Handbook for the Beginning Teacher : An Educator's Companion

by Moffatt, Courtney W.; Moffatt, Thomas L.

• ISBN13: 9780205343720
• ISBN10: 0205343724
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-01
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon

Summary

Handbook for the Beginning Teacher: An Educator's Companion is an invaluable reference of best practices to help the student teacher or the beginning in-service teacher prepare for and develop his or her first classroom. This text is filled with teaching ideas, tips, and checklists to make the teacher's job easier. It contains useful information on how to assess and grade students, the issue of politics in the school, and working with special populations of students. Handbook for the Beginning Teacher also includes classroom mangement techniques and protective behaviors and procedures used to avoid violence in the school and in the individual classroom. Moffatt and Moffatt developed this text with the input of teachers and students from all subjects and grade levels to insure that all teachers' needs are met. Many tips and procedures in the text, such as the countdown calendar, make the difficult task of preparing for a new school year easy. Charts, outlines, and teacher materials in the text are readily available for teacher use, as they have been provided in an 8 x 10 format with perforated pages so they can be pulled out and used and reused as needed.

Table of Contents

1. Preparing Your Classroom for a Successful Year—The Teacher's Countdown Calendar.
Twelve Months Before School Starts.
Eight Months Before Schools Starts.
Six Months Before School Starts.
Four Months Before School Starts.
Three Months Before School Starts.
Two Months Before School Starts.
One Month Before School Starts.
Two Weeks Before School Starts.
Two Days Before School Starts.
One Day Before School Starts.
Day One!
Day Two.
Day Three.
The Second Week of School.

2. Where to Start to Develop My Own Methodology.
Pretesting Student Skills.
Getting Help.
Facilitating Learning Through Effective Instruction.
Motivating Students.
Self-Evaluation.

3. Good Communication: The Hallmark of All Effective Teachers.
Establishing a Climate Conducive to Learning.
Avoiding Problems Through Good Communication with Your Students.
Grouping Students.
Reducing the Threat—Teachers as Authority Figures.
Communicating with Other Educators.
Communicating with Parents.
Communicating with Traditional Families from Other Cultures.
Communicating with Principals and Other Supervisors.

4. Planning for Student Safety.
Preventive Discipline.
Reducing Conflict and Confrontation.
Power Struggles.
Emergency Planning for Crisis Situations and Natural Disasters.
Protective Behaviors in the Classroom and in the School.
Helping Children Deal with Separation Loss and.

5. Analyzing Behavior in the Classroom.
When to Use Behavior Therapy Techniques.
Positive Reinforcement.
Negative Reinforcement.
Token Economies.
Contingency Contracts.
Corrective Techniques to Stop Negative Behavior.
Time-Out Strategies.

6. Techniques for Handling Students with Distinct Abilities and Challenging Needs.
Children and Adolescents with Learning Disabilities.
The Student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Children and Adolescents with Emotional or Behavioral Problems.
Students Who Are Frequently Truant or School Phobic.
Students Who Are Gifted and Talented.
Students with Cognitive Disabilities.
Children Who Are At-Risk in Our Schools.

7. Grading and Measurement Techniques for Teacher Effectiveness.
Grading and Assessment.
Curriculum-Based Assessment.
Curriculum-Based Assessment of Reading.
Curriculum-Based Assessment of Writing.
Curriculum-Based Assessment of Math.
Instructional Assessment.
Performance Assessment.
Portfolios.
Using Contracts for Grading.
Sels Assessment.

8. Political Awareness for the Successful Professional Educator.
The Educational Structure at the Federal Level.
The Educational Structure at the State Level.
Local School Boards.
The Superintendent of Schools.
The Local School Principal.
Education Department Heads and Administrators.
Politics in the School.
Teachers' Roles and Relationships Outside the Classroom.
Teachers' Unions.

9. Materials for Use in Your Classroom.
Reading Materials.
Writing Materials.
Mathematics Materials.
Social Skills Materials.
Science Materials.
Social Studies Materials.
Other.

Appendix A: Ice Breakers.

Appendix B: Teacher's Resources.

Additional Readings.