More
Resources
If you do not have access to any of Fred's books, we have some suggestions
to get you started and some answers to frequently asked questions:
In addition, we have included an exercise in Limit
Setting which is a big part of Meaning Business.
Also:
- Read What Educators Say
about Fred Jones.
- Our About Us link will
tell you where and why Fred started with classroom management.
- Check out the three books above and do a comparison of their summaries.
- Download Chapter One from
Fred's new book Tools for Teaching.
How Does This Positive Stuff Work Anyway?
(excerpt from newsletter)
The faculty at Andrews University has taken teacher training a step beyond
the norm. Drs. Richard Orrison and Paul Denton recognize that while they
provide their students with both Fred Jones' video courses, young adults
who have never experienced standing before a class have many question
about how this system works. Who better to answer their questions than
classroom practitioners? The two teachers who traveled to Berrien Springs,
MI taught many years before attending a Fred Jones' training and were
able to share before and after experiences.
Jane Duell of Concord High School in Elkhart, IN teaches French.
For the last three years she has been in charge of the Mentor program
at her site. Recognizing the edge that Positive Classroom Management gave
her, Jane made the video courses a large part of her mentoring. She was
able to answer questions about the use of the program in most subject
matters at the secondary level. She concluded that it was not any one
part of the Jones' method that made a difference, but all the parts together.
For the first time in her career she had a system. She could make decisions
about what to do from a solid understanding of classroom management.
Linda Crissman of Model Elementary in Goshen, IN shared how she
was able to turn an aggressive Special Ed class into a working unit that
now manages an ecology program at a local stream.( Linda's class was featured
in the December, 1998 issue of Ranger Rick Magazine.) Linda's success
with the Fred Jones' program has led her to training for her school, her
district and for both Purdue-I.U. at Ft. Wayne and I.U at South Bend.
She has won the President's Award for teaching elementary science two
years in a row. Linda explained that her classroom life is less stressful
now that she uses the Jones' methods.
(top of section)
What Does it Look Like In A Real School?
The master teachers invited Andrews U. students to see Positive Classroom
Management in action at their schools. In September, teachers-to-be traveled
to Indiana to observe first hand in a variety of classes. Those visiting
Model Elementary commented that it was not only an orderly school, but
one that gave off a warm feeling.
The students visiting Concord High immediately saw signs that the Jones
model was in use as they looked at room arrangements. What surprised them
was that the teachers made discipline look effortless. There was no nagging,
no confrontations and the students were busy. It was apparent that after
a few short weeks students knew that the teachers meant business. Working
the crowd and not being tied to a board or a podium allowed them to maintain
time on task and eliminate most "goofing off." One teacher shared
that the instructional component that taught her to involve the students
in doing step by step, rather than sitting passively while the teacher
did all the work, solved discipline problems while increasing learning.
(top of section)
Coming Full Circle
"The real proof is in the pudding," said Richard Orrison, "The
original idea of incorporating Fred Jones into our curriculum came from
graduates who reported that the one weakness of their preparation was
in classroom management. Since teaching these methods, we have made it
a habit to ask recent graduates back to speak to our classes. The contrast
was just what we wanted. Jones' trained graduates described a first day
of school wherein their walkways gave them easy access to students, where
they successfully taught procedures, played get acquainted games and introduced
PAT. Their confidence was based on knowing what to do - not using trial
and error in a search for their 'own style.'"
(top of section) |
