1. Lisa Johnson
EDCI 553
Montana State University
Northern Plains Transition to Teaching

2. Teacher Attitude and Expectations
 Display an enthusiasm for my subject area in general
and the daily concepts in particular.
 Treat each student as a human being rather than a
number or seat in the classroom.
 Acknowledge that all students are capable of learning
to the best of their ability.

3. Teacher Attitude and Expectations
 Practice the technique of Normalizing Errors (Lemov, 2010,
p. 221)
“Getting it wrong and then getting it right is one of the
fundamental processes for schooling. Respond to both parts of
this sequence, the wrong and the right, as completely normal.”
Doug Lemov
Teach Like a Champion: 49
Techniques That Put Students
on the Path to College

4. Knowing My Students
“The quality of the relationships teachers have with
students is the key-stone of effective management and
perhaps even the entirety of teaching.”
Robert Marzano
The Art and Science of Teaching

5. Knowing My Students
 At the beginning of the year, use an interest inventory
to obtain information about each student, such as
extracurricular activities, hobbies, family life.
 Be familiar with the local culture of students
 Speak with students about their interests at
appropriate times.
 When possible, attend student events outside of
school. Let student know to expect me—and follow
through!

6. Establishing a Positive Learning
Environment
 Remind students that their best is expected every day.
 Create a safe environment for students to work, learn,
and grow.
 Remember that learning is not about me and how I
feel from day to day. It is about the students.

7. Engaging Materials
 Be enthusiastic about learning and teaching!
 Make the material accessible to students by
connecting it to previously taught material.
 Use hands-on and discovery activities as often as
possible.
 Use physical movement
 Scavenger hunts that allow students to move around the room
 Function charades where students model functions using their
bodies

8. Engaging Materials
 Post interesting math-related magazine articles and
websites around the classroom.
 Data collections allowing students to gather their own
meaningful information.
 As often as possible, connect mathematics content to
the real world.

9. Routines
“A well-managed classroom is also a predictable
environment. Both the students and the teachers know
what to do and what is supposed to happen in the
classroom.”
Harry and Roesmary Wong
How to Be an Effective
Teacher: the First Days of
School

10. Routines
 Students are greeted at the door before entering the
classroom.
 Students should check the board at the front of the
room for a list of materials and special instructions for
the day.
 Homework should be placed in the colored folders in
the appropriate class period wall bin.

11. Homework Turn-In Routine
Sometimes, students will turn in more than one
assignment or activity during the class period. Colored
folders help keep the students and teacher organized.
 Check the legend above the wall bins.
 Place assignments in the correct folder.
 Return to seat and begin warm-up.

12. Make-up Work
If a student is absent, it is his or her responsibility to
complete the make-up work following the time-line
established by the schools. Exceptions can be made
depending on circumstances.
 Make-up work and notes are stored in dated folders on
a table near the door.
 All students have access to these folders and can also
find worksheets they have misplaced.

13. Rules
 We will follow the rules outlined in the student
handbook.
 We will always remember to treat everyone with the
courtesy and respect with which we would like to be
treated.
 Students are expected to be in their assigned seats,
materials ready, when the bell rings.
 Use your passing period to take care of your personal
needs.

14. Behavior Plan
Practice Emotional Constancy (Lemov, 2010, p. 219)
“Success is in the long run about a student’s consistent
relationship with productive behaviors.”
Doug Lemov
Teach Like a Champion: 49
Techniques That Put Students
on the Path to College

15. Behavior Plan
 Organize the classroom for effective teaching and
learning.
 Go over the classroom rules and procedures with the
students. Invite student input for effective procedures.
 Revisit and revise the rules and procedures throughout
the year as needed.
 Be With-It (Marzano, 2007, pp. 140-142)

16. Being With-It
 Being Proactive
 Be aware of incidents that have happened outside of the classroom
that might affect behavior inside the classroom.
 Provide cues to selected students before inappropriate behavior
occurs
 Occupying the Entire Room
 Move to all parts of the room systematically and frequently
 Pay attention to places in the room that cannot be seen easily
 Make eye contact with every student

17. Being With-It
 Noticing Potential Problems
 Be aware of unusual student behavior
 Students huddled together before class
 Students not working for an extended time period
 Students in one area of room looking at each other or a specific location and
smiling
 Students giggling when the teacher walks to a particular place in the room
 Using a Series of Graduated Actions

18. Behavior Plan: Intervention
• Use verbal and nonverbal acknowledgement of
behavior.
• Use graduated actions:
• Look at the suspected students.
• Move in the direction of the students.
• If necessary, stop class and confront the behavior.
• Have a student conference to discuss the behavior(s)
• Parent contact
• Referral to administration.

19. Behavior Plan: High-Intensity
Situations
 Recognize the student is out of control.
 Step back and calm myself.
 Make sure other students are not in immediate danger.
Evacuate students as necessary.
 Send a student for an administrator.
 Listen actively to the student and plan action to diffuse
the situation.
(Marzano, 2007)

20. References
 Lemov, Doug (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put
students on the path to college. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
 Marzano, Robert (2007). The art and science of teaching. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
 Wong, H. & Wong, R. (2005). How to be an effective teacher: The first days of
school. Mountainview, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.