Effective tips for South Asian Teachers

Introduction
Congratulations on deciding to become a teacher! You have made a decision that has
the potential to enrich hundreds of lives, including your own. Do not underestimate that
potential. By becoming a teacher, you will regularly come into contact with young minds
that you can mould in many different ways. Make sure you do it purposefully and well.
You might feel a little overwhelmed at taking on this responsibility. That is where this book
comes in. We have thought about the things that most unnerve new teachers and pro-
vide practical solutions for them. We want you to remain a part of this profession, and as
we discuss in Chapter 4, we want you to take advantage of our experience! Remember,
you hold an important key to bringing about school reform in Pakistan: the power to influ-
ence the leaders of tomorrow. By using the techniques described in this book, we hope
that you will hone your skills to really take advantage of the limited time you have to train
Pakistan’s future. Good luck!

Knowing what you can or cannot achieve is called EXPECTATION. An expectation is what
you believe will or will not happen. There are 2 kinds of expectations:
High Expectations• : An optimistic belief that whomever you teach will be able to
achieve success. An example is a teacher that says “I believe that every child can
learn and will achieve to his or her fullest potential.” The odds are greater that what
you want to happen will happen because you will be expending energy to see that
this will be so.
Low expectations• : A pessimistic belief that whoever you teach or whomever you teach
will fail. An example is a teacher that says “These students just don’t want to learn”. If
you expect to fail, you are constantly looking for justification, proof, and demonstration
of why you have failed.
Teachers who practice negative expectation will prevent student from reaching high
standards. Give your students more than they expect, and you will get back more than
you ever expected.
A research study on expectations was conducted in an American school. Before school
started, students were tested. Teachers were told, “Based on this pretest, we have
identified 20% of your students that are special. They will be “bloomers” of whom greater
intellectual growth is expected.” The students’ names were really selected at random, but
the teachers were led to believe that the status of being special children was based on
the test scores. The teachers were told not to tell these students that they were special.
The researchers told the teachers, “We expect and know that you will do extremely well
with these special students.”
8 months later, all students were tested again and a comparison was made between
the “special” students and the other students. The results showed a significant gain in
intellectual growth for the 20% who were designated “special” in the primary grades.
When the teachers were informed that these students were no different than the others,
they were astonished!
The researchers concluded, “The results suggest rather strongly that children who are ex-
pected by their teacher to gain intellectually in fact do show greater intellectual growth
after one year than do children of whom such gains are not expected.”1
Your students will tend to learn as little or as much as you will expect of them. Your
expectations will greatly influence their achievement in your class and ultimately their lives.
You can accomplish
anything with students if
you set high expectations
for behavior and
performance by which you
yourself abide.
Chapter 1: How can teachers invite all students to learn?
1
Adapted from Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2001)

Inviting Verbal Comments
“Good morning!”
“Congratulations!”
“How can I help you?”
“Tell me more.”
Disinviting Verbal Comments
“It won’t work.”
“I don’t care what you do.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Get out.”
Inviting Personal Behaviors
Smiling
Listening
Waiting your turn
Disinviting Personal Behaviors
Looking at the clock
Yawning
Sneering
Inviting Physical Environment
Well lit classroom
Clean spaces
Student work up on the walls
Disinviting Physical Environment
Dark corridors
Broken furniture
Bad smells
Are you Invitational or Disinvitational?2
An INVITATION is a message that states that the person being invited is
responsible, able, and valuable. Effective teachers have the power and the
ability to invite students each day in class to learn together. Attentiveness,
expectancy, attitude, enthusiasm, and evaluation are the primary forces
behind a teacher’s being inviting or disinviting. These are the characteristics that
significantly influence a student’s self-concept and increase or decrease the
probability of student learning.
All of us need to convey to our students every day that “you are important to
me as a person.”
2

If school does not begin with proper, positive expectations, there may not be a
Graduation Day for a student. Celebrating the First Day of School must become a tradition
of all educational systems. This day of celebration must include everyone associated with
and interested in the education of these children. In addition to everyone at the school
site, this should include parents and the neighborhood. The more the school, the family,
the community are joined as partners in the cause of educating young people, the
greater each child’s chance for success.3
How to Welcome them to School4
Organize a First Day of School celebration•
Stand at your school gate and welcome your students on the First Day. Wave and•
smile like they are a dear relative of yours who you are seeing after a long time
Let the first message in the assembly be one of welcome and positive expectations for•
the school year.
Hang up a banner welcoming students to school•
Have guides in the corridors. Hang up directional signs to help students get to their•
classrooms.
Have your name and room number clearly visible on the classroom door along with a•
personal greeting of welcome.
The two most important groups of people, as far as young people are concerned, are
parents and teachers.
Involve students’ parents in school activities. Invite them to the art exhibitions, sports days
and other events where students showcase their progress. The successful education of
young people is an interrelated, community team effort.
Chapter 2: How to help all students succeed
The most important day
of a person’s education is
the First Day of School, not
Graduation Day.
3
Quoted from Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2001)
4

