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E.ggtimer.com, Online-Stopwatch.com, or Timer-Tab.com—when combined with verbal time signals—helps students anticipate and prepare for an approaching transition.

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A Free online stopwatch, quick easy to use stopwatch! also an online countdown!

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Lesson transitions can be frustrating when they don't go smoothly. Move from one activity to the next efficiently using these simple tips for classroom transitions.

Imagine this: You're teaching an engaging lesson about short stories. Students are participating in the whole-class activity. Just as you prepare to move into the next segment of the lesson, small-group instruction, your principal walks in. Of course, you can't find the papers you need to get the activity started. Perfect timing. Students being whispering...then talking louder. Pretty soon, you have students lining up to ask questions about whether or not there will be homework and if they can use the restroom. A group in the back decides to break out their iPads to sneak in a game of Fortnite.

If you teach middle or high school students, you may be familiar with a scenario such as this. Try as we might, there are times when our classroom transitions don't go the way we would hope. Just like everything else in education, there are best practices in lesson transitions. Let's explore how some of these techniques can improve the efficiency of transitions during lessons.

ORGANIZATION

My classroom transitions always go smoother when I've organized everything I need before the period begins. Make necessary photocopies in advance. Try to put them in the same place every day so that it's second nature to find them. Check technology in between class periods to make sure it's still working from the last time you used it. Lay out your lesson plan notes in bulleted format somewhere that you can see them and recall what's next on the agenda quickly.

Granted, organization is not fool-proof. There will still be times when we misplace papers, technology fails, or we are simply overwhelmed by an abundance of course preps.

ROUTINES

Like us, students are creatures of habits. Have a consistent beginning-of-class routine. Whether it's a bell ringer or independent reading time, students will be more likely to get to work during the transition from passing period to class start if they know what is expected.

If you have some willing students, record parodies of classroom routines for future classes to evaluate. Sure, they'll laugh and enjoy watching, but they'll also have a memorable visual and an opportunity to evaluate what went wrong. Bonus: Have students record their own videos, completing the routine efficiently.

Also, practice! Classroom transitions are a routine, just like passing in papers and using the restroom. If your students struggle with transitioning from whole group to small group formats, practice moving desks. Do it several times in a row for a week. After each practice round, talk with students. What is going well? What needs improvement?

If your students tend to line up at the door, practice the routine for the end of class. How do you want students to transition at the end? What should it look like? What should it sound like?

SIGNALS

Perhaps part of - or separate from - your routines, you may want to consider using signals. They can help quickly grab students' attention when things are not going as smoothly as you'd like. The basic premise behind signals is to break students' pattern of behavior by interrupting them with an unexpected stimulus.

Think back to the example from earlier. Just as you notice your students beginning to get noisy and one stands up to approach you, you could clap twice. If trained, your students will know to clap three times in return and listen. Then, you'd have the opportunity to explain to them that you're looking for something and give them some quick directions for what to do while they wait.

Wondering about possible signals you could use? There isn't a "right" option. Know your students. Grade level matters. Longer signals (like counting to ten in a foreign language) don't always keep students' attention. Some teachers use bells of various kinds. Others use count downs. Clapping and music are popular, as are verbal queues ( 1-2-3, Eyes on Me; Hocus Pocus, Time to Focus) and Harry Wong's Give Me 5.

REARRANGE

Students' attention spans in middle school range from 10 to 12 minutes per activity, only increasing to about 15 to 20 minutes in high school. So? Chunking matters in lesson planning. However, if a class period is 50 minutes, the goal would still be to reduce the total number of transition times in order to increase learning time.

Look at your upcoming lesson plans. Are activities divided into chunks to keep students focused? Could you rearranged anything to reduce the total number of transitions?

For instance, pretend your school is 1:1 and you are planning to have students use their devices twice during one class period, at the beginning and the end. Is there any way you could put those activities back to back or eliminate the need to get devices out and put them away twice?

DIRECTIONS

We can help make transitions smoother by demanding students' full attention and then clearly explaining what is going to happen next. Consider:

NO: Class, I want you to get out your iPads. After you log in, go to Seesaw. When you are in Seesaw....(at this point, you've already lost many of them because they probably pulled out their iPads and began tuning you out right away.)

YES: Class, in just a moment, we are going to be transitioning into the next part of today's lesson. In doing so, we will need to get out our iPads. BUT! Before we do, let's make sure everyone understands the directions. They are also written on the board behind me. It's important that everyone is on the same page, so put on your listening ears. (After giving the directions, ask for questions. Once questions are answered, then allow students to get out their devices.)

Many times, we say, "I need your eye contact and full attention, please." Often, students give it to us, but only for a moment. Demand attention. It's another routine we need to practice.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Try as we might, transitions can get messy sometimes. Things come up. A student knocks at our door needing something, technology is glitchy, or, despite your best efforts at being organized, you've misplaced something.

For these times, consider having students keep a graphic organizer on their desk so that you can ask them to answer questions on it throughout the period. These questions can both help to fill transition time meaningfully as well as provide you with a formative assessment piece.

Students may not use the notes page every day, but the premise is simple. When you are transitioning between parts of a lesson and want to make sure students are staying focused on what they just completed or what they are about to do, give them a prompt. Have them record their answer on the graphic organizer.

