Transition Troubles

Dear Colton,

I think all teachers are challenged by transitions, so hang in there. The most important thing is to take a little time to think about your students and when the problems are occurring. Take time to think about what you expect and want to happen. (Be realistic.) Then make a plan. Be proactive and teach the students the procedures that you want them to follow. It will take more than just telling them. You'll need to model and then practice until they've got it down. Having a signal will help. It can be a song, a pattern clapped, or a hand signal. Just make sure they know what you expect when it happens. Be sure to praise and appreciate their cooperation as you see good examples.

Many of the innate problems with transitions can be remedied just by making sure that you're prepared and all of your materials are ready. Follow a regular routine, then provide interesting learning experiences for the students to do when they begin a lesson, finish their work, and as they wrap-up. You can make these activities simple and fun too! Interactive bulletin boards, learning stations, and games are all kid pleasers. Just make sure that they support your learning objectives and are not just busy work. Something as simple as soliciting student comments on a post-it as they finish a lesson will engage students and help them feel valued. It will also distract them from engaging in some of the time-wasters that often come with transitions.

Hope this helps. I can see that you have great instincts, so trust them. Let me know how things go and I'll help you come up with more ideas as you need them.

Diane Tucker