SUBSCRIBE | SUBMIT
2024
Vol 21 No
BACK ISSUES

Current Issue » Cover Page Cover Story Harry & Rosemary Wong Columns Articles Features
Back Issues

Advertisement

About Effective Teaching

The most important factor in improved student learning is with an effective teacher.  Written ten times a year, Harry and Rosemary Wong feature effective teachers and administrators and what they do to enhance student learning.  The columns provide specific strategies and activities that you can download and use.  An archive of past articles can be found at the end of every column.

These strategies and activities are all based on the teachings and works of Harry and Rosemary Wong and they are happy to share with the profession the work of effective teachers.  If you have an effective strategy or technique that works, please share this by sending it to hwong@harrywong.com. The Wongs will consider it for sharing in future Effective Teaching columns.

About Harry and Rosemary Wong...

Harry and Rosemary Wong are teachers.  Harry is a native of San Francisco and taught middle school and high school science.  Rosemary is a native of New Orleans and taught K-8, including working as the school media coordinator and student activity director.

Harry Wong has been awarded the Outstanding Secondary Teacher Award, the Science Teacher Achievement Recognition Award, the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award, and the Valley Forge Teacher's Medal.  He was recently selected as one of the most admired people in the world of education by readers of Instructor magazine.  Rosemary was chosen as one of California's first mentor teachers and has been awarded the Silicon Valley Distinguished Woman of the Year Award.

Harry Wong is the most sought after speaker in education today.  He has been called "Mr. Practicality" for his common sense, user-friendly, no-cost approach to managing a classroom for high-level student success.

Nearly a million teachers worldwide have heard his message.  Because he is fully booked for two years, he has agreed to and has invited his wife to join him in doing a monthly column for teachers.net so that more people can hear their message.

About Their Work...

Harry and Rosemary Wong are committed to bringing quality and dignity to the materials they produce. For this, they have formed their own publishing company, of which Rosemary is the CEO.  They have dedicated their lives to leaving a legacy in education and making a difference in the lives of teachers and students.

Their latest contribution to helping teachers succeed is an eLearning course, Classroom Management with Harry and Rosemary Wong.  The course can be taken in private at the learner's convenience.  The outcome of the course is a 2 inch binder with a personalized Classroom Management Action Plan.

This Action Plan is similar to the organized and structured plan used by all successful teachers.  Details for the classroom management course can be seen at www.ClassroomManagement.com.

The Wongs have written The First Days of School, the best-selling book ever in education.  Over 3 million copies have been sold.

The third edition of The First Days of School includes an added bonus, an Enhanced CD featuring Harry Wong. The Enhanced CD, Never Cease to Learn, is dedicated to those teachers who know that the more they learn, the more effective they become.

The Wongs have also produced the DVD series, The Effective Teacher, winner of the Telly Award for the best educational video of the past twenty years and awarded the 1st place Gold Award in the International Film and Video Festival.

They have released a new set of CDs with Harry Wong LIVE, called How to Improve Student Achievement, recorded at one of his many presentations.  He is the most sought after speaker in education and his presentations are legendary.

When the book, video series, CD, and eLearning course are used together, they form the most effective staff training tool for developing effective teachers. Staff developers and administrators who would like to know how to implement the aforementioned book, video series, and CD are encouraged to consult the book, New Teacher Induction: How to Train, Support, and Retain New Teachers. Information about these products can be found by visiting the publisher's website at www.EffectiveTeaching.com or www.HarryWong.com.

Best Sellers

The First Days of School with Enhanced CD, Never Cease to Learn
by Harry & Rosemary Wong
$23.96 from Amazon.com
More information

 


The Effective Teacher (Video Set)
Presented by Harry Wong

8 DVDs, with Facilitator's Handbook in PDF, book The First Days of School, and storage case, $695.00 from EffectiveTeaching.com (volume discounts available)
More information

 

Classroom Management with Harry and Rosemary Wong
eLearning course for individual use, CEUs available Preview the course and order at www.ClassroomManagement.com $124.95 (Group discounts available.)

 


How to Improve Student Achievement
Hear Harry Wong Live! in this 2 CD set
$31.95
More information

 


New Teacher Induction:  How to Train, Support, and Retain New Teachers
by Annette L. Breaux, Harry K. Wong

$24.05 from Amazon.com
More information

 



Pathways: A Guide for Energizing & Enriching Band, Orchestra, & Choral Programs
by Joseph Alsobrook

$12.57 from Amazon.com
More information

 


Results : The Key to Continuous School Improvement
by Mike Schmoker

$20.95 from Amazon.com
More information

 


Improving Schools from Within : Teachers, Parents, and Principals Can Make the Difference
by Roland Sawyer Barth

$13.30 from Amazon.com
More information

 