You can use fun shapes on the graphic organizers* where students record their thoughts, and prompts can relate to any aspect of your subject area - or to building relationships with students. (* Sign up for my mailing list to grab a free graphic organizer and example from my resource library.)

Most importantly, follow through. After you've established your routines, signals, and directions, stay true to them. Just like with parenting, students quickly learn whether we mean what we say and whether we will be lax on our expectations.

Lesson transitions are an important piece of classroom management that can increase learning time and lead to a more productive and inviting classroom culture. Take some time to reflect on how you might tidy up classroom transitions so that the next time your principal stops by, you won't even bat an eye.

Read Next:

RELATED RESOURCE:

If you'd like to get started with this graphic organizer Stop and Jot classroom transitions strategy, click on the image below. Still not sure? Try it! By signing up for my email list below, you'll have full access to my resource library, exclusive for subscribers.

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Classroom Transitions: 6 Ideas and Strategies for Secondary | Reading and Writing Haven

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Lesson transitions can be frustrating when they don't go smoothly. Move from one activity to the next efficiently using these simple tips for classroom transitions. Imagine this: You're teaching an engaging lesson about short stories. Students are participating in the whole-class activity.

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Bathroom Rules (Middle School and High School)

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Bathroom Rules (Middle School and High School)

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Rule #1: They had to take a bathroom pass with them.

Rule #2: They could only be gone a maximum of six minutes.

Rule #3: They had to sign out legibly and sign back in.

Rule #4: No signing out during the first or last 5 minutes of class or during lecture.

Rule #5: No pit stops

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Ask any high school teacher, and they'll tell you one of the most annoying rituals of the day is students coming up before and during class asking if they can run to the bathroom. Not only is it disruptive, but teachers have to take time away from their work to write out pass after pass after pass. The whole process is frustrating, time-consuming, and tedious. Without a good bathroom pass policy, you can waste class time and lose your sanity.

You and your students will be much happier with this bathroom pass policy.

Never Write Another Bathroom Pass

That's why, about halfway through this year, I decided there must be a better way of handling the bathroom pass situation. As it stood, I was taking on all of the responsibility for the bathroom passes myself. I was the one who decided if the students could leave class, I monitored the length of time they were gone, I wrote out the passes, and I disciplined those students who took too much time to return. It was too much for my A.D.D. mind to track while I was trying to focus on teaching. I decided that, if I wanted my classroom to be more efficient, I should move the responsibility of the bathroom passes from me to my students.

But wait . . . you might be thinking there is no way you could trust most high school students to decide for themselves when they could leave class, and I'm right there with you. How in the world can you monitor them and keep them accountable? Well, after much thought, I found a strategy that does just that, and it has worked so much better than my old plan. Seriously, I wish I had done this years ago.

This bathroom pass policy is simple enough, but it required a slight leap of faith to be able to trust that students would use it appropriately. Basically, I placed a sign-out sheet in my room and I told the students that they could sign out to the bathroom without asking as long as they stuck to the following five basic rules.

Rule #1: They had to take a bathroom pass with them.

This rule made it so that only one student could be gone at a time. I made a simple 3 x 4 inch bathroom pass out of some old watercolor paper. I wrote "Bathroom Pass" in Sharpie, along with my room number and a reminder to the students about signing out before leaving. I put packing tape over the front and back to "laminate" it and then stuck it in a place the students could see it, clipped by a magnet on the white board.

Rule #2: They could only be gone a maximum of six minutes.

I also put a reminder about this rule on the sign out sheet and on the pass. Six minutes is plenty of time for students to be gone, but I also encourage them to let me know if they are having an emergency that might cause them to be gone longer.

Rule #3: They had to sign out legibly and sign back in.

If I can't read the students names or the times at which they signed out, I'm not going to be able to monitor them. Students also have to sign in and mark the time so that they know I will be checking to make sure they weren't gone longer than 6 minutes. If they don't sign out legibly or correctly, they lose their privileges altogether.

Rule #4: No signing out during the first or last 5 minutes of class or during lecture.

This rule keeps students in their seats during times when they need to be paying attention, like during lecture. It also keeps them focused at the beginning of class and less antsy at the end of class.

This bathroom pass policy helps to motivate students to go directly to the bathroom and then directly back to class with no pit stops.

This should be an obvious rule, but many students will try to kill two birds with one stone while they are out in the halls with a pass. If students go anywhere other than the bathroom, they will lose their pass privileges in full.

Since enacting this policy, the classroom experience has improved for myself and for my students. I no longer start each class with students at my desk asking if they can use the bathroom. I can now know that all of the students will be in their seats and ready to hear classroom announcements during the first and last five minutes of class. Also, I no longer have to interrupt my teaching or my work to write endless bathroom passes.

Use this bathroom pass sheet to print out passes for your class. You can print them on cardstock and then laminate them.

Stop Distractions and Give Students More Responsibility

The students also like this bathroom pass policy because it doesn't treat them like children. It puts much of the responsibility on their shoulders and gives them more freedom in their own choices and time management. That said, there are enough rules and consequences to make sure they follow the guidelines.

I also love that this bathroom pass policy leaves me with a detailed sign out sheet for my class. It's much better than when I would just write passes and the students would throw them away upon returning. I now know which students left during class, when they left, and when they returned. It's just another good tool for tracking what happens in my classroom.

