That Tired Teacher

Let’s talk directions. Not all student non-compliance is defiance but often students misunderstanding a direction, not knowing how to follow it or simply not hearing it in a moment of distraction.

Give students clear and useful directions. Tell students what to do, NOT what *not* to do. We often spend a lot of time defining the behavior we want in our students by discussing negative behaviors: Get on task, pay attention, stop running, etc.

These directions are not only vague but also ineffective and unclear. Students don’t know what you want . *YOU* need to tell them. These type of instructions leave students guessing what you want. What is the “IT” in “Cut it out?”.

Changing the way you give directions will change the whole dynamic of your classroom. Ineffective direction are probably the number one mistake I see in classrooms. Have you ever considered if your directions are effective?