the students know a transition is coming)

Use a call and response to get the students attention for the transition.

Once the students say their part then they have to be silent.
*You say-Bump bump bump bump Students say- bump bump
*You say-To the window. Students say- to the wall
*You say-Marco Students say- Polo
*You say-Anyone who hears me clap once Student- clap
*You can make up your own based on your students

Incorporate an bridge assignment between switching activities or subject areas
*Have students complete a sponge/do now/warmup at the beginning of a new activity
*Have students complete a admission ticket at the beginning of a new activity


These are just a few ideas for you to use with your transitions. We can later discuss more in detail and you can stop by my room to see me model a couple of these transitions with my students. The most important thing is that you are prepared for the students. All of the above transition ideas have to be modeled and practiced by the students daily so that the transitions become a habit for you and most importantly your students.

Goodluck,

Mikaa Veal