It's amazing what a dramatic difference a change in something as small as a bathroom policy can make in the classroom. So much of teaching stress stems from classroom management issues so when you find the right technique it can make everything run more smoothly.

What are your thoughts on this bathroom pass policy? Have you tried something similar or better? I'd love to hear any comments or ideas.

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A High School Bathroom Pass Policy that Actually Works

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Ask any high school teacher, and they'll tell you one of the most annoying rituals of the day is students coming up before and during class asking if they can run to the bathroom. Not only is it disruptive, but teachers have to take time away from their work to write out pass after pass after pass.

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It has been suggested that the concentration span of an average student is about 10-15 minutes... yet our lessons last on average 40-60 minutes! It's no wonder one of our biggest struggles in the classroom is to maintain our students' attention and behaviour. Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks we can use to maintain concentration all lesson long, and one of the best tools I've found to do this, is to use countdown timers!

There are a variety of countdown timers available to you, check out this post on awesome countdown timers for the classroom to see some of the options. In this post however, you're going to learn some fun ways you can use countdown timers to get the most out of your students' concentration all lesson long:

1) Rotation Station
Rotation Stations are excellent ways of getting all your students up and moving and involved in their learning. It can also encourage excellent collaboration too as students are working together to discuss the work you set in each rotation.

However, they can go belly up if you don't have some kind of time management tool in place. With the use of countdown timers, you can manage the rotation station activity in a couple of ways: for younger students who might need a more controlled environment, you can give students a certain amount of time in each station. ​The use of a countdown with some kind of noise or signal at the end can be great for alerting students that the time is up - it helps them learn time management and also means that there's much less input from you required too, which is great!

For your older students, they might benefit from less control from you which will help them learn time management skills independently. As I teach teens, I like to issue 20 minutes for my rotation station activities and then tell them they need to work at their own pace to self manage their time to ensure they get round to each station. This works really well in my classroom as my students will take ownership to check the timer on the board and work out when they need to be moving on to the next station!

Below are some resources that will help you set up your own Rotation Stations for any subject and age group. You can use these editable and printable resources to put into the Tolsby IKEA frames (as seen pictured below) or any photo frames really, and have them by each station to help students navigate the room. You can read more about how to set up your own rotation stations here.

The other resource is a set of countdown timers that are downloadable for you to embed into your own PowerPoint if you choose, or they can be used alone. These have the added benefit of not requiring internet access and there are no pesky ads to worry about either:

Another great use for countdown timers is when it comes to tidying up! Parkinson's Law has a well known adage that states that Here you can use Parkinson's Law in an opposite way than the previous example! Sometimes when you get students up to speak in front of the class and practice their public speaking skills, you probably notice that some manage to get up and back in their seat before you've even had a chance to get your pen poised!
2)
"work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion". In other words, if you start tidying up 10 minutes before the bell but don't set and enforce a time limit, your students will take right up until the end of lesson bell to tidy up, which is not ideal if you want to fit in a reflection activity.

But, if you tell them they only have 2 minutes, you best believe they will do it in 2 minutes and seeing a visual like the countdown timer for PowerPoint resource listed above, will mean that students can see the bar decreasing and will be able to manage time more effectively to get your classroom spick and span quickly!

Well, if we know the work expands to fill the time available, then surely if we have a 2 minute timer in the background and tell them they need to fill that time then they'll have something further to add, right?! Right. It's a great tool for encouraging all students to be really thorough and explain their thoughts in more detail, especially because public speaking can mean fear kicks in and students might not get a chance to say everything they're thinking.

I hope these have given you some fun ways to use countdown timers in your classroom. Timers not only help your students, but they will help you too especially if time management is something you're always trying to work on! I know from being a mentor to new teachers, time management is often an area of focus and these timers will really help you keep on track and maintain pace in your lessons too.

Finally, remember Parkinson's Law: the work expands to fill the time available. If you want your students to remain focused and make outstanding progress in your lesson, then start using countdown timers and watch the magic happen! Remember, you can download these ready made countdown timers for use in your own PowerPoints right here!
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3) Public Speaking

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3 fun ways to use countdown timers in the classroom

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It has been suggested that the concentration span of an average student is about 10-15 minutes... yet our lessons last on average 40-60 minutes! It's no wonder one of our biggest struggles in the classroom is to maintain our students' attention and behavi

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Classes need to be well organised. Students need to be able to move freely in the classroom without meeting obstructions and each item needs a set place. Clean up transitions, from making sure chairs are under tables to clear desks allow effective classroom management.

Time can also be wasted if students can't find implements needed for an activity such as scissors or glue. Therefore the class needs to be organised so everything is accessible and clearly labelled. It is imperative that middle school classes are clearly organised so students know where things live.

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In middle school you can assign task managers, so one student may collect work, another is in charge of glue and scissors. As mentioned earlier,  timers can be used to keep transitions timely, and positive rewards can be given for quick transitions.

You can also have a class leader. He can check after each class. Giving students this responsibility also helps gives them ownership of the classroom environment.

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In middle school, it is important for students to understand the process. This video teaches:
- What are transition and why are they important.
- Directly teach the steps involved in transitions.
- Model expected behaviours.
- Show what transitions shouldn't be like.
- Practice with guidance and feedback.

