Visual Planning Examples

Kenisha Williams’ classroom-planning post turned a familiar teacher complaint — chaotic transitions — into a set of visible routines teachers can copy. (x.com) Williams, a former public-school teacher, assistant principal, and principal who says she spent 22 years in education, posted examples built around arrival tasks, small-group plans, whiteboards, and exit tickets. Her account and website identify her as Dr. Kenisha L. Williams. (drkenishawilliams.com) The materials in the post show planning made concrete: what students do first, which children meet in targeted groups, what they write on whiteboards, and how the teacher checks learning before students leave. Those are all classroom moves designed to make the next step obvious before noise and waiting take over. (x.com) That approach lines up with broader guidance on mixed-age teaching, where teachers are typically managing different readiness levels in one room at the same time. Teaching Strategies says mixed-age classrooms work best with clear daily routines, flexible small-group work, and materials that can be used at different levels. (teachingstrategies.com) The whiteboards and exit tickets in Williams’ examples are both versions of quick checks, sometimes called formative assessment. Reading Rockets describes exit slips as brief end-of-lesson checks that help teachers gauge understanding and spot confusion right away. (readingrockets.org) Those checks matter most in hands-on classes, where students can look busy without showing what they understood. ORIGO Education says exit-ticket data is useful when teachers use it to plan the next day’s targeted instruction instead of treating it as a closing activity only. (origoeducation.com) Williams has been making that case in other venues too. In a recent YouTube appearance, she discussed teacher-led workstations and the need to design centers intentionally so small-group teaching does not compete with the rest of the room. (youtube.com) The emphasis on visuals also matches guidance for students with language needs, not just younger learners. DLDandMe recommends visual planners, written key words, and repeated step-by-step directions to help students follow classroom instructions. (dldandme.org) What Williams posted is not a new curriculum or a new device. It is a map for what happens when students walk in, split into groups, show their thinking, and leave with the teacher knowing who needs help next. (x.com)