Routines in a secondary classroom

Robert Marzano suggests that ‘it is simply not possible for a teacher to conduct instruction for children to work productively if they have no guidelines for how to behave, when to move about the room, and where to sit, or if they interrupt the teacher frequently and make whatever amount of noise pleases them.’ (Marzano, 2003) 

As you watch this video of classroom practice, consider how the teacher has established and continues to reinforce the following routines:

• Entry to the classroom
• Verbal feedback approaches
• Distribution and use of equipment
• Gaining pupils’ attention
• Exit at the end of the lesson

Whether you’re setting out with a new class and establishing routines or revisiting routines to help things run more smoothly, take some time to reflect on what the teacher has done, how they’ve done it, what they might have done differently, and how this might influence your own practice.