Instructional Routines
Instructional routines are pre-planned sequences of teaching actions aimed at actively involving students in learning and improving their understanding of content. The significance of routine instruction is its ability to bring about homogeneity in teaching, stimulate the interest of students, and assist the development of analytical thought.
Instructional routines that serve as examples are the Think-Pair-Share method in which the students first think individually about a question, discuss their thoughts with a partner and finally share with the entire class as well as the 5E Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate) which is a guide for the students through the process of learning based on the inquiry method. These routines provide a reliable structure for the learning environment and promote the students' active participation.
K-12 students gain a lot from instructional routines as they present to them the structure and clear pointers to the learn, thus reducing anxiety and, at the same time, increasing engagement. A case in point is routines like Exit Tickets that enable students to think back on their learning journey at the end of the lesso
By demonstrating the new instructional practices, giving explicit directions, and having students practice them until they feel competent, the teachers can minimize the economic anxiety among students effectively. For instance, the instructor can first show how to use a KWL chart (Know, Want to know, Learned) and then let the learners join the teacher in filling it out before the students use it by themselves.
Teachers may come across hurdles like the opposition of the students to fixed patterns of doing things or the difficulty in programming the routines in such a manner that they can cater to diversified learning needs. In order to overcome this, the instructors are able to solicit responses from the pupils about the predetermined schedule, rearrange routines on the basis of interactions in the classroom, and include flexibility to employ various teaching methods and thereby, to ensure that the entire class benefits from the instructional methodologies.