The Importance of Routines
Strong routines are the glue that holds a Modern Classroom together.
When I first launched my own blended, self-paced, mastery-based classroom, things fell apart. Without clear procedures, my students weren't sure what to do with their time... and neither was I. They were used to sitting and listening; I was used to standing and delivering. We all felt a bit... lost.
The way we eventually found our way was by developing clear routines. In particular, I led my students in three consistent procedures:
Opening Activity. Every day, I started class with a whole-class warm-up. I used this time to review prior skills, revisit essential unit questions, deliver announcements, or build community. (You can see my warm-up, or one of our elementary educators' opening routines, in action here.) This helped my students settle in and get focused before self-paced work.
Transition to Self-Pacing. After the opening, I'd release my students to start working at their own paces. They would check their progress on my pacing tracker, find classmates to work with, and get started watching videos or working through practice problems. While my students worked, I'd walk around the room, answering questions, or pull small groups of students for mini-lessons at the board. Having a well-organized LMS, with a clear progression from lesson to lesson, helped my students stay on track.
Mastery Checks. I kept my mastery checks in a binder with me at all times. When students were ready, they'd ask me for a particular mastery check, and go to a dedicated area of my classroom to complete them; once they'd completed a mastery check, they left it in a folder on my desk and started working on the next lesson. I'd make sure to check this folder and assess students' understanding a few times per class. If students' work showed true understanding, I'd advance them on my pacing tracker; if their work showed gaps, I'd provide feedback and suggestions for revision. (They'd have the chance to reassess next class.) This routine, combined with simple and efficient mastery checks, ensured a smooth, mastery-based progression from lesson to lesson.
The exact routines that worked for me and my students may or may not work for you and yours - but I'd guess that some kind of opening activity, a clear way to transition to self-pacing, and a consistent process for mastery checks will all help your students learn and progress more efficiently, with a greater sense of autonomy. Of course, there's only one way to find out...
