However, the practice of establishing smooth classroom transitions should involve taking students through a step by step training process. This will require constant repetition until the idea of transitional mastery is forged in the minds of every student.

Executing the Plan

The mastery of classroom transitions should be a school wide effort, with administration leading the way and then teachers executing the plan throughout the day. Administrations should make a major effort explaining the significance of transitions during assembly time.

Types of Transitions

There are several types of transitions. The most common ones are these:

• Subject to subject transitions
• Station to station transition
• Classroom to class room transition
• Classroom to bathroom transitions
• Classroom to specials transitions
• Classroom to lunch transition

All school transitions should be taught on three levels: verbally, physically and materially. Using these three approaches have a way of instilling the concept of brilliant transitions in the minds, hearts and spirit of each student.

Verbally

Teachers must emphasize the importance of classroom transition before each major switch from one thing to another. Never feel that students are getting tired of hearing about transitions; some need to be reminded on a constant basis. Sooner or later students will begin to honor your directives, anticipating your reminders and what is expected of them in transition times.

Physically

Teachers must find time out of a busy schedule and actually train students on how to perform a smooth transition. This should be step by step implementation. During training students practice over and over again until they get it right. If they do not get it right, the first, second, and third time, they should start back over again.

Manually

In the first few months of the school year, students need to get in the practice of writing down the significance of good classroom transitions. Studies show that the act of writing down something impresses the idea upon the psyche. Writing down the guidelines of smooth and brilliant transitions will go a long way of helping hard-to-listen students master their responsibilities when it is time for classroom transitions.

In addition to having students write the rules of transitions, teachers and administration should have poster-reminders located in various points in the hallways as well as the cafeteria. The importance of mastering transitions cannot be overstated. The culture of learning dramatically increase when the idea of perfect transitions are promoted.

The mastery of classroom transitions carries a number of transformative benefits, including,

• Accelerated learning
• Enhanced mental focus
• Better seatwork execution
• Stronger teacher-student connection
• Increased instructional value
• Improved student collaboration

The chaos of classroom transitions must become a priority to teachers and administrators if a dynamic whole-school learning environment is to be established. When students understand the importance of smooth and brilliant classroom transition to their education, the majority will be motivated to fall in line with the expectations of administrators and teachers.

The post Moving from Chaos to Brilliance: Mastering Classroom Transitions appeared first on Edu-Power-Today.

Identifying Toxic Students

You can identify toxic students as soon as they enter the room. The volume of their voices rises above others to a level 5. During seatwork, they constantly in engage in excessive chatter and laughter while others are during their work. They refuse to work and often get out of their seat even after being redirected several times during the course of the day.

Going Beyond Redirection

When you confront them, they are insubordinate, smarting off at the mouth against every aspect of your redirection message. Toxic students work to take away your power and to get the rest of the classroom on their side. If you as a teacher remain passive, you will lose control and the classroom will become chaotic and unsafe.

Passive teachers will spend the entire school year attempting to change toxic students by constantly redirecting their behavior. They may use time out or the buddy room many times to no avail. Yet timid teachers go no further than this. For some reason, such teachers refuse to open a communication channel with the parents or guardians of the child.

Taking a Firm Stand against Toxic Students

Teachers must firmly confront such toxic students with the threat of serious consequences unless they change their behavior and begin to make smart choices. Constant redirection will not eradicate the problem and will only embolden such students to do as they please. The most logical response is to have such students removed from the room. This will take away what illusionary power that they might appear to possess.

Protecting Yourself from Burnout

In order to avoid teacher burnout and frustration, you must open up a communication channel with the child’s parents or guardians. Work with administration and other teachers to find a solution. However, make it known to the parents that their children have serious behavior problems and are endanger of failing in school. You must give the parents a reason to help you instill in a sense of urgency in their children. Toxic students must know why they are in school and the consequences of not taking it serious. Who better can convince them of this fact than the parents themselves?

A classroom without the atttitudes of toxic students will become a safe and an appealing environment for teaching and learning. Students will respect one another and work together to accomplish quality seatwork and projects that gives them a sense of accomplishment and academic success.

The post Taking Back Your Classroom from Toxic Students appeared first on Edu-Power-Today.