From Lesson Plans to Power Struggles Grades 6-12 : Classroom Management Strategies for New Teachers

"As a novice teacher craving more and more knowledge about the elaborate and multifaceted world of teaching, I couldn′t wait to delve into the stories and techniques Zuckerman highlighted from other novice teachers. I found comfort in the fact that many of my teaching experiences were the same as other novice teachers. Zuckerman′s ability to provide exceptional techniques from lesson planning to discipline issues and overall effective classroom management strategies is by far the most useful information any novice teacher could ask for."
―Lecia Zulak, Science Teacher
Franklin Roosevelt High School, Hyde Park, NY

"An excellent resource for beginning and veteran secondary teachers, offering strategies that work to meet the challenges they encounter daily. I am recommending this book to my staff for reflection on how they address difficult situations and implement positive change."
―Joseph J. Mazzetti, Assistant Principal
Poughkeepsie High School, NY

Straight talk about classroom management from new teachers who have developed solutions!

Nearly half of beginning secondary school teachers leave teaching within three years and many cite frustration over classroom management problems as the major issue. This practical book illustrates how new teachers can benefit from the experiences of their peers to successfully resolve common classroom challenges.

Filling the gap between what is taught in teacher preparation programs and what actually happens in the classroom, the author presents authentic stories from novice secondary school teachers in urban, suburban, and rural districts with diverse students. Each chapter contains instructional and disciplinary cases, plus the author′s expert analysis of each teacher′s successful strategies. This reference guide includes:

• A table of contents with specific instructional/discipline topics
• Ways to identify when problems are related to lesson delivery or discipline
• A glossary of terms and a resource list for detailed information

Like a personal mentor, this invaluable resource gives new teachers the critical support for creating positive learning environments and developing thriving careers.

June Trop Zuckerman has had over 40 years of experience as an award-winning teacher and educator, approximately half of those years as a middle and high school science teacher and half as a professor of secondary education. Over the years, she has conducted countless classes and seminars for and about novice teachers and coached scores of them in their own classroom to improve their management skills.

With an EdD in science education from Teachers College, Zuckerman has focused her recent research on the mentoring of novice teachers, their classroom management strategies, and the practical knowledge they construct and communicate through storytelling. Her papers on these topics have appeared regularly in the Journal of Science Teacher Education, Science Educator, and American Secondary Education.

Now associate professor emerita at the State University of New York at New Paltz, she uses her extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of pedagogy to speak to and coach teachers at colleges and secondary schools in the region.