Micro Skills Booklet

MICRO SKILLS:
SUPPORTING STUDENTS
& THEIR LEARNING
(Based on the work of: Christine Richmond &
Peter Miles)
1. ESTABLISHING EXPECTATIONS
Work out the rules together as a class.
Publish the rules where students can see them.
Ensure that students are aware of the consequences of following/not following the
rules.
Keep the rules short, simple and phrased in observable terms.
Make the rules positive They have more impact if they describe WHAT the students
CAN DO.
Use visual cues to support the rules.
Refer to the rules frequently and change as required.
Model the rules.
Greet your students formally or informally before you begin instructions. Greet late
students and deal with the lateness at an appropriate time.
2. POSITIVE FEEDBACK (VERBAL AND NONVERBAL)

Praise or acknowledgment given to an individual, group or whole class, positive feedback
can be verbal or non- verbal.
Individually Excellent work, you have been listening carefully, well done.
Whole Class I am very proud of this class and how hard you are working.
Group This group has worked really well together and produced great work that is great to
see.
3. INSTRUCTION GIVING
The Elements of Instruction Giving
Gain the attention of the whole class using a verbal or non-
verbal method.
Example - Clap a rhythm, ring a bell, raise your hand, move to
a certain spot Example - A song or an echoed phrase Stop,
look and listen, Eyes on me
Purposeful scan of the class, accompanied by a short period of silence, following an

instruction before giving
descriptive encouragers or the next direction. AIM to ensure that all students are paying
attention. Dont commence until you have everyones attention.
Descriptive encouraging should occur after waiting and scanning. AIM to catch students
being good. Example - Eyes to me, thankswait and scan.Michaels put his pencil
down and is ready to listen Great to see people over here sitting quietly and listening.
The Process of Giving Instructions
Give the instruction.

Wait and scan.
Descriptively encourage 2 students.
If necessary, use proximity and give choice or warning.
If necessary, follow through.
Tips for Efective Instruction Giving
Keep it short 5 minutes maximum.

Use appropriate body language.
Good to use non-verbal or written cues.
Phrase as a direction rather than a question.
Use thanks rather than please at the end of an instruction.
4. POSITIVE SUPPORTIVE STRATEGIES

Cueing with parallel acknowledgement: Designed to catch kids being good.
Teachers choose to acknowledge a student/s who is doing the right thing in order to cue
other students into the correct behaviour. Example Well done Sarah your pencil is
down and you are looking at me.
Curriculum refocus: Using the curriculum to redirect inappropriate behaviour instead of
focusing on the behaviour itself.
Example What is the answer to question five
thanks Mark? Description of reality: Describing
only the behaviour you see. Example Your books
are closed and we have started our work.
Expectations clarified/restated (curriculum): When it is noticeable that students are not

following instructions
when working, the teacher might restate the curriculum requirements. Example Everyone
When it is noticeable that students are not following instructions when working, the teacher
might restate the curriculum requirements. Example Everyone stopwho can tell us
what we should be doing?
Indicate post lesson discussion: Teacher indicates they will need to speak to student/s at
a time indicated generally at the end of the lesson/session. To be used in close proximity in
a calm, firm, measured voice. Example I will need to speak with you at morning tea.
Note: Ensure you do follow up with the student. Make a note of the students name on your
desk or on the board, so that other students see that there will be a consequence.
Move student in room: Involves asking a student verbally or non-verbally to move to

another seat or area, as they may have already been given a choice about their
behaviour and have continued to remain off task. This strategy may also be used in a
proactive way to avoid a problem eg a student sitting where they may be distracted.
Example You have continued with your off-task behaviour, you will need to move
yourself to the time out seat -
thanks. I am not sure that you can work sitting near the computers, move to another
desk thanks.
Peripheral vision while working: Teacher scans class on a regular basis to identify
students on and off task while teacher is otherwise engaged. Example scanning the
class while assisting a student with their work.
Selective attending/tactical ignoring: Pay minimal attention to inappropriate

behaviour that is not seriously disturbing others.
Varying voice volume/intonation: Teacher uses different pitches and volumes

in their voice to encourage attentiveness or address inappropriate behaviour.
5. BODY LANGUAGE
Non-verbal redirection: Eye contact, head movement, smile, hand movement.
Example - Teacher points to their watch or wall clock, finger to mouth to indicate be
quiet, come here hand signal, hand up to indicate stop, head shake to indicate no.
Proximity: The teacher moves to the student exhibiting off task or inappropriate
behaviour and stands without speaking in the students personal space avoiding eye
contact but looking at where/what the student should be doing. NOTHING IS SAID.
When the student looks like they are returning to task the teacher moves away.
Pause in Talk: While giving instructions or during discussion a student is talking or

