The Lemov Series : Applied Techniques in ELT "Entry Routine"
Learning, growth, fostering intuition and creativity are possibilities in the classroom – possibilities that are easily smothered by bad behavioral norms. Setting a high degree of behavior expectation in the classroom is essential for progressive and effective learning. However, like most things in the classroom, the battle for achievement largely rests upon the shoulders of the teacher - not the students. Setting your students up to succeed is every bit as important as expecting them to succeed.
One of the easiest tools to bolster student achievement is the implementation of “routines”. Now, routines come in many shapes and sizes. In a sense, a school is a very complex system of routines – metered out daily with individual actors fulfilling a multitude of roles. Routines can give structure to students’ life at school – a key component to success. Today the focus will be on one specific classroom routine – the “Entry Routine”.
The “Entry Routine” is meant to cement positive classroom culture – an environment focused and driven by learning.
“Entry Routine is about making a habit out of what’s efficient, productive, and scholarly after the greeting and as students take their seats and class begins.”
The routine is open ended, nonspecific, and adaptable to be tailor to each individual classroom. Most commonly it can consist of a packet of materials (for the days lesson) that students pick up, assigned seating charts, a place to turn in their homework, and a brief task for them to engage in prior to the start of class. All the information for both students’ success and teachers’ success should be readily available – and access prior to the lesson starting. This can be difficult to effectively transition to the ESL classroom but when done properly the results are fantastic.
The difficulty in setting up a normative entry routine in the ESL classroom largely revolves around two factors: location and level. Location refers to the situation affecting many public-school ELT’s. Rotating classrooms, changing materials in each class (From projectors on blackboards to nothing at all), variable classroom setup (Desks – or chairs – or pads), lack of control over seating charts etc. Level refers to the English level of the students. ELT’s often rotate between beginner – intermediate – advanced level classes, and can have mixed classrooms (Student Age, Reading Ability, Speaking Ability, Writing Ability).
In some cases, an effective entry routine can bolster students’ confidence in material or ability. It can smooth out difficult pronunciation or help strengthen tricky grammar. It can be a practical way to adapt yesterdays content into a quick review prior to the new lesson. In many ways an entry routine can do more than only support; it can help progress an ESL classroom. However, a careless entry routine can spiral a classroom out of control. Understanding the “lay of the land” is the best tool for an ELT. Accurately gauging the level of students, knowing the materials accessible to the teacher and planning for unforeseen hiccups are crucial for developing entry routines. Challenging students with too difficult material will undercut their confidence. Under appreciating the ability of students, or not accounting for mixed level classes, will leave students free to engage in distracting activities.
Entry routines in my kindergarten classes are important means for bringing student attention to the front of the classroom at the start of English Class. The matter of the Location means that I will be entering a classroom that is out of my control. Students have assigned sitting styles and are un-able to adapt on the fly to changing environments. The nature of this limits the ability of my students to engage in a wide range of entry routines. Such as packets, coloring, written work, etc. The best adaptive method I have found for this difficulty is the usage of a two-part routine - songs and commands. For a month at a time each English class will start with the same song. The song works as both a signal that English class is starting – children are routinely coming in late from other activities or are sidetracked for other responsibilities assigned by the homeroom teacher – and serves as a tool to strengthen grammar/vocabulary for that month. The simplicity of the songs helps to bolster student confidence in spoken English language. That cannot be underrated in an early childhood classroom. The second part is are the review of classroom commands. After the song has finished students are prompted with a series of basic English commands. The students are expected to work their way through the series of commands to both bring attention to the start of class and burn off excess energy. Early childhood English language learning is a high energy affair, but starting off in control, and with focus, is essential.
Having a daily routine helps students envision structure in their classroom environment. It signals the start of English Class and brings attention back to the teacher. Students who are acting out or distracted are roped in by their peers or by social normative pressures.
The “Lemov” Series is a review Doug Lemov’s 2011 book: Teach like a Champion: 49 Techniques that put students on the path to college. I highly recommend this fantastic work and do not claim any of these techniques as of/or being my original content.
