The What, Why And How Of The Classroom Reset

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a blog post introducing the concept of 1%ers in the classroom.

1%ers are the name I give to a list of tiny actions you can implement that work together to set up a calm and orderly learning environment for your students.

I’ve introduced two different 1%ers so far:

• Decluttering your whiteboard
• Using a non-verbal cue to gain your students’ attention

I’ve been thrilled with the feedback I’ve had from teachers who’ve made the effort to clear their whiteboards since my blog post. Lots of teachers have commented that they hadn’t even realized how cluttered their board had become and/or didn’t realise the potential impact it was having on their students. 

The next 1%er I want to introduce is the humble classroom reset.

This seemingly tiny action- that doesn’t sound like it would make a big difference by itself- is one of the many 1%ers that combine together to set students up for success in the classroom.

What is the classroom reset?

The classroom reset is as simple and as complex as a classroom tidy and reset at the end of each subject. It involves packing up all evidence of the completed subject and preparing the room for the next lesson.

When should do it?

A quick classroom reset should happen between lessons (e.g. when moving from reading to writing) and between breaks (e.g. before students go out for recess).

How do you do it?

The bell is about to go. You’ve just finished off literacy with your students and will be moving on to maths after recess. Now is the time to invest the last few minutes of the lesson in packing up all evidence of the literacy lesson and resetting the room for the next lesson.

Step 1

Students should pack away their literacy books, bookboxes, resources etc. They should give their desk space -and floorspace around their tables- a quick declutter / tidy.

Step 2

Students should set up the equipment required for the next lesson neatly on their tables (e.g. maths books and other maths-related resources.)

Why do it?

Every time your students walk into the classroom after a break, the cleanliness of the classroom sends them an immediate message about the expectations and standards for your room.

When students enter the classroom and see books strewn across their desks, chairs knocked over and/or mess all over the floor, they receive the message:

This place is disorganized and chaotic and you can be too…

OR

When students walk in and see a clean an organized classroom, already set up to start the learning for the next lesson, they receive the message:

This space is calm and orderly, and you should be too.

This 1%er takes only 2-3 minutes at the end of the lesson, but sets both you and your students up for success in the following lesson.

One more added benefit

When students close off the learning from the last lesson and prepare their space for the next one, it also improves the effectiveness of any explicit modelling you do in the writing classroom.

How?

The most effective modelling sessions have the least amount of time between teacher demonstration and student application.

This means that the shorter you can make the time between students observing your modelling and them starting to apply the new skill in their own writing, the more effective the teaching from the modelling will be.

If students have to scratch around in their lockers searching for their writing books in between watching you model and them finally sitting at their tables and opening up to a fresh page, the potency of your modelling is lessened as the key points become lost (in between the floor, their lockers, their classroom wandering and them putting pen to paper).

Ideally, you want to reduce any distractions between students watching you and having a go themselves. You can do this by doing a quick classroom reset at the end of the lesson immediately preceding the writing lesson- ensuring all students have their writing books open and ready to go BEFORE you start modelling. That way, as soon as you finish modelling, they'll be able to head straight back to their tables and start applying the learning immediately (an added bonus is that less wandering students = less behaviour management issues too).

A note on the classroom reset:

It's important to acknowledge that it's not your job, as the teacher, to perform this classroom reset yourself. i.e., You should not be running around at recess tidying up your students’ desks etc.

You need to invest time in teaching your students how to do perform the reset efficiently and effectively themselves. Be clear on exactly what you expect. (You can even take a photo of what a desk should look like so students can use it as a reference.)

The classroom reset is not revolutionary by itself, but it is one of 1%ers that will – together with the other 1%ers- make a difference to the baseline organisation and success of your classroom.

Give it a go this week and let me know how it goes.

Related Blogs

• 3 Reasons You Need To Clear Your Whiteboard Today
• 5 Non-Verbal Cues To Use In The Literacy Classroom
• 6 Tips For Using Turn And Talk Effectively