Jaylene Hoffman - “The First Days of School” by Harry
K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2009). The first days of school: how to be an effective teacher (4th ed.). Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.
Summary
The
text that I selected to review for my teacher’s toolbox entry was “The First
Days of School” by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong. This incredible husband
and wife duo are award-winning teachers, authors, and owners of their own
production company. In addition, Harry Wong is an extremely sought after
speaker and has received endless outstanding awards and acknowledgements for
his contribution to education. A friend of mine, who is also a teacher, gave me
this book when I entered the Faculty of Education, emphasizing its practicality
and ability to provide imperative tips that only veteran teachers could offer.
With this glowing recommendation in mind, I was extremely grateful for the
opportunity to sit down and crack open this book, reflecting on the ideas
offered in this text, and adding them to the pool of strategies provided by my
peers.
This
text was delivered in a practical, yet inspirational way that allowed me to not
only gain valuable tips, but also created excitement about the thought of
implementing them myself. The ultimate message that this book delivered was the
meaning of effective teaching and the impact that an effective teacher could
have on a student’s learning experience. In order to achieve this goal, it was
emphasized that these practices must be implemented starting from the very first day of school. It was stated repeatedly that “what you do in the first days of school to affect
the lives of your students will determine your success the rest of the year” (pg.
9). The text provided tips on how to handle situations that were not addressed
during university class or in student teaching, such as how to start the first
day of school, how to handle transitions, or how to effectively organize a
classroom. It provided new teachers, who may have limited experience and exposure
to these situations, with insider advice from other teachers and research-based
methods of instruction.
Throughout
the book there were snapshots (shown below) that summed up the key points for
each chapter in an easy to follow list. This was a very small detail, however I
appreciated it immensely as it allowed me to place the points of discussion
back into the overall context and purpose of that particular section.
(pg. 13)
According to Harry and Rosemary Wong, an effective teacher is comprised of the following characteristics: positive expectations, classroom management, and lesson mastery. The book is broken down into five sections, with an introduction, a section on each of the three characteristics of an effective teacher, and a concluding section describing the never-ending desire to learn that is necessary within this profession. Therefore, this book provided an incredibly valuable look at how new teachers can effectively begin their year and set their class on a path for success. I know I will definitely be turning to this book for support when the anxiety about the first days of teaching sets in and it is comforting to know that I will always have such a helpful resource to turn to.
Resources
I
will break down each of the five sections into the strategies and ideas that I
found the most meaningful.
Unit A: Basic Understandings
The power of effective teaching was established
with the following observations (pg. 23):
The importance of using “proven, research-based
teaching practices” was also highlighted, emphasizing the large volume of
research and knowledge that teachers should utilize in their teaching practice.
Unit B: First Characteristic - Positive Expectations
“Students tend to learn as
little or as much as their teachers expect. Teachers who set and communicate
high expectations to all their students obtain greater academic performance
from these students than teachers who set low expectations” (pg. 42) and thus
“will greatly influence their achievement in class and in their lives” (pg.
37).
This section provided
interesting ideas to welcome students to school on their first day to set
positive expectations from the very beginning, including having a first day of
school celebration, a school newspaper to illustrate school values and spirit,
guides in the hall, greeters at the door, and a warm, friendly message at the door.
Promoting positive student
behaviour by displaying manners and thanking students for their effort or kind actions
can also go a long way to establish the level of expectation that you are
setting in the classroom.
Unit C: Second Characteristic - Classroom Management
This was declared to be the
most important unit in the book and the first clarification made was how
effective teachers manage their classrooms, while ineffective teachers
discipline their classrooms (pg. 82). It was stated that “the most important
thing a teacher can provide in the classroom during the first week of school is
consistency” (pg. 83). Students will feed off of a teacher’s disorganization, thus it is imperative to maintain a predictable schedule during the start of
the year.
The first step was the
process of preparing a safe and organized classroom environment. This involved
preparing the floor space, work area, student area, wall space, bookcases, and
teacher area. Point form tips were provided for each of these areas. The level of detail required for this intensive
planning and organizing was quite remarkable! Considering factors such as the
proximity of the teacher’s desk to the students, flow of traffic in the
classroom, identifying a place to hand work in, and having a method of matching
students to desks (to name a few) are all decisions that must be carefully
considered BEFORE the first day even begins.
This section also suggests
sending a letter home to each student before school begins, ensuring the
classroom is clearly marked, and making an effort to communicate with parents
before school even starts. Here are some ideas on how to do this! (pg. 103)
Another suggestion was to arrange the desks according to the type of task that is being carried out and the form of communication required by the students. Some examples are shown
below (pg. 116).
