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The New Teacher Toolbox

Proven Tips and Strategies for a Great First Year

Second Edition
By: Scott M. Mandel

This practical volume helps you plan ahead confidently with strategies for encouraging student participation, establishing fair grading practices, modifying curriculum for students with special needs, and more.

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Product Details

Grade Level: K-12
ISBN: 9781412971355
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2009
Page Count: 136
Publication date: June 01, 2009

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Description

Praise for the first edition:

"Mandel has written a very practical, informative manual for new teachers. His examples for classroom standards, incorporating a variety of activities for diverse students, and teaching test-taking skills are right on target. For answers to fundamental questions and stress relief, Mandel's manual is a must!"
—Johanna K. Lemlech, Professor Emerita
University of Southern California

"An extremely practical and user-friendly time-saver. Rather than beating around the bush with pages of statistics, philosophies, best practices, and methodologies, this toolbox cuts to the heart of real questions burning inside new teachers. New and experienced teachers can benefit from the quick fixes presented in this plentiful toolbox."
—Leslie Gaillard, First-Year Teacher
Pacoima Middle School, Los Angeles, CA

A one-stop resource for all your first-year teaching needs!

This second edition is a concise yet complete guide for novice teachers, covering all the essentials for getting off to a good start. With new tips for everything from establishing an ideal classroom environment to making it through teacher evaluations, this revised edition helps you plan ahead with confidence, keep your perspective, and prepare for the unexpected.

The author introduces techniques by grade level, making the book easy to read sequentially or as a reference for specific situations. Written in a conversational tone, this completely revised edition includes an expanded section on Internet use and provides field-tested strategies on how to:

Encourage student participation and critical thinking
Establish fair grading practices
Modify instructional methods and curriculum for students with special needs
Increase parent involvement
Manage stress and maintain sanity

Key features

Beginning teachers will find tips for:

Establishing an ideal room environment
Teaching the curriculum
Grading for classroom participation
Parent involvement
Preparing for an inclusive or special education class
Managing stress

Author(s)

Scott M. Mandel

Scott M. Mandel is a National Board-certified teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has worked as a teacher, administrator, and inservice leader for more than 25 years. The author of nine teacher education books, Mandel is also the founder and director of the Teachers Helping Teachers Web site. He received his PhD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Southern California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction: What New Teachers Really Want to Know

Part I. The Room Environment and the First Weeks

1. Things to Do Before the School Year Begins

2. Arranging Your Classroom

3. Bulletin Boards

4. A Helpful Binder to Leave for Substitute Teachers

Part II. The Curriculum and the Students

5. Fairness and Critical Thinking in Classroom Discussions

6. Teaching Five Hours of Material in Only Three Hours

7. Keeping Students Interested

8. Teaching Test-Taking Skills

9. The Internet as the Ultimate Teacher Resource Center

10. Discipline Issues

Part III. Grading

11. Marking Papers and Promoting Self-Esteem

12. A Beginner's Guide to Figuring Grades

13. Rubrics

14. Grading for Classroom Participation

15. A Student Self-Esteem Check

Part IV. Parents

16. Parent Involvement

17. Parent-Teacher Conferences

Part V. Students Who Have Special Needs

18. Modifying the Classroom Curriculum for Students With Special Needs

19. Full-Inclusion Mainstreaming

20. Students With ADD/ADHD and Classroom Management

21. Preparing for a Special Education Class

Part VI. How to Maintain Your Sanity

22. Making It Through Your Teacher Evaluation

23. Ten Ways to Avoid Stress

24. Putting It All Into Perspective

Further Readings

References

Index

Reviews

Praise for the first edition:
"Mandel has written a very practical, informative manual for new teachers. His examples for classroom standards, incorporating a variety of activities for diverse students, and teaching test-taking skills are right on target. For answers to fundamental questions and stress relief, Mandel’s manual is a must!"

Johanna K. Lemlech, Professor Emerita
University of Southern California

"An extremely practical and user-friendly time-saver. Rather than beating around the bush with pages of statistics, philosophies, best practices, and methodologies, this toolbox cuts to the meat of the real questions burning inside new teachers. I strongly encourage any new teacher who is feeling the stress of the first year to take a few minutes and read up on some of the issues that may be contributing to that stress. This book covers just about every issue or concern that one might have and will only save time in the end. In fact, all teachers, new and experienced, could benefit from the quick fixes presented in this plentiful yet to-the-point toolbox."

Leslie Gaillard, First-Year Teacher
Pacoima Middle School, Los Angeles, CA

Other Titles in: Classroom Management & Student Behavior | Teacher Induction | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles

Select Format:

Review Copies

This book is not available as a review copy.