Interruptions from young children can become a major distraction in the classroom. Check out the following two ideas from teachers of elementary students, which I saw this week on Teaching Channel. Both are brilliantly simple ways to help young students not interrupt the teacher when he/she is working with a small group on a certain task.
The 3 B’s. The teacher has a particular necklace that stays at a back table where focused reading groups take place. When the teacher wears that necklace, the other students are to work on their assignments without interrupting the teacher and students at the back table unless one of the 3 B’s is happening. The 3 B’s are: Barfing, Bleeding, or Burning. Watch how this teacher explains this system in her classroom {subscribers will need to click through to the site to view the videos}:
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Ask Three, Then Me. This first grade teacher has developed a simple strategy for collaboration in the classroom. Students have to ask three other students their question before they ask the teacher. When a student interrupts the teacher with a question, the teacher will simply hold up three fingers, nonverbally reminding them to ask their peers, first. The teacher briefly explains how this plays out in her classroom here:
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How do you handle interruptions in your classroom?
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