Every teacher needs to give directions and you give directions many times each day. Have you perfected your ability to give clear directions?
One of the differences between master teachers and beginning teachers is in their level of expertise in giving directions.
You know that your directions have not been clear enough if students have many questions before they get to work on a task. You also know your directions are not clear enough if students are instantly buzzing with unnecessary conversation between themselves, or if they fail to get to work quickly. You’ll also know that your directions are not clear enough if students are unable to do the task you desired correctly.
What is the secret to giving good directions? Here is a run-down of ways to give clear directions:
Do not give directions until you have complete attention.
This is a classic rookie mistake. If you give directions before students are listening, you will have to repeat directions, often multiple times.
Explain your objectives and purpose.
You don’t have to use the word objective, but students should understand exactly what it is they are supposed to do and why they should do it. This not only makes the task clear, but helps students to understand the purpose for the activity which will increase motivation. Clearly explain what they are to do and why they are to do it.
Break complex directions down into clear steps.
Many students struggle with multiple step directions and will easily mix up the order of procedures or skip a step entirely. Use verbal and physical signals.
For example:
“Hold your hand in the air. Follow along with me to learn the three things I want you to do. Number 1 (hold up one finger) please take out your science notebooks and your pencil. Number 2 (hold a second finger up) Select one of the resource books on the back table. Pick one that has information about your planet. Use the table of contents to see if it will be a good resource. Finally, number three (hold up the third finger). Find five facts about your planet that you think are interesting and write them on a clean page in your notebook.”
Have students repeat directions.
Rather than having one student repeat the directions, have all student repeat the direction together. It is noisier, but more active and gets every student involved.
Give students a visual.
If directions are particularly complex, or involve multiple steps, put the directions on the board so students can refer to them.
Give students a time limit.
Let students know how much time they have to complete the task. You can also offer an incentive for early completion. For example, “You have fifteen minutes to complete this task. If you finish a minute early, we will have time for a joke of the day. I’ve got some jokes about planets that are fun.”
Learning to give clear directions will help you to increase time on task and make your days run more smoothly. If you are exasperated because students are not listening and not doing what you want, take a look at your directions. Giving good directions is not difficult, and often a small change can have a big impact.
We hope you are mastering the art of giving directions,
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