Monday 10 March 2014

Quan Lien- The New Teacher Toolbox Second Edition: Proven Tips and Strategies for A Great First Year



Theory and Practice: A Collective Teacher’s Toolbox

Mandel, Scott M. (2009)  The New Teacher Toolbox 2nd Edition: Proven Tips and Strategies for A Great First Year. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin

1. Summary:

            This book discusses important issues, practical solutions, resources and ideas that are relevant for novice teachers to know within their first year.  The subjects that are addressed in this book arise from common concerns of the novice teacher, who may not have been taught these subjects explicitly.  However, these subjects should be addressed, so that beginning teachers do not become discouraged or overwhelmed in the early stages of their career.  The New Teacher Toolbox 2nd Edition was written by a teacher, who consulted with other mentor teachers, and was written in a form that is concise and easily adaptable.  Although, there are many useful and practical suggestions being offered, the idea is to use these suggestions alongside one’s own pedagogy for personal and professional development.  Thus, the ideas that are presented in the book are meant to be customized and adapted to each individual teacher. 

The following topics are addressed individually in each chapter: The Room Environment and the First Weeks, The Curriculum and the Students, Grading, Parents, Students Who Have Special Needs, and How to Maintain Your Sanity.  Each chapter is further divided into sub-topics, and within each sub-topic are subsections of real-life anecdotes, the basic issue being addressed, grade levels that are applicable, the timeline of when the issue should be focused on during the school year, idea(s) for addressing the issue, concluding thoughts, and recommended resources for the novice teacher. 

 

2. Helpful Resources and Strategies:    

1. Discipline Issues: The question of “How do we address discipline issues in the classroom?” is one that is preeminent in the minds of all novice teachers.   Is there one perfect “one size-fits all” solution?  No, there is not!  Every teacher, student, situation, and timing of the day is unique, which makes for a one-time-fix-all solution impossible to attain.  The author states that although there are no procedures or methods that can be used to alleviate all discipline problems, there are 10 basic principles that can be applied to nearly any situation (Mandel, 2009, p.51-54): 

·        You must have control:  This does not mean that the teacher is the dictator.  It means that the teacher sets the tone for the classroom.  The teacher determines the positive and negative consequences, and should not be afraid to exercise this power when needed.

·        You are their teacher, not their friend: The teacher can be friendly to their students, but boundaries must be set.  The teacher is the adult and not the peer.  The teacher must and should demonstrate to the students that they genuinely care about them and want the best for them.

·        Behavior is the problem, not the student: When responding to a discipline issue, concentrate on the inappropriate behavior, and not on the student.  When discussing the issue, be objective and descriptive.  When the negative behavior ends, consider the issue over and do not refer back to it.  Whenever possible, remind the student that it is certain behaviors that you don’t like, but that you like them as people.

·        Discover the source of the problem: Kids act up for a reason, so teachers need to figure out what that reason is.  From there, they can set about trying to counteract it.  Examples of common reasons for misbehaviour are: boredom, personal family problems, girlfriend/boyfriend problems, student did not take medication, and a full moon.

·        Be fair: Being fair is paramount.  Students will accept negative consequences if they know that they are fair.  There must be equal treatment, within reason.  If not, there must be justification as to why this is the case, otherwise respect will be lost, and the problems with behavior will worsen.

·        Be consistent: Consistency is very important, because it helps establish guidelines and expectations.  Students must know where the teacher stands and what their limits are, so that they can adjust their behaviors to stay within the teacher’s limits.

·        Don’t show negative emotion:  The teacher must stay in control of their negative emotions.  Even if they are upset, the teacher must not display it.  If the teacher does not react, the student will no longer try to argue or make the teacher upset.

·        Learn to ignore: If the student is doing something to get a reaction from the teacher, but it is not severe enough that it is disrupting the class, then the teacher should simply ignore it. 

·        Be human:  When mistakes are made by the teacher, admit that they are wrong, change their decision, and apologize for it.  Owning up to the mistakes that are made will result in respect being earned by the students.

·        Use your own style, don’t copy others: Do not only use the directions and techniques of others, but learn to do things that are natural and feels right. Use the 10 principles in this book for reference, but remember to adapt them into your own teaching situation and your own particular students. 

2. Modifying the Classroom Curriculum for Students with Special Needs: Nowadays, more students with learning disabilities are being integrated into the general classroom, rather than being segregated into special programs.  Therefore, accommodations must be made to the classroom to ensure that accessibility to resources and the opportunities to succeed is attainable for all students of varying learning abilities within the same learning environment.

In addition to the teacher familiarizing themselves with the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and recognizing any required modifications, other simple modifications can be used to assist students with disabilities in the general classroom.  The following are tips made by the author on how to modify the classroom curriculum for students with special needs (Mandel, 2009, p.92-93):

·        When you assign independent work, give it to the students in small segments: For example, fold a test or worksheet in half, and have the student do that portion only.  They can request further directions when finished. That way, the students will not feel overwhelmed or rushed with their work.

·        Provide either additional time or reduce the length or scope of an assignment: If giving additional time, be careful to do so discretely, as the extra attention might embarrass the student because they are being singled out. 

·        In your lesson plans, note the objective you want the particular student to master: Review the student’s IEP to familiarize with the objectives that they are required to meet.  For example, if the class is writing a paragraph on a topic, the student can write 3 facts. 

·        Present information in a variety of modalities, particularly visually and orally: There are multiple intelligence and diverse learning styles that will exist in one classroom, so the teacher needs to incorporate different teaching tools and techniques.

·        If a student cannot do what everyone else in the class is doing, modify the work: Modify worksheets to be at the level that the student is at.  Again, do so discretely so that the student is not singled, becomes embarrassed and discouraged.

