Getting Kids Started - Four Useful Phrases

There's nothing more frustrating than sending children off to work and finding, a little while later, that no one is working! Some teachers scold kids, "You're supposed to be working now!" Some teachers threaten, "You'll lose recess if you don't get this done!" Some teachers berate children for being lazy, unfocused, or unproductive. Those tactics tend not to work very effectively in the long term. I know you are not one of those teachers, so you might be looking for some simple phrases to help children get started.

You just finished your lesson/discussion/mini-lesson and sent kids off to work. You look up a few minutes later and notice very few children are doing what you expect. What do you say?

Why it's important: If the majority of your class isn't doing what you expect, then it's likely your instructions weren't clear. Take a minute or two to reexplain in clear, succinct language, or to demonstrate what is expected, and then send them back to work, refocused. If a small group of children is off-task, you can invite those children back to get them restarted. 

Possible follow up: When you've given your brief recap of instructions, you may want to ask kids to show you a signal (e.g. a thumbs up) if they feel ready to get to work, and then send them off one or two at a time. The hope is that everyone will be ready to get to work, but if some children still aren't, even after you've restarted them in a small group, they may need to work with you or another adult in a more guided way to get started. 

If there are still groups of children or individuals who aren't working, ask those children (calmly),

Why it's important: You want to know whether the child or group knows what to do! If children can answer this question, you can say, "Great. Get to it." If the child or group is unable to say what the instructions were, you know you need to reexplain!

Possible follow up: Ideally, none. Once children are clear on the instructions/expectations for a given task, they should get to it. 

If a child has come to you, still not knowing what to do after you've tried the above strategies, try asking,

Why it's important: Referring children to their classmates for help builds cooperation and a sense of responsibility for each other. It also builds the idea that children are competent and capable of providing assistance. Even better, when children use each other for guidance, you have more time to help children who really need an adult's support. Sometimes, the explanation will be clearer coming from a peer than it was coming from you. (Also, this only works if children are allowed to talk! I know, I know, you let kids speak to each other in your classroom. There are some teachers who don't!)

Possible follow up: Were you able to find someone who could help? 

If you notice some students still can't get started, after having instructions clarified, and after asking a peer for help, ask those specific children,

Why it's important: Pinpointing the specific roadblock preventing participation can help remove it and allow the child to get back to work. Rather than scolding a child for not working, by asking this question, you can learn about the child's work process and help the child learn how to solve the specific problem should it arise in the future. It's important to note that kids might not know what's stopping them from working! You might need to offer some possible reasons or use your own knowledge of a child to help them pinpoint the problem. Do you have a pencil? Do you have a place to sit? Do you have a partner? Do you have the books you need?

Possible follow up: Did that work for you? Were you able to find a (topic, pencil, partner, place to work, strategy)? I notice you're working well now! Keep it up!

Note:

Tone is everything! A sarcastic tone, shouting these phrases and questions at kids, or delivering them with a sneer on your face will change the message completely. Yeah. That's all.