List, plot, and schedule are the first steps to an organized classroom. We must first decide (list) what we will be doing. In this initial planning, it is necessary to have your list of standards available. Try to combine as many standards as possible into one unit. Then we must figure out (plot) where we will be doing it. Section your class into stations and divide your students into groups so that each student will have a hands-on experience without having to stand in line and so you won't have to stretch a two week lesson out to two months. Finally, we need to determine (schedule) when it will be done. How long does it normally take your students to complete a lesson that is supposed to last only one hour? Each class is different. Make an initial schedule and update it frequently. Now it's time to actually teach.
Shoving information into a student's head and making the student regurgitate it is not the way to create informed, rational human beings; it is the way to create mindless computers. Teaching involves learning how students learn and adapting your lessons to their learning methods. (Many colleges offer classes on organizational psychology and learning methods . . . take one.) Once we know how to teach the student we must maintain the behavior of the class to ensure that the students can continue to learn.
Telling the student to be quiet and follow directions without question is the first step in training mindless drones. Instead, we must treat the student with respect and compassion. A behavioral problem is most likely the symptom of a social, medical, or emotional problem. Punishing a child simply because he/she displays the symptom of a deeper problem is like trying to cure a cold by punishing the child for sneezing. We must find out the underlying problem and work with the student to help him/her learn to deal with it. We, of course, should not abolish discipline altogether, but we must be aware that punishment alone will not solve all behavioral problems. An efficient way to get to the bottom of problems is through class meetings.