A First-Year Teacher's Guidebook, 2nd Ed.
by Bonnie Williamson, Marilyn Pribus (Editor), Kathy Hoff, Sandy Thornton (Illustrator)

$17.95 from Amazon.com
More information

 


Schools That Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education
by Peter M. Senge (Editor), Nelda H. Cambron McCabe, Timothy Lucas, Art Kleiner, Janis Dutton, Bryan Smith

$24.50 from Amazon.com
More information

 


The Courage to Teach : Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life
by Parker J. Palmer

$16.76 from Amazon.com
More information

 


If You Don't Feed the Teachers They Eat the Students : Guide to Success for Administrators and Teachers
by Neila A. Connors

$13.96 from Amazon.com
More information

 

Effective Teaching...
by Harry and Rosemary Wong

September 2002

Dispensing Materials in Fifteen Seconds


September paints a picture of classrooms teeming with materials and supplies. But, how do you go about accounting for those items during instructional time? We all know the value of engaging students in hands-on, minds-open activities, but the dispensing and collecting of materials for an activity can be a horrendous procedure. Here's how it can be done in fifteen seconds and with no pain or strain and without losing any items, either!

All effective teachers actively and physically immerse their students in the learning process. So it's urgent that materials, whether they are math manipulatives, physical education equipment, science supplies, fine arts materials, or even textbooks are dispensed as quickly as possible…in under a minute with a minimum of traffic congestion in the classroom.

Imagine taking 28 minutes for a high school teacher's class to exchange papers, as described in a research paper during classroom observation. Or, what about the teacher who "lost" materials at the end of every activity? Translated: The students walked off with the materials. Take an item as simple as a ruler. If two are taken from each period, that would be 12 or 14 gone by the end of the day. Are the students at fault? Perhaps we should look at the management system that invites things to be "misplaced."

Do Not Use a Central Table

The potential for disorganization and disaster is found when the teacher places all of the materials for an activity on a central table and announces, "All right, everything you need is on this table." So, all period long, a multitude of students are parading back and forth, getting one or two items as they are needed. There are even students who yell at their classmates who are at the central, supply table, "Get two rulers, not one!"

And, does the student who goes to get the item return via the same path or in the same length of time? We all know what happens. They stop and talk, and if they are seen with a ruler, they are challenged to a mock fencing match as they fend off a gauntlet of defenders who are guarding the length of the aisle. Then we have those "lethal weapons," like meter sticks, compasses, and batons. En garde!

To make matters more complex, in some classes liquids such as paints, chemicals, and water are used. During the same movement from the central table, these liquids are spilled, even flicked at other students, and the teacher who does not know what to do reverts to lectures, worksheets, and "quiet study time." And we all know that quiet time is a waste of productive time in the classroom.

Finally, we come to the worst scenario, which is at the end of the class period. The teacher announces, "All right everyone. The bell's going to ring in five minutes. Let's clean up." First, what does "clean up" mean to a group of second graders, or a pubescent seventh grader from a dysfunctional home, or a high schooler with no concept of "clean up your room?" And if the teacher is more specific and says, "Bring everything up to the (central) table," that's exactly what the students will do--drop everything on the table and exit quickly as the bell rings to end the class.

Now, the harried teacher can be seen sorting and rearranging things. Oh, no, two rulers are missing! The class is gone and the next class is beginning to enter. Angry? Please don't be. It's not the students; it's how the entire activity process was managed.

Place Everything at the Student Table

There are solutions to the dispensing and collecting of materials and here are three. Two are from past Gazette columns and the third one is a technique for this month's column.

In our November 2001 column (https://teachers.net/wong/NOV01), Steve Geiman, a high school physical education teacher, said,

Before I made the changes in the gym, my classes were difficult. I was working myself to death reminding students every day of things I needed them to do. I did all of the work, setting up games, moving equipment, and handling paperwork. It was exhausting! I did not enjoy physical education, nor did the students.

The students are now responsible for all paper work, equipment, and set-up--leaders are assigned and activities are much more organized. Classes run themselves and I can teach much more effectively. Students can't wait to get to class!

In our December 2001 column (https://teachers.net/wong/DEC01/), we talked about Jeannie Bayless, an art teacher in Las Vegas. She not only must dispense and collect materials, she has to manage a different class each hour over a two-week period, as each class in the school cycles through her room. Yet, these students, despite a two-week hiatus, know what to do when they enter her classroom.

She has all of the materials ready for them at their tables and as the students settle into their previously assigned tables, they immediately take an inventory and arrange the materials ready for work. If there is any classroom movement, the floors are marked with lanes or arrows so that if students need water or must wash their paint brushes, there is an organized flow of traffic without students bumping into each other.

Dispensing Materials in Fifteen Seconds

Here's the favorite system used for years in Harry's classroom with much success, and is readily applicable, in concept and practice, to any other classroom activity at all levels. It's called the TOTE TRAY SYSTEM, indicating that everything is preorganized in a carrying container and is carried or toted to the work area.

