Ah, nice to think of sweating as the summer inevitably turns into fall, isn't it? But this time of year is when the sweating begins, at least for teachers.
Coach G's got some characteristically insightful thoughts on student movement within classrooms. The gist? Naturally steer students toward the least disruptive ways to sharpen their pencils, staple their packets, and throw out their trash. You do most of the "policing" ahead of time and you get to do less policing in class.
Tactics like this are the meat of what I'd call the "every-minute-counts" strategy. It doesn't just apply to individual students' behaviors, but also to group movements. Students should know how to form groups and transition to different parts of the classroom.
Do the math: an extra 30 seconds spent transitioning as a class, times four times per class, is 10 minutes a week. Times 35 weeks a year? That's 350 minutes wasted preening, slouching, slinking. Or the equivalent of about seven class periods. For each class! Figure out where you need students to move, and when, and how, and teach it, starting at week one.
Movement strategies are great for minimizing disruptions by individual students. Combine that with strategies for groups, and you've got: more teaching time, and more on-task.
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