It's the beginning of the school year and you've discovered your child, or some of your students don't know how to follow directions. What do you do? Teach them how of course! My book provides activities and lessons for one-step through five-step directions. Check out the article below for a few tips!
The following article contains excerpts from
by Laura S. Pringle
Cultivate an amusing environment that students will want to participate in, by
using a positive expression and pleasant tone.
Be patient, not everyone learns at the same pace. With repetition, you will see improved comprehension
and compliance. Allow time for laughter when appropriate. Keep in mind that children who are very
young, learning disabled, intellectually disabled, or autistic will need a lot
of repetition. Some students may need
you to gently guide them through the directions by moving their hands or legs
to get them moving.
DAILY DRILLS
Standing and Sitting
1.Have students
seated in a chair at their desk or table.
2.Explain that we
will practice how to follow directions.
3.Explain that when
you give them the cue to stand, they will push in their chair and stand in
place behind it. When you give the cue
to sit, they will pull out their chair, sit, and then pull in to the
table. Demonstrate and practice with
students before beginning the rhyme activity.
4.For the first week or two, choose only one
word you want students to repeat, and stick with the same action instruction. Later, you can add in other rhyme words and
action directions for variety. This will
also build some flexibility, as not all teachers use the same words or do
things exactly the same. Be sure to
inform students that you “expect” them to follow your directions, as well as
the directions of other adults.
Example: Teacher says, “Say cup.”
Students repeat, “Cup.”
Teacher says, “Now please
stand up.”
Students quietly stand, push
in chairs, and
stand in place behind chair.
Teacher says, “Say clown.”
Students repeat, “Clown.”
Teacher instructs, “Now please
sit down.”
Students quietly pull out
chair, sit and pull chair up to table.
- Choose
from the following lists:
Standing Up
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Teacher says, “Say _____.”
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Teacher instructs,
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cup
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“Now
Please Stand Up.”
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pup
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sup
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tup
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wup
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band
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“Now Stand.”
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hand
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land
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sand
guys
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“Please rise”
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Sitting Down
Teacher says, “Say _____.”
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Teacher instructs,
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clown
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“Now Please Sit
Down.”
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frown
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town
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gown
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bale
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“Now Sit on Your
Tail.”
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jail
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kale
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mail
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pail
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veil
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whale
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Yale
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Show Ready
Begin with students
seated.
Explain that when
you give the cue, students will sit up straight, interlock their fingers, place
hands on the table, stop talking, and look at you.
When everyone is
showing ready, you can go right into your next direction or lesson.
For the first week or
two, choose one word you want students to repeat, and one set of
directions. Later you can add more for
variety.
- Choose
from the following list:
Teacher says, “Say ____.”
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Teacher instructs,
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Freddie
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“Now
show ready.”
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Steady
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Teddy
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“Please
show ready.”
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Standing in Line
Begin by explaining we will practice how to line up.
Next, explain that
when you give the cue, students will quietly stand, push in their chairs, and
line up at the designated place.
Demonstrate and
practice with students where to line up, how to line up straight by placing
hands on shoulders in front of you, and how to be quiet in line. That last part is often the hardest for young
students. They often don’t understand
the importance of why they have to be quiet, and don’t have control over their
voices yet. Explain that they need to be
quiet so they can hear your directions, and won’t disturb others.
For the first week
or two, choose one word you want students to repeat, and one set of
directions. Later you can add more for
variety.
Example: Teacher says, “Say pine.”
Students repeat, “Pine.”
Teacher directs, “Now Stand
in Line.”
Students quietly stand, push
in chairs, and go to designated line up area.
Teacher says, “Say
boulders.”
Students repeat, “Boulders.”
Teacher directs, “Now line
up your
shoulders.”
Students put hands on
shoulders
of person in front of them to
check that they are straight.
Teacher says, “Say wide.”
Students repeat, “Wide.”
Teacher directs, “Put your
hands at your
side.”
