 |
| Front Cover. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012). |
The
text I chose to read, summarize, and critique is The Organized Teacher: Second Edition (Alexander, Persiani, and
Springer, 2012). The text is authored by three educated and experienced
teachers. These three individuals have developed this guide to help first-year
teachers in grades K-6 successfully plan and maneuver through their first year
of teaching. The strategies found within the text are designed to help a
teacher from his/her first day of school until the students leave for summer
vacation.
The
aim of this paper is to review The
Organized Teacher: Second Edition (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer,
2012). In doing so, I provide a brief summary and offer select resources from
within the text that the authors believe to be useful for an early years
teacher entering his/her first year of teaching. At the conclusion of each
resource I provide a critique. In my critique I discuss the appropriateness of
the strategies and tools that the text provides in accordance to the
discussions and theories outlined in Psychology of Learning and Instruction 1:
Theory and Practice – EDUA 1800.
Summary
The
text is co-authored by three individuals. Kimberly Persiani, Ed.D is an Associate
Professor at California State University in Los Angeles. Persiani had the
initial idea of putting together a resource book to help teachers prepare for
their first year of teaching. Persiani joined forces with Steve Springer, M.A.,
and Brandy Alexander, M.F.A., both of which are currently full-time classroom
teachers and part-time faculty members at California State University-Los
Angeles, to collaborate with her and develop The Organized Teacher text.
The
text’s original version The Organized
Teacher, is the brainchild of Alexander, Persiani, and Springer. The second
version of the text has evolved from the first edition and incorporates
“hundreds of teachers in the field who have used content from this book in
their own classrooms” (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p vii). Thus, the
resources in the text are still synthesized by Alexander, Persiani, and
Springer, but also include the collaborative thoughts of other teachers. The
accumulation of these ideas is presented in the text as checklists, suggestions,
worksheets, and lesson plan outlines, which are designed to help plan
successful classroom management, lesson planning, classroom organization, and assessment.
In addition, the text also outlines how to prepare for many of the pressures
and responsibilities that accompany a first year teacher.
Activity Resources
The
text has a variety of illustrated resources and tools to help a first year
teacher plan his/her first year of classroom teaching. The text has fourteen
separate sections which include: First Day Checklists, Sample Room Setups,
Classroom Management, Classroom Rules and Behaviour Management, Classroom
Organization, Classroom Centres, Classroom Tools, The School, Record Keeping,
Curriculum, Classroom Preparedness, Lesson Planning, Student Assessment
Portfolios, and Assessments. Within each of these sections are sub-sections with
examples, tools, resources, checklists, and other resources to help a new
teacher in each of the aforementioned planning areas.
I
have chosen a few select resources from the text to share with my peers in Psychology
of Learning and Instruction 1: Theory and Practice – EDUA 1800. Therefore, in
the subsequent sections of this paper the reader will find resources that the
book suggests to help plan and maneuver during the first year of teaching.
Anatomy of a Teacher
A
very appropriate beginning to the book is the Anatomy of a Teacher section (p
x). In this section it reminds the reader of what a teacher needs to do to take
care of himself/herself during the school year. This page promptly states what
the function of the teacher’s eyes, voice, hands, posture and balance, legs,
brain, ears, heart, and stomach is. For instance, it is important for a
teacher’s brain to remain healthy and active:
Brain
-
Keep
your mind as healthy as your body
-
Read
for enjoyment
-
Know
your standards
-
Keep
current on educational trends and research
-
Plan
great instruction
-
Take
breaks from thinking; do things away from work that are fun and relaxing
(Alexander,
Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. x).
 |
| Anatomy of a Teacher. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. x) |
Critique
This
section of the text is a helpful reminder that we need to take care of
ourselves as teachers before we can help our students to succeed in school.
Michael Link, our professor in EDUA 1800, also reminded us at the conclusion of
the course that as teachers we need to take time for ourselves to do what we
love to do, whether it is sports, reading, or spending time with family. This leisure
helps us to avoid burnout and keep ourselves happy and more relaxed. I think
the authors of The Organized Teacher: Second
Edition (2012) included this page and these tips in the early pages of the
text to remind a first year teacher that taking care of himself/herself and
being aware of what he/she is doing is important to create an enjoyable
classroom atmosphere for everyone. These tips are especially important to
consider so that a teacher can provide a positive learning environment for students
where everyone is happy.