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The modern day class should use technology. However, a lot of time can be wasted opening and closing computers.

Using whole brain teaching techniques you can have signals for when a computer should be out and open or closed and away.

Having the teacher say, "computer", then having the kids look at the teacher and say, "open or closed?". The teacher then could do a hand signal, which would allow the students to open or close their computers. While the students do this, they say, "open" or "closed" three times while completing the task. Having the students chanting will help keep students on task and avoid off task behaviour.

The below video shows the concept, but the computer routine above is a modified concept:

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1. Secure students’ attention: “Focus on me, please.”

2. Explain the procedure: “In a moment, return to your desks and take out your history textbooks.”

3. Prepare kids for the signal to start: “When I say ‘smooth,’ you’ll quietly proceed.”

4. Initiate the transition: “And... smooth.” Don’t say “go,” warns Linsin, because that word cues students to race.

5. Observe: Watch to make sure all students are complying.

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Move students in and out of class and between activities smoothly to save valuable instruction time.

While facilitating a demo lesson in front of eight Georgia instructors, my credibility crumbled when 35 cranky middle graders gridlocked themselves in a failed attempt to move their desks into small groups. Charitably, the observing teachers pretended not to notice.

Botched transitions are not only embarrassing, they're lost time. If you save 15 minutes a day through more efficient transitions, that will result in 45 extra hours of instructional time per year. Therefore, shifting students from one task to the next is worth getting right.

There are essentially three types of transitions: entering class and taking a seat, switching from one academic activity to another, and exiting class. And just like any academic procedure, transitions are taught through explicit explanations, clear models, rehearsal, and review.

1. Secure students' attention: "Focus on me, please."

2. Explain the procedure: "In a moment, return to your desks and take out your history textbooks."

3. Prepare kids for the signal to start: "When I say 'smooth,' you'll quietly proceed."

4. Initiate the transition: "And... smooth." Don't say "go," warns Linsin, because that word cues students to race.

5. Observe: Watch to make sure all students are complying.

Whether students are transitioning from reading to math, or PE to the drinking fountain, author Mike Linsin recommends standardizing the process with five steps that I paraphrase this way:

Troubleshooting

Did I provide too many or too few directions?

Did the transition catch kids off guard when they were absorbed in an activity?

Did too many kids have nothing to do?

Are there specific students who created chaos?

When transitions take too long or learners misbehave, it's time to don your figurative Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat and reflect on these questions:

After answering those questions, try some of the techniques described below.

When transitions take too long: To counter students dragging their feet, announce how many seconds are left before the next event begins. Teachers like Tyler Hester take out a stopwatch and challenge kids to beat the transition times of other classes ( see a video example at the 35 minute mark). And here's a personal secret: Slowly counting down from five in a booming voice never fails to accelerate transitions.

When procedures aren't followed: Lining up her students at the end of the day was a problem for one fifth-grade teacher. Her challenging class often erupted into fights, and the assistant principal chewed her out for delaying the buses. As a solution, she affixed black dots to the floor three feet apart for students to stand on and provided more time for packing belongings. After a few practice sessions, her students' dismissal behavior improved.

Any transition benefits from showing young students how to ninja walk. Other routines are equally engaging; Watch Madeline Noonan's fifth graders ready themselves in "super scholar style" or with "word of the day" signals.

A number of studies show that reminders called precorrectives reduce misbehavior during transitions. Right before a transition, ask a child to describe the proper progression of steps for, say, entering the class after recess. Or play " correct the teacher " by performing examples and non-examples while learners indicate incorrect actions with a thumbs-down signal. Then call on someone to articulate or model the correct procedure.

In another precorrective, described by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a child walks through the procedure while the teacher narrates: "Let's watch Noel at the sink. First, she turns the handles a bit. What does she need next? That's right, soap! She pumps once because that is all she needs. Now she is rinsing off the bubbles and is ready for her paper towel. How many pulls does she need? Let's say it together-one, two, that will do!"

Finally, an effective strategy for reteaching transitions is simply to direct the entire class to start over. Budget extra time for do-overs during the first two weeks of class and be patient. As the Navy SEALs say, "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

When students don't want to quit what they're doing: Have you ever seen a boy wail when bedtime is announced? More than likely, he felt blindsided. In the classroom, many kids feel the same volcanic emotions when asked to stop doing an activity that absorbs them. However, displaying a countdown timer, like E.ggtimer.com, Online-Stopwatch.com, or Timer-Tab.com -when combined with verbal time signals-helps students anticipate and prepare for an approaching transition.

When younger children get distracted: In an article on transitions, Sarah E. Mathews cites a 2007 study that showed how "children appeared excited to engage in many routines that were part of music." Singing the following song, says Mathews, will help kindergartners straighten their work areas between activities: "A helper I will be. A helper I will be. / There's work to do. There's work to do. A helper I will be." Or play this clean up song.

Letting students take charge of transitions: Transitions don't have to involve an entire class. Watch how Wendy Hopf's sixth graders use hand signals: Raising one finger requests help, raising two fingers asks for a bathroom or water break, and raising three fingers indicates that a pencil needs sharpening. "I love it," says Hopf, "because I have the option of saying no."