There are five significant concepts that a teacher can use to enhance positive
expectations6
:
Addressing a student by name
When you address a student, use the student’s name.•
Use a student’s name in a friendly, respectful manner. Never address a student in an•
angry or condescending tone. This is a put- down of a person’s identity and dignity.
Pronounce the student’s name correctly. A person’s name is precious and personal.•
When you use a person’s name, you are saying to that person, “You are important.•
You are important enough for me to identify you by name.”
Say “Please”
How do people learn to treat others with politeness and courtesy? They learn from how
they were treated by others primarily during their formative years, such as at school. If you
abuse a child, the child will grow up with the expectation of abusing others. If you treat
a child with kindness, the child will grow up with the expectation of treating other with
kindness.
Kindness begins with the word “please”•
Please• is usually used when you ask someone to do something for you. Thus the most
effective way to use please is to precede the word with the person’s name to whom
you are addressing the request, as in “Bilal, please...”
Strongly consider adding the word• please to your worksheets, assignments and other
papers that you distribute in class.
Repetitive use of the word• please is important if a child is to learn to use the word
please in his or her life
“I really appreciate what you did. Thank you!”
“Thank you” says to others that you appreciate their effort and kindness. If you have
expectations that students will work hard and will learn to be kind, saying thank you is your
way of acknowledging that you know they have been kind and diligent and that you
appreciate what they have done for you.
Thank you is the perfect transition; it paves the way to the next request, lesson, or task•
Chapter 3: How to encourage positive student behavior
5
6
When you look at the truly
effective teachers, you
will also find caring, warm,
lovable people5
.

The most effective way to use• thank you is to use it with the person’s
name.
Strongly consider adding the word• thank you to your worksheets,
assignments and other papers that you distribute in class.
Remember the power of a smile.
If you truly want to achieve the maximum effectiveness when you use a
person’s name and say “please” and “thank you”, you should SMILE. A
smile is the most effective way to create a positive climate and to convey
the message: “Do not be afraid of me; I am here to help you.”
Take a look at the chart on the next page to understand how to smile for
effectiveness.
It All Adds up to Love
When you look at the truly effective teachers, you will also find caring,
warm, lovable people.
Years later, when the students remember their most significant teachers,
the ones they remember the most are the ones who really cared about
them. Effective teachers know they cannot get a student to learn unless
that student knows that the teacher cares.
It is possible that a student in your class
Is abused and neglected at home•
Has poor health and is undernourished•
Is emotionally needy and starved for attention and affection•
You don’t need to tell all the members of a class that you love them, but
you certainly can show it. If you choose to be a significant and effective
person in a student’s life, you must demonstrate you care both implicitly
through your body language and explicitly through what you say.

Step 1: SMILE.
Smile as you approach the student, even if your first impulse is to behave
harshly toward the student.
Step 2: FEEDBACK.
Observe the reaction to your smile. Are you receiving a smile or at least
a signal that the student is relaxing and receptive to your approach?
Step 3: PAUSE.
Step 5: NAME.
Say “Rehman” with a slight smile.
Step 5: PAUSE.
Step 6: PLEASE.
Add please, followed by your request. Do this with a calm, firm voice,
accompanied by a slight, non-threatening smile.
Step 7: PAUSE.
Step 8: THANK YOU.
End with “Thank you, Rehman” and a slight smile.
How to smile for effect7
Example
Rehman, please stop talking to Bilal and do your own work. Thank you, Rehman. (slight smile).
7

