What To Do

 Reflection

Before reading the rest of the page, guess what the biggest reason for non-compliance is and include your answer in the comment section. 

Key Idea:

Rather than wasting time on the inefficient, vague and unclear commands that negatively define behavior, effective teachers focus on giving directions to students in a way that provides clear, useful and positive guidance.

Directions should be:

Specific

Tell students exactly what you want them to do. Remember to stay away from saying what not to do. “Put your pencil on your desk and track the speaker.” Not “Pay attention” or “Don’t fool around or get distracted”  

Concrete

Give commands that students cannot misunderstand. Don’t create gray area. “Put your feet under your desk” Not “Stop fooling around"

Sequential

Give the step by step instructions of what you want. Again, “pay attention” will not suffice. Use “Put your feet under your desk, put your pencil down and track the speaker.” 

Observable

Don’t give commands you can’t observe. Doing so provides students with an opportunity to protest. If the directions are “pay attention,” the student can say “I was.” If the directions are “put your feet under your desk” and they are not, it wouldn’t make much sense for the student to say they are.