Tips for New Teachers

1. Tips for New Teachers

2. Preparation is Essential for Success • Familiarize yourself with your school’s curriculum • Consider how you might use your life experiences as powerful lessons with your students • Get to know your grade-level/departmental colleagues • Subscribe to a professional journal to remain abreast of current issues (Teaching K-8, Curriculum and Teaching) • Explore educational websites and attend professional conferences • Purchase plenty of comfortable shoes as your will spend more time on your feet than ever before

3. Develop a Class Syllabus • A course syllabus accomplishes the following tasks: - provides evidence of responsible preparation - reduces during the year work by over 50% - communicates expectations to students and parents - places responsibility for success onto the learner • A course syllabus accomplishes the following tasks: - establishes course goals - previews class content - sequences instruction - identifies performance objectives - provides a “contract” with learners - motivates students - promotes self-monitoring - articulates prior knowledge needed - institutes an evaluation system - serves as first wave of communication

4. Learn Student Names Quickly Reginald BETH • Familiarize yourself with names PRIOR to the first day (read the class roster several time and only focus on last names first) • Use student expectation/information surveys that require names (study faces and look at corresponding names as students complete the task) • Create any variation of a seating chart help with name recall • Ask students to introduce themselves in class (on first day) • Read expectation sheets on first night and make associations between names and interests (cover names and see if you can remember them based on the provided information) • Immediately before the second class, review the seating chart Samantha

5. Maintain Cultural Sync with Students • Get to know your students and the homes from which they come • Understand and appreciate student interests (music, food, traditions) • Ascertain their cultural scripts and best means of communication with them and their families • Explore literature written by Lisa Delpit, Asa Hilliard, James Irvine, and Allan Johnson • Familiarize yourself with their neighborhoods, friends, and other culturally indicative representations

6. Establish Positive Parental Rapport • Ensure first contact is positive in nature • Maintain open lines of communication - inform parents of class news and events - create a class newsletter and/or webpage - personally invite parents to conferences • Invite parents to experience your teaching • Send graded papers/projects home promptly • Keep precise records to share with parents

7. Classroom Management • Get to know your students, academically and culturally • Establish and post classroom norms and expectations • Observe consistency in your teaching • Know your subject matter well and plan thoughtful lessons • Develop authentic relationships with your • students • Provide prompt feedback and positive reinforcement before, during, and after all delivered lessons • Respect the rights of all children in your classroom • Differentiate instruction so that all students may achieve

8. Meaningful Lesson Plans • Consider unit lesson design as opposed to daily plans • Read Understanding by Design(McTighe & Wiggins, 2005) • Take note of the “backward design” process • Begin planning with results in mind and devise tasks to facilitate student attainment of those goals • Unit plans promote contextualization as opposed to isolation • Allows students and teacher to begin with the end in mind • Makes activities applicable to students lives

9. Be Prepared for Evaluations • Accentuate your classroom’s climate by displaying children’s work and encouraging student engagement • Expose students to a wide range of collaborative educational activities as learning is a highly social activity • Start lessons promptly and transition smoothly • Employ high level questioning skills to encourage higher order thinking skills • Model, guide, and reinforce all activities for your students • Align all lessons with district benchmarks and state standards • Always provide closure at the conclusion of all lessons

10. Motivating Students • Create a business-like, yet welcoming environment • Praise your students’ successes • Use incentives – internal and external – to drive learning • Understand your students individual needs • Strong organizational skills on your behalf can prompt student response to teaching • Assist students in establishing goals for themselves • Provide authentic feedback in response to student progress

11. Avoid First Year Burnout • Keep yourself surrounded by positive energy people • Pace yourself!!! Remember, the school year is a marathon, not a sprint • Continue pursuing your out-of-work hobbies and interests • Rest, exercise, and maintain a healthy diet • Keep yourself and your workspace (in school and at home) well organized • Move beyond the bad days and reward yourself for the good ones