Entering and Exiting the

Classroom

The way a day is started is a clear predication of what the day

ahead will be like. Therefore, it is vital that a teacher sets a procedure for
students both entering and exiting the classroom. Wong (2009) claims it is
imperative that teachers state the correct procedure for entering the
room at any time of the day in order to reduce distractions and thus,
create a classroom with structure.
As Wong (2009) states, three steps must be taken to fully establish a
procedure: explain (teach), rehearse, reinforce. In order to teach these
procedures, the teacher should explain them on the first days of school.
Therefore, on the first day of school, I will explain to students that they are
to enter the classroom with the voices at a quiet level. As they enter the
classroom, I will instruct to students that they must clarify whether they are
absent or present by indicating their attendance on the attendance tchart. This will be physically shown to students, so that they have a better
understanding of what is expected. Additionally, students will be taught
that they are to be polite when entering the classroom and quietly put
their things away. Then, I will explain to students that the same procedure
applies to leaving the classroom.
In order to rehearse this procedure, students will practice lining up,
entering the classroom, and using the t-chart with the help of their

teacher. Then, they will practice exiting the classroom. This will occur on
the first day of school and throughout the first week of school as needed.
Students will practice scenarios of entering the classroom with their
attendance t-chart. The teacher will also prompt students about certain
situations on entering and exiting the classroom resulting in students
problem solving about the procedure. The overall goal of practicing of
the exiting and entering will assist this procedure into developing into a
typical routine for the students.
Lastly, the reinforce process will take place. Students will be
explicitly praised for doing the entering and exiting procedure well. When
students are praised for completing the procedure correctly, they will be
motivated to go through with the procedure and turn it into a routine.
Moreover, for the students who do not execute the procedure correctly,
they will notice their peers being reinforced, which will then give them the
opportunity to self-correct themselves. If the procedure is not followed
through consistently by many of the students, it must re-taught. According
to Wong (2009), if the procedure is not followed through appropriately
after the rehearsing step, it must be re-taught and practiced. This will be
the same case for the reinforcement on the entering and exiting
procedure. In conclusion, I will know that my students have achieved the
understanding of this procedure when they enter and exit the classroom

quietly and politely, in addition to indicating their attendance on the clip

chart on a routine basis.

Obtaining Help

According to Evertson and Emmer (2013), it is vital to have an

obtaining help procedure in order to reduce distractions from students

simply calling out. By learning a proper procedure of obtaining assistance
from their teacher, students will be able to understand and develop the
attribute of politeness and patience in both the classroom and real-world
setting. This procedure will consist of students raising their hands quietly
and nicely if they need assistance or have a question. In addition,
students will be allowed to get out of their desk and ask the teacher for
help only when the teacher is at her desk and not helping another
student. Evertson and Emmer (2013) suggest that these procedures will
eliminate long lines of students waiting at the teachers desk. Moreover,
this procedure will allow the control for the teacher to give individual
assistance.
Just like the entering and exiting procedure, the obtaining help
procedure must practice the teach, rehearse, and reinforce philosophy in
order to develop into a routine. Students will be explicitly taught how to

raise their hands politely and quietly when they need assistance by the
teacher modeling what the procedure looks like. This will consist of the
teacher raising her hand and showing what the proper obtaining help
procedure looks like. Then, students will practice doing the same. Students
will also be taught that one person at a time can go to the teachers desk
for help if the teacher is at her desk. The teacher will teach this aspect by
having one student at the desk and explaining how no one else can go
up to the desk until the student returns to his or her desk. As the procedure
is being practiced, the teacher will prompt students to check their
understanding of the obtaining help procedure. Students will then
practice this procedure during the first days of school. Subsequently, the
students will be explicitly reinforced for properly raising their hands and
going up to the teachers desk. If the procedure is not being followed
through, I will go back through the steps until it has become a routine for
all of my students. Lastly, I will know that my students have achieved the
understanding of this procedure once they routinely raised their hands
politely and quietly and go to the teachers desk one at a time. Once this
procedure has become routine, a sense of respect and structure will be
established in the classroom.

Classroom Helpers

It is widely known that students love to help and be a part of the

classroom structure. Whether its passing out papers or being a line leader,
each classroom helper job is important to the students. According to
Evertson and Emmer (2013), many teachers make sure that each student
has a job each week in order for the entire class to contribute to the
classroom community. Therefore, I will create a job list where each
student will be assigned a certain classroom helper job each week.
In order to implement this procedure, it must be taught. I will teach
this procedure by introducing my students to the classroom helper list and
explain to the students that it will change each week as a result of the
jobs changing each every week. Additionally, I will model and instruct
students what each job entails and explain that the classroom helper
chart should be checked every Monday, so that they know what their job
is for the week ahead. Then, I will assign students their job for the first week
of school. The students will then model/explain what the job and
procedure entails, so that I can assess their understanding of both the
procedure and the classroom jobs. After teaching the classroom helper
jobs, students will practice their jobs during their first week of school. The
main objective of practicing this procedure, though, is for students to
remember they have a role in contributing to the classroom each week.
Realistically, students will understand each job as the weeks go by

because of the numerous amount of jobs. The next step is to reinforce the
students of doing the procedure. Students will be explicitly praised when
doing the procedure correctly (both checking their job each week and
doing their daily role), just like the other procedures. In addition, students
will learn from other students by seeing others praised for doing the
procedure. If self-correction is not done, the procedure will be re-taught,
re-practiced, and then likely to develop as a routine. Finally, I will know
that my students have achieved the understanding of this procedure
once they check their jobs independently each week and commit to their
classroom job each day. By assigning my students a classroom helper job
each week, I believe that my students will gain a sense of community
within the classroom, which will result in a positive learning environment.

Classroom Helper Chart

(For teacher only. Students chart will be an interactive bulletin board.)
Week of __________________________
Absent Recorder__________________________
Door Monitor__________________________
Board Eraser__________________________
Board Washer__________________________
Caboose__________________________
Calendar Helper__________________________
Chair Stacker__________________________
Chair Un-Stacker__________________________
Clip Chart Helper__________________________
Desk Straightener__________________________
Duster__________________________
Germinator__________________________
Librarian__________________________
Light Person__________________________
Line Leader__________________________
Lunch Collector__________________________
Materials Manager__________________________
Messenger__________________________
Paper Collector __________________________
Paper Passer__________________________
Pencil Sharpener__________________________
Recycle Collector__________________________
Sweeper__________________________
Water Plants__________________________

Where Are You?

School

Bathroom

Nurse

Home

Library

Office