  • Gather a collection of similar containers sufficient for the number of groups and the size of your class. Typically, this may mean 15 or more plastic boxes, coffee cans, shoeboxes, dishpans, copy machine paper boxes, and shopping bags.
  • The number of groups will determine the number of tote trays needed. To determine how many groups will be organized, refer to The First Days of School, page 252 where the statement is made:

The number of people in a group must equal the number of jobs in the group.

So, if you have 30 students and there will be five students in each group, six tote trays will be prepared.

  • Prepare a page, which is saved from year to year, that lists what is needed for each student group.
  • With student volunteers, an aide, or yourself, place in each tote tray what is needed for each student group.
  • Number each tote tray--a marking pen on a piece of masking tape will suffice.
  • On the board or a transparency, list the contents of each tray.
  • One student in each group is designated responsible for the tote tray. (See page 253, The First Days of School, "Student 1.")
  • A numbered tray is assigned to each one of these students and they are asked to come and get the tray. Everything is dispensed in 15 seconds or less; there is a minimum of movement; and the teacher can easily monitor the movement.
  • Using the list on the board or transparency, ask the students to identify each item in the tray. Do not assume that they know the likes of a protractor, Cuisenaire rod, Bunsen burner, or whatever is unique to your class. Here's the big secret:
  • You are really taking inventory and conveying to the class that you know what's in the tray.

  • Before the activity begins, ask all groups to account for all of the items in the tray.

Collecting Everything in Minutes and With No Loss

The procedure for collecting the materials is even more important than the procedure for dispensing the materials, assuming you want everything returned.

  • At the end of the class period, announce that the activity is over (not that the class period is over). It's the activity, not the time, that determines when a task is completed. When the students understand this, they will clean up when you make your announcement and not wait until the bell rings.
  • Ask the class to help the student who is responsible for the tote trays, emphasizing that each item is to be cleaned and counted, using the inventory list as a checklist, as it is placed in the tote tray. Emphasize the words, "inventory list," which is a way of saying to the students that you know what and how many are in each tray. If needed, provide a physical checklist so the assigned student can mark it off and sign for the accounting.
  • Tell the student who is responsible for the tray to bring the tray to the central table, where the teacher will be conveniently standing, examining and inspecting each tray, even in a cursory manner, as it is returned. The students see you checking--consistently with each and every activity--and they know that you are accounting for every item in every tray (or at least they have that perception).
  • Everything is returned intact and nothing has disappeared.

  • The trays are quickly returned, everything is cleaned, everything is accounted for, the trays are ready for the next class, and…

The teacher is relaxed, stress-free, and happy knowing that an organized classroom is a class ready for productive learning.

A Peek Into the Future

Teaching is a doing profession; it is a sharing profession. We learn best by sharing, not by hoarding secrets or whining about why things can't be done. We learn best when we share with each other, which is what so many of you have done in our columns. As you go back and read about Steve Geiman who shares how he manages his physical education class, Sarah Jones and her second grade class, Liz Breaux and her alternative school classroom, Jeannie Bayless and her art class, and Pam Hawkins and her junior high school, know that these people willingly shared their information with us so that we could write each column and share in return.

In the months to come we will share with you the work of Max Longhurst and his work with substitute teachers, the classroom management techniques of a group of foreign language teachers in Virginia, and Becky Hughes, a high school band director with a class size of over 150 students.

We have spent much time on classroom management for without it teaching is virtually impossible. We are now going to start a series of columns on teaching for mastery. As you know when you read The First Days of School, the book is structured on the three characteristics of effective teachers: classroom management, lesson mastery, and positive expectations. At this time when accountability and high test scores are expected, we will share some information on how to teach lessons effectively.

Please continue to share your classroom management strategies with us. But if you have techniques for effectively teaching a lesson, please write to us. We'd love to hear from you and perhaps share the information in future columns.

Our profession is in a crisis mode. The demands of the classroom are increasingly intense and yet you persevere and want to make a difference in the classroom with your students. Our hats are off to you---we salute you---and welcome you to a brand new school year and what we hope will be a most gratifying year for you and your students. If you use the resources you have right here at Teachers.Net, we know you'll be around for years to come. And for your students, that's a plus---for each year you grow in skill and understanding of how to be a truly effective teacher.


For a printable version of this article click here.

Harry & Rosemary Wong products: http://www.harrywong.com/product/
Email Harry Wong: harrywong@teachers.net


Gazette Articles by Harry & Rosemary Wong:


Browse through the latest posts from the Classroom Management Chatboard...

  Site Map: Home Search Teaching Jobs Classifieds Lesson Plans Contacts PR Advertise
  © 1996 - 2013. All Rights Reserved. Please review our Terms of Use, Mission Statement, and Privacy Policy.
#