Research suggests that successful transitions are quick and have clear beginnings and endings. Meeting those requirements will maximize learning time. However, don't be afraid to add in some whimsy, like the North Carolina teacher who greets each student with a charming individual handshake as they enter the classroom each morning, thus illustrating that transitions happen with kids, not to them.

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Move students in and out of class and between activities smoothly to save valuable instruction time.

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ADHD is the most common learning disability. These students can find transitions difficult especially if they are engaged in an activity and do not want it to end.

The following strategies will enable smoother transitions:

- Give students warning before the activity is going to end. Saying, "you have two minutes to get to a good stopping point." is an effective way.
- Provide students with a visual representation. Such as a schedule or plan of different activities.
- Provide a transition routine, such as checking off a list, or putting a lollipop stick in a transitions jar. Then students can visualize their success, or get an extrinsic reward a number of sticks in the jar.

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It's time to leave the park, turn off the video game, or get out of bed and get ready. These scenarios happen every day, but still your child acts surprised and throws a fit every time you have to make one of these routine transitions.

Maybe it's a full-blown tantrum. Maybe it's persistent negotiations that wear on your ears. Maybe it's outright defiance. Maybe it's complete ignoring of anything you say.

Most kids will react to transitions negatively at some point, but kids with ADHD seem to be hardwired to resist transition of any kind -- every time.

The stress of transitions seems to impact kids with ADHD more than kids without. It's what clinical psychologist Carol Brady calls " transition trauma." Your child just doesn't know what to do with the intense emotions that transitions bring.

Why does transition trauma affect kids with ADHD?

They Live in the Moment

Kids with ADHD often live in the now. Tomorrow is of no consequence, and yesterday is no big deal. Whatever's happening today, in this moment, is what matters the most to children with ADHD. If they're enjoying what they're currently doing, it's extra hard for them to realize there could be a good reason for stopping it.

Turning off the TV to eat dinner makes sense to most of us, but a child with ADHD is loving the show right-this-second. Dinner doesn't matter, even if his belly is rumbling. It's hard for him to understand the reason for the switch, and his emotions often get the better of him - welcome to Tantrum City.

Rewards Work Differently for Them

People without ADHD can talk themselves into doing something undesirable (straightening a room or setting the table) because they know it's a necessary task for an end goal. But kids with ADHD struggle to keep their mind on the end goal, and have difficulty connecting why this task now relates to anything in the future.

What's more: they crave rewards, and if a certain activity doesn't offer a reward, it's incredibly difficult for them to self-motivate.

"Kids with ADHD have fewer neurons in their reward centers, or neurons that aren't as active in the reward centers of their brains, so they find things throughout their day less rewarding," said Dr. Matthew Rouse, clinical psychologist. "When they do find something rewarding, they tend to hyper-focus on it, which explains why someone with ADHD seems all over the place but then can play video games for hours. Ask them to do something less rewarding (like putting away Legos), and you might hit resistance."

They Can't Predict Their Environment

Remember: kids with ADHD live in the now. When they're told to stop an activity, it's difficult to know what's coming next - even if you already told them. That lack of predictability can make a child (especially one with ADHD) feel as if he's losing control. Cue the emotional outbursts!

Transition Time Is Unstructured

Often, we move into transition, but we offer no structure during that time. It's time to stop playing the game so we can go to school, but that in-between time is a flurry of unstructured chaos.

What is your child supposed to do? He's just been forced to switch gears against his will, and now he can't figure out what's expected of him in this unstructured time. This can cause your child to become distracted or overwhelmed by the things going on around him.

ADHD Strategies for Transitions

We can't let our kids lead with emotional outbursts, no matter how difficult it is for them to transition. Help your child on his way to calmer reactions and better structure with these ADHD strategies for transitions:

Create a specific routine that immediately follows a certain favorite activity. For example, after Minecraft, your child always eats a healthy snack or goes outside to climb trees. If this routine is expected and enjoyable, it helps your child know exactly what to do - and chances are, once she gets over the initial disappointment of ending one activity, she'll remember quickly how much fun it is to do the next.

Make a visual schedule, one that clearly shows what's coming next. (Brili shows kids the next part of their routine during each step.)

Give your child a warning for when the activity is going to end. It's always better if this warning doesn't come from you. Set a timer they can't argue with, dictate that the activity ends when a parent gets home from work, or set some other predictable mile marker. (Brili's countdown keeps your child focused on the task, while a reminder sound indicates that time is running short.)

Give your child something to do during the transition that clearly indicates a move to something new -- checking off a list, dropping a marble in a jar, moving a game piece on a graph (or advancing the activity in Brili).

Trial and Error

Every kid is different, and every kid exhibits ADHD symptoms differently. It will take time for you to get the right ADHD strategy to help your child transition from one activity to the next, but be persistent until your days are smoother.

Use a tool that takes the responsibility for transitions. Brili effortlessly moves your child through his routine each day -- with no nagging from you.

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How to Help Kids with ADHD Make Smooth Transitions - Brili Routines

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It's time to leave the park, turn off the video game, or get out of bed and get ready. These scenarios happen every day, but still your child acts surprised and throws a fit every time you have to make one of these routine transitions. Maybe it's a full-blown tantrum.

