Beginning of Class

The beginning of class is important to a class period. At our high school we have 43 minutes with the students so time is crucial. There are 3 parts to the beginning of class:

1. Agenda for the day. Your agenda for the day should be posted everyday before the students enter the room. It should not be a secret of what is going to happen within that class period. Students no longer come into our rooms asking us "What are we doing today?". The agenda can be as detailed as you wish or could just say "video" if that is what you are doing for the class period.

2. Objectives/Outcomes. You should have objectives posted for the day. What are the students going to learn? This will help the students get more focused as they walk into the room and get them to start thinking. One to three outcomes a class period is typical. When writing an objective, we always put these words in front "By the end of the class period, you will be able to ...........

3. Bell Ringer. This is a little job for the student to do when he/she walks in the room. The bell ringer should be based on previously learned material. Some teachers use the bell ringers as questions on their tests. Many teachers have the students write them down everyday and keep track of the questions & answers.

When our administrators walk in the room, they are looking for these 3 things on our boards. Beginning of class is very important and these things help to get class rolling each day.

What is APL?

In 2000, when I was student teaching the Estherville Lincoln Central School District started APL Training. APL is a series of instructional strategies consisting of five basic strategies and then sixteen other skills that can be applied to the classroom. The five basic strategies were to be incorporated into every lesson in every classroom. These strategies provide a consistent approach to lesson design, lesson implementation, and classroom management in any classroom anywhere in our district. APL was developed by Dr. Jean T. Anastasio, David Perry & John Zalonis.

At ELC we wanted this training to provide a consistent format for every classroom in the district. This would in turn lower the level of concern for our students within the classroom. APL would also bring clearer communication and a stronger focus. The result would be that the teacher/student relationship would be a positive one.

While I use many of the concepts that APL has taught me, there are many that I would like to brush up on. Through my postings, I will explain the strategies and how they work! This "in-service" actually was worth it and is something that I will use forever. They are GREAT!