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. 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.
Marilyn Page is author (with Bruce Marlowe) of Creating and Sustaining the Constructivist Classroom (Corwin Press, 1998, 2005) and Creating the constructivist classroom, a six part video series for grades K-12 (The Video Journal of Education, 1999). She began her career in education as a high school social studies and Spanish teacher and has taught in every grade 7 through 12, at every academic level, in rural, suburban, and urban school systems in different parts of the United States. She has taught at the university level and worked with pre- and in-service teachers, grades K-12, for 20 years. She also directed a major and complex research project for the development of K-12 professional certification requirements in the State of Washington. In addition to full time university teaching responsibilities, she has been the technology coordinator for education programs at two universities and developed the first Middle School Teacher Preparation programs in the Vermont State College System. She earned her EdD from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in Instructional Leadership and in Educational Media and Instructional Technology. She consults on novice teacher, reform, classroom management, and technology issues in education. She lives in State College, Pennsylvania.