Effective classroom routines

Take a moment and think about your everyday life. 

Do you do anything frequently? How does it feel to know what to expect from your day? 

Well, you should be less anxious and sure about your actions.

But, you wonder, how is it related to the classroom? It’s almost the same as our students having their kind of alter ego, because they are learning a new language. 

But it’s not only about it, it also includes acquiring a new conceptual system and skills.

Put yourself into your students’ shoes: you have to speak, listen or read in a language you barely understand (for now) and it happens frequently. 

You are expected to show some progress. Can you feel calm? Not always.

But, thankfully, there is a way to help your students to deal with this and make lessons more meaningful and memorable.

Consider setting classroom routines.

It is a predictable and consistent set of established rules and procedures that are used in the classroom to help students learn effectively and efficiently. 

This is something that your students expect to do. 

Moreover, they are aware of what is going to happen so they feel more confident and relaxed.

These repeated actions can also bring more concentration, less interruption and much fun (because why not). 

Other benefits are increased focus and productivity, improved academic performance.

Basically, it can be used in different stages of the lesson. 

Let’s say, one routine per one part of the lesson. 

However, there is a good chance that overly used routines can influence the flow of the main procedure, so it’s essential to decide which will be the most efficient and suitable for the specific class. 

There are routines for the beginning and end of the lesson, checking homework, taking a recess, and establishing communication patterns. 

A variety of options exist, and all the teacher needs are clear goals.

Routines should be simple so they won’t confuse the students even more since they have to do it in English (and this might be already stressful).

While they are introduced students will need some support and help before they remember and understand the procedure.

Keep it consistent and frequent. 

Only this way they will become a natural part of the lessons.

Set clear expectations for students and provide consistent feedback.

Teachers are encouraged to establish a written routine that clearly defines the expectations for each lesson or activity. 

Furthermore, it is essential to frequently remind students of these expectations to help them consistently adhere to the established routine.

There are a few simple steps to follow in order to implement an effective classroom routine.

So, before this, try to answer the following questions:

Think about skills and habits that need to be developed so the students feel comfortable and confident.

Think about what can be the best match for each goal. But there is no need to implement numerous things. 

Start with something easy and easy-teachable.

Explain what you are going to do every day (or other frequency you’re looking for), and provide demo and visual support. 

Practice, monitor, and give feedback.

Perform them as often as you need and observe if your routines meet the expectations. 

If they seem not to be accepted or too complex, revise the routine and adjust it to the current needs.

Start your days and lessons positively

Young learners.

Kids enjoy moving around and having fun. 

If the day or lesson starts doing something fun, young students will be energized and motivated.

Hello songs

Plenty of songs can be a great start for any lesson or day. Just type in the search and they will immediately pop up. 

The benefits are obvious: it’s a great mood booster and perfect for morning classes (it’ll wake everyone up). 

Usually, these songs contain some language chunks that can be useful practice. 

Here are some channels that might inspire you: The Singing Walrus, Super Simple Songs, The Kiboomers, Maple Leaf Learning, ELT Songs.

Circle time

During circle time, children gather in a circle or designated area to engage in a variety of activities that promote social interaction, learning, and the development of essential skills. 

If you study face-to-face, it can be implemented. 

The most common and traditional location for circle time is a designated area in the classroom that often consists of a large carpet or rug arranged in a circular shape where children can sit comfortably.

First, think about the rules for everyone to follow.

Then, decide what activities you want to do with the students.

Here are some ideas:

The songs from the previous section might be handy. Or, to make it more personalized, create together jazz chants or other rhythmic motives to revise some words and activities. 

Since it involves movements it will energize everyone and set a positive mood. 

Note, it should last long. Try to stick to the 5-6 minute limit.

It’s a classic ELT game, but can be adapted to circle time in the beginning of the lesson. 

For instance, the teacher can say: “Change your places, if you had your breakfast”. 

And students start changing places if it’s true about them. It’s a nice way to revise some vocabulary or prepare them for the lesson. 

Low-prep with a space for creativity lesson start can become a hit among students of all age groups. 

This little ritual can give the feeling that the teacher cares about the feelings and moods of the students which will lead to a better emotional state of the students. 

There a lot of forms for them: scales with coloured section, emojis, funny animals, memes and so many more.

Adult learners

Doubtlessly, adult students will enjoy singing or participating in circle time. 

But they will appreciate small talk while they are waiting for everyone to join (if you are an online teacher). 

Make sure you won’t overstep your students’ boundaries and ask some general questions about things that everyone is aware of.

Talk about: weather, current events (there might be something big has happened outside), sport events, how the day is going so far. 

Hand gestures/Online communication

I think we all can relate when the students are communicating, or you are in the middle of your explanation and then someone interrupts it. 

Often this can lead to distraction and the intensity of the lesson will drop. 

To avoid this it’s a good idea to set up and learn some hand signals that will help you to monitor the students but without saying a word.

Check Twinkl or Teachers Pay Teachers for great ideas.

Students may do numerous things using it: ask for help, notify the teacher if they are ready or not with the task, and give answers if they want to get feedback on their answers.

Brain-breaks

Learning can be tiring, especially for young learners or people who study late in the evening. 

Consider taking short brain breaks to help your students to have a quick mental rest. 

These activities can include small bursts of movement, creative tasks, or quick mindfulness exercises. 

The key is to ensure they're active rather than passive. 

Those can be presented as various puzzles, word searchers, games, short debates or discussions, mingling activities, art-focused and so many more. 

Just to adapt to your learners’ needs.

If you need some more ideas on planned brain breaks, check out these resources: Brain Breaks and Focused-Attention Practices, Awesome Ways to Energize your Students and Teacher-Tested Brain Break Ideas.

For more mature students try mindfulness practices. After a long day, it’ll never be a bad idea. 

You can play some calming music in the background or try some breathing techniques as well. 

Remember to follow your classroom needs.

Ending the lesson

When you’re done with teaching your lesson you can also have unusual and useful ways to say goodbye to your students.

Try using mood trackers one more time and discuss how they feel after the lesson.

Feedback sessions

For more mature learners consider doing some feedback and reflection sessions. 

Ask them to think about their performance, how did they deal with the lesson content and language. 

Examples of such routines can be:

Ask your students to write a short note about the lesson. 

You can ask them to assess how they understood the topic or how they performed during free practice. 

The 3-2-1-go Feedback method offers a structured way to provide feedback, focusing more on highlighting the strengths of someone's performance. This approach ensures that positive aspects take center stage, making feedback more constructive and encouraging.

How to use?

1. Three

After the lesson, have each student record three things he or she learned from the lesson.

2. Two

Next, have students record two things that they found interesting and that they’d like to learn more about.

3. One

Then, have students record one question they still have about the material.

You can make a nice feedback box or board if you teach face-to-face. 

For online classes, the best way to do this is to create  a form (MicrosoftForms or Google Forms)  or a document that students can share.

To sum up, any classroom needs at least one or two routines. It’ll bring stability and safety that any student needs in the classroom. 

Be active and participate alongside your students and it will make your classroom the most efficient learning space.