EDUCATION 472 STRATEGY INSTRUCTION LOG: DETAILS 

DATE OF STRATEGY LESSON: 10/26/2022  

 
TOPIC AREA: (5 strategies must be taught in 3 different course topic areas.) 
Transition 

GROUPING: (Name size of student group receiving the strategy instruction. For example,
one-to-one, group of four, whole class, etc.) 
One-to-one 

STRATEGY USED: (Provide name of the strategy and include references.) 

Time Check  
https://www.behaviorinschools.com/
My_Students_Have_a_Hard_Time_with_Transitions.pdf  

RATIONALE: (Tell why you are implementing this strategy. How does it connect to
Marzano’s Top Nine? What evidence have you gathered that made you choose this specific
strategy? Detail how you and your cooperating teacher planned this strategy lesson.) 
I implemented this strategy in the Life Skills class at Riverside Middle School with one
student because he struggles significantly with transitions. A common occurrence is this student
refusing to put his computer away when it is time for a special or to go to another class. I noticed
that there was no warning given to this student to notify them that a transition was coming soon.
I asked my teacher if she thought giving him the choice between having three minutes or five
minutes left on his computer would help. Many strategies have been tried in the past and nothing
seems to work but he has never been prepared to transition before. My teacher suggested we try
it because it cannot hurt. The evidence I’ve gathered is that when students are given a choice or
some sense of control over when they transition, they are more likely to stick to their self-created
“schedule”. This is not a strategy that should be used in every setting all the time because it
would give too much control to the student and weaken its effectiveness. This strategy is upheld
by Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback from Marzano’s Top Nine. There is an unspoken
objective that this student will be able to transition from his computer to the next class or activity
when given the choice to have three minutes or five minutes left on his computer. This is a goal
that he is fully capable of achieving, it is just a matter of if he will choose to stick to his three- or
five-minute timer at the end of his computer time.  

COMMON CORE PA STANDARDS and/or IEP GOAL: (If applicable, list the
appropriate Common Core PA Standards) 
The student’s IEP states that he is currently receiving specially designed instruction
through cues for transition. This strategy is a potentially more effective cue for transition. 

STEP-BY-STEP EXPLICIT DIRECTIONS PROVIDED TO STUDENT: (Describe in

sequential detail how the strategy was taught to the students.) 
I spoke to the student and explained that I have noticed he has a hard time putting his computer
away when it is time to move on to the next activity. 
I then explained that sometimes it is really hard to listen when we are doing something fun and
are asked to put it away.  
I asked if he were to be permitted to choose when he puts his computer away if that would make
the transition a little easier.  
I then explained that today when he is on his computer, he will be allowed to choose to have
three more minutes before we move on to the next activity or five minutes. He may choose
whichever he prefers but must understand that when the timer is up, it is time to transition and
put his computer away. 

RESULTS OF THE STRATEGY: (Discuss how useful or successful the strategy was to
student learning and grasping the knowledge of the target concept.) 
For the most part, this strategy was successful. The first few times I used the timer, the
student proceeded to put his computer away when the timer went off. Then, he started to ignore
me when I asked if he would like a 3-minute timer or a 5-minute timer. He realized that even
though he gets to choose how long he gets, he still must get off the computer eventually.  

PERSONAL REFLECTION: (Discuss how you felt the session went. Give strengths and/or
weaknesses of your own teaching performance.) 
I did not have a conversation with the student prior to implementing this strategy and I
think I will do that next time. This way the student understands that I am not using a timer to
please him and put him in charge but to communicate an expectation of him and allow him to
choose when he meets that expectation. Overall, it did do what it intended to do. I think
remaining consistent with this student even when he is not will be key to improving his behavior.