WHAT IT IS:

Educators everywhere understand the need to easily and consistently get students’ attention. Similarly, to avoid the headache of students missing essential instructions, educators need a vehicle for informing students when it is time to get started (and when it’s not). The Stop & Go Routine is the simple and clear approach the classroom teacher uses to signal both things: when it is time to work and when it is time to stop.

HOW IT WORKS:

One helpful resource for these strategies are the writings by Michael Linsin (founder of Smart Classroom Management and author of several books on the topic). See below for additional sources, as well.

The mindset here is straightforward: to establish a functional classroom environment, these routines are absolutely necessary, regardless of the age of students or specific context. This is because simple stop and go routines build a sense of predictability in the workflow (I know when it’s time to work and stop working, and I know what to do when the teacher needs my attention).

By removing the ambiguity, we ensure that students can meet our expectations effectively and consistently. It is just as much for our students as our own sanity, then, that we implement such routines!

Linsin breaks down the strategy into simple steps that are as follows:

1. Explain the importance of having a signal. The ‘why.’
2. Introduce your signal and model how you’re going to give it.
3. Model how you want them to respond—getting quiet and looking at you.
4. Set your expectation. For example, you want them silent and facing you within one second. (Yes, this is doable.)
5. Practice. (See the following steps.)
6. On your “go” signal, have your students turn to each other and pretend to be in discussion. You can also have them move around the room.
7. A fun way to mimic discussion is to have them repeat “murmur, murmer,” “hey, hey, whaddya say,” or “blah, blah, blah.”
8. Practice each phrase once and then have them choose whichever they want on the last practice repetition.
9. Vary the amount of time they “discuss” before giving your attention signal.
10. Praise, of course.
11. Use your attention signal for real within ten minutes of practicing.

Just remember (as Linsin reminds us) that when such strategies fail to achieve the desired results, we need to re-examine our overall classroom management practices and student engagement approach.