Classroom Jobs: How to Effectively use Student Helpers

Inside: Read to find a detailed plan for teachers to effectively implement student helpers for your classroom jobs in their rooms.

Do you need help in your classroom? Have you taken advantage of the wonderful source of help in your students? Well, here are some ideas to effectively use student helpers for your classroom jobs.

Many teachers deploy the help of their students in many ways with the running of the classroom. But to be an effective classroom manager you really need a clever system in place to make it run smoothly.

A self-running classroom can save you heaps of time and will also cut down on your feelings of being so overwhelmed too.

We know that a room takes a lot of time to run and it’s necessary for a smart classroom management plan, to appropriately use students to work together as a whole cooperative team on certain minor tasks.

Now, this is not saying you are using your students like slaves.

It takes teachers to implement strategies and a clear plan to effectively use your classroom helpers.

Following, you can read to find some of my steps to help guide you in the process of implementing a plan of attack to effectively use your student helpers in your classroom this year.

It has taken me many years to implement a clear system of effectively using my student helpers for classroom jobs.

I have had just the ‘run of the mill” weekly classroom jobs that the students volunteered for; as many teachers do.

But it wasn’t really working as efficiently as I believed it should.

A classroom without helpers

I don’t really want to remind myself of what my classroom was like before I set up my comprehensive student helper system.

The feeling of overwhelm would rise in my gut after all my students left for the day.

The list of tasks was endless; I’d look across at my desk piled high with papers; the board needed cleaning off and a new timetable for the next day was left to write; the classroom library was a mess and books were all jumbled. Student belongings cluttered parts of the room…

Ahhh! So much to do!!! I’m sure your room isn’t like this…Wink, Wink.

The system I use now was born out of the time of my mismanagement and is more detailed than the basic ‘classroom jobs’ list I used to use.

It takes a little bit of set up, but it works much more effectively and helps the students take ownership of their own space.

They look after tidying and keeping things neat, which makes the classroom much more smoothly each and every day.

Where do I start with student helpers?

Step 1: Weekly Rotational Classroom Jobs

These are the weekly job that most teachers have a chart for.

These rotational tasks are still an important part of an effective student helper system in your classroom.

But instead of volunteers, I now randomly draw names from the pick-a-stick container to pull out non-volunteers for each of the jobs for the week. This system allows all students to take part and be involved.

There’s are a vast list of jobs that can be managed this way.

These simple tasks are rotated each week. I record these on a laminated classroom job’s chart that is clearly displayed:

• Handouts – sheets, activities and resources etc
• Collectors – of various resources
• Butler – opens and closes the classroom doors
• Lights, windows and fans – turn them on or off and open and close the windows.
• Tuckshop box collector
• phone calls answered
• Computers – turn on and off
• Line Leaders
• etc, etc, etc. The sky is the limit – see here for other classroom job ideas.

To come up with ideas for classroom jobs, list all of your routine tasks that are performed regularly and can be done without direct teacher supervision.

Step 2: Term Classroom Jobs

This system of having students designated to jobs for a whole term is where the magic starts to happen and you begin to feel like your workload burden is lifting.

I learned this recently in my last couple of years of teaching and I use it all the time now.

Responsible students will complete these jobs, which works very well with the older primary age group (I teach year 5s).

Set the roles each term and the students apply for them with an official application process. I’ll go into this in a moment.

The tasks that work well for whole term roles are as follows:

• Board Manager – rubs off the whiteboard periodically through the day and at the end of the day, plus writing up the new day’s timetable
• Librarian – cleans and tidies the classroom library books
• Printer Technician – looks after school printers and any problems
• IT Technician – sorts out technical issues with computers etc.
• Runner – jobs done for the class teacher around the school

The sky is the limit here too. Whatever minor task you need to have done in your classroom can be completed by a responsible student.

Classroom Job application process:

At the beginning of term 1, after the first weeks of ‘getting to know you’ and relationship building and in subsequent terms, you advise the students of the roles that available and how the application process works:

• Application forms are given out to students who request them
• Students are given several days to complete the questions on the form and then outline 3 roles they would like to apply for with reasons behind why they would be good at this role.
• Teacher collects application forms and designates roles to successful students according to their requests and answers
• Teacher outlines the expectation for each role
• Roles are clearly displayed on a chart in the classroom
• The application process starts again for each new term

Step 3: Beginning and end of day routines/jobs

I have a system in place in my classroom that I think is very useful in helping with clever classroom management. This involves having a clear routine at the beginning and end of the day.

Students have certain jobs that they need to complete when they arrive each day and at the end of the day. By teaching these explicitly it can help add to your room running itself. This is what you want.

Morning 5 Tasks List:

• make sure you have had a drink and been to the toilet
• get everything out of your school bag – homework, pencil case, drink bottle, glasses etc
• sharpen your pencil
• be ready for the lesson with book and equipment
• read quietly or complete morning work or catch up work, where needed

I display the Morning 5 Tasks list on a chart at the front of the room so that students can easily see it.

This routine helps students to become more self-directed and responsible learners.

The students also thrive on predictability, and this set routine contributes to your self-running classroom.

Step 4: Teach end of day procedures

Teach your end of day procedure the same way as the morning routine.

Teach predictable tasks and jobs so that when the time comes, students will switch into the role and get these jobs done quickly and efficiently.

Music is a great way to click this into action. Play a predictable song and they will know to:

• pack up
• clean up
• straighten desks
• shut windows
• turn off fans or heaters
• pick up belongings off the floor
• put rubbish in the bin
• stack chairs etc.

A predictable routine is key!

I also make a game of picking up rubbish sometimes. It’s called the ‘Magic Piece of Rubbish.’ I watch as the students are picking things off the floor and just a piece of rubbish that when picked up, the student gets a reward. (Students don’t know which piece it is). It makes a fun time of tidying up.

Step 4: Teach daily routines

I teach daily routines by having a predictable classroom lesson schedule, which is written on the board each day. Students love to write up the timetable at the end of the day too.

I also write up on the board what equipment is needed for each lesson. This is where you can use student helpers too. They learn what is needed and are able to write this up, or get out the magnetic icons and place on the board as a visual reminder to students what is needed for the lesson.

Have High Expectations

I think the key thing to remember when implementing student roles for classroom jobs is to have high expectations.

Don’t forget to make your expectations explicit too and to teach them what their role is, as well.

This might be providing them with a list of their duties (for Term Jobs) or just your regular reinforcement of the high expectations that you expect of them if they are to fill the role responsibly in the classroom.

All of your students can be such wonderful little helpers that can save so much of your valuable time and reduce some of the overwhelm you might be experiencing in the massive role that we call teaching.

This effective use of classroom helpers makes values students for their contributions helping to make them feel like part of a cooperative team or classroom community within your room.

Here are some other helpful suggestions to reduce the overwhelm and get your classroom self-running:

Don’t forget about a Classroom Management Plan

Need some Classroom Management strategies? I have written a detailed post that outlines and includes:

• A detailed Classroom Management plan
• Classroom Management examples
• and where Classroom jobs fit into your classroom management plan

Please read the article called 12 Strategies for Postive Classroom Management for more information and with a classroom management example. It also includes a free printable Voice Levels Chart too!

Here are some templates for Responsible Behaviour Plans.

Related Articles

In the following article, I discuss how important Classroom Helpers are How to Work Smarter, Not Harder as a Teacher. Read to find other key factors to help you to work smarter as a teacher.

Remember you are worth it!

Michelle xx

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