Welcome to EduTips, a side project of the Cult of Pedagogy podcast where I share one quick idea to make you teaching better.

This is Jennifer Gonzalez and I am your host.

This EduTip is sponsored by EduLastic.

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Today's edu-tip is set aside time to set norms. I cannot count the number of times. I came up with what I thought was a great idea for some kind of classroom activity only to have it fall apart, leaving me frustrated and ready to throw the whole thing out.

Suppose for example that I was starting a non-fiction unit and I wanted students to choose a non-fiction book from the library for independent reading.

Before heading down, I would give bare bones instructions like this. Okay, we're going to the library and you'll have 20 minutes to check out a non-fiction book.

Once you've done that, if you have extra time, just find a seat and start reading quietly.

We would head down the hall and right away my frustration would start to build as a few students touch things on the hallway bulletin boards, banged on lockers, waved at their friends through the windows of classroom doors, and of course made noise.

Once we got into the library, the class would spread out, many going to areas that did not house non-fiction books, some starting to laugh and fool around right away, others immediately huddling to socialize, while a small handful actually started looking for non-fiction books.

I would start playing Teacher Wackemoll, starting around the library, redirecting students, and reminding them of what we were there to do.

By the time we were done, I would be totally frustrated. It had taken way more time than I'd planned for.

Quite a few students had books they just randomly grabbed rather than chosen thoughtfully, and the librarian was more irritated than usual with my students and with me.

Things would have gone so much better if I had understood the concept of norm setting, where prior to an activity the teacher describes in great detail the expectations for that activity, including conduct.

Had I known this before leaving for the library, I would have taken a few minutes to review the expectations for behavior in the hall and in the library, talked about what they should do if they couldn't find anything they liked, then drawn a quick map of the library layout and pointed to the non-fiction shelves, the areas they should stay out of, and where to sit after checkout.

To sum, this level of detail might feel like micromanagement, but unless you happen to be working with a group of exceptionally mature students, setting norms for how one conducts themselves in various environments is actually part of what they need to learn in school.

It's the socializing we offer as one benefit of formal schooling, and the need for it lasts well beyond the elementary years.

By the way, before I leave this library scenario, I should add that another thing that would have made things go so much better is if I'd actually done a lesson on how to choose a book for independent reading, exploring some of the different types of books that fall under the umbrella of non-fiction, and even offering some recommendations.

I'm embarrassed to say I definitely did not do that.

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