How to Teach Procedures to Students in the Classroom

It has been my experience that when students know what to expect in the classroom, this frees up more time for teaching because disruptions are kept to a minimum. Teaching procedures to students at the beginning of the school year is an important part of classroom management. I know my own classroom was a lot calmer throughout the entire year when I took the time to thoroughly teach everyday procedures.

Introducing the Procedure

Start off by relating the new procedure to something similar that students are knowledgeable in. For instance, you could discuss putting on gloves. This is a familiar routine for students in the winter and can be used to show how having a procedure set in place helps them to accomplish tasks faster.

The next part of the introduction is naming it and showing students how to do the procedure, step by step. Take your time with each step and make sure all your students can see and hear what it going on. When you are finished, check for understanding and model the procedure again, if need be.

Having Students Participate

I find that the majority of students want to be active participants in learning. Role playing, either in small groups or as volunteers in front of the class, is a good way to diffuse some of the pent-up energy that kids naturally have. Active participation by students is also an excellent method for retaining what they are learning. Do not skip this step!

Keep on Practicing

A procedure needs to be practiced in order to become a routine. Practice with your students often until they have mastered each step of the procedure. This may take up to a month and even longer, depending on the age and ability of your students.

Sometimes a student may want to "test the waters" of a procedure by purposely not following its steps. If this happens, I recommend looking around the classroom for students who are following the procedure and then praising them for it. In my experience, the defiant child will also want this positive attention, and he will soon do what is necessary to get it.

Some students are so starved for attention that they think unruly behavior is the easiest way to get noticed, especially if they have struggled with academic learning in the past. This doesn't work every time, but sometimes offering praise for simple tasks will help build their confidence and motivate them to seek out new challenges.

Teachers, keep up your good efforts with teaching classroom procedures and this school year will be your best one yet.