Transitions in the Classroom

Read Classroom Management Plan - How to Handle Transitions in the Classroom, which describes several real world strategies to assist in managing and implementing various transitions for individual students as well as group activities.

Five Easy Transition Activities is a one page exercise guide which focuses on enhancing student learning. The transition examples include what to provide students at the start of class, how to progress students from one learning activity to another, and how to prepare students for the next lesson.

Read and download the classroom procedures and transitions guide (pdf) which provides nearly 30 different transition examples that will help jump start productive ways to create and implement meaningful learning activities into the classroom curriculum.

Transition Rules

• From theory to practice, this outstanding, easy-to-read 36 page slideshare Powerpoint describes everything about understanding the rationale for designing, developing, maintaining, and assessing transitions. Each category clearly provides strategies to implement effective and efficient classroom management and transitions.
• Classroom procedures help both the teacher and students make a classroom more efficient and productive, while also assisting in creating a positive learning environment. Teaching the classroom rules and expressing expectations are essential in any classroom. Read about the types of classroom procedures, routines, and transitions to maintaining good behavior practices and enhancing learning.

Teaching Transitions

• For tenured teachers or those new to the teaching profession, New Teacher Survival Guide: Classroom Management (Run Time 11:00) will provide a revitalized view on classroom management resources and supports. Through peer observations and suggestions, see how one teacher addresses classroom challenges, behavioral situations, and learning situations. After reflection she is able to increase classroom flow, student productivity, and student learning engagement.
• Intentionally planning out time, routines, and building school-wide expectations provides opportunities to leverage maximum learning opportunities and create an engaging learning culture. Read and view the videos that show how one third grade teacher did this in her classroom.

Performing Noninstructional Duties

Create a classroom that maximizes opportunities for students to learn and interact positively with others. Read this Project IDEAL PowerPoint, which provides detailed essential components and strategies for effective and efficient classroom procedures. Along with the PowerPoint, this two page supplement provides hands-on real world classroom activities to incorporate into daily practice. Sections are divided into easy-to-read segments and follow instructional and noninstructional categories in which to implement good classroom management.

This web article, Managing Your Classroom, offers a robust selection of classroom organization tips and techniques for every grade level and every classroom situation. Each tip provides an accompanying video to further demonstrate the tip, the technique, and how it is applied to a particular grade level.

Enforcing Classroom Management/Discipline

Read the following articles which provide practical examples, address common doubts and classroom situations, and offer a well rounded repertoire of plans and resources to guide enforcement of classroom management.

• A Classroom Management Plan That Works
• How to Teach Your Classroom Management Plan
• How To Be Consistent With Classroom Management
• 10 Amazing Benefits of Following Your Classroom Management Plan

In this web article, read how classroom management can greatly improve learning performance. Education World offers a dozen carefully selected classroom management tips and ways to establish rules and rewards to maximize learning. Included in the robust selection of resources are tips from educators which encompass everything from teaching tips, tools, and addressing challenging classroom situations that can easily distract from teaching and learning.

Monitoring Students

• In the short Research Matters article in Education Leadership entitled "How Student Progress Monitoring Improves Instruction," the author briefly touch upon what we know and what we can do as educators.

Communicating with Parents

• As vital as good classroom management is with students, so too is having effective communication with parents. Read five keys to successful parent-teacher communication techniques to implement in your classroom practice.

Record Keeping

• This brief article provides a high-level breakdown of the fundamentals of classroom Teacher Record Keeping. Whether you use traditional gradebooks, three-ring binders, computer spreadsheets, or attendance software, knowing how to accurately streamline your classroom management responsibilities can make the difference between taking work home or allocating records management into your daily work routine.

Emergency Situations

• Being prepared for emergencies is part of managing a classroom. Depending on the situation, planning and knowing what to do and how to address the situation essentially happens long before the event actually occurs.  Addressed in Emergency Procedures in the Classroom are some of the common and not-so-common classroom emergency scenarios.

Fostering Student-led Routines

Read the blog entry, What is a positive classroom environment? to capture the factors that contribute to a positive learning environment for your students. Reflections include creating a positive classroom environment by demonstrating respect and understanding, and by implementing carefully planned lessons with appropriate learning transitions. Also included are identified strategies which establish, as well as maintain, discipline in the classroom.

Watch What Will Our Rules Look Like? (Run Time 1:58), as first grade teacher Courtney Fox uses discussion and an activity to ensure that students understand how to act according to the classroom rules they have created together.

SAS/PaTTAN Supporting Links

• Early Learning in Pennsylvania: Transition Toolkit
• Classrooms Without Boundaries
• Classroom Management Webinar Series: Structure and Predictability
• The Nuts and Bolts of Perspective Classroom Management: PBIS in the Secondary School Setting (Classroom Management Strand)
• The Nuts and Bolts of Preventative Classroom Management: PBIS in the Elementary School Setting (Classroom Management Strand)
• Growing and Sustaining Parent Engagement: A Toolkit for Parents and Community Partners

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