Rehearse transitions like they're content
A four-minute transition done six times a day is twenty lost minutes. Routines are taught, not announced.
Jun 23, 2026 · 1 min read
We plan lessons to the minute and leave the joins between activities to chance. The joins are where time and behaviour leak. Treat each recurring transition (entering, handing out, moving to groups, packing up) as something you explicitly teach, model, and re-run until it's fast. This procedures-first approach is what Wong & Wong (1998) put at the centre of well-run classrooms.
In practice
- Pick your single most expensive transition this week. Time it honestly.
- Show the class the number. Set a target. Practise it twice, and actually practise, including doing it again if it's sloppy.
- Keep the routine identical every day. Novelty is for content; boredom is a feature in routines.
- Re-time it on Friday and tell them the new number. Classes chase their own record.
Quick takeaway: you don't get transition time back by hurrying. You get it back by rehearsing.