Reddit reviews Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College

Read "Teach Like a Champion" (link) It's all about classroom management and keeping kids engaged.

Good luck my friend. My first year teaching was in an urban school in NYC as well! I was working for a charter school that was extremely strict. I was told in advance to check out Doug Lemov's Teach Like a Champion and Daniel T. Willingham's Why Don't Students Like School.

I highly recommend both of them. Though they're great reads, but in terms of classroom management - I had to sort of make the mistakes on my own. It's sort of hard to explain, but reading about these topics in a book didn't quite give me a thorough enough understanding. I'm happy to chat more about my experiences if you'd like.

I think the word, "great teacher" is a little like the word "genius". It shouldn't be thrown around too often, as they're so completely rare. When I think of great teaching I think of a couple of teachers at my school that are amazing.

1. Content area knowledge - these two teachers are insanely knowledgeable on what it takes to teach a kid how to read. They can talk for hours on the subject, and are intimately related with strategies, techniques, and the vocabulary of their subject area.
   
   
2. This is their career. Yes all teachers love kids. But they really see what they're doing as an avenue for social empowerment. I don't always agree with these two teacher politically, but they really see what they're doing as an extension of the civil rights movement. That seems cheesy but is important. You have to believe in what we're doing in the classroom. Otherwise, the stress, the long hours, etc, are not gonna be worth it to you personally.
   
   
3. Classroom Management - Obviously. Required Reading #1 Also, This + This = amazing teaching.
   
   
4. Data Driven Instruction - they constantly track student mastery of outcomes. They know which students have mastered what, and have clear strategies for getting them to that outcome. This is a key which many good teachers lack.
   
   I could say much much more on the subject, I'm sure.
   
   
   

As someone who was almost eaten alive their first year with fifth graders You need to pick up a copy of this, and this. Children need to be taught how to act and yelling sometimes can add fuel to the fire. Give them very specific instructions about how you want them to behave during an activity. When problem behaviors occur I have a "practice academy" until it's done exactly how I want it done. For instance when I taught low socioeconomic 5th graders I noticed that they didn't respond to me being "nice" or when I chewed them out (most are used to being yelled at when at home, what freaks them out is calm, direct, and un-phased). But, when I kept a calm voice (sometimes I have to repeat and repeat) and directed them that's when things got better. Don't use a nice sing song voice develop that I'm calm but serious voice. So, if they came into my room like wild things and ignored my directions I would stop everybody and tell them that we need to try this again. Go through my expectations "When you enter my room you are at a voice level one, you get your journal and have a seat and immediately go to your seat and start your bell ringer". "Now everyone up we are going to practice coming in the room the correct way" when you leave the room together and enter watch for any negative behavior and say " No sorry we've got to start over because we were still too noisy entering the room" repeat expectations and try again and again. I did this about five times one day because they kept running to get in line for lunch saying "whoops we still can't get in line correctly go back to your seat and we will try this again" explain procedure and give them another chance to show you the correct way. They even start policing each other because they hate to practice over and over. Have a procedure for everything and make them practice it until it is done correctly. Even if it's something simple like picking up around their desks. If one in particular is causing a lot of trouble ask them to step out into the hall, direct your class through the procedure and then have a private conversation with the problem student about what you expect them to be doing and that it is not a choice. Have a consequence you can enforce, empty threats just give them more control over you because they know you won't do anything. Our school has a card system, They get a yellow card on their desk as a non-verbal warning, then a red card for a second warning when they aren't following expectations, then a white card and they are sent either in the hall or to a corner to fill out a form about why they are making bad choices, and they are brought back and given one last chance to come back and act correctly. If they mess up again they are given a green card for "Go to the office". I made notes on a clip board to document behavior in case I needed to call parents or talk to admin about problems with a student. I also used the class dojo site to deal out individual points for kids that they could earn for good behavior. I gave daily points for good behavior, then points for bringing homework on time, and points for reading and responding with a book report. You could do tickets or bucks if you don't want to involve technology. On Friday's I would go through and give passes for points. I think I did 20 points a piece. I had a bean bag pass where they could do work on a clipboard and sit in a bean bag, I had a "Stinky feet" pass where they could take off their shoes ( I would use this for a whole class reward too), I had a computer pass where they could go to cool math and play games when they finished their work, Teacher helper pass, Thursdays movie during lunch pass, homework pass, and a draw on a white board pass. Anything I could think of that I could provide pretty much for free because I was spending so much on a prize box my first year and the rewards weren't as meaningful because they like having a little bit of attention from their peers from it (pencils and toys get them like 3 secs of attention but 30 mins of bean bag have their classmates green with envy). Use a prize box as an extra special reward for birthdays and when someone really goes above and beyond to be helpful then bring out the secret special treasure box. For getting participation in a positive way I had an "answer ball"( a squishy koosh ball) I would toss to the person who answered my question and I would only toss it to someone who is quiet and has their hands raised. They also loved getting stamps or stickers on their hands or for the real attention seekers on their face. I would walk around the room and give them out to participators. A few hard lessons I learned: until you get them completely trained don't "desk sit" because you have a lot more proximity control if your up quietly correcting behavior, share things about yourself to help your kids get to know you better they'll do more for you if they don't consider you some random big person in the room, and absolutely never back down to be nice all I learned was that my kids would completely walk all over me when I wouldn't make good on my threats. If you threaten to make them write 50 sentences about talking to much for the sub than you better be prepared to make them do that when they didn't meet expectations and the same with positive rewards if you say they need to be at a voice level zero to get a reward that day don't give them the reward if they didn't meet the expectation .....sorry for the essay but these things helped me.