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Control cards are visuals that you have on the board. They can be used for a variety of things:

- Book or Computer
- Volume Control
- Individual, pair, group, or class work

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It is important to explain the students at the beginning of the course when they can go to the toilet and when they should wait

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Middle school students are mature enough to be able to go to the bathroom without asking for permission.

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Education for Today and Tomorrow | L'Education Aujourd'hui et Demain

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"Can I go to the bathroom?"

I've been thinking about this common question, asked so often by children in schools all across the nation. Certainly, it makes sense for very young students to ask for permission to use the restroom. It isn't using the restroom that is an issue, it is being out of the classroom. I get that. Teachers need to know where their little ones are at all times.

But at what point should students be able to stop asking for permission to go? Middle school seems the perfect proving ground for such an experiment. As students transition from elementary to high school, teachers have an opportunity to practice the GRC approach (gradual release of control). Restroom privileges are a good place to start.

I start by teaching the procedure for going to the restroom. (Wait, that didn't come out right!) (Whoa, pardon the pun!)

Deep breath. Regroup.

I start by teaching the procedure for exiting the room in order to use the restroom. Near the door, there hangs a sign-out/sign-in sheet on a clipboard. Taped to the sheet is a pen attached to a string. Above the sheet is a piece of construction paper covered with small sticky note strips. Each sticky note strip has my stamped initials. These slips become the disposable hall passes kids take with them. Upon returning to the classroom, they promptly recycle the slips. (I gave up on the permanent hall pass years ago. A friend visiting my classroom once looked at my hall pass-a plastic ice scraper-hanging near the door and said, "Middle schoolers have been taking that thing to the bathroom with them for years, and you still have it here?")

Then, the procedure. There is always the possibility of a "right-now, rapid-response, get-out-of-my-way!" emergency. I understand that. I tell my students I haven't ever actually seen one, but I realize it is possible.

Barring an all-out emergency, here's my policy for restroom visits:

Choose an appropriate time.

Check the sign-out sheet to make sure nobody else is currently signed out.

Sign out (date, name, time, destination i.e., RR, or restroom).

Grab a sticky note and write the time on it.

Go immediately to your destination, and come right back.

Sign back in by writing the time.

Return quietly to your seat or workspace.

I then explain that as long as the procedure is not abused, it will remain the classroom policy. "As 7th graders," I say, "you are mature enough to monitor your personal needs in this area. I am not required to ask for permission to use the restroom during staff meetings, and if you can handle it responsibly, you should not be required to either. I want to treat you like young adults. I want you to be comfortable in this class. We talk a lot nowadays about hydration, and I realize that this means more frequent trips to the bathroom. I don't want to create a difficult situation for you. If you are being responsible, I cannot think of any reason why I should prevent you from using the restroom."

This approach also eliminates the potential embarrassment of having to ask in front of others. Middle school kids are changing, physically and emotionally, and the need to use the restroom can be for a wide range of reasons. Interrupting class to ask permission can be both degrading and disruptive. Also, a blanket policy requiring verbal permission might be culturally insensitive, depending on the child. Finally, requesting permission to pee can be excruciatingly difficult for introverts.

And yes, many of us remember the terrible scene in grade school, a solitary child sitting at his or her desk, head down and crying, a puddle of urine on the floor. I never want to be responsible for that.

As teachers, we want to be cognizant of a few things:

First, be sure to monitor the sign-in/sign-out sheet so that students are filling it out completely.

Watch for patterns, especially if you are concerned about a specific student. (Are they leaving at the same time daily? Maybe it is time to meet quietly with the student in between classes.) Also, it's a good idea to file the sheets in case you need to go back and look.

Watch for any academic impact. Is the student making poor choices about when to leave? Are they missing important content? This warrants a discussion as well.

I know there are systems in place where students are allowed a set number of restroom passes per quarter, or issued a tardy if they really need to go, but many of these things feel arbitrary and unnecessary. They are, yet again, examples of policies we have long since been exposed to, yet have spent little time unpacking from an equity-centered perspective.
Chad Donohue is a middle school English teacher in Monroe, Washington. He also teaches university courses in composition and public speaking.

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"Can I go to the bathroom?" I've been thinking about this common question, asked so often by children in schools all across the nation. Certainly, it makes sense for very young students to ask for permission to use the restroom. It isn't using the restroom that is an issue, it is being out of the classroom.

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Good Morning! Today is one of my favorite Saturdays of the month, it's Bright Ideas Link Up time!

While I've posted about my Bright Idea before {here}, it was really more a "check out what I did and love" mention at the end of a blog post. I occasionally get questions about it, so I thought I'd share more about how I manage transitions such as lining up for specials and recess, coming to the carpet and getting notebooks out for writing, and going to Daily Five Rotations during this month's Bright Ideas Link Up.

Before I begin, I want to thank Mary for sharing how they use music time time transitions in their classrooms. It has really been a lifesaver!
I keep a Powerpoint Slide that has all the transitions that my students usually do during the day on it up all day. Imbedded in that Powerpoint are TV show theme songs. I play the theme song while my students are transitioning to time them.
This has been a huge lifesaver for me because bigger kids are so very social and see every little bit of downtime as a chance to talk. :) Since I only have each class for a limited amount of time, these songs really keep us on track. My Powerpoint slide is below. :)

I used clip art, text boxes, and sound files to make my slide. Once I had the songs, this literally took minutes to put together. :) Below is a screenshot of how to insert sounds into Powerpoint if you've never done it before.

