7 Simple Signs For Classroom Management

Sign Language is a fascinating language. This language has so much beauty, from how graceful it looks, to the facial expressions and non-verbal gestures that make it come to life. Here’s a fun fact about me… a college experience with having an interpreter in one of my courses,  encouraged me to learn ASL, become fluent in the language, and become an ASL interpreter. I’m pretty much out of practice as an ASL interpreter. Still, I have taught ASL courses at the college level, did some enrichment clubs with students, and incorporated sign language in my classroom as a management tool that works.

Incorporating signs and nonverbal gestures is an effective way to eliminate so many unnecessary interruptions in the classroom. It maximizes time for teaching and learning and many signs are simple enough to teach children as young as toddlers. Here are 7 signs or hand gestures that are simple enough to use in your classroom that will maximize teaching and learning time and will put an end to those pesky interruptions.

When a student is speaking or when the class is having a discussion, teach the students to use the sign for “same,” moving the sign towards the person with whom they agree. This stops so many unexpected interruptions, like, “Me too!” or any other comments that students might blurt out loud. The sign  “same” or “alike” lets the speaker visually know that others agree with their idea, thoughts, questions, or experiences. Students find comfort in knowing that other students feel the same way. It is also a great visual check-in for the teacher to assess how students feel during discussions or lessons about content.

 

How many times do your lessons get interrupted for comments or questions, sometimes even unrelated to the content, before you are even done speaking? Teach your students to practice active thinking and listening throughout the lesson intro or mini-lesson. Teach students ways to practice active listening so they can form thoughtful questions and comments that bring more to the discussion. I encourage students to use their question/comment note-taking cards to practice active listening to organize their thoughts, questions, and comments throughout the lesson. I let my students know when I’m ready for thoughtful questions and comments and they will show me a “Q” if they have a question or a “C” if they have a comment.  They might even use both their hands to show that they have a question and a comment.

Ever been in the middle of an AMAZING lesson and been so excited for thoughtful questions and comments from your students and got, “I have to go to the bathroom?” Well, to get rid of bathroom interruptions altogether, teach students the restroom sign. When a student needs to use the restroom, they show this sign and you nonverbally give a nod to acknowledge the student’s request, with no interruptions to the lesson or teaching whatsoever. This has worked wonders in so many classrooms.

Often when kids get excited, they may lose just a little bit of self-control. Teach students this silent applause. The kids love it! It allows students to show their excitement and joy, but keeps kids in control and the volume at a minimum with smiles all around!

 

And last but not least, teach your students to sign thank you and you’re welcome. Teaching our students to use good manners in the classroom helps build community.  I love it when I hear my students say thank you and you’re welcome. But when we hear “thank you” and “you’re welcome for every little thing in group work or during independent work time, these signs and nonverbal gestures come in handy. For example, suppose students are working independently at their desks in a group, and a child needs a pencil and receives one from a classmate. In that case, the child responds by signing thank you and the other signs you’re welcome without saying a single word out loud to disrupt another student sitting in the group. Or how about when a student holds the door for the class and every student who walks by says, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” and the door holder responds, “You’re welcome, you’re welcome, you’re welcome” twenty-something times. Using the signs for thank you and you’re welcome eliminates hallway talk and repetition.

Want all of these posters? I created these 7 Signs for Classroom Management posters so you could teach these signs/hand gestures to your students and your students could refer back to the posters as a reminder.

These signs will help with managing the small things in your classroom that maximize teaching and learning for all. Get your posters and user guide here.

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Related Posts for Classroom Management:

Managing Student Behavior Responsive Classroom Style

The Three B’s To Teaching Strong-Willed Children

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