Adrian - The First Days of School

            The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher (2009) by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong delivers a clear and concise overview of the many important qualities and habits of successful teachers. The first section of the book outlines and elaborates upon the three most significant characteristics of an effective teacher. The second section explores the benefits of positive expectations and how to instill positive student behaviour. The third section discusses a wide variety of topics regarding classroom management, ranging from classroom design to starting classes to discipline plans and establishing expectations. The fourth section covers themes of lesson design, including assignments, assessment methods, and improving student learning. The fifth and final section describes the implications of teachers taking on a leadership mentality and how it applies to their practice. Several features of this book include a one sentence key statement that summarizes the chapter with a complimentary figure or illustration at the beginning of each of the twenty-five chapters, boxed segments within the text that highlights the main ideas, and a trademark “The Effective Teacher” headline running through the entire book, which consists of points that supplement the text and guide reading by emphasizing what qualities or habits makes a great teacher as it pertains to the chapter or subchapter. Stories from teachers are also utilized to support the theories and convey the message more strongly.

            Chapter 5, Why You Should Use Proven, Research-Based Practices, stresses the importance of looking to research-based teaching practices that have been proven to be effective and successfully utilized by teachers in the real world, not just simply teaching how one was previously taught. Reading chapters, answering textbook questions or worksheets, taking notes during a lecture, and videos or activities have no research to support these methods of teaching. However, interspersing questions throughout lessons and activities, active participation, small group learning, reading from a variety of sources, and an increased time to think and respond to a question are all research-proven methods that can improve student academic performance.

            Chapter 6, Why Positive Expectations are Important, defines positive expectations as an optimistic belief that whoever you teach or whatever you do will result in success or achievement. This is contrasted with negative expectations, which is defined as a pessimistic belief that whoever you teach or whatever you do will not work out or will fail. There is also a distinction between expectations and standards. Teachers who practice positive expectations will help their students reach high standards. Research has shown that teacher expectations play a significant role in determining how well and how much students learn; teachers who set and communicate high expectations obtain greater academic performance from their students.

            Chapter 12, How to Have Your Classroom Ready, presents some obvious and not-so-obvious factors to consider regarding classroom design and presentation. Preparing the work, the room, and yourself every day is essential and requires thoughtful planning. When preparing the floor space, it is suggested to have chairs facing forward, even if desks are not in traditional rows, keep high-traffic areas clear, and have a strategic location for students that need to be isolated from the rest of the class. When preparing the work area, ensure you can see all the students from wherever you are in the room and that the students can see you, the board, and other visuals from wherever they are sitting; keeping high traffic areas clear is important as well. If there is space available, preparing an area for students to put their belongings or hang their jackets may also be beneficial. Wall space should be used to display student work, class rules, due dates, and featured themes. The teacher area should not create a barrier between the teacher and the students; the desk should be placed in a location to easily monitor all students.

            Chapter 15, How to Start a Class Effectively, emphasizes that your first priority when the class starts is to get the students to work, not to take attendance. Posting an assignment before the students enter the room and posting the assignment in the same location every day makes it much easier to get students into the habit of learning the moment they walk into the room. Wasting ten minutes per classroom period per day can lead to up to one month of wasted time during the school year. Using these opening assignments, essentially the students start the class rather than the teacher; if these were implemented as school-wide procedures, getting into this routine could be beneficial for teachers and students.

            Chapter 18, How to Have an Effective Discipline Plan, explains how discipline plans form a continuum ranging from the teacher being in charge, to both the student and the teacher are in charge, to the student being in charge, and the roles of the teacher and the student in each of these plans. When both the teacher and the student are in charge, they work cooperatively and interactively to come to agreements and establish rules. “My Action Plan” allows both parties to identify the problem, identify the cause of the problem, and outline a plan to solve the problem. Additionally, the “Self-Manager Plan” can be used to teach students to be responsible for managing their own behaviours by allowing them to self-evaluate their behaviours.

            Chapter 22, How to Test for Student Learning, mentions that the purpose of a test is to determine how well each student has mastered the objectives of the lesson and provide an opportunity for remediation and correction for student mastery. Creating questions that correspond to specific objectives and clearly stating these correlations on a test can be useful for referring back to the lessons to address any weaknesses in the material. If there is no correction or remediation, learning is diminished as the year progresses.

            The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher agrees with many of the concepts discussed in class and in the readings, notably the idea that positive and high expectations set by parents and teachers and support or encouragement for the attainment of challenging goals can lead to students having more positive self-concepts, greater confidence, and higher academic achievement. Promoting effort, improvement and understanding can motivate students and result in greater academic performance more than promoting achievement and competition. Furthermore, connecting with students, inciting a sense of inclusion, and creating a positive learning environment can all improve student success and contribute to their personal, moral, and social development. This can be beneficial because it can be motivating for the child as well. Connecting with students can increase participation, improve behaviour, and act as a classroom management tool all on its own. If you show interest in the success of your students and are somewhat personable, most students will reciprocate and give you respect as well. Additionally, there are also connections between the book and the course regarding teachers as leaders and professional role-models. Leaders have a vision for achievement, soft skills, charisma, dedication, realistic and specific goals, good conflict management, and willingness to learn, share, and collaborate. Leadership fosters improvement and facilitates student achievement. Many of these qualities mentioned are apparent in teachers that advocate for and take action to implement sustainability education policies and practices.

            Overall, The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher encompasses a wide array of topics for new and old teachers to consider in order to get the most out of themselves and their students and collects these resources into a presentation that is succinct and organized with easy-to-read language. The layout of the book is visually pleasing and the format allows for excellent pacing within chapters and from one chapter to the next. This book is definitely not lacking in content for its value and audience, but that leads one aspect where this book falls short. There is often no indication of what information is more significant or what should be prioritized. Every new chapter or hew heading treats its corresponding topic like the most important part of the book, but not all of the information present seems to be equally important. For example, the sections on dressing appropriately or smiling probably do not need such an elaborate explanation or emphasis. However, sections like these are few and far between, and the book quickly moves on to the more important aspects of teaching.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Gordon Cawelti (ed.). Handbook of Research on Improving Student Achievement. (2004). Arlington, Va.: Educational Research Service.

http://streamer.lacoe.edu/tesa/ (information on a teacher expectation and student achievement, or TESA, program)

Lackney, J.A. (1996). Teachers as Placemakers: Investigating Teachers’ Use of the Physical Environment in Instructional Design. Madison: University of Wisconsin, College of Engineering, School Design Research Studio. http://www.engr.wisc.edu

Olson, L. (June 12, 2007). “What Does ‘Ready’ Mean?” Education Week.

EffectiveTeaching.com, Going Beyond folder for Chapter 18: My Action Plan and The Self-Manager Plan

Alfie Kohn, “Grading: The Issue Is not How but Why.” (October 1994). Educational Leadership, p. 41. ASCD, Alexandria, Va.