3.4 Student Movement

Juliana headshot"Having concrete strategies and routines around student movement is vital to a blended classroom for both efficiency of instruction as well as safety of devices and students."

       —Juliana Finegan, Relay GSE Blended Learning Curriculum Designer

While exploring the strategies below, think about: 

  1. Which strategies resonate with you the most and why
  2. How to roll out these strategies to your students in a clear and effective manner
  3. Ways to adapt these strategies to better fit your classroom 

Blended Strategies

Blended strategies are named strategies that have been found to support teachers in successful blended implementation. These specific strategies are used to help roll out procedures around student movement. Remember, these strategies do not need to be taken as is, but instead can be adapted to meet your and your students’ needs.  

One-Way Streets

  • Description: Students always move in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction when moving throughout the room
  • Rationale: Moving in one direction allows students to flow smoothly and not bump into each other when carrying devices and transitioning

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4-Step Transition

  • Description: This strategy gives specific actions for a four-step transition
  1. clean up
  2. stand up
  3. line up
  4. go to the next station
  • Rationale: Setting an exact structure for transitions allows for efficient transitions with clear expectations. This can save a lot of time when moving from one activity to another at any grade level

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Two-Hand Hold

  • Description: Students need to hold devices with two hands at all times, either close to their body or right in front of their body
  • Rationale: Always having two hands on the device makes sure that the devices are being held securely and helps ensure that students are being careful and aware when moving around the classroom

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Book Before Book

  • Description: Use textbooks to practice student movement, handing out devices, and even opening devices, prior to actually using the devices themselves
  • Rationale: Using a textbook first allows students to practice the movement and how to correctly hold and treat the devices without the extra stress and distraction of the devices

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Additional Resource

This resource was collected by BetterLesson's BlendedMTP (Master Teacher Project) as a silent way to start transitions.