FORT SMITH - Tracy McCullar’s sophomore English students get right to work, even before the bell rings, when they see she has an assignment posted on the board.
“When I have it, the students for the most partare sitting in their seats working and are ready to go,” said the Russellville High School teacher.
On occasion, McCullar will miss posting such an assignment, and she notices that getting their attention takes more effort.
McCullar was among about 1,200educators who attended a half-day conference Thursday led by Harry and Rosemary Wong, both former teachers and authors of The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher.
More than 3.8 million copies of the 1991 book have sold, and the book is commonly required reading for university students training to become teachers.
The Wongs, who live in California, are among four co-authors of The Classroom Management Book, expected to be released this fall. The other authors are Oretha Franklin, an English teacher at Southside High School in Fort Smith, and Sarah Jondahl, a teacher in California.
Effective teachers are good classroom managers, design lessons that enable students to master what teachers want them to learn and believe their students will succeed, Harry Wong said.
“The more effective you are, the more your kids will learn,” Harry Wong said Thursday.
Classroom-management plans help teachers create routines and consistency for their students, Harry Wong said. Procedures are not rules and carry no penalty if students don’t follow them.
Teachers must instruct students on the procedures, rehearse the procedures and encourage students to continue following the procedures correctly, Harry Wong said. Establishing procedures begins on the first day of school.
“Teachers who begin school with a few fun activities spend the rest of the school year chasing after the kids,” Wong said. “Teacherswho took a day to explain how their classroom would run had a well-oiled machine.”
The reason students fail is that they don’t know what to do, and they don’t know what they are supposed to accomplish, Harry Wong said.
Educators tend to jump from one program to the next, but the characteristics of an effective teacher haven’t changed, Harry Wong said. Decisions about using a new strategy, program or technology should come after the teacher has identified the content standards being taught and the objectives for what children should learn.
Classroom routines should include greeting students with a warm smile every day, Rosemary Wong said. All classrooms should have a schedule posted for the day, an opening assignment and their objectives for learning. Teachers also should provide scoring guides so that students will know how they will be graded and how they can achieve a higher grade.
“Our No. 1 priority for teachers is to get the student to work,” Rosemary Wong said. “How do you engage students in learning?The moment they enter the classroom.”
Opening assignments should be posted before students walk in the classroom in the same place every day, Rosemary Wong said. The opening assignment maximizes learning in a classroom. She was not aware of any research that shows that adding more hours to a school day or more daysto a school year increases student achievement. But she is aware of research that shows student achievement increases when teachers maximize learning in their classrooms.
The Wongs reminded Mc-Cullar about the importance of consistency, she said. Mc-Cullar read the Wongs’ book about 10 years ago when she was excited about becoming a teacher. The book helped her understand the differences between an effective teacher and one who is not.
The strategies remain relevant, she said. The state’s new evaluation system for teachers expects teachers to create a culture for learning. Establishing procedures and routines fosters a culture for learning, she said.
Lisa Neihouse, an Alma High School science teacher with 30 years of experience, remembers hearing Harry Wong speak in 1989 at a point in her career when she was struggling. His suggestions were a turning point for her.
“You develop that family feeling right up front,” Neihouse said. “The kids want to be engaged with you, and they feel that warmth from you. They’re going to work really hard in your room.”
Early in her career, Neihouse would walk in her classroom and expect students to work, but her efforts would fall flat, she said. The idea of having a quick assignment ready at the beginning of class, an assignment she calls a “science starter,” provided a solution that now allows her classroom to run smoothly.
“The kids walk right in and get to work,” she said.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 10/18/2013