SuperNanny to the Rescue

It finally came...the back-to-school transition from chillin' with my littles on maternity leave to now working a full day, chasing three youngsters through dinner and bedtime routines...pretty much what the weekday looks like for most typical adults. However, I realize I had to get back into the habit of not only keeping routines, but also preparing them for said routines. I've always known it as the SuperNanny approach!

Years ago when my oldest was not so old, I watched SuperNanny - a well-dressed, prim and

proper English woman who set out to assist parents in creating routines and tackling many other behavior management issues. One of my favorite techniques is her 10-minute countdown - I have used this with Lilly so many times in her life that she can pretty much count it down for me as soon as I call her name..."I know, Mom, 10 minutes...," with that pretty eye roll of a pre-teen that I try to ignore. In essence, I prep her at 10 minutes, five minutes, two minutes, and one minute before an activity transition, whether it's leaving the house, ending a fun activity, or another event. Even though she may not like what's about to come, she is prepared - it doesn't come as a shock or a surprise, and I rarely get backlash (yes, I know she's only eight...we'll see what the future holds, but for now it's working!).

So, in thinking of our blessings (aka our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders), do we prepare them for what's about to come? Within daily lessons? Throughout the week? During an entire unit? Prepping our kids is a great tool for numerous reasons:

1) Reduces anxiety in students during transition times

2) Reduces stress in teachers from students acting out, not listening the one time something is stated, etc.

3) Preps students with learning disabilities who need additional processing time

4) Promotes student accountability in that they should hear the agenda directives more than once, and if they are still unsure, they can ask a peer who has also heard the agenda directives more than once!

And so, we implement the SuperNanny approach as a way to prepare students for what is going to come next, as well as hit them with the correct information (such as materials needed, page numbers in texts, etc.) numerous times, rather than just once.

Some different variations of the SuperNanny approach are listed as follows:

a) Clock Countdown - "In three minutes, we will..," is a great way to inform students and allow them the opportunity to share in your proposed schedule. 95% of your students will hear the information at least once and will be able to assist peers who did not hear it at all, as opposed to you being stressed that they were not listening the one time.

Example: "In five minutes (three minutes, one minute), we will be closing our books, getting out our rough drafts, and finding our editing partners."

b) Board Checklist - Writing a short daily or weekly agenda on the board allows students a visual and the predictability of knowing what's happening the whole period or week, as well as a visual of where they currently are in the whole scheme of things...they will be able to see if the class is on schedule or getting behind, based on what you have checked or crossed off the agenda.

Example (Cross off as completed):

1. Partner entrance ticket

2. Review homework

3. Lesson Jigsaw

4. Whole group review

5. 1st check > independent worktime

6. Small groups

7. Exit ticket

c) Fingers Signal - Similar to the clock countdown, using your fingers as a visual symbol allows students to know when a transition is about to occur. As you are presenting, holding up your hand a couple different times allows students to know that something is coming up,

which may help promote better attention as you wrap-up, as well as prevent disruptions of bathroom needs or sharpening pencils because students will know they're about to have some downtime, etc. Example >

d) Visual Timer - A great tool for keeping kids on track during PGW activities and others, they can be held accountable for the old cliche "use your time wisely," because now they know how much time they have to use!

Examples:

• Google Online Timer

• Countdown Timer

• Online Timer

Ultimately, projecting an online timer, holding up fingers, and counting down minutes once or twice doesn't require much effort but can certainly help prepare students, as well as reduce anxiety and stress. In the spirit of "sharing" learning targets with students, this is nothing more than "sharing" the progress of where class is headed in relation to learning those targets!

The SuperNanny approach and other preparation strategies have helped my second grader and now my two-year-old...Hazel says, "No!" every time I count her down, but when it comes to bedtime, she goes down like a champ - pajamas, teeth, story, and out! Sharing the agenda goals helps reduce anxiety and promote accountability for kids. And truthfully, anything to help with those is worth a shot!