BrentColey.com
  • Home
  • Books
    • Stories of EduInfluence
    • The Gift
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Videos
    • Video Tutorials: Google Forms
    • Video Tutorials: Google Documents
    • Video Tutorials: Audacity
    • Math Review Videos
  • Resources
    • StudyCast
    • Student Podcast
    • Literature Circles
    • Flowchart Notes
    • Classroom Income Tax
  • About Brent
  • Contact Info

Thoughts on Teaching, Leadership, and Educational Technology

Ready.....Set.....

4/11/2012

1 Comment

 
Picture
I’ve previously written about the importance of classroom management (you can read my post “If They Aren’t Listening” here). I firmly believe it’s one of the foundations of effective instruction, and in this post, I want to share one of my favorite and most frequently used techniques in my classroom management toolbox.

Teachers frequently give multi-step directions. For example, while in the classroom, I might have given my students this directive to transition from one subject to another – “Please put away your math book, take out your science book, and open it to page 85.” 

Now, in a situation like this, some students will hear the first part of the directions (“Put away your math book”), immediately put the math book away, and not hear the other two instructions. While the rest of the class would then have its science books out, these few students would be sitting at their cleared desks, wondering what to do next (much to the chagrin of the teacher). The teacher would then have to repeat the directions to ensure that everyone is ready to move on. If you’re a teacher, this situation probably sounds familiar.

While in the classroom, here’s what I did to try and prevent situations like this from happening. Before practically every direction I gave, I first said these magic words – When I say, “Go.” For example, with the instructions previously mentioned, here’s what I would have said:

“When I say, ‘Go’……Please put away your math book, take out your science book, and open it to page 85.” 

Beginning on the first day of school, I trained my students to wait for that “Go” before doing anything. Did it take a while for them to learn the routine? Yep. Did students still sometimes miss a direction? Yes. But by using this classroom management technique, I was able to dramatically reduce wasted time involved in having to repeat directions. It only took a second or two to preface my directions with these four simple words, but the time saved was measured in minutes (and over the course of a school year, hours). I used this technique for so long that it became second nature to me. On a couple occasions I remember giving my students a direction, only to have them just sit there and do nothing. I recall staring back at them thinking What are they waiting for? Then one of the students told me, “You forgot to say, ‘Go’.” 

If you’re looking for an easy way to save time in your classroom, give this technique a try. Just don’t forget to say, “Go.” 

1 Comment
Virtual office London Services link
9/13/2012 04:39:29 am

If you’re a teacher, this situation probably sounds familiar.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About Brent

    Brent has worked in the field of education as a teacher and administrator for 29 years. A former elementary school teacher and principal, he is currently Coordinator of Elementary Education in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District in Southern California. Read more about Brent here.


    Follow @brentcoley

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed


    Archives

    February 2025
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    May 2023
    July 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    November 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    December 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012


    Categories

    All
    Admin
    Android
    Assistant Principal
    Cell Phones
    Classroom Management
    Classroom Website
    Collaboration
    Cool Tool
    Copyright
    Creative Commons
    Ed Tech
    Eduinfluence
    Games
    General
    Google
    Ipad
    Iphone
    Ipod
    Language Arts
    Leadership
    Mac
    Mentor
    Organization
    Pe
    Plagiarism
    Plc
    Podcasting
    Productivity
    Self Care
    Story
    Studycast
    Teamwork
    Texting
    Vocabulary
    Whativelearned

Picture
Copyright (C) 2025 Brent Coley
Photos from somegeekintn, woodleywonderworks, Joybot, British Council Singapore, jseliger2, berkuspic, toddwendy, Alexandra E Rust, skippyjon, crdotx, tharrin, roybuloy, .FuturePresent., Just some dust, frankpierson, Jair Alcon Photography, Luigi Mengato, Muffet, stevendepolo, Pilar Soro, Sander van der Wel, jblyberg, jonathangarcia, DraXus, angeloangelo, Sthetic
  • Home
  • Books
    • Stories of EduInfluence
    • The Gift
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Videos
    • Video Tutorials: Google Forms
    • Video Tutorials: Google Documents
    • Video Tutorials: Audacity
    • Math Review Videos
  • Resources
    • StudyCast
    • Student Podcast
    • Literature Circles
    • Flowchart Notes
    • Classroom Income Tax
  • About Brent
  • Contact Info