Student+Teacher+Hosting

Student Teacher Toolbox

1)Classroom management / discipline philosophy - the Marty
 * Description of the tool
 * Direct instruction of "the Marty"
 * Unconditional respect and dignity are paramount in the running of a classroom.
 * The teacher must be that model
 * No power struggles (from the teacher's end) will happen in the classroom
 * Students will be provided with and will practice with making good choices regarding their behaviors.
 * Purpose of the tool
 * Most college-preparatory programs offer ridiculous discipline plans (three strikes, etc).
 * Their philosophies are not centered on the appropriate ideas (respect and dignity)
 * CT must demonstrate the process to the ST
 * How you think the tool will help you
 * Sharing of this tool reminds the CT of the fundamental components of the discipline philosophy
 * STs must have this philosophy in place from the start.

2)Survival level info of the school
 * Description of the tool
 * A bulleted list of the important "survival level" items of the school
 * What to wear
 * Desk / supplies
 * Teachers' editions of materials
 * Copy room procedures
 * Attendance procedures
 * IC procedures
 * Book check out procedures
 * Email / phone protocols
 * Spec. Ed. / 504 procedures
 * Health concerns procedures
 * Purpose of the tool
 * STs will be overwhelmed with trying to apply their college-learned theory into practical success
 * But, all of this happens in the framework of a "real school" with real procedures and requirements.
 * How you think the tool will help you.
 * Compiling this information will for the CT to re-examine what is most pressing for a new teacher to a school
 * Experienced teachers often forget the day-to-day items that make a school run, and those items really drive a lot of what does happen in the classroom.
 * These items NEED to be covered to put the ST at ease

3)Technology available at the school
 * Description of the tool
 * Each school will have some / limited / grand resources relating to technology.
 * STs must understand what is or is not available to them as they plan their units and lessons
 * Purpose of the tool
 * STs must be made aware of what they can or cannot use in lesson planning
 * Is the school using overheads, wikis, one-to-one computing?
 * These items will shape how theory becomes reality
 * How you think the tool will help you
 * Pre-service teachers are implored to "use" technology and many come in with grand ideas about what they will be able to use to better serve their students.
 * Unfortunately, most schools do not have uniform access to technology.
 * STs must know what is and is not available to them as they plan lessons and attempt to hit all modalities (many times too quickly and a the expense of real teaching and learning!)

4)Interacting with parents information
 * Description of the tool
 * STs must have guidelines, procedures, and models of how to interact with students' parents
 * Purpose of the tool
 * To teach, give examples of, model, and allow for practice of teacher-parent interactions
 * Many STs have not had interactions with parents, and these could be very challenging to them
 * STs should see emails from parents and practice how they would respond to them (as similar and different from how the CT might respond)
 * How you think the tool will help you
 * STs may have a class in this type of interaction More likely, they have had "a" class or a conversation about this part of the job.
 * STs should practice with scenarios before having to "put themselves out there" with parents
 * This parent - teacher - student triad is exceptionally important to build and to cultivate, and STs must practice that before going "live."

5)Curriculum guides / assessments for each class being taught
 * Description of the tool
 * Copies of assessments the ST is shooting toward
 * Purpose of the tool
 * To provide the ST a framework for the class in terms of assessment and which skills and content have been covered in the past so that he or she can have a starting place
 * How you think the tool will help you
 * This will give the CT and the ST common language upon which to build their class and for the ST the know what his or her target outcomes are.

6)Evaluation forms
 * Description of the tool
 * One objective and one subjective evaluation form that principals might use
 * Purpose of the tool
 * To demonstrate to the ST what administrators use to evaluate employees.
 * How you think the tool will help you
 * This will, when the timing is right, show the ST the "larger picture" of teaching and evaluation.
 * The ST will be able to see the "iceberg" of teaching - that he or she will not only be evaluated upon classroom activities but the implication of outside-the-class preparation as well.
 * The market is tough, and STs should see the "rubric" of an administrator's evaluation

7)RTI Program Description
 * Description of the tool
 * All schools are required to have a response to interventions flow chart. STs should have access to this
 * Purpose of the tool
 * To show the STs what is and is not their sole responsibility in terms of reaching all students, both succeeding and failing
 * How you think the tool will help you
 * Clarifying what is a first, second, etc. level of response will help the Ct and ST get on the same page in regards to what he or she should be doing and what is an available outside-the-class support.

8)Contact list - Resource teachers
 * Description of the tool
 * List of ELL and SPEd personnel that will help the ST through the process
 * Purpose of the tool
 * Many support personnel are present to assist the classroom teacher. STs should be aware of these people and their jobs.
 * How you think the tool will help you
 * Clarifying who is responsible for 504s, IEPs, LAPs, ALPs and all the other acronyms involved in education would be a good thing for STs
 * There is a ton of administrata involved in classroom teaching, and STs should get used to that process.
 * Again, this is more of the "iceberg" part of teaching. An amazing in-class presence is only part of the story. STs need to see all that invisible part of the educational process.

9)TEMP Lesson Planning Template
 * Description of the tool
 * The best lesson planning template I have ever seen and used
 * T = teaching; E = examples; M = modeling; P = practice
 * Purpose of the tool
 * To show the STs a useful and practical lesson planning guide rather than an overly theoretical one
 * How you think the tool will help you
 * This will help the CT and ST get on the same page in terms of scaffolding expectations.
 * TEMP forces reflection upon taking the correct amount of steps rather than taking too large a step or skipping a step entirely
 * TEMP can be vertical (over a class period or two) or horizontal (stretching over a week, unit, or year).
 * STs need to be aware of how content and skills should be taught (differently!) and how they should be properly scaffolded with adequate practice woven throughout the year (horizontally)
 * This lesson-planning model is the best ever (Even though it doesn't exist in a paper form....yet...it is the method by which I normally mentally plan and would be beneficial for STs to have in their hands if working with me!)

10) School community guide
 * Description of the tool
 * School pamphlet detailing coaching and sponsoring opportunities
 * Purpose of the tool
 * To show the ST the greater school community in which his or her classroom is existing.
 * How you think the tool will help you
 * Many students come to school for actives outside of class. STs should be aware of all that a school offers
 * Additionally, many STs will get their first jobs based upon how marketable they can make themselves based upon what they can coach or sponsor since many schools like their coaches to be teachers in the building. This list will help build the Sts understanding of the full school community and how important eligibility is!