The annotations below are based on the following video:
0:35 - Ms. Noonan mentioned embedding content in classroom management strategies. This sounds like a great way to keep students focused on the material while still creating order in your classroom. As a future ELA teacher myself, I’m really looking forward to seeing what she comes up with.
1:03 - The first transition that Ms. Noonan used was “Word of the Day.” This is definitely a content based transition, and it really seemed to get the class’s attention. I like that the students got to choose the actual word. That is a great way to keep them thinking about the material even when you are in between lessons. It also looked like she picked a student at random to choose the word of the day, which is a good way of keeping students on their toes.
1:27 - In addition to just reviewing a word that is relevant to content, Ms. Noonan uses the word to transition her class from sitting in their desks to sitting on the carpet. This particular part seemed a little forced, but it also seemed to work well for her class. I do like that she works to use the word throughout the day so that students get used to hearing the word in sentences.
2:39 - Although it seems a bit repetitive to use the same word to signal everything throughout the day, it does seem like the students like the routine of knowing that they have to wait for the word. Because I am going to be working with middle school students, a lot of this seems a little young for them.
3:09 - That is such a cool idea! This transition, the “Grab Bag Quiz,” allows Ms. Noonan to ask her students review questions for any subject and gauge their understanding. Additionally, this allows the kids to get a little competitive, hoping to be the first one the answer the question so they can be dismissed first. This is definitely something I could see working with middle school students, especially if you wanted to dismiss students by group or by row. It could be turned into a semester long competition if you wanted, giving students something to work towards. This transition really seemed to grab the kids’ attention, and I think it would work on many different grade levels.
3:55 - Ms. Noonan makes a great point about students modeling good transitions for their peers. By sending students to their desks in small groups, Ms. Noonan allows her students to take charge of their own transition, cultivating an environment where good transitions are rewarded with positive feedback and the privilege of getting to do things first. This is something that I think would work best in elementary school, but I could see it working in middle school as well in some sort of variation. Perhaps in terms of dismissal? Or getting to do something first, be in pick out a book from the class library or have access to a computer or tablet?
4:18 - Another great point. This definitely serves as an incentive throughout the day. I think that for older students, the incentive might need to be greater than just getting to go to their desks first, like I mentioned above. However, for younger kids, this really seems like it works. I like this idea for a transition because it can function as both a transition and content review.
Summary of Ms. Noonan’s Transition Strategies
Ms. Noonan discussed two teaching strategies that she uses in her classroom. The first is called “Word of the Day,” and it is a transition that is used throughout the day that helps create a sense of routine for students. “Word of the Day” starts by the teacher asking a student to select a word of the day from any content area that has been covered in class. In the example in the video, the word was “quixotic,” meaning impractical. Once the word is selected, the teacher says the word aloud signaling to the students that it is time to all go sit on the rug, at which time they learn about the word of the day, including what it means, where it comes from, and how to use it. From there, the day resumes, and the word of the day is used to signal that it is time to end one activity and begin another. This strategy seemed quite effective for Ms. Noonan’s students, but they did require some reminding of how good transitions look when this transition was used. This transition would likely work best with elementary school children because older students may feel talked down to. However, a word of the day is a great idea, even for older students, and could be used to help create a sense of routine.
The second transition that Ms. Noonan used was called “Grab Bag Quiz.” Of the two transition, this one seemed to be the most effective with this group of students, and I think it would be effective with a variety of grade levels. For this transition, the teacher poses questions to the class and dismisses them by group as they answer questions correctly. The only restriction on the questions is that they must cover content that has been covered in class at some point during the year. Other than that, it can come from any subject area and require any length of answer. This activity really engaged students in the transition process and served as a clear break between one activity and the next. “Grab Bag Quiz” functions as follows. The teacher poses a question to the class. Students raise their hands, and the teacher calls on them. Once a student gets the questions correct, their group is dismissed to their desks. The students then model an appropriate transition to their still-waiting classmates. The quiz continues until all students are seated at their desks. There are many variations that a teacher could do on the particular transition, including awarding points based on when students answered questions and creating a competition. This could also be used as an end of day dismissal strategy or to allow students access to privileges. One of the things that makes this strategy so effective is that students become competitive, wanting to answer questions correctly, which drives them to pay more attention in class. Additionally, this transition functions as a review of content, efficiently using class time.
Transition Strategies for My Classroom
Because I am going to be teaching middle school students, a transition like “Word of the Day” likely would seem a bit condescending, which is something I absolutely want to avoid. I do think that “Grab Bag Quiz” would work well as a dismissal activity, but because there is generally less movement in a secondary classroom than in an elementary classroom, I do not think it would be terribly successful during lessons. However, in my research, I found two strategies that really help with time management in the middle school ELA classroom, one of which is a transition. The transition I found is to use a timer and decide on a set amount of time for an activity. If it is a short transition that needs to take less than 30 seconds, give them 30 seconds on the clock and make it a race. If it is an activity that will take, say, 20 minutes, set the timer for 20 minutes and periodically remind them how much time they have left. This allows students to monitor their own progress (all students should be able to check the timer), and it cuts down on the number of times students ask how much longer they have to work on a particular activity. An additional classroom management tip that I stumbled across was having students use simple signs to signal what they need. If they need help, they put one finger up in the air. If they need to use the bathroom or get a drink of water, they put two fingers up. If they need to sharpen their pencil or get some sort of classroom supplies for what they are working on, they put three fingers up. This cuts down on the amount of time spent discussing things like using the bathroom and sharpening pencils while still alerting the teacher to the students’ needs and allowing the teacher to say that it is not a good time for the student to leave their seat if, say, the teacher is about to give directions. I think that both of these strategies, coupled with a dismissal version of “Grab Bag Quiz,” would work well to help transition through the middle school class period.
References
Hopf, W. (n.d.). Strategies to improve transitions and time management [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/improve-transition-time-management#video-sidebar_tab_video-guide-tab
Noonan, M. (n.d.). Ms. Noonan: Managing transitions [Video file]. Retrieved from https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/platform-videos/M4U3A2_MsNoonanManagingTransitions.mp4
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