2,4,6,8- Looks Like We Have to Wait:

Making Transitions More Efficient

MIRANDA VOEGE

Context
School Information
Gordon Elementary, Marshall MI
2 First Grade Classrooms
23 students in my class

12 boys, 11 girls
6 or 7 years old
Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Math,

Science
Whiteboard in front of room, carpet in back

Our Classroom

Teacher Research Overview

Process begins by asking a question about something

that you have observed that you cannot answer

There are then 3 phases of research

Thinking and posing questions

Collect 3 rounds of data about what happens in the classroom
Summarize readings and findings

Using data analysis and relevant literature a change

is made and those results are analyzed as well

Round 1: Data
Presentation
What are students
doing that makes
transitions take longer
than necessary?

Process
I noticed that students were taking a very long time
to move around the classroom between activities.
First I timed the transitions and then noted the most
common distractions
Desks, walking around, and going to the pencil
box
I wanted to see what was the most distracting, so I
created a tally mark sheet with student names and
common distractions
Data was collected over 3 days
# Of
None
Times

In
Desk

Walk

Pencil Other

Day 1

26

98

18

10

Day 2

47

117

17

22

Day 3

67

64

17

15

17

Data Collection
Desk Work

Round 1 Data Graph

140

120

100

80

60

Number of Occurences Day 1

Number of Occurences Day 2
Number of Occurences Day 3

117
98

40
67

64

47

20
26

18 17 17
5

0
No Distraction

In Desk

Walking

15

Pencils

22
10

17

Other

Round 1 Analysis
What did I find?

I found that students were most distracted by their desks

I also found that the other section to be very interesting as I
noticed students were helping each other quite frequently

Almost all students were distracted at some point

during the transition process

On average transitions took between 5-7 minutes

Round 2 Data Presentation

What were student

movement patterns?
What kind of help were
my students trying to
give?
Observational notes
about how students were
helping each other

This told me what they

needed help with

Round 2 Data Analysis

Findings

I was just helping her find a pencil.

Her book was lost in her desk and I needed to help her look for
it.
I didnt remember what I was looking for.
She just kept asking me what we were doing, I was just answering
her.

I noticed that a lot of the helping was coming from a

need for materials/ searching for items in the classroom

How can I help with this so that transitions can be more
efficient?

Relevant Literature
Let children know how long it will be - ten minutes, five minutes - until they have to shift gears so they can

reach closure. If a child has been designing a structure with manipulatives, for example, he or she needs time
to adjust to dismantling it. Giving kids this time shows you value and respect their efforts. (Instructor, 1990)
When the time has come to move on, let students know with a signal - lights on and off, special music, hand
signals, a triangle chime. Try letting students take turns choosing a signal of the week. (Instructor, 1990)

"Tricky transitions." Instructor [1990] Jan.-Feb. 1997: 66+. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

Excellent classroom managers mentally walk through classroom activities, anticipating areas where students

are likely to have difficulty and planning to minimize confusion and maximize the likelihood of success.
(Everston, p.302)

Everston,, Carolyn. "Classroom Management." Encyclopedia of Education. Ed. James W. Guthrie. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA,
2003. 299-303. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

An important part of making your day go smoothly is handling administrative tasks quickly and developing

strategies for making transitions and interruptions as short and orderly as possible- even using them as
teachable moments. These routines and procedures form the backbone of an efficiently run classroom and
help students feel secure in your classroom. (McLeod, Fisher, Hoover, 34)

McLeod, Joyce, Fisher, Jan, and Hoover, Ginny. Key Elements of Classroom Management : Managing Time and Space, Student Behavior, and
Instructional Strategies. Alexandria, VA, USA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD), 2003. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 20
November 2014.

Round 3 Data Presentation

I decided to

Introduce transition cheers

Incorporate movement into transitions
Create a transition routine

What I changed...

Have next activity materials on desk

Walking around the room as part of the transition
Different transitions for different end results

Observe student reactions

Round 3 analysis
Reflection

Conversations with my mentor teacher

Woah, they actually responded to that one
Maybe if we whisper the cheer that would make more sense

Timing

First transitions averaged between 5-7 minutes

New transitions average between 3-5 minutes

Students favorites

2,4,6,8- First Graders are really great

Cha-cha line around the room
Dance break videos (not so much a transition)
Simon says stretch breaks

Conclusions
Repetition is a good thing, it leads to consistency
Dont underestimate the power of a small change

(one cheer, one lap around the room, a whisper etc)

The kids will pick favorite transitions, but also keep

changing it up.. They like new too

Acknowledgements
Thank you to the following individuals for all of their support in

this research project and my student teaching experience!

Mrs. Shannon Robinson for being a great mentor teacher.

My 1st Graders for allowing me to learn from them.
Dr. Kyle Shanton for his support in both this project and my student teaching
experience.
Dr. Claire Mitchell for facilitating great conversations between me and my
mentor teacher.
Albion College for the opportunity to be in this Education Department and
student teaching.
Gordon Elementary, and Principal Mrs. Sandra Kingston for allowing me into
the school so graciously.
My fellow student teachers for many memories.
My family, especially my mom for laughing at so many great first grade stories
with me.