Sample Room Set-Ups
Classroom set-up is one of the most
important parts of a teacher’s job and must be completed prior to the students entering
the classroom for the first time. Indeed, The Organized Teacher: Second Edition
has sample organizing templates to help a teacher organize his/her classroom based
on grade level (see picture below). The examples range from Kindergarten
through to Grade 6.
 |
| Primary Classroom Examples (Alexander, Persiani, & Springer, 2012, p. 13). |
Critique
The
classroom set-up section of the text is very thorough and makes suggestions
based on the amount of classroom space available to the teacher. The working
classroom is one that is based on the individual teacher and his/her
personality and creativity. In the examples, the desks are arranged in a group
setting which allows students to communicate with each other and work in
collaboration. This decreases the chance of student isolation and also allows
for students to feel comfortable and sociable while remaining productive. Overall,
these templates allow for easy traffic flow throughout the classroom and lets
students gain easy access to the teacher if needed, or vice versa. I believe
these classroom set up suggestions are great visuals for a first year student
wanting to create a comfortable learning environment.
Classroom Rules and Behaviour
Management
Within
the section of Classroom Rules and Behaviour Management is a variety of tools
and resources to help students remain on task. The text believes that classroom
incentives motivate students by providing clear goals for students to meet.
These are some of the incentives the text provides:
 |
| Whole Class Incentives. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 32) |
Critique
Although
the text refers to these incentives as “intrinsic” (Alexander, Persiani, and
Springer, 2012, p. 32), these activities are more aligned with extrinsic
rewards. Indeed, in each of the activities listed, once the desired behaviour
is reached the students are given a reward. These if-then approaches that the
book suggests are associated with external rewarding.
These
rewards may get students to complete a task, but will not help students remain
interested in the area they are being rewarded for. Indeed, Principe (2012)
says that “decades of behaviour research has demonstrated that rewarding any
behaviour that is internally motivated with external incentives reduces our
natural drive to carry out that behaviour” (Principe, 2012, para. 13). This is
because students are focusing more on the incentive and less on the internal
pleasure associated with the behaviour (Principe, 2012).
I
would not recommend using the “motivational” activities the book provides to
motivate students. Indeed, they are associated with providing extrinsic rewards
which will decrease student motivation in an area they may find to be innately pleasuring.
Awards Certificates
Another
motivation technique the text suggests is the “Good Job” card (see picture
below) (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 38). The authors believe
that by acknowledging a student’s good behaviour will motivate them to continue
that behaviour in the future. Therefore, with this activity the students
receive stickers from the teacher when the teacher believes the student has
done something well. The student takes the sticker and places it on their Good
Job Card.
 |
| Good Job Card. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 38). |
Critique
As
already mentioned, this external reward card where students receive stickers
from the teacher when the teacher believes the student has done something well,
is not conducive to student motivation. In fact, it can demotivate children from doing what we just praised them for. Indeed, “the more we reward people for
doing something, the more they tend to lose interest in whatever they had to do
to get the reward” (Kohn, 2001, para 13). With an activity such as this, we are
essentially judging our students work. This leads to students becoming
dependent on our opinion of what “good work” is rather than the student
evaluating their own process of learning and taking pleasure in that.
Thus,
I would not recommend using this Good Job Card. It could have an adverse effect
on student learning and limit the student’s enjoyment of an activity. It could
also serve to demotivate them from participating in that activity again.
Classroom Tools
In
the Classroom Tools section of The
Organized Teacher the authors provide suggestions for what to have
available in the classroom to help scaffold student learning. The authors
include a list of manipulatives that a teacher should have for students to
learn subjects in math. In addition, there is also a list of suggested aps that
can be downloaded into classroom iPads, which are becoming more commonplace in
school settings.
 |
| Manipulatives and their uses (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 70). |
 |
| Applications. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 70). |
The
Classroom Tools section of the text also provides 17 websites for teachers to
help with rubric building, worksheet development, activity ideas, calendars,
classroom website creators, and game/quiz generators (see picture below).
 |
| Websites for Teachers. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 70). |
An
additional 17 websites are provided for students. These sites include child
appropriate internet search guides, learning facts, curriculum based games, read
alouds, phonic instruction, and interactive online simulators (see picture
below).
