Jim Butts Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Secret of Planning

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I feel that this book should have been assigned for us to read a couple of years ago. Although we have gone over much of this material in the classes we have taken here at Edinboro, it will be very convenient to have this book as a reference.

Whenever you set out to do anything, it is best to have a plan. When you are making your plan, it is important to have contingency plans in case things go awry. As a teacher it is inevitable that unexpected things are going arise and most likely they will rear their ugly heads at the most inopportune times. If you have a good plan in place, these interruptions will not take the wind out of your sails.

The book suggests to manage your time in five minute increments. I tend to agree with this method as you can easily stop and pick up where you left off if need be. It also helps to move the lesson along at a good pace and keeps you on pace with the daily schedule. One of the most important characteristics that a teacher must possess is to be flexible. The book touches on this briefly, but it must be addressed.

The next section talks about how to make clear objectives. I feel that the worst thing you can do is to confuse the students before you even start your lesson. When the students are clear on what is expected of them, they will be less likely to get lost. If you are able to grab their attention from the start and they know what is expected; they should be putty in your hands because they will want to learn what you have to teach them.

Part 6 of the book talks about how to promote activity. Like I stated earlier, if the students are excited about what you are teaching, they will excel. The more we can get the students involved in their own learning the better off we all will be. If you can engage the students they will be less likely to go off task. Create the spark and the rest should be easy.

The final section of this chapter deals with the difference of being proactive or reactive. If you do not anticipate and plan for the troublesome issues that will inevitably arise, you will spend the majority of your time putting out fires. Many of the traditional students who do not have children of their own will find this more difficult to master than those of us who have raised children of our own.

Good Luck to all!