transitions

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transitions
By Sharon

I try to keep positive interactions higher than negative interactions. I use a three to one (neg) ratio. This helps class behavior. I too have a problem deciding if I am too hard or soft! I went from teaching sixth to
first.
One idea that I changed from the beginning of school was the amount of time that they lose for each "offense". Originally, I was giving a two warning, lose 5 mins recess, lose 10 mins, lose all of recess. Well, I would hate to see anyone lose all of recess so I would not be as consistent as I should have been resulting in more problems. I then changed to one minute per warning.

Now I am more consistent and the students are losing their recess time early in the day- because if you lose recess early- what are consequences for rest of day? Students then give up. One minute owed for each offense has worked really well!
An idea to help your transitions is to set and explain your expectations everytime you have a transition. For example, everytime we line up to leave the room I remind students about my expectations for behavior. 0 voice level when your feet leave the carpet, hands to self, leave a space. The students know what is expected of them each time we have a transition.

My students also hear the phrase "If you take time away from my teaching then we need to take time away from recess". When my students hear this they know that their actions are disrupting the class and taking away from my instruction. They usually settle down right away because no one wants to lose recess!