This morning I woke up, turned on the pre-loaded coffee maker, splashed water in my face, brushed my teeth, put in my workout clothes, organized the furniture so that I would have enough space to do each the dreadful (not actually) exercising, and logged into the digital workout. That is my morning routine and I do it without even thinking about it.This was not always the situation, learn more about health. When COVID-19 struck, I think that it’s safe to state that lots of our formerly learned daily routines went outside the window. If you are like me (and many humans), this probably caused you to feel somewhat anxious… till you were able to create and settle into new patterns. Humans are pattern seekers, and patterns can bring order to situations which feel chaotic.
They can relieve anxiety and, when heard, give our wisdom time and space to think thoughts which are more complex than, say, “How do I render this Zoom assembly without anybody noticing?”Routines in the ClassroomI’d argue that teachers know that the power of routines better than every other group of professionals. In fact, the first few weeks of college are typically devoted to helping pupils learn expectations, processes, and patterns which will help the classroom operate like a well-oiled machine. Whereas course expectations or”rules” are those worldwide, overarching guidelines for pupils that speak to classroom culture and safety, patterns address the particular activities across the day which reinforce or support the expectations.For example, among the classroom expectations within an early childhood classroom might be, “We are secure with our own bodies.”
This is the worldwide classroom guideline that’s referred to over and over again. So, the patterns that would support that expectation across the day might include things like lining up at a safe distance without touching each other or transitioning from Circle period to Centers within an orderly manner.Arguably, a lot of the day for pupils is spent finishing patterns. Why is this important? Well, in addition to helping kids stay secure, once pupils understand the routines, their brains can focus on exactly what we REALLY want them to understand, whether it’s literacy, math, or how to be a fantastic friend. Students who require a lot of repetition to learn new abilities, like those with intellectualdisabilities or developmental delays, benefit greatly from classrooms which have predictable, consistent patterns set up.When pupils have learned the patterns that help them navigate the college day, skill acquisition, engagement, and self-regulation thrive. And, patterns help teachers! Once patterns are learned, teachers have to focus on teaching!There are some great beginning of the year classroom patterns featured on Pinterest, like this example:This fall, many of us will be going back to brick and mortar teaching and our students will be joining us. This will be an adjustment, to say the very least, and putting solid patterns set up will help everyone feel less anxious and more secure. Some patterns from our pre-COVID planet will remain the same, however a few fresh, “COVID” routines will be created to ensure that all pupils are following current safety instructions to the best of their skills.
Some examples might include things like lining up at a secure social distance, cleaning up following centers or work time by putting used substances in a”filthy” bin, or pupils sanitizing their hands before assessing individualized schedules and transitioning to a new place.When thinking about producing fresh”COVID” patterns, start by asking these questions:Which are the pre-COVID patterns that will remain the same?Are there any existing patterns which will need to be adjusted for safety?Are there any new patterns which I need to add?Who’ll be implementing the patterns? (Teacher, paraprofessionals, and related service providers?)How will the patterns be taught? Are there some students in my course that will need modifications to some routine because of their disabilities? (For example, a pupil with Autism is functioning on tolerating the sensation of getting wet hands and becomes very nervous when asked to wash his hands.)Are there any choices for those who can get them closer to the safety instructions?