Transitions can make or break the pacing of your lesson. When transitions are executed correctly, you have their full attention as you prepare to move on to the next activity. Transitions at their worst can have you straining your voice and shouting for quiet. Here are some easy and effective transitions that your vocal cords will thank you for.
On the Clock: Putting your students on the clock means letting them know how much time they have left in a slow count down. For example, before the start of the activity, you can tell your students that you are giving the 90 seconds. Then, 30 seconds later, you tell them that they have 1 minute left. Then, you can tell them to finish their last thought and they have 10 seconds left. The voices will slowly dwindle down. The best part about this tool is that you are the time master! The students aren't counting the seconds. If you feel that the students could use a little more time, you could prolong the intervals. As long as you don't turn 90 seconds into 5 minutes, you can stall to your discretion.
The Count Down: There are a couple ways you can go about this strategy. One of the way that works great for middle school and high school students is when you leave the last 3 seconds silent. Here's how it's done:
10 seconds before you want to end the activity. Tell your students, "10 seconds left in your discussion groups". Then, five seconds later, hold up 5 fingers and start counting down "5...4...", putting down a finger for each second. For the last 3 seconds, don't verbally count down, but continue to put down fingers until you reach 0.
To add a more elementary style to your count down, count down from 10 and continue to verbally count down until you get to 0. You can use your hands if you want, but you also want to be sure to add repeated instructions and dialogue. Check out this video below of a teacher explaining and demonstrating this version of the count down:
The Count Down strategy can be used along with the On the Clock method.
Hand Clapping: This one has a special place in my heart because it brings me back to my days in elementary school and summer camp! However, here's some good news to those of us teaching at the secondary level-- we can use this strategy for them too. You may have heard the classic pattern of long long short short short, but don't be afraid to change it up. Keep your students on their toes. Think about possibly do 2 rounds if you don't get everyone's attention on the first try. Experiment with different patterns and have some fun with it.
There you have it-- three strategies for smoother transitions.
Consider adding these tools to your teaching toolbox!😄
On the Clock: Putting your students on the clock means letting them know how much time they have left in a slow count down. For example, before the start of the activity, you can tell your students that you are giving the 90 seconds. Then, 30 seconds later, you tell them that they have 1 minute left. Then, you can tell them to finish their last thought and they have 10 seconds left. The voices will slowly dwindle down. The best part about this tool is that you are the time master! The students aren't counting the seconds. If you feel that the students could use a little more time, you could prolong the intervals. As long as you don't turn 90 seconds into 5 minutes, you can stall to your discretion.
The Count Down: There are a couple ways you can go about this strategy. One of the way that works great for middle school and high school students is when you leave the last 3 seconds silent. Here's how it's done:
10 seconds before you want to end the activity. Tell your students, "10 seconds left in your discussion groups". Then, five seconds later, hold up 5 fingers and start counting down "5...4...", putting down a finger for each second. For the last 3 seconds, don't verbally count down, but continue to put down fingers until you reach 0.
To add a more elementary style to your count down, count down from 10 and continue to verbally count down until you get to 0. You can use your hands if you want, but you also want to be sure to add repeated instructions and dialogue. Check out this video below of a teacher explaining and demonstrating this version of the count down:
The Count Down strategy can be used along with the On the Clock method.
Hand Clapping: This one has a special place in my heart because it brings me back to my days in elementary school and summer camp! However, here's some good news to those of us teaching at the secondary level-- we can use this strategy for them too. You may have heard the classic pattern of long long short short short, but don't be afraid to change it up. Keep your students on their toes. Think about possibly do 2 rounds if you don't get everyone's attention on the first try. Experiment with different patterns and have some fun with it.
There you have it-- three strategies for smoother transitions.
Consider adding these tools to your teaching toolbox!😄