Sunday, January 23, 2011

Guidelines To Success - Classroom Organization

I broke my foot in September. For three months I was on the sofa with my foot elevated. I didn't do much of anything but rest. Forced rest usually happens right before a period of change and now it looks like I may move. So, I started purging and while cleaning out my files I found my Resource Book for Training Teachers, compiled by LA Unified Teachers and the University of Southern California in 1982.

Check out this page:


CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION


1. Plan your work carefully - There is no substitute for good planning.
2. Be prompt with clerical work - You expect students to meet their assignments; be careful about meeting your own.
3. Do NOT do clerical work in class - The class period belongs to students; they are your first responsibility.
4. Start slowly - A steady, well-organized pace is far better than a big explosion that fizzles out.
5. Establish routines - Whether it is a form for written work or a procedure for turning in papers, students need to know a way of doing things.
6. Set standards - Partial learnings, careless work, sloppy behavior and poor citizenship result from a teaching situation without standards and objectives.
7. Be firm but fair from the beginning - Control must be gained from the start. It is easier to relax control than it is to impose it after is has been lost.
8. Know your students - Knowledge of the student is important; study all the records and observe.
9. Be Patient - All children will not grasp your words of wisdom the first time.
10. Be calm - Fear, excitement, and frustration are contagious. A calm teacher is the key to a calm classroom.
11. Keep a sense of humor - It will save many a situation.
12. Observe other teachers - You can learn much from your fellow teachers and they are usually willing to share their experiences.
13. Accept and apply suggestions - Observation and suggestion are meant to help, not hinder.

Do they even teach this anymore in teacher training programs? There's even a section on diagramming sentences!