This is an assessment questionnaire for new and beginning teachers. (Although it is also a good test to take for experienced teachers who want to make sure they are not falling into some bad pitfalls as they start the new semester).
It is a fact that often the average new teacher goes through almost five years of trial and error trying to learn how to manage a class to best eliminate many discipline problems.Some teachers, during this time, just give up and quit teaching. Among these teachers are often potentially good teachers, people who really care about students, but, due to the stress in this area of the job, just give up. It shouldn't take five years to better manage disruptive behavior, and we shouldn't lose these caring, ill-prepared teachers. By answering the questions below, you will be helped to find out where your weaknesses, and pitfalls may be beforehand. This can save you from a lot of unnecessary years of upset, save many responsible students' learning from many disruptions, and help all of us keep you, a caring potentially effective educator.
DIRECTIONS:
a) Below, answer Yes or No as honestly as you can.
b) After you answer the questions, consult the upside-down answers at the end of the questionnaire.
c) Then, read the Chapter and section that refers to your pitfall or potential weakness ( the answers you got wrong).
PITFALLS ________________________________________________________________
| 1. I think that if I am myself, and often very honest with the class, that this openness with my class can often cause discipline problems. | Ch.8B,Ch.11B |
| 2. I should try to do and say what other good teachers have said and done. | Ch.8B, Ch.11B |
| 3. Almost always, if I feel disrupted by a student, I should not let that behavior slide. | Ch.4 |
| 4. I should "go after" students who withdraw, e.g. fall asleep in my class. | Ch.4 |
| 5. It's important for me, in order to be a good teacher, to try to always "win" students' feelings, not just get their correct behavior,so that they have the correct feelings about school | Ch.4B |
| 6. If a student from outside my class is disrupting my class by waving at one of my students through the classroom door window, I should first "go after" the student outside my door. | Ch.6C, Ch.10B |
| 7. It's best to have my class sit in rows, rather than in a circle. | Ch. 7C, Ch. 10C |
| 8. It's fine if I usually don't express emotions in my class; it's better if I'm mostly cognitive, and get across the ideas presented in the lesson. | Ch.9B, Ch.14B |
| 9. It's always important that I have everyone's attention. | Ch.4B |
| 10. It's very important that I stop students' digressions and "off-the-lesson questions" in order that I get my lesson plan done. | Ch.4B, Ch.9D, Ch.14D |
| 11. Exercising control in almost all situations is very important. | Ch.4B |
| 12. I shouldn't really be "myself" with a class. Instead, I should try to be the "teacher." | Ch.8B, Ch.11B |
| 13. Keeping track of things is not so important as being able to explain abstract ideas. | Ch.8C, Ch.11C |
| 14. It's okay if I don't believe in all of the curriculum that I'm teaching, as long as I can convince my students to study the material. | Ch.9A, Ch.14A |
| 15. It's best if I can often go from the curriculum, then to examples of how the curriculum relates to students' lives. | Ch.9D, Ch.14D |
| 16. It's better if the students (in the lesson) interact with me (the teacher) than each other. | Ch.9E,G, Ch.14E,G |
| 17. I know some good rules that I can implement used by a good teacher I once had. | Ch.8B,11B, Ch.12A |
| 18. I remember some effective lectures to give students who violate my rules (that my past teachers used to give me). | Ch.8B, 11B, Ch.12A |
| 19. I have no problem calling a parent the second a child violates one of my rules. | Ch.12A |
| 20. If I am reprimanding a student, and the student says: "I won't do it, big deal!" I should know how to give the next punishment (for such an attitude). | Ch.12A |
| 21. I know how to reprimand students who call out. | Ch.13B-1 |
| 22. I know how to go after students during a test who are cheating. | Ch.13B-3 |
| 23. It's important for me to not smile or laugh when a student in my class is being funny as a " class clown." | Ch. 8B, Ch.11B |
| 24. I know how to break up a fight between two students by myself. | Ch.13B-2 |
| 25. I know how to speak warmly to a student who might have a crush on me. | Ch.13B-6 |
| 26. If I'm a substitute teacher, I can usually follow the lesson left for me by the regular teacher. | Ch.15B,C,D |
| 27. It's OK for me to let elementary school students rely on their parents somewhat to help them enter the class in the morning (hang up their coats, turn in their homework, read the problem of the day, etc.) since it will help them and me to have them ready for work in the morning. | Ch.10E,b |
ANSWERS (DETACH THIS FROM THE ABOVE QUESTIONNAIRE)