The Impact of Routines on Learning: The Mobile Phone.

Having a routine in teaching and learning is crucial. Routines give our students security and boundaries. Moving from a lesson with structure and routine to an unstructured 'go with the flow,' one with no routines is asking for trouble across the whole teaching and learning environment. In our teaching establishments, we'll no doubt have a plethora of routines we love and even hate, however, as a profession, we do know that routines support the stability and sensible behaviour we need from all our learners in order for them to progress with their own learning journeys.

One such routine we have at Hodgson Academy is the 'Mobile Phone,' routine. This is a routine that never ceases to amaze our visitors and colleagues from across the county, as well as parents. It has been in existence now for five or six years and was created when a colleague and I realised our lowest parallel sets of boys were 'in competition,' with each other as to which class could 'hand in,' the most mobile phones in their English lesson.

This idea was firmly grasped and has evolved into our 'Mobile Phone Policy.' Now, it is slick, high profile and embedded in our Academy/Home agreement. Mobile phones are handed in to the teacher on entry to the classroom; this is where having high whole academy expectations really does pay off. It's in the fabric of the academy's ethos. After the phones are handed in, a photo is taken and learning continues uninterrupted.

This does seem hard to believe to so many, however, it's encompassed in those words: expectations and standards. If a student makes the decision to not do what is expected and does not follow the routines and boundaries in place then of course there are sanctions. This is a rare procedure with our Mobile Phone policy these days.

From the toughest boys, all those years ago, we took their idea and created a seamless system that works. However, remember this: it only works because all of Hodgson Academy follow it. The impact on learning from routines is so crucial, it's your duty to have them in your classroom.