The importance of
establishing procedures was a major part of this unit and through the three step
process of teaching, rehearsing, and reinforcing, procedures can become student
routines (pg. 193).
In the picture shown below, a morning routine has been established. Bellwork assignments are implemented in this example to provide immediate instruction to students as they enter the classroom. These instructions are posted on the whiteboard or SMART Board to eliminate any possible confusion or miscommunication. There are many other similar terms for this idea, such as
energizer, prime time, DOL (Daily Oral Language), or WOD (Word of the Day) (pg.
127).
Unit D: Third Characteristic - Lesson Mastery
Harry and Rosemary Wong
refer to mastery as “how well a student can demonstrate that a concept has been
comprehended, or perform a skill at a level of proficiency, as determined by
the teacher” (pg. 13).
When it comes to creating lessons, there were four steps that were determined to be critical in creating an effective assignment:
1.
Determine what
you want the students to accomplish
2.
Write each
accomplishment as a single sentence (objective)
3.
Give the
students a copy of the same sentences
4.
Post or send
these sentences home with the students (pg. 227)
Finally, the backward design process
was also introduced as an effective planning technique to reach the desired
objectives.
The backward design process
includes these steps:
Step 1. Identify Desired
Results.
Step 2. Determine Acceptable
Evidence (form of assessment for desired learning.)
Step 3. Plan Learning
Experiences and Instruction (pg. 260)
Unit E: Future Understandings - The Professional
Beg, Borrow, and Steal! (pg.
301)
Or in other words, take every resource you can get your hands on from fellow colleagues!
“The First Days of School”
DVD - describes Chelonnda Seroyer, a first year teacher, implement the step by
step instructions laid out in the text. This is an amazing resource and if
there is any confusion or question as to how to apply a certain strategy, a
video representation can be loaded in seconds.
Website: www.effectiveteaching.com
Check out this site for
additional resources such as…
- - Important
questions to ask during an interview
- - First day of
school scripts
- - Seating
configurations
Critique
Overall,
the text succeeded in finding an ideal balance between providing practical
advice and motivational support. The layout created a magazine like appearance,
with statements from teachers, key points, and quotations in the margins, in an
easy to follow format. I found the text to be very well suited for early years
teachers as well, focusing on the importance of implementing this style of
effective teaching from a young age. I appreciated the level of detail that was
used when discussing every element necessary to organize and plan for
the first day of school. It opened my eyes to factors that I had not considered
and will now plan for as a result. Although some may argue that several
sections covered in the text are common sense in nature, such as professional
dress, I think it is still advantageous to review and remind ourselves of the
reasons behind the actions we routinely complete.
Connecting
the strategies offered in this text to some of the theories presented in class,
there were both contradictions and areas of collective agreement. The topic of
motivation was a connecting link; both stressing its importance and role in
maintaining engagement and ensuring that learning is a positive experience. In
addition, the connection between establishing positive expectations to increase
positive student behaviour was also a common thread.
However, I
found that the book did not really address the topic of holistic development.
As Kohn stated “we should be supporting children’s physical, emotional,
social, moral, and artistic growth as well as their intellectual growth”
(2011). The message of this book, however, revolved around the idea that
effective teaching ultimately leads to success. I believe this theory is
slightly flawed, as there are so many other ongoing factors that contribute to a
student’s learning experience. Further discussion about these outside factors and
concurrent areas of development could have helped to enrich this text even
more.
In regards to the issue of classroom
management, Charles (2008) addressed disciplinary situations by asking the
student how they think they can solve the problem, involving the student in
their own learning process, whereas Wong & Wong (2009) attribute “most
behaviour problems in the classroom are caused by the teacher’s failure to teach
students how to follow procedures” (pg. 175). From a viewpoint of
effectiveness, I suppose this technique is valid, as long as there is reasoning
provided to the students as to the benefits and purpose of the procedures. However,
it is contradictions such as these that I now am able to recognize, reflect
upon, and use to make my own decision that is in line with my personal teaching
philosophy.
Therefore,
I found this book to be a tremendous resource that I would recommend and
re-read several times in preparation for my first day of teaching. If you are
looking for a book about useful tips on effective teaching and classroom
management then this is an excellent choice.
Charles, C.M. (2008). Today’s best classroom management strategies: Paths to positive
discipline. Boston: Pearson.
Kohn, A. (2011). “Well,
Duh!” -- Ten Obvious Truths That We Shouldn’t Be Ignoring. American School
Board Journal, 1. Retrieved January 16, 2014, from
http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/duh.htm
Wong, H. K., & Wong,
R. T. (2009). The first days of school: how to be an effective teacher
(4th ed.). Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.
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