Introduction
The classroom environment can prove to be extremely difficult to manage without the application of situation specific and clear cut methodologies. This is mainly due to the fact that all of the students present in any particular class tend to have very diverse background and seemingly incomprehensible approach to issues. For this reason, it is a paramount necessity that certain measures should be put in place to ensure the flow of events. These measures are referred to as classroom routines.
Classroom routines and their appropriateness
The identified classroom routines have various points of importance attached to them. The very first routine for the student is the arrangement of the materials before starting any other activity. The student puts every item in its right place to ensure ease of retrieval in case of need. This ensures that the student does not waste time changing from one activity to the other. The students also understand the classroom program and know how the activities of the day are planned. Therefore, they arrange their learning materials in the order in which they would be needed. This ensures that there is limited handling of the learning materials, minimizing the unnecessary noise that would otherwise come from the learning materials. This not only helps the student switch from one lesson to another with ease and speed, but also ensures that the student gets psychologically prepared for the lesson hence increasing chances of success. Colvin and Lazar (1997) have stressed the need for having operational classroom routines since the routines completely coordinate the smooth running of every situation.
Benchmarking and lesson theme setting routines have similar importance. Both of these routines are concerned with the formulation and the achievement of a goal. Their major importance lies in the fact that they play a lead role in establishing a sense of direction among the students. They not only assure the students that they are going somewhere but that they are also doing something, a necessity without which the student will consequently lack the vigor to put more effort leading to a diminished reading morale. The students should always handle benchmarking and lesson theme set as one.
During the lessons, another important routine is attentiveness of the student to the teacher’s instructions and explanations. It is not enough that a student arranges his or her learning materials properly before the beginning of the lesson. It is also very necessary that the student stays attentive throughout the lesson, always paying attention to the instructions and explanations of the teacher. The student should avoid any situation which would distract his or her attention. The student should keep an eye contact with the teacher to help him or her capture some non-verbal cue that could come in the form of facial expression or other body movements. The student should also raise question in the process, in case the student does not understand one of the points that are being expressed. This should be done procedurally, possibly by raising the hand to capture the attention of the teacher. Once given the opportunity, the student should articulately pose the question in a straight forward way, always maintaining clarity.
An assignment makes up the principal technique through which one can be able to gauge a students’ performance. However, most students place little or no concern when it comes to completing and handing in of assignments. The student should ensure that he or she plans his or her programs in a way that would ensure that all the assignments given by the teacher are appropriately responded to within the right time frame. Students should avoid scenarios where they wait for the allotted time to expire before they start answering the questions. Answering the questions in a rush would result in a messy work that would not meet the criteria set
Group discussions are an effective way of encouraging the students to brainstorm each other. However, the chances of most students taking advantage of group sessions are quite high. It thus would be appropriate to implement and maintain group discussion routines with clear and concise procedures detailing the process that ought to be followed when engaging in group discussions. Each group should have appropriate number of student to ensure that all of the members participate actively in all the sessions.
Conclusion
A classroom routine denotes a course of action that takes place in the classroom. These routines are fundamental in ensuring that all the students are actively participating in class sessions as well as completing and submitting their homework on time. Lack of these routines would lead to unruly and entirely unmanageable students.
Reference
Colvin, G., & Lazar, M. (1997). The effective elementary classroom. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.