While I used Powerpoint, you could use your Interactive Whiteboard software as well if you have one. I create almost everything for my classroom in Powerpoint, so this was the easiest. :)
I use a mixture of songs my kids know and ones they don't. I love using TV show theme songs because they are short enough that I don't have to do any editing of their length. I use shorter songs for simple transitions and longer songs for the transitions that take a little bit more time. For example, I play "Be Ready" when I want my students to do something quick like put a paper in their take home folder. My "Be Ready" song is the Rugrats theme song. I play "Pass Out Papers" when we are passing out tests/papers. During this time privacy folders and tests are being passed out for each table, so that requires a little bit more time. My "Pass Out Papers" song is the Saved by the Bell theme song.
When creating my Transition Time slide, I also picked songs I don't mind hearing again and again and again since I used it with both of my classes. :) My class' playlist is below.

Sometimes I change up songs throughout the year. Sometimes we get bored, sometimes we aren't moving fast enough, or sometimes I just can't bear to hear a song anymore. Currently, I'm looking for a song to replace SpongeBob because he's been my line up for specials song for three years. I'm a little sick of him. :) Using music to time transitions has been one of the best things I've done in my classroom. It's a fun way to hold students accountable during what can often be an unstructured time. If my students beat their transition song, I always reward them with a following me me on
Bingo number, especially if it's been one they've struggled with. My students love hearing these fun songs throughout the day and once they figure how long each song really is, the songs really do help them speed up what they are doing so that they can complete the transition in time.
If you enjoyed this bright idea, please consider
for more great ideas. Facebook, Instagram, or Teachers Pay Teachers
For even more great classroom ideas, please browse through the link-up below and click on a topic/grade level that interests you. Thanks for visiting! :)

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Bright Idea: Managing Transitions With Music

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Good Morning! Today is one of my favorite Saturdays of the month, it's Bright Ideas Link Up time! While I've posted about my Bright Idea before {here}, it was really more a "check out what I did and love" mention at the end of a blog post.

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Arrange the Classroom for Physical Disabilities

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Arrange the Classroom for Physical Disabilities

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Check with the school registrar and LS teachers to find out if you have children with learning disabilities. Then set up PLCs to collaborate on effective strategies to help these students with transitions.

If you have students with physical disabilities you must ensure there is space for them to move around and they have access to materials.

Create individual supply boxes, so they have easy access to all supplies.

Make sure there is space to move around the work station and think about positioning the station next to the window to make the space feel less confined.

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Location, Location, Location: Keeping Materials Within Reach

Students with physical disabilities using assistive devices such as wheelchairs or crutches must have a classroom that is accessible for classroom supplies and other learning materials. Teachers must make sure that the classroom is arranged for easy student maneuvering using assistive devices and that classroom supplies are placed in locations that are accessible and free of blockage or student traffic. Read on to find out how teachers can set up classroom arrangements that work for students with physical disabilities.

Create student supply boxes that contain basic materials such as pencils, notebooks, tape, stapler and glue. If you create supply boxes for all students, you can have them create name tags to attach to their classroom working boxes for assignments or group projects. Make this activity an inclusive one for your students.

Use an open cabinet with wide shelves to store student supply boxes. Make sure that you store boxes at arms length or closer to the floor for students using wheelchairs or other assistive devices to get around the classroom.

Location, location should be the motto in classroom arrangement of desks,tables or working stations for students who need to be able to turn wheelchairs or store crutches at student work centers. Try putting student working stations in an open corner of the room next to a window, so that the area feels open and larger for students who may need to move around the work station to work with peers.

Make sure that computer stations are arranged on tables that allow easy maneuverability for students using a wheelchair to go from the computer to his/her working area.

Teachers must check with Administration and the Registrar to insure that classrooms rosters that contain students with disabilities are not overscheduled during registration. Students with physical disabilities may need space and lots of it in having easy access to learning supplies and to peers during group work.

If teachers and instructional assistants create classroom learning environments that have designated work learning areas and accessible learning materials arranged for easy student access, students with physical disabilities can have a classroom tailored to meet their specific learning needs and academic success.

Source: author's authentic experience

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How to Arrange a Classroom for Physical Disabilities

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If you have ever sent a student in a wheelchair to get the poster paper next to the printer in your classroom, you can understand how easy it would be if the classroom supplies were located in a space that created easier access for the student.

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We have talked about students serving in roles to make smooth transitions. Another roles could be the classroom greeter. The role would entail the student checking the visitor has a school pass while quietly meeting the visitor at the classroom door, welcoming them, and showing them where to sit.

Student leadership roles can be changed at set intervals. Sharing the responsibility will establish class community and student responsibility within the classroom.

The article below, which suggested these ideas, has an example chart to set up leadership roles below:

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by Robert J. Marzano, Barbara B. Gaddy, Maria C. Foseid, Mark P. Foseid and Jana S. Marzano

Leaving the classroom for lunch. Using the restroom. Going to the library, computer center, or resource room. Moving from one class to another or from one learning center to another. Going outside for recess. The list of things that can and do interrupt time for learning is long. Regardless of the grade level, every teacher needs to deal with certain interruptions and transitions-both within the classroom and from the classroom to other areas of the school or school grounds.

