Quick and Smooth Transitions Within the Classroom

Transitions in the classroom can be difficult for both students and teachers.  Sometimes students don’t want to leave what they’re doing or don’t know they are supposed to stop and a mad dash results when they realize the time for the activity is over.  For teachers transitions can be a time of chaos, shouting, and frustration.  If you begin your year though with clear ideas of how you want your transitions to go, your year will be much easier and less chaotic.

Good managers (and that’s what you are part of the day) must anticipate when they want their students to change activities and what problems may occur.  In this way you can work to structure your classroom and your day so that they run smoothly.  With each lesson ask yourself, “What is it that I want my students to do in order to learn the material?”  The answer to this question will drive what activities they complete and how they will transition.

Display Schedule and Procedures-From the first week of school these should be up in your classroom.  Although you may want student input, there should be some non-negotiables from you.  These include how to transition.  Remember transitions are an essential part of procedures.  If the procedure after a science activity is to return materials to their rightful place, then how do you want that accomplished?

Model What You Expect-Once you decide how you want your classroom to run, you must explicitly teach your students what they are to do when they transition.  How do you want them to clean up?  How much time do they have between activities?  Who is responsible for clean up?  Then you must model it for them.  Actually pantomime and talk through what you expect.  Then have your students do the same.  Depending on the age of your class, this needs to be done numerous times and revisited throughout the year.

Be Prepared-Make sure you have what you and your students need before a lesson begins.  Students are thrown off when they have to wait for materials or you don’t have what is required for you.

Be Aware of Student Movement-Even after you have taught and modeled transitions and your class seems to have them down pat, you still need to monitor these times.  Provide encouraging statements like “Thanks for picking up all the books in your group, Jeannette”.  Transition times can easily fall apart when you and your students are not focused on the tasks at hand.  Move around the room as you monitor.

Signals-Decide how you want your students to know it’s time or almost time to change activities.  Some teachers use a timer.  When the timer goes off the class has 5 minutes to move to the next activity.  Some turn the lights on and off quickly.  Others use clapping a rhythm the students must echo.  Music can be used or the sound of an instrument like a triangle.  Whatever you choose make sure your students can hear it, but at the same time make sure it’s not alarming.

It should never be assumed that students know what teachers’ expectations are.  What is expected must be made clear through teaching and demonstration.  Each part of the day should have structured transition, and remember consistency is the key.