 |
| Websites for Students. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 70). |
Critique
The
Classroom Tools section of the text is a valuable resource for any teacher
entering his/her first classroom. It has up to date information that is
applicable to teachers who would like to incorporate active learning as well as
technology into their classroom. It is especially valuable because it not only
provides listed resources, but also gives management information that reminds
teachers to be aware of school policies around technology. Please refer to the
picture below for management ideas that the text provides.
 |
| Handheld technology management. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 70). |
Curriculum
One
of the largest sections in the book is the curriculum section. It briefly
covers what a student in every grade is expected to know in each curriculum area
from grades K-5. This section is useful for any early years teacher wanting a
brief overview of what students should learn in each grade and activities to
accomplish this learning.
In
the math curriculum section, the authors provide progression information for students
in grades K-5. This progression is explained in terms of number sense, algebra,
measurement, geometry, statistics, data analysis, probability, and mathematical
reasoning. In the picture below you will notice the progression of learning
between grade two and grade three in number sense. This brief summary can help
a teacher understand what her students are expected to learn in each grade
level.
 |
| Number sense. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 110). |
Critique
The
curriculum section within The Organized Teacher
is a valuable resource for first year teachers as it provides a comprehensive,
yet brief overview of what students are expected to learn in grades K-5 in all
subject areas. As early year teachers we can use a quick reference guide such
as this to help us plan what we need to teach. Of course, I would also make
sure the Manitoba Curriculum documents is on hand while planning lessons to ensure
all learning goals are met.
Classroom Preparedness
In
the Classroom Preparedness section of the text there are a variety of resources
for teachers to use to lessen the anxiety that comes with planning something for
the first time. The checklists and planning templates in this section are
straightforward and help teachers plan for field trips (Alexander, Persiani,
and Springer, 2012, p. 238), meetings with parents (p. 198-202), word walls (p.
235), etcetera.
I
found the field trip planning guide (see picture below) to be a very useful
resource to help with the timeline of organizing a class fieldtrip. It suggests
planning at least six weeks in advance of the scheduled fieldtrip day. Subsequently,
the guide has checklists for each item that needs to be accomplished, such as
confirming the bus, reminding the administration, contacting parent chaperones,
discussing safety, and taking emergency contact information for each child. It
also gives ideas of how to follow-up with learning activities after the
fieldtrip has taken place.
 |
| Field trip planning guide. (Alexander, Persiani, and Springer, 2012, p. 238). |
Critique
The
Classroom Preparedness section of the text is an excellent resource for
teachers that are unsure of what to plan for in a school related situation. In
the fieldtrip example I gave above, the checklist provided within the text is
easy to follow and lets a teacher plan far in advance to ensure the parents,
administration, and children know what to expect prior to, during, and after
the trip.
Conclusion
The Organized
Teacher: Second Edition
resource book is a fabulous guide for first year teachers that want quick,
straightforward, and organized planning resources. Indeed, the charts,
diagrams, and guidelines help teachers set up a classroom and plan engaging
lessons for their students. A teacher can use this book alongside the Manitoba
Curriculum Documents to ensure student learning goals are being met in the Curriculum
section of the textbook.
Unfortunately,
however, I would not recommend teachers using the Classroom Rules and Behaviour
Management section included in the textbook. These pages are full of extrinsic
reward ideas. As learned in EDUA 1800, extrinsic rewards serve to lessen
student motivation. Instead, it would be beneficial to incorporate learning
activities that intrinsically motivate students. Intrinsically motivated
students will exhibit better behaviour which lessons the need for these kinds
of extrinsic rewards.
Overall,
The Organized Teacher: Second Edition
resource book is a valuable tool to help a first year teacher plan for their
health, classroom set-up, classroom management, classroom organization, and curriculum
development. Although there are some contradictions between what we learned in
EDUA 1800, the majority of the book is a useful resource for first year
teachers.
References
Alexander, B., Persiani,
K., & Springer, S. (2012). The
organized teacher: A hands-on guide to setting up and running a terrific
classroom (2nd edition). McGraw-Hill.
Kohn (2001). Five
reasons to stop saying ‘good job!’ Retrieved March 1, 2014 from http://www.alfiekohn.org/parenting/gj.htm
Principe, G. (2012).
The developmental psychologists’ back-to-school shopping list. Retrieved
March 1, 2014 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/print/102518
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