Establishing clear classroom expectations and routines is the key to creating a positive learning environment in elementary schools.

An effective learning atmosphere will help the young students to learn and grow in order to achieve their full work potential.

Establishing classroom procedures also brings with it a sense of order and consistency which helps in reducing disruptions and managing behavior.

Furthermore, establishing classroom protocol helps build a positive classroom culture and one that encourages cooperation and respect among teachers and students.

This favorable environment makes the young minds feel comfortable and engaged in freely voicing their opinions without fear of judgement or ridicule from their peers or teachers.

Steps for implementing clear expectations and routines to elevate student learning 

Students who are actively involved in the education process will get a better understanding of the learning process and the material which will make it easy for them to retain information.

Since young committed minds cultivate professional success habits, educators should prioritize engaging strategies that promote active learning, encourage teamwork and promote holistic development. Here are some suggestions.

Ask open-ended questions 

Since open-ended questions can generate multiple correct answers, they can promote more healthy discussions by eliciting responses from even those who do not know the exact answer.

Multiple types of open-ended questions can be combined to check for student comprehension and nuance these responses to make sure the students have understood what is being taught.

Incorporate discussion time into activities 

Instead of giving students problems to solve by themselves, consider making small groups to try engagement boosting activities and group discussions to discuss the problem solving process.

Making small groups will also work equally well for discussing open-minded topics and problems and providing explicit solutions.

Establish peer review norms

Peer reviews are considered extremely beneficial for increasing student engagement once they are informed by their instructors about the importance of participating in such activities.

Take time to establish peer review norms in order to instil a sense of trust that they will be treated with respect and make them more open to feedback. Point out places where the feedback was successfully integrated and where it should have been.

Implement role-play

Role-play sessions are a great way to ensure active student participation in the learning process. Assign characters in a dialogue-based chapter to different students and ask them to read out their respective lines with expressions.

This expression-based role-play will keep the entire classroom on edge in anticipation of seeing the expressions on the faces of their classmates during role-play. Every time a new chapter starts, continue with a different set of students to keep the momentum going.

Give the brains a break

Even a short pause in instructions promotes student engagement and optimizes cognitive performance by reducing mental fatigue and enhancing the overall well-being.This break gives the students a chance to recharge and thereby improve concentration and alleviate stress levels.

Brain breaks can include quick physical activities like yoga or stretching to improve blood flow or brief mindfulness exercises like deep breathing or meditation to help the bodies relax and reduce anxiety.

Make use of technology 

Educators can take advantage of digital tools like multimedia presentations to deliver engaging course work and where students can revisit concepts whenever the need arises. Technology also enhances student engagement by creating a personalized learning environment which boosts motivation and encourages learning.

Other examples of adopting technology in the classroom could include leveraging social media for class project work or for discussions among students, both in person or virtually.

Include yourself 

The degree of your involvement with kids as a teacher should not be solely about engagement but how effective the lesson sessions are going to be.

Once the teacher plays the part of the student, the active learning process becomes even more pronounced and effective. So it is important to be a part of them during classroom work.

Turn students into teachers

The active learning pyramid involves teaching others as the most profound form of teaching yourself.Therefore, once in a while, give the child pupils an opportunity to become a teacher and challenge them to give a presentation to the rest of the class.

This activity is is extremely helpful in promoting the learning process as the student is actively involved in the learning new information and understanding the importance of feedback from both teachers and peers, while honing their own oratory skills.

Encourage debates

Debates are of immense value to students as they provide them the necessary context to practice their public speaking skills which can be a critical component for their educational journey and beyond in life.

This structural approach not only stimulates critical thinking and the power of augmentation in finding creative ideas, but is also an active learning activity that involves many real-life moments and offer opinions that are even contradictory to all around us.

Involve all the senses

Research has shown that when the olfactory, kinaesthetic and visual senses are involved the information is much better retained by the student. This active discovery learning process makes the use of concrete materials for student learning.

The process further enables young pupils to remember after some time not only what they heard from their teacher, but also what they had felt, touched and experienced during the course of the lesson.

Think-pair-share

This is a popular strategy which hardly requires any preparation and keeps students engaged and think about their lesson.Think-pair-share involves having students think individually about a particular question and then pair up with another student to compare their thoughts.

Teachers, on their part, should provide clear prompts to guide their thinking process and encourage students to listen carefully to their partner’s ideas.

To conclude 

Overall these active learning strategies for students have immense benefits which could include improved motivation and engagement, enhanced retention of information and improved academic performance.

Once the teachers are able to keep the young minds engaged and motivated, each learning process will trigger an even better learning process in the future, which will help students in a myriad ways.