This book really helped me set down an action plan to better my class structure: Teach Like a Champion - http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0470550473.

If you'd like to talk more about this and getting adapted to teaching, feel free to PM me.

The following book is chock full of insightful and often overlooked techniques to empower a class. Definitely give it a read.

http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Like-Champion-Techniques-Students/dp/0470550473

Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov is the best book in the world for managing a classroom.

I can not turn a single page without thinking to myself, "Yes, I need to incorporate this into my classroom." It's brilliant.

Read The First Days of School front to back, and if you have the extra time, Teach Like A Champion.

Teach Like a Champion

I would also strongly suggest Teach Like a Champion. It has great ideas and tips and also has a DVD with it so you can see the teaching practices in action.

I teach middle school math - 8th Standard and honors algebra this year, but I've also done 6th and 7th in the past.

I really struggled with behavior management when I started out. I really found [ http://www.fredjones.com/books-video/Positive-Discipline-book.html](Positive Classroom Discipline by Fred Jones) to be extremely helpful in practical advice that I could use immediately. I discovered that I was not utilizing body language effectively. Now I don't speak as much, am so much more effective, and students see me as more empathetic.

Two other books I found particularly helpful were [ http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0470550473?pc_redir=1407308994&robot_redir=1](Teacher Like a Champion by Doug Lemov), [ http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1416612947?pc_redir=1407558335&robot_redir=1](Total Participation Techniques by Pérsida Himmele & William Himmele).

Get to know your co-workers in your building and district.
-Within my department we plan together, slit the creating materials workload, and discussed what did/didn't work. For honors algebra there is only one teacher at each building so we get together once or twice a month at Starbucks to catch up and plan.
-Beyond your department it's nice to know others that work with your student so you are able to get a more complete picture of that student. In my building we frequently seek out a teacher that has a good connection with a kid to informally mentor him/her in other areas. Also you are then able to share accomplishments to other teachers; they are so excited when another teacher comments about something awesome that happened in a different class.

Kids are less likely to misbehave when they are constantly engaged. Choose activities that put the work burden on them and allow for movement/discussion.
-There are a ton of excellent, free resources out there. Some of my favorites are MARS tasks, NCTM Illuminations, and the Engage NY curriculum.
-Kagan Cooperative Learning (website and books) are easy to implement activities that turn any worksheet into a game and kids love it.

Don't forget to take some time for yourself. I used to eat lunch at my desk so I would have less work to take home. Now I find I'm more productive when working if I take a break and socialize with the other grownups for 20 minutes.

Good luck!

Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto

The opening essay of this short read is a condemnation of traditional schooling techniques---and it's also the speech he delivered when he (again) won the NY Teacher of the Year award. Gatto gets at the heart of why public schools consistently produce pencil pushers, not leaders. Every teacher should read this book.

How to Survive in Your Native Land by James Herndon

If Dumbing Us Down is the manifesto in favor of a more liberal pedagogy, Herdon's book is a memoir of someone trying to put that pedagogy in action. It's also a simple, beautiful easy to read book, the kind that is so good it reminds us just how good a book can be. I've read the teaching memoir that made Jonahton Kozol famous, this one is better.

The Montessori Method by Maria Montessori

In the early 1900s, Maria Montessori taught literacy to children that society had otherwise assumed were unreachable. She did this by using the scientific method to study each child's learning style. Some of what she introduced has been widely incorporated (like child-sized furniture) and some of it seems great but unworkable in overcrowded schools. The bottom line is that the Montessori method was one of the first pedagogical techniques that was backed by real results: both in test scores and in growing kids that thrive on learning and participation.

"Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity by Beverly Daniel Tatum

While not precisely a book on how to teach, this book is incredibly helpful to any teacher working with a diverse student population, or one where the race they are teaching differs from their own. It explains the process that white, black, and children of other races go through in identifying themselves as part of a particular race. In the US, race is possibly the most taboo subject, so it is rare to find a book this honest and straightforward on a subject most educators try not to talk about at all. I highly recommend this book.

If there is any chance you will be teaching history, definitely read:

Lies My Teacher Told Me and A People's History of the United States (the latter book is a classic and, personally, changed my life).

Also recommend: The Multi-player Classroom by Lee Sheldon and Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov

Finally, anyone who plans to teach math should read this essay, "Lockhart's Lament" [PDF at the bottom of the page].

PS, I was tempted to use Amazon affiliate links, but my conscious wouldn't let me.

Teach Like a Champion by Lemov and The Skillful Teacher by Saphier are great resources to study. They'll provide you with techniques and tips on teaching. We used them in my Masters of Education course work. Extensively. It's worth it to note that in earning yourself a TEFL certificate, such as a CELTA, you'll be taught the rudimentaries of the profession.

Other than that, if you're really worried about it you could try taking some college courses on Education, either Applied Linguistics or Elementary, to get a broader idea of techniques and expectations. I wouldn't worry about it too much though. I went to China to teach knowing nothing except small bits of info from my CELTA course, and I got along just fine.

Bio teacher in a low income, high poverty school with about 75% Hispanic students, quite a few are from Honduras.

As far as how my students grasp concepts here seems to be the trend with them

Hard concepts: Cell bio, prokaryote vs eukaryote, some organelles(cell wall vs cell membrane, lysosome, ERs), viruses and their life cycle, DNA replication, transcription/translation, mitosis vs meiosis, 6 kingdoms(Animalia/plantae are easy, protista, fungi/archaebacteria/eubacteria are hard), sex linked inheritance, DNA/genetics some parts


Easier concepts: Plant anatomy/structure/function, photosynthesis vs cellular respiration, ecology, human body systems, punnett squares, mendelian inheritence, some organelles(Chloroplast, nucelus, ribosome, cytoplasm, cytoskeleton)

Honestly though the content is only like 5% the battle. If you have never been in a classroom before I would observe all I could before I started.

I suggest reading

Harry Wong's "The First Day of School" - Helped me for the first day and having my shit together

Fred Jones' "Tools for Teachers" - Helped me in random areas of my teaching I had not totally thought of, like getting kids into higher levels of thinking

and finally Doug Lemov's "Teach Like a Champion" - THIS BOOK! I Love this book! Some of the ideas in it are fairly simple and some are even "no duh!" moments but they have helped me out tremendously. Ideas like no opt out, 100%, and other questioning techniques really helped me out.

Know what you are doing for the next 3-5 days at least otherwise you will end up being swamped and doing more work than necessary. Be tough, be consistent, have a clear set of rules and consequences when the rules are impeded, have high expectations even if they are the stupidest kids you've ever seen. On the high expectations note, it is amazing how even the worst underachiever starts to tread water on his/her own. But only when high/tough but reachable goals with rewards that matter to the individual are set before them.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions that arise. Also I'd be willing to send you an extra copy of Fred Jones' "Tools for Teachers" if you want it, pm me your address if you do. I bought one before my first job to read over the summer with Harry Wong and then the school district provided me one for free.

If you're looking for anything on classroom management, although it touches on much more than that: Doug Lemov's Teach Like a Champion is good.

Also, I've heard good things about Daniel Willingham's Why Don't Students Like School, but I haven't read it myself. Good reviews though.

I've found this handbook pretty helpful for understanding patterns and methods for classroom management: http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Like-Champion-Techniques-Students/dp/0470550473

Get this book: Teach Like a Champion. There are a thousand details that you have to get right for a classroom to work at all, and this book doesn't have all of them, but it has more than most.

Fred Jones is excellent as well.

Pace yourself - all of your biggest challenges are in the second half of the year.

I agree with everything that you've written. There are some decent studies out there, but they are really hard to find. ERIC is flooded with research that has been bought and paid for by proponents of various systems.

There are a couple of books that I'd like to recommend, if you haven't read them: Teach Like a Champion and Why Don't Students Like School. In fact, I generally like everything by Daniel Willingham.

I feel like I post this every time someone posts about management, but I really mean it. I wish I had read and followed nearly every word of advice in Teach Like a Champion. I attribute all of my success in managing student behavior to this book. It changed my life (very dramatic, but really made me happier day-to-day).