·        Have a wide variety of multilevel reading material in your classroom: Make sure that all students have access to books at their reading level.

·        Use story maps and other graphic organizers to assist students with writing tasks: Chapter outlines are very helpful with helping students with learning disabilities to search for meaning when they read.  It helps them focus on the important points.  For resources in mapping and graphic organizer skills, see Mapping Inner Space by Nancy Margulies with Nusa Maal (2002).

·        Use colour-coded index cards in a file box to keep track of your students’ objectives and modifications: By avoiding the use of names and colour coding, information can be kept confidential but conveniently accessible at the same time.

 

3. Critique of the text:

Mandel creates an easy to read, relatable, and organized format for the novice teacher to use.  However, there were some points that were made in the text that correlated and contradicted with some of the readings that we did in our class. The following is a list of items in correlation and in contradiction to the first issue on “Discipline” (Part A), and the second section is a list of items in correlation with the issue of “Modifying the Classroom Curriculum for Students with Special Needs” (Part B).

Part A) Discipline:
In Correlation:
Mandel (2009) suggests the teacher “be fair…consistent…[and] human” (p.53-54) which emphasizes on the teacher demonstrating equal treatment to all students by administrating  discipline in a fair and consistent manner.  If they make a mistake, they must own up to them by “being human”(Mandel, 2009, p.53), thus acknowledging and apologizing when mistakes occur.  This philosophy correlates with Charles’s (2008) article of fostering positive classroom communities, where the teacher will “…provide positive examples for students to emulate.  Students learn to relate positively to others when teachers model courtesy, respect, and attentive listening” (Charles, 2008, p.111).  Thus, if the teacher demonstrates that they are being fair and consistent with their expectations and reprimands of the students, they are demonstrating respect to their students by showing them this courtesy and listening attentively to all students.

In Contrast:
Kohn’s theory, as described in Charles’s article (2008), criticizes most popular systems of disciplines on the notion that students must be quiet and compliant in the classroom, “the teacher’s role in discipline is to keep the students obedient, quiet, and compliant” (Charles, 2008, p.113).  Kohn suggests that this is not the ideal approach to take, and that teachers need to re-examine this approach by asking the question of whether these are the kinds of behaviors that we would want the students to ultimately attain for when they grow up.  This theory contrasts with Mandel’s theory that the teacher “…Must Have Control” (Mandel, 2009, p.51).  Although he doesn’t directly refer to the teacher’s control in gaining compliancy from the students, he does refer to the teacher setting the tone within the classroom by not allowing the students to do so.  My interpretation of this statement is that the students must comply with what the teacher decides.  This means that they have to remain obedient, quiet, and compliant, which is what Kohn is suggesting that we avoid doing. 

Mandel’s second point that that “You are their teacher, Not their Friend” (Mandel, 2009, p.51), demonstrates that although friendliness and displaying genuine concern for the students is ideal, the teacher must not cross the boundaries of teacher to friend, “You are the adult and not the peer” (Mandel, 2009, p.51).  In contrast, Glasser in Charles’s article (2008) advises that teacher’s “befriend their students” (p.122), by making the class fun.  They in turn will learn a lot from each other while having a good time. Glasser emphasizes on the importance of relatability between the teacher and student as one of the successful ingredients in “ensuring classroom participation and desirable behavior” (Charles, 2008, p.121).

Part B) Modifying the Classroom Curriculum for Students with Special Needs:
In Correlation:
A suggestion that Mandel (2009) made about appealing to the various learning styles of special needs students in the regular classroom was to present information in a variety of modalities, particularly visually and orally (p.92).  He states that “incorporating all modalities will help all the students in your class” (p.92).  Students were perceived as being unique in their learning abilities, so teaching methodologies should also be as diverse as the learning abilities of the students.  The same approach to teaching to students of various learning styles is addressed in the Woolfolk et al. (2012) article with the references to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, “Many educators and schools have embraced Gardner’s ideas and believe that multiple intelligences practices increase achievement for all students and improve both student discipline and parent participation” (p.120).   Learning preferences are also mentioned as “a more accurate label because most of this work describes preferences for particular learning styles” (Woolfolk et al., 2012, p.125).  Thus, this theory focuses less on learning styles, but more so on preferences such as the influence for lighting, music, or food with studying and learning. 

Overall, I liked what the author was trying to accomplish by addressing subjects that are not taught explicitly to pre-service teachers. These subjects are relevant and ideal to know beforehand for an easier transition into the first years of teaching.  The author gives many suggestions and emphasizes on the principles suggested as guidelines for the novice teacher to follow, but that they can be modified and the teacher can apply these principles accordingly to what works best for them.  I chose to focus on “Discipline” within the first chapter: The Room Environment and the First Weeks, because I have struggled with classroom management during my practicum experiences.  Thus, I am constantly searching for positive and effective methods in dealing with discipline issues.  The second section that I chose to focus on was “Modifying the Classroom Curriculum for Students with Special Needs” in the second last chapter entitled: Students Who Have Special Needs.  I have a particular interest with special education in the integrated setting.  I think that it is important to present equal opportunities and accessibility to students of varying abilities in the regular classroom if that is an environment that is conducive to their learning. 

 
References:

Charles, C.M. (2008).  Today’s Best Classroom Strategies: Paths to Positive Discipline.  Boston: Pearson. P.110-126.

Woolfolk, A., Philip H. Winne, and Nancy E. Perry. (2012).  Educational Psychology, Fifth Canadian Edition.  Toronto: Pearson Education Canada. P.120-148.

 

 

 

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