Classroom hand signals are a set of non verbal cues or signs that your students use to show you, the teacher, what they want or need. The teacher is able to respond with a nonverbal answer (nodding head YES or shaking head NO). Let's dig a little deeper.
You are teaching a lesson on double digit subtraction with regrouping. The students are about to have that LIGHTBULB moment when it clicks and they GET IT. All of a sudden, a sweet student raises his hand with a question. Unfortunately, this little darling doesn't have a question about double digit subtraction with regrouping. He wants to know if he can get a sip of water because he's thirsty. His untimely question interrupts the lesson and distracts the class.
There are times during the day when students are going to raise their hand to ask for a new pencil.
They are going to ask to go to the restroom.
They will ask for water.
They will need to get up for a tissue.
They will need have a question or need help.
They will need to visit the nurse.
Constant interruptions multiplied by 20+ students can make for a lot of lost instructional time.
My best advice for new teachers is to have a set of hand signals to reduce and eliminate these unnecessary distractions. If you are teaching and you see a child raising his hand with THREE fingers in the air, you know he wants to get up for a sip of water. If it's not a good time for water (like during the double digit subtraction lesson), I would shake my head NO. In the same situation, a child may have broken his only pencil, and I can see he's raising ONE finger in the air. I know he needs a new pencil to continue working on the lesson. I can nod my head YES, and he can go get a new pencil, and the lesson is never interrupted.
You can download these printable signs/posters in my TpT store. The text is editable so you can make them work for your classroom. Hoping this classroom management tip will be beneficial for you!
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