Building a Positive Classroom Climate: Entry and Exit Routines in 60-Minute Lessons

As we embark on the 2025 academic year, Damascus College continues it’s commitment to fostering an engaging and structured learning environment. With the introduction of 60-minute lessons, establishing strong classroom Entry and Exit Routines is more critical than ever in setting the tone for success and maximising instructional time. These routines are not just about transitions; they serve as key strategies to enhance student engagement, behaviour management, and learning outcomes.

Why Entry and Exit Routines Matter

Research underscores the significance of well-structured classroom routines in promoting a positive learning climate. According to Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction (2012), students benefit from structured lesson introductions and closure, as these provide clarity and support cognitive load management. Chris Thomas’ ‘Teach Like a Champion’ (2010) also highlights the power of entry and exit routines in reinforcing expectations, reducing wasted time, and creating a culture of consistency.

At Damascus, our focus on Entry and Exit Routines aligns with these findings. The Engage and Evaluate phases of the 5Es Instructional Model underpin these routines, ensuring students begin with purpose and reflect meaningfully on their learning.

Best Practices for Entry Routines

To optimise learning from the first minute of each lesson, Entry Routines should include:

• Clear Learning Intentions: Display and discuss lesson objectives to provide students with clarity.
• Do Now Tasks: Engaging, low-stakes activities that settle students into learning mode quickly.
• Structured Transitions: Predictable routines that minimise disruptions and maintain focus.

Best Practices for Exit Routines

Effective Exit Routines ensure that lessons conclude with reflection and consolidation:

• Student Reflection: A quick summary activity, such as a ‘3-2-1’ (three takeaways, two questions, one connection).
• Explicit Review: Revisiting the lesson’s objectives to reinforce key concepts.
• Organised Dismissal: Ensuring students leave in an orderly manner with clear expectations for the next lesson.

Refining the 60-Minute Timetable: Seeking Feedback

With the new 60-minute lesson structure, we acknowledge that staff and students will experience an adjustment period. Over the next week, we will be collecting feedback from both teachers, students and families to assess how the new timetable is impacting learning, lesson flow, and student engagement.

Key questions for reflection:

• Are students maintaining engagement throughout the 60-minute period?
• How effective are transition times between lessons?
• What refinements can we implement to improve lesson pacing?

We encourage staff and families to share their insights through feedback forms that will be distributed at the end of Week 5. These reflections will help refine our approach, ensuring that the timetable best serves our students' learning needs.

St Brendan’s Program: Preparing for a Transformative Term 2 Launch

Meanwhile, significant progress is being made in finalising the St Brendan’s Program, a pioneering initiative for our Year 8 students. Led by Karen Goonan and her dedicated team, the program is set to launch in Term 2 and will provide students with an immersive, community-engaged learning experience focused on personal development.

Rooted in the Mercy values of stewardship, leadership, and service, the

St Brendan’s Program will:

• Engage students in reflective and project-based learning.
• Strengthen ties between Damascus College and the Dunnstown community.
• Provide hands-on experiences in environmental stewardship, research, and creative expression.

Karen and her team are finalising the program details to ensure a smooth rollout. Feedback from staff and community members has been invaluable, and we look forward to sharing more updates as we move closer to the launch date.

Moving Forward Together

The start of the year is always an opportunity to set the tone for success, and Entry and Exit Routines will play a pivotal role in fostering a structured, engaging, and reflective learning environment. Coupled with the new 60-minute timetable and the upcoming launch of the St Brendan’s Program, 2025 promises to be a transformative year for Damascus College.

As always, we value the input of our staff, students, and families. Please take the time to reflect on the changes, provide feedback, and collaborate with your colleagues to ensure we continue to refine and improve our practices for the benefit of all learners.

Together, we move forward in Living in the Light of Christ.

Ashwin Pillai

Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching