Your First Year of Teaching and Beyond.

By: Ellen L. KronowitzPresented by:

Alexa Wittstruck and Sarah Echternacht

About the Book

• Notes from teachers• Worksheets• Reflection Boxes

Teaching Statistics

• Estimated that 2.2 million K-12 teachers will need to be hired because of increased student population and accelerating retirements.

• 20% of new teachers will leave within the first 3 years of teaching.

Identified Concerns:

• Discipline• Dealing with individual problems• Motivating students• Relations with parents• Organization of class work• Assessment• Insufficient materials and supplies• Heavy teaching loads• Insufficient prep time• Relationships with colleagues• Planning and preparing for the day• Awareness of school policies and rules• Unclear expectations• Role conflict

Curriculum Planning

• Many parts go into planning first day/weeks. You don’t realize in student teaching because it’s done for you.

• Mental planning while relaxing. • Have an inverse relationship between

experience in the classroom and time spent preplanning curriculum.

• Importance of planning:– Internal reasons– External reasons

Standards Based/Instructional Curriculum

• Benchmark: indicator that student has reached particular level of achievement according to the standard.

• It’s impossible to teach all standards in each grade level in one unless for ten or more hours.

• Teach the standard as a whole rather than subgroups because they will still achieved.

• Planning by month rather than by day might relieve stress.

Planning

• Midrange Planning:– Teaching Unit– Resource Unit

• Weekly Planning • Planning for Diversity• Daily Plans and Lesson Plans

Materials

• Tips for Materials/Supplies:– Use everyday materials to teach. – Survey what is available at the school and know where

they are located.– Determine if you district has a media center, resource

center, or curriculum library.– Check to make sure your materials aren’t bias in any way.– Check public and university libraries and local museums.– Ask co-workers– Ask for help from parents as long as you don’t ask for

items that cost money.– Find out how much money you will have for supplies.– The computer can be you best friend, take advantage of it.– Look for freebies.

Questions to ask yourself

• When ordering supplies:– Do they help meet individual needs?– Are they nonconsumable?– Are they sturdy, long-lasting, and adaptable?

• When choosing software:– Are they student friendly?– Are they supporting and expanding the

educational goals?– Are there several levels of difficulty?– Can they be used again and again?

• Arranging the furniture– Your seating arrangement should be

determined by how you want to conduct business in your classroom

• Bulletin Boards– Stimulate senses/motivate students– Nonverbal message – Common Ideas:• Calendar, weather chart, rules, helpers chart,

Pledge of Allegiance/flag, word wall, handwriting chart, motivational posters

Room Environment

• Saves time, creates order, provides safety and security

• Entering room: meet students at door and greet positively at beginning of day, establish same routine for entering room at any given time of day

• Exiting room: line up in small groups, keep structure to avoid chaos

• Try to keep daily routines as much as possible, post where students can check

Routines and Procedures

Discipline

– Safety– Limits– Acceptance

– Self-esteem– Responsibility– Democratic training

Reasons for needing it:

– Mix and match strategies

– Be consistent with school plan

– Age appropriate and flexible

– Self-esteem– Time-efficient

and easy to administer

Your philosophy:

How to Prevent Discipline Problems: • Minimize distractions• Try to meet individual

needs• Offer choices• Provide worthwhile and

meaningful activities• Give clear directions• Keep them on their toes• Constantly monitor

students• Have enough supplies for

everyone• Have set procedures• Be fair, reasonable, and

respectful of cultural norms• Use classroom meetings • Keep parents informed• Just take time to spend

with students• Give positive consequences• Encourage rather than

praise• Offer logical consequences • Don’t make mountains of

of molehills • Low-key interventions

Responding to Misbehaviors

• Keep records of dangerous/disruptive behaviors.

• Allow cool off time for both parties involved

• Don’t take it personally

• Try to deal with it yourself

• Don’t humiliate the

student• Don’t punish the

whole class• Don’t assign extra

work• Don’t make threat

you can’t/won’t carry out

• DON’T PLAY IT SAFE!

Diversity and Authentic Assessment

• Standards• Content standards• Performance standards

• Authentic assessment and portfolios• Authentic diagnosis: interests and attitudes• Interview and inventories• Authentic diagnosis: instruction• Teacher-made assessment/diagnostic tests• Conferences with other teachers/parents• Cumulative record• Profiles or proficiency records• Reading level, math diagnosis, English language

proficiency, written language skills

Diversity and Authentic Assessment

• Students with special needs• Low achiever• High achiever

• Second language learners

Communication with Parents

– Letters– Notes– Phone calls – Handbooks

– Conferences– Emails

You Can Use:

Open House:

– Have refreshments– Display student work– Set schedule– Supply name tags

– Supply index cards for parent questions

– Have students be the tour guides

Parent Roles: Class Parents: Serve as liaisons between the teacher and other parents Parent Volunteers: Help in the classroom Teachers at Home: Make sure homework gets done

Make homework previously learned material Relate the homework to home activities Make it short

Working with School Personnel

• Your school• Know key locations• Know key people

• Working with Principal• Professionalism• Communication• Overdoing it

• Preparing for Substitutes• Make a folder containing: class list, seating chart,

school map, class schedule-comings/goings, summary of duties, discipline/organization, bus information, helpers, notes about students with special needs

The FIRST Day

• Dress Comfortable• What to say first: WISHES

– Welcome– Introduction– Share– Hopes– Establish– Standards

• Share things about yourself; it makes you more personable and approachable.

• 3 Ways to assign seats:– Random selection– Students choice– Pre-arranged

The FIRST Day• 5 ways to help you learn names:– Study last school year’s pictures before class– Take pictures the first day– Name tags/plates– Study the seating chart– Simple interactions and games

• 10 Guiding Principles:– Be prepared– Motivate kids– Establish routines/schedules– Orient children to classroom– Preview the curriculum– Establish rules– Let children decide and choose– Include a literacy experience– Acknowledge every child– Review and assign easy work

A Balanced Professional Life

• Reflective practice• Open-mindedness, responsibility,

wholeheartedness

• Paperwork• Grade book, attendance book,

planbook/lesson plans, parent conference records, proficiency/standards checklists, student paperwork

• Professional development• Continuing education, teaching portfolio,

professional organizations and journal

A Balanced Professional Life

• Time management• Save time at school• Save time at home

• Stress and Rejuvenation• Relieving societal stress• Relieving school stress• Relieving personal stress