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You Can’t Teach Until Everyone Is Listening
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You Can’t Teach Until Everyone Is Listening
Six Simple Steps to Preventing Disorder, Disruption, and General Mayhem

Foreword by Bruce A. Marlowe



May 2008 | 168 pages | Corwin

"Page's book is a jewel. Her advice is wise, sound, realistic, and very practical, and the book's main thesis should serve as a focal point of teacher preparation programs."
—Robert Di Giulio, Professor of Education, Johnson State College
Author, Positive Classroom Management, Third Edition

Six simple, practical, and doable steps for managing your classroom!

In this remarkably clear and concise guide, teacher-educator Marilyn L. Page distills years of research, data, and the experiences of hundreds of teachers into six powerful steps to attaining classroom harmony. The result is an easy-to-use handbook that teachers at every level can reference daily for proactive strategies to establish a positive classroom environment.

The author demonstrates how teachers can employ a simple, no-nonsense approach to preventing and responding to classroom disruptions and student misbehaviors. Using vignettes from a cross-section of schools—inner city, rural, diverse, large, and small—this resource illustrates six steps for:

  • Establishing your role as a proactive classroom facilitator
  • Creating a safe environment conducive to learning
  • Building a relationship of trust with your students

Field-tested by novice and veteran teachers in classrooms across the country, these proven steps will help you create a positive and productive classroom from the very first day of school.


 
Foreword by Bruce A. Marlowe
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Introduction
 
1. The Critical Beginning: Knowing and Using Students' Names
Barry

 
Knowing and Using Students' Names

 
Your Number 1 Classroom Management Tool

 
Student Teachers and Interns

 
Novice and Experienced Elementary Teachers

 
An Easy Strategy

 
Other Approaches

 
Back to Barry

 
Summary: Step 1

 
What Comes Next?

 
 
2. Avoiding Anonymous and Dangling Questions
Dave

 
Types of Questions Teachers Ask

 
Levels of Questions Teachers Ask

 
Dangling Questions: What Are They and What Was Dave Doing Wrong?

 
Students Left in the Dark

 
Worse Consequences

 
What Can You Do?

 
The Problems With Hand Raising

 
A Better Way

 
An Old Teacher's (or Is It Researcher's) Tale

 
The Results of These Better Strategies

 
Anonymous Questions: What Are They?

 
What's Wrong With These Questions?

 
How Can a Teacher Fix This?

 
Did Dave Recover?

 
The Experiment

 
The Results

 
Summary: Step 2

 
What's Next?

 
 
3. Choosing and Using Words Wisely
Mariah

 
Mariah's Goal

 
What's in a Word?

 
The Importance of Tight and Professional Language

 
What Are Filler Words?

 
What Happens When You Use Filler Words?

 
An Unprofessional Word

 
Mariah's Transformation

 
Terry

 
And Danae

 
Using Words of Civility in the Classroom

 
The Common Thread

 
Three Other Powerful Hints About Language

 
Making These Language and Tone Changes in Your Classroom

 
Summary: Step 3

 
Coming Attractions

 
 
4. Avoiding Confusion When Giving Directions
Elizabeth

 
Clarifying Directions

 
The Results

 
A Pilot Project: A Different Story

 
Chris

 
What Are We Supposed to Do?

 
Giving Instructions That Don't Lead to Disruption

 
Why It's Important for Students to Re-explain

 
Back Up! We Are Missing Two Preliminary Steps

 
Chris' Plan

 
The Results

 
Summary: Step 4

 
What's Next?

 
 
5. Attending to Civility With Reminders and Cues
Seventh Period: A Special Ninth-Grade Class

 
The First Day of School

 
What Happened With This Class?

 
Mrs. Watkins' Advice

 
The Problem With Classroom Rules

 
Simple Expectations of Civility

 
Jeannie

 
Reminders and Cues

 
How Often Do You Have to Give Reminders or Cues?

 
Jeannie's Approach

 
The Results

 
The Bottom Line

 
Summary: Step 5

 
Coming Next

 
 
6. Upgrading Interactions: Can You Feel the Heartbeat?
The Title

 
Julia

 
Moving to a Higher Level

 
Challenging Julia

 
The Results

 
Two Challenges for You

 
How to Begin

 
What Can Go Wrong Here?

 
Subtle Classroom Disorder

 
Jake

 
Shy Students

 
Detached Students

 
National History Day

 
Phil

 
The Contest

 
The Points of This Story

 
The Results

 
The Ultimate Goal

 
Summary: Step 6

 
Now What?

 
 
7. Harry and Clara Reclaim Their Classes
Harry

 
Harry's Mistake: An Ultimatum

 
Harry's Meltdown and Recovery

 
The Letter

 
The Students' Responses

 
The Results

 
Streamlining Harry's Format

 
Clara

 
Clara's Approach

 
The Results

 
A Bonus: You Learn More Than You Think From Student Letters or Student Drawings

 
Your Turn

 
 
8. Making This Happen
Beginning

 
Teacher Preparation Courses and Preservice Teachers

 
University Professors

 
Student Teachers

 
Novice Teachers

 
Experienced Teachers

 
Bon Voyage

 
 
Appendix: Handling Unwanted and Inappropriate Responses
Examples

 
 
References
 
Index

"Page's book is a jewel and of real benefit to the experienced or beginning teacher. Her advice is wise, sound, realistic, and very practical, and the book's main thesis should serve as a focal point of teacher preparation programs."

Robert Di Giulio, Professor of Education, Johnson State College
Author, Positive Classroom Management, Third Edition

"Management isn't magic—it can be mastered. Page's commonsense strategies are sound in practice and needed by teachers in the field."

Marsha Alibrandi, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction
Fairfield University

"Discusses the practical and easy steps to classroom discipline. This wonderful book distills much of what I spend time trying to teach the new teachers I mentor."

Devona Rowe, Teacher
Mandarin High School, Jacksonville, FL

"Covers the fundamentals sometimes overlooked or learned the hard way. Although it is great for student teachers and mentoring of beginning teachers, it is also appropriate for seasoned teachers."

Gail McGoogan, Third-Grade Teacher
Narcoossee Community School, St. Cloud, FL

"A lot of books about classroom management exist, but many of those just offer utopian solutions that do not work in real classrooms. This book provides very solid examples and detailed practices that will not only inspire and prepare new teachers, but also help veteran teachers increase their effectiveness. A must-have reference for all teachers.”

Alper Kesten, Assistant Professor of Education
Ondokuz Mayýs University, Turkey

"Page is a breath of fresh air, reminding us that the soul of teaching is working with kids. This handbook provides a perfect blend of practical advice, research, modeling, and examples to rethink what happens and what needs to happen in classrooms."

Daniel K. Thompson, Assistant Professor
Pennsylvania State University

"Offers six steps for more effecitve classroom management and comes from a teacher who uses years of research and experience to support the presentation of these steps. From establishing a foundation as a classroom leader to building student trust and encouraging cooperative behavior patterns, this book is a top pick."

California Bookwatch, August 2008
Midwest Book Review
Key features
  • The author's credentials and research bring authenticity to the fundamental concepts distilled into the Six Simple Steps
  • The six steps present a no-nonsense, accessible plan to help novice and veteran teachers prevent chaos in their classrooms
  • This how-to book is based on extensive research from K-12 classrooms across the country and fills a gap in teacher preparation programs

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