For students who have difficulty focusing, such interruptions can be especially distracting and translate into even less learning time if not managed well. Because many students appear to have difficulties with attention and focus, the need to effectively manage interruptions is pressing.

Recommendations for Classroom Practice

Establishing rules and procedures for transitions and interruptions is an important aspect of classroom management. Specifically, we suggest the following strategies:

Establishing rules and procedures for recurring situations

Practicing transitions and potential interruptions

Engaging students as leaders during transitions and interruptions

Establishing Rules and Procedures for Recurring Situations

A useful strategy for transitions and interruptions is to establish rules and procedures for recurring situations, such as completing one classroom activity and beginning another, using the bathroom, and leaving the classroom for lunch. By creating rules and procedures, sharing these with students, making sure they understand them, and asking for their feedback (when appropriate), you can prevent unnecessary delays and problems.

The complexity and type of rules or procedures established vary greatly, depending on students' age and maturity. In some situations, the rules students must follow might be very specific, such as the bathroom rules listed in Figure 3.1 for an elementary-level class. Similarly, you may find that students need a great deal of structure when moving from one learning center to the next. Figure 3.2 is an example of how one elementary-level teacher facilitates this process.

Figure 3.1. Bathroom Rules

1. No talking in the bathroom.

2. You have only three minutes for bathroom time.

3. Do your job and don't mess around.

4. Go to the bathroom only during group bathroom breaks, recess, or independent work time.

Figure 3.2. Moving from One Learning Center to Another

Rules and procedures can be very simple and straightforward-perhaps as simple as a particular comment you make or a signal you give just before a break in the learning process. For example, you might say, "Please take the next five minutes to complete the project you are working on" or quietly write on the board "Five minutes left." Of course, in the latter situation, you must have established this as a routine so students know to periodically look at the board as they are working.

Practicing Transitions and Potential Interruptions

When the bell rings (or you signal that it's time to move to another activity or go to recess), mayhem is much more likely to ensue if a procedure has not become routine for students. One way to ensure that students automatically know and recall what to do is to give them opportunities to practice routines and to take time to reinforce expected behaviors. In fact, the point of fire and disaster drills is to make routines automatic, which is critically important if a true disaster situation were to arise.

The same can be said for other, less urgent situations. One effective strategy, particularly at the beginning of the year, is to role-play various situations. Role playing engages students in practicing and demonstrating behavior that works-as well as behavior that doesn't work. This can be a useful process for many things that occur in the classroom, from tardiness to unexpected classroom visitors.

One secondary teacher, for example, asks students to practice being in their seats before the bell rings to work on the sponge activity written on the board. Students practice what it means to create a "businesslike atmosphere" at the beginning and end of class. They also practice what to do and how to act if they arrive late to class.

One routine this teacher has established is that the tardy student comes into the room quietly and picks up a "tardy pass" from a basket near the door. The student completes the pass-filling in his or her name, the date, and any reason for or comment about being late-and gives it to the teacher. The teacher deals with any resulting consequences on an individual basis, depending on the student's reason for being tardy.

Role playing these types of situations can be effective but also lighthearted. For example, in addition to asking students to practice positive, workable behaviors when arriving to class, this teacher asks a student to volunteer to demonstrate arriving in a way that does not help create a useful learning environment. The volunteer student typically dashes into the classroom, laughing and talking loudly, tosses his or her books on the desk (some of which fall to the floor), and immediately tries to distract other students from whatever they're doing. Talking about how to act and how not to act is useful, but seeing the behaviors in action makes them more real.

Engaging Students as Leaders During Transitions and Interruptions

One way to ease transition times and build student buy-in is to have students take leadership roles. For example, you might assign a student-or ask for a student to volunteer-to serve as the line leader as the class lines up to go to recess, walks quietly down the hall, and walks outside to the playground. Another student might be the class leader for lunch breaks. Students also might serve in other roles, such as classroom greeter for expected visitors; in this case, the student would quietly meet the visitor at the classroom door, welcome him or her, and show the visitor to an appropriate seat. Student leadership roles such as these can be rotated from day to day or week to week to give more students an opportunity to share responsibility for the management of the classroom. A chart like the one shown in Figure 3.3 can help reinforce daily leadership roles.

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by Robert J. Marzano, Barbara B. Gaddy, Maria C. Foseid, Mark P. Foseid and Jana S. Marzano Leaving the classroom for lunch. Using the restroom. Going to the library, computer center, or resource room. Moving from one class to another or from one learning center to another. Going outside for recess.

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Teachers must remember that it does take time to clean up. The teacher needs to allow clean up time. Using timers is highly useful here as well.

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Transitions for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

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Transitions for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

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This is a great re-cap video for all we have learnt about Learning Disabilities. It includes transitional suggestions, such as:
-Teaching ownership in the transition process.
- Accommodations
- Self-advocacy and goal setting
-  Teach soft skills, especially organisation.
- Teach social skills to get students involved in transitions.

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Transition for students with specific learning disabilities in Episode 120 of Transition Tuesday

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Here is a link for accommodations to be made during the transitions process:

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