Posting and Using a Schedule | Classroom Check-Up WP Engine Prod

Strategy: Posting and Using a Schedule

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Schedule Posted and Followed

Strategy Overview

How To

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Overview

Posting and using a daily schedule is a helpful step toward developing a successful classroom structure. A schedule allows your students to know various routines and activities that occur daily in the classroom. Children (and adults) like predictability. Having a schedule that you follow each day provides this predictability for your students.

Purpose

Using effective behavior-specific praise frequently helps to inform students of what successful classroom behaviors are while providing positive attention to those students who demonstrate these effective classroom behaviors. You will see more of the behaviors you pay attention to in your classroom.

There are six elements to effectively posting and using a daily schedule:

1) The schedule is taught and reviewed with the students. The schedule may be reviewed each day at the start of the day.

2) The schedule for the day is posted in an area where students and visitors to the classroom can easily view it.

3) The posted schedule is developmentally appropriate. For instance, the wording is appropriate, and the schedule provides visual images as well as words for younger children who may not read well.

4) The schedule accurately reflects the schedule for each day of the week.

5) When changes to the schedule occur, students are informed in advance. When possible, changes are discussed at the start of the day or well in advance of the change.

6) About 80% of the day is allotted to instructional activities (no more than 2 hours per day in non-academic related activities). In addition, the activities throughout the day provide a balance of teacher-directed, independent, and group work activities. It is best to schedule independent and peer group work directly after teacher-led instruction.

How To

How to Develop, Post, and Follow a Schedule

First, develop a schedule that is developmentally appropriate, accurate, allocates 80% or more of the day to academic instructional activities, and that is predictable (see six elements of an effective daily schedule above).

Next, create a visual representation of the schedule that can be easily seen and understood by students and explicitly communicates your expectations each day. Then, teach the schedule to the students.

If your schedule changes across days, you may consider using a system that allows you to easily change information. For instance, using a display holder that allows you to slide different content in and out depending on the day.

When teaching students, you may say something like:

Here is our daily schedule. This schedule is a plan for what we will be doing throughout the day. As a class, we are expected to follow it as closely as possible. If at any time you are unsure about what you should be doing, please use the schedule as your guide.

Example Video:

Reviewing the Schedule

Video Prompts:

Notice how this teacher reviews the schedule for the day with the students first thing in the morning.
This teacher demonstrates writing in cursive (a skill the class is working on) while going over the schedule.
She also provides opportunities to respond (see Increasing Opportunities to Respond) by asking them to read the words as she writes them.

Reflecting on Video