How to Teach Students to Follow Directions
Teaching students to follow directions can be a challenge for any teacher, whether they educate children or adults. Even the best students can miss a direction or two, so every teacher can find better ways to teach students to follow directions. The following steps include practical tips as well as some fun activities. Depending on your needs, use some or all of the steps below to help your students.
Instructions
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How to Teach Students to Follow Directions
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Set the example. Students of all ages follow directions when a teacher shows authority through tone, body language, classroom organization and verbal cues. For example, a teacher can quiet the room each day by using the same phrase such as, "Let's begin."
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Appeal to learning styles by explaining directions verbally and on paper. Students can even write down directions as the teacher says them.
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Offer do's and don'ts. After explaining what the students need to do for an activity, also explain what they should not do. For example, let students know that they need to rewrite a paragraph on a worksheet using different adjectives, but remind them that they do not need to provide different verbs.
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Let students know in advance what the consequences are if they do not follow directions. Consequences might include shortened recess or additional busy work.
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Teach students how to give directions to others. A popular tool for this exercise is giving students a map and making them explain to another student how to get to a certain location.
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Make up a following directions worksheet. At the top of the worksheet the only directions included are "read through all questions and directions before beginning." The rest of the worksheet includes random questions like, "underline the verbs in the following sentence..." or "write down three odd numbers between one and 10." The last question or task says, "disregard all previous questions and rip up this paper." The students who started answering the questions from the top will open their mouths in shock to see a few students in the room ripping up their work.
For younger students, include silly tasks for them to do such as, "get out of your chair and jump up and down three times."
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Reward following directions through an age-appropriate rewards system. Students can earn points toward privileges such as a homework pass or time at a game station. A teacher can even award extra grade points on a quiz or test.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember to acknowledge and praise students when they successfully follow directions. Be prepared to explain directions in other ways if students have difficulty understanding your original lesson plan.