Students put hands at side.
Teacher says, “Say buy-it.”
Students say, “Buy-it.”
Teacher directs, “Now let’s
be quiet.”
Students stop talking.
Teacher holds finger to lips
and
makes eye contact with anyone
not in compliance.
Ideally, you want
students to do all of the above as soon as you say, “Now stand in line.” This will take time. When your students are ready, you will need
to inform them that you will be combining directions, because you now expect
them to know how to line up.
- Choose
from the following list:
Standing in Line
Teacher says, “Say _____.”
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Teacher instructs,
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dine
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“Now Stand in
Line.”
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fine
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mine
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nine
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pine
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spine
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vine
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boulders
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“Now Line Up Your Shoulders.”
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folders
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holders
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molders
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guide
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“Put your hands at
your side.”
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ride
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tide
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buy-it
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“Now Let’s Be
Quiet.”
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fly-it
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sigh-it
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tie-it
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lip
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“Now Zip.”
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Volume Control: 3 – 2 – 1 – 0
3 Begin by explaining that when it is too loud,
you will hold up 3 fingers to let students know it is too loud. The volume
never goes higher than 3, because 3 is already too loud.
2 Continue holding up 3 fingers. As the noise level goes down, change to 2
fingers.
1 When the noise level is comfortable, nod,
change to one finger, and say, “Thank you.” Once the volume is
at a level 1, you can either keep it there, or ask for quiet.
0 For silence, explain that you have something
to say, or need quiet. Continue holding
up 1 finger until all students are quiet.
Make eye contact with those still talking. Nod and thank students when all are quiet,
saying, “Good we are at a zero now. Now
you can hear my directions.”
- Practice this several times, by first instructing
students to get noisy (which they will love), and then changing the number of
fingers you hold up as the volume goes down.
- When you have more than one student, teach them to
follow your lead by holding up the same number of fingers as you. This way they can help quiet down their
friends and classmates.
Alternatives:
- Write the numbers on the board and point without
saying anything.
- For large groups, such as in a cafeteria, you may need
a microphone, so you can say the numbers loud enough (without yelling) to get
students attention.
Attention Getters
For variety, it’s
fun to have some other ideas up your sleeve. Students respond with an answering phrase, in the same manner you say
the attention getter. So, if you say
something in slow motion, they respond in slow motion. If you say it like a robot, they respond like
a robot. This light hearted approach is
sure to induce some laughter – especially at first. My favorite – teacher says, “Holy moly,” and students respond, “Guacamole!” Students will appreciate that you are
not yelling at them, and will respond with attention. For those occasions when students are slow to
respond, continue repeating the attention getter in various manners until you
have everyone’s attention. Next, stop
talking and do quiet actions. When you
look up, they look up. When you put your
hands on hips, they put hands on hips, etc.
When you are certain everyone is listening and following your
directions, begin your lesson, or give your direction.
Consistency is very
reassuring to children. It helps them
know what to expect and makes for calmer transitioning times. Variety is
equally important. It prevents boredom
and leads to growth. I can’t say enough
about teaching a variety of strategies and vocabulary while teaching your
student how to follow directions. The
old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” is certainly true. Often children are staying with one parent
part of the week and another parent or step parent the rest of the week. They may spend time with grandparents, aunts,
uncles, or day care providers. This is why it is so important for students to
learn how to be flexible. You can
prevent children’s stress and resentment that parents, caregivers, and teachers
aren’t all using the exact same words and directions, by teaching students to
be prepared to hear a variety of vocabulary and routines. This will be
especially true when students reach school age and are faced not just with
their teacher’s directions, but also the librarian, music, art, gym and
computer teachers, as well as many substitute teachers. Understanding your
student’s tolerance for change will help you find a balance between consistency
and variety in your routines.
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The Pringle Plan is a series of educational guides.
©2018 Laura S. Pringle. All Rights Reserved.
