Any good recommendations on books to help prepare new teachers?

Question

I'm hoping to start teaching in the fall, and have a great background in my subject matter (social studies), but I have no experience teaching (I'm currently going to school to get my master's in education though). Can anyone recommend any good books that I might find helpful and informative for new teachers? THANKS!

Answer 1

Introduction to Special Education: Teaching in an Age of Oppurtunity. You will need to know almost everything in there. It gives you all your rights as a teacher and teaches you about every disability you will encounter. You will probably not be teaching kids with Downs Syndrome or anything (unless your Masters Degree is specializing you in that as well), but you WILL have kids with Learning Disabilities, Physical Disabilities, Emotional and Social Disabilities, Speech and Language Imairements, ADHD, and more. You will need to know about IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) and what their rights are as a student. Kids are being mainstreamed into classrooms more and more every year and you will need to be able to accomodate them.

I just took a course on Special Ed for my Education BA Degree and it was the best class I've ever taken in my life. I learned SOOO much about stuff I never thought I'd have to deal with. I want to teacher regular ed, but I now know how many children I will have that will require all kinds of special education that I had no idea I'd have to provide. Like extensions for assignments, notes ahead of time, hearing aids, classroom arrangement, student seating, additional Parent-Teacher meetings, IEP meetings, conventions, etc. You can also get so much aid through the school if you know what you need and how to ask for it. If you have kids that need to learn visually, you can get fancy updated computers and projectors and more for example. The book will explain all that.

I HIGHLY reccomend you get this book and really read it before attempting to teach a class. I also reccomend you take a course on Spec Ed, but if that's not possible, definately read the book:

Introduction to Special Education: Teaching In Age Of Oppurtunity - Fifth Edition
IDEA 2004 Update Edition
Deborah Deutsch Smith
Pearson Education Copyright 2006
ISBN 0-205-47033-5

It's anywhere between $20 and $90 on half.com (which I just checked to give you a price range) http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ45989578QQcpidZ1306268845. This is seriously the only text book I've felt the need to keep so far because I know how helpful it will be once I start teaching.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Answer 2

I completely agree with the first answerer. No matter where you teach, you will need to know those things.

If you will be teaching in a school with a high rate of poverty the book below is invaluable. I wish I had had it 27 years ago when I first started teaching. It is: A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne,Ph.D.
aha! Process, Inc. or go to www.ahaprocess.com

Another book that discusses a very popular "Best Practices" is: Professional Learning Communities at Work.
Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement by Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker.
National Educational Service (nesonline.com)
I personally think the whole philosophy is a bunch of crap but it is becoming really popular. It might be to your advantage to at least know about it.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

I have found the Scholastic Theory and Practice series to be a tremendous help. They are easy to read, offer lots of lesson ideas, and deal with education theory in a real manner. Not so much in "high foluted" theory that can leave a new teacher cross-eyed. More like information that a person can use in the classroom on an everyday basis.

I switched careers six years ago. I'm an artist by education, had worked with children on grassroots community projects. However, six years ago I was given the opportunity to relocate and was ofered a position as art teacher. I took the job on a very temporary basis [so I thought]. Today, I can not imagine doing anything else! I'm still an artist, but I am now a teacher.

My first year was particularly difficult. Mostly because it is a diferent thing to be a "Visiting Artist," [where you are the cool new person] with a teacher or counselor responsible of "crowd control," than to be a classroom teacher and try to teach an art class, and handle classroom management. No, sir, these are two very different roles!

I really don't remember who gave me my first Scholastic book. It was about teaching reading in middle school. It wasn't my area, but as I started reading it I realised that many of the strategies that were in that book were adaptable to art. That book, literally, saved my life as a new teacher. Most specially for someone, like me, who was not trained in the area of education. My degree is in Visual Art [BFA].

As I have grown in the profession, [by taking the proper education courses, and sharing with my more learned coleagues] I have learned to appreciate simplicity and direct information. These books do that for teachers - at all levels - but are particularly helpful for new teachers.

Another important element that helps new teachers is to have a strong support system. A mentor who he/she can go for queries can be as important, nei, more important than the most extensive library you can own. To identify strong mentors in your staff is very important. Specially, if you want to keep potentially excellent teachers from burning out within the first year of service.

Ours is a very intense profession. In what other profession do you deal, day in and day out, with 50 to 150 souls? You are constantly working with the whole human being. Teaching is not only the A,B, C's, but also the right and the wrong, its about safety and emotions. Our job doesn't always ends when these children walk out of our classrooms at the end of the day. Lots of times we take this job home, in more than one way. We are literaly, the shapers of the future this is an awesome responsibility. Ours, is the most noble of professions, and also the least appreciated one. We do this, not for the $$, we do it because we care for our own future, as well as the future of the planet.

I'm sorry, I get kind-a passionate about what I belive and love. And have the tendency to get on a soap box... Anyway, I hope that, after all that I did answer your qestion somewhere in the conversation.

Good luck and God Speed

Lourdes

Answer 4

The top pick without a doubt is The First Days of School by Wong. It reads like post-it notes. I also enjoy Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones (I'm almost done with it right now), and if you're going into social studies I'd pick up Words, Words, Words by Janet Allen, and I like to read the AP World History Review by the Princeton Review to give myself a quick review on things before I teach them year after year. I also like Your First Year as a High School Teacher written by three high school teachers in CA. I would also do your own looking as you might find something that we don't know about.

Answer 5

When you begin teaching in my county they give you a copy of
The First Days of School by Harry Wong. EXCELLENT book. In fact, he does speaking appearences and I've seen those. Very motivating and helpful hints/techniques you can apply right away.

Answer 6

The First Days of School by Harry Wong is great. Intended for elementary, but I have found it to be practical and more importantly, inspirational when I needed it most.

Equally good is "Superteaching" by Eric Jensen. Great lesson planning ideas you can really use.

Answer 7

I found Rookie Teaching for Dummies a little more accessible and realistic than Wong.

Answer 8

Congrats! I've taught for 17 years now, this is a good link for assertive discipline.
http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/AssertiveDiscipline.html

They have a few good books at the bottom. I've always thought the main challenge for a new teacher is control. One of the best ways to keep them in control is to keep them busy. Never threaten, respond. best wishes.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

good for you!! I am currently working on getting my degree and credential as well!! GO GET EM!!