Classroom Routines
Classroom routines are specific routines and actions that form a structured and methodical environment in the classroom, thus promoting student learning and behaviour. They are fundamental for the establishment of stability and the consequent provision of the information that students need to meet the expectations of and learn in an appropriate environment.
Classroom routines that get established have a thousand reasons to be loved by teachers, besides they have a great effect on classroom management, student engagement, and learning outcomes. To illustrate, understanding the way of going through the routine of transition from one task to another students get the chance to work without disturbing their classmates and increase the time of instructions.
Classroom routines can be efficiently taught by the teachers through the clear communication of expectations and the modeling of behaviors along with the practice of the routines with the learners until the latter are mastered. For example, a teacher in the eve of the new school year might spend a considerable amount of time teaching the students to line up in a quiet manner and giving them an opportunity to do this routine several times so as to ascertain that they have understood it and are complying with it.
Typical types of classroom routines comprise morning greetings, hand-raising procedures, transition signals, and end-of-day wrap-ups. For instance, a teacher can create a routine where students need to raise their hands to ask questions, thus helping to keep the order and respect during conversations.
Classroom routines can be adjusted to accommodate different learning needs by using strategies that allow for differentiation. For instance, a teacher could implement visual schedules for students who learn better with visual cues, and in this way, make sure all students can adhere to the established routine regardless of their individual learning styles.