displaying off task or inappropriate behaviour, the teacher pauses and looks in the
direction of the student and waits for silence before continuing with the
instruction/discussion. A non-verbal redirection may be used of eye contact is made.
Smile to manage behaviour: Using a wry smile of surprise to redirect behaviour. The
message being given is that it is not serious BUT the student needs to stop.
6. ORAL REDIRECTION
Individual close talk: Teacher redirects a student with as few people as possible
hearing the redirection. The teacher moves to the student and without anyone else
hearing, the student is spoken to in relation to their behaviour. They may be offered a
choice, given a rule referral or merely redirected to the task at hand.
Baxter, A., Boyle, T., Hunt, R. & Isaac, A. (2011) Module 1: Student Workbook Pedagogy In
Practice II: Quality Teaching 31
Questioning to redirect: A student/s is talking or displaying off task or inappropriate

behaviour and the teacher questions to redirect using questions that will often begin with
what, where, are or have such as: What are you meant to be doing?
Where are you meant to be? Are you doing your work?
AIM to get the student to name the expected behaviour and take ownership.
Humour to manage behaviour: A comment to lighten a situation, if appropriate,
can be a non-confrontational method of redirecting behaviour. Regardless, there is a
fine line here between using humour and how easily it can become sarcasm. The
students response, be it verbal or non-verbal will indicate to the teacher whether it
was humour or sarcasm. Should it unintentionally be the latter, it is important that the
teacher rebuild rapport as soon as possible.
Example teacher pretends to fall asleep while waiting for student to comply.
Call students name: Without saying anything else, or doing anything non-verbally, the
students name is called and then the teacher continues. This strategy is often used in
conjunction with a non-verbal redirection. Example - Our task today is to write down our
Tom spelling words.
Redirection given: Telling a student WHAT TO DO. Often the most commonly used
strategy by teachers, more so than any other strategy. Example ShhhBack to
work Joe, thanks. Using thanks at the end of these statements / requests /
commands will assist in gaining compliance.
Across room to individual: This is the same as above, however, it is given across the
room with increased volume and distanceand as such, more students are affected.
Example Patrick, you are walking around the room, you need to sit down, thanks.
7. CONSEQUENCES
Give choice/Warning: Student is offered a choice about their behaviour. Must be
delivered in close proximity with calm, firm voice. Should not include others.
Example Penny, you have a choice you can stop talking and get on with your work, or
you can move to time out
and work there.
Follow Through: Teacher says what is going to happen as indicated in a previous

discussion. Example You need to
move back to your desk you are being too noisy.
Time out: A student has previously been offered a choice and has continued with
inappropriate behaviour and so the teacher instructs the students to go to time out.
Example You have made a choice and continued with the inappropriate behaviour
that we have discussed. You will need to move to time out thanks.
Source: Catholic Education Office, Lismore. ( 2007).New Skills for Classroom Success.
Lismore.
Developed by: Baxter, A., Boyle, T., Hunt, R. & Isaac, A. (2011)

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MICRO SKILLS:

2. POSITIVE FEEDBACK (VERBAL AND NONVERBAL)

Gain the attention of the whole class using a verbal or non-

Example - Clap a rhythm, ring a bell, raise your hand, move to

a certain spot Example - A song or an echoed phrase Stop,

look and listen, Eyes on me

Purposeful scan of the class, accompanied by a short period of silence, following an

Give the instruction.

Tips for Efective Instruction Giving

Keep it short 5 minutes maximum.

4. POSITIVE SUPPORTIVE STRATEGIES

Example What is the answer to question five

thanks Mark? Description of reality: Describing

only the behaviour you see. Example Your books

are closed and we have started our work.

Expectations clarified/restated (curriculum): When it is noticeable that students are not

Move student in room: Involves asking a student verbally or non-verbally to move to

Selective attending/tactical ignoring: Pay minimal attention to inappropriate

Varying voice volume/intonation: Teacher uses different pitches and volumes

Pause in Talk: While giving instructions or during discussion a student is talking or

Questioning to redirect: A student/s is talking or displaying off task or inappropriate

Follow Through: Teacher says what is going to happen as indicated in a previous

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