Chapter 4: Cooperative learning between teachers
and administrators
Cooperation is especially important for teachers because much of what they learn is
procedural. Procedural learning differs from the simple learning of facts and acquiring
knowledge. It relies heavily on receiving feedback about performance and modifying
one’s implementation until errors are eliminated.
Teachers can support one another in a way that if a teacher has a particular strength, he
or she can share it with the other teachers at a particular school.
Form staff-development support groups to help you implement success. Collegial support
groups offer a formal structure for learning from colleagues. This is called collegial learning.
Consisting of small groups of teachers and perhaps administrators, the goal of the support
group is to improve one another’s professional competence and ensure the professional
growth of all.
The Apathetic School8
Teachers do not discuss their practice of teaching with one another, nor do they help•
one another improve their skills.
Teachers are quick to point out areas for improvement to their students but pay no•
attention to evaluations that point out areas for their own improvement.
When new programs or ideas are suggested, teachers respond with apathy and•
indifference.
The faculty seldom unites around any effort to improve the school.•
The Cooperative School
Teachers are working towards a common goal of school improvement.•
Teachers observe one another’s teaching and strive to help one another improve.•
Experienced teachers regularly share with new colleagues the practices that have•
worked effectively for them.
The principal provides the support that teachers need to work together, and the•
teachers look to one another as resources for solving problems.
The teachers are proud to take part in decision making.•
Education is a helping
profession. There are
professionals out there willing
to help. Help each other, and
we all profit.
8

Members of collegial support groups serve many functions:
They discuss new teaching practices and problems connected with their•
implementation.
Together they plan, design, prepare, and evaluate curriculum materials.•
They observe one another’s teaching and offer helpful feedback.•
The support groups consist of dedicated, caring, and knowledgeable colleagues willing to
share techniques for effective teaching.
Successful schools are distinguished from unsuccessful schools by the frequency and
extent to which teachers learn together, plan together, test ideas together, discuss
projects together, reflect together, work things out together- all solely in the interest of
developing students to their fullest potential.

Chapter 5: How can you have a well-managed
classroom?
If you want your classroom to run like a well-oiled machine, first know that you have the
power to make that happen. But your next step must be to understand what classroom
management means. It refers to all the things that a teacher does using time, materials,
and space to establish a routine for students so that they can learn effectively.
This means that the layout of the classroom must be organized and clean, study
materials must be easily accessible and available, and the teacher must be friendly,
knowledgeable, and efficient. With all these things present in your classroom, you may rest
assured that a productive atmosphere will exist, where your students will be engaged and
active. The environment will be task-oriented and predictable.
Remember the characteristics of a well-managed classroom10
:
Students are deeply involved with their work.•
Students know what is expected of them and are generally successful.•
There is relatively little wasted time, confusion, or disruption.•
The climate of the classroom is work-oriented, but relaxed, and pleasant.•
“Effective teachers MANAGE
their classrooms. Ineffective
teachers DISCIPLINE their
classrooms.”9
Characteristics Effective Teacher Ineffective Teacher
1. High level of
student involvement
with work
Students are working. Teacher is working.
2. Clear student
expectations
Students know that assignments
and tests are based on objectives.
Teacher says, “Read Chapter 3,
and know the material.”
3. Relatively little
wasted time,
confusion or
disruption
Teacher has a discipline plan.
Teacher starts class immediately.
Teacher has assignments posted.
Teacher makes up rules and
punishes according to his or her
mood.
Teacher takes roll and dallies.
Students ask for assignments
repeatedly.
4. Work-oriented
but relaxed and
pleasant climate
Teacher has practiced procedures
until they become routines.
Teacher knows how to bring class
to attention.
Teacher knows how to praise the
deed and encourage the student.
Teacher tells but does not
rehearse procedures.
Teacher yells.
Teacher uses generalized praise
or none at all.11
9, 10
Quoted from Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T.
11

Chapter 6: Managing student behaviors
The most important behaviors to teach your students in the first few days of school are:
1. Discipline
2. Procedures
3. Routines (see Chapter 7)
These behaviors must be continually rehearsed with the students during the first week
of school. Through consistent rehearsal, you ensure that disruptive behaviors in the
classroom do not throw you off track. Make sure you have a plan. If you do not have
a plan, you are planning to fail.12
Discipline
Remember that enforcing discipline in the classroom does not mean the teacher should
yell at his or her students or subject them to physical or emotional abuse. By resorting to
such behaviors, teachers are only teaching students that it is acceptable for them to react
to situations in the same way and treat their peers similarly. It is not acceptable for them to
do so, and the same standard applies to you.
By having rules in place for students to follow, you provide them with consistency that
reduces their disruptive behaviors and you give yourself an actionable plan. Ideally, while
planning rules for your class, you will also think about consequences and rewards for not
following the rules. This will prepare you to handle any situation that may arise in your
classroom.
The most successful classes are those in which the teacher has a clear idea of what is
expected from the students, and the students have a clear idea of what the teacher
expects from them.
Rules are expectations of appropriate student behavior. You should think about them
and have them ready for your students on the first day of school. Make sure that they are
clearly communicated to the students.
Enforcing discipline in the
classroom does not mean the
teacher should yell at his or
her students or subject them
to physical or emotional
abuse.
12

You should also think about approaching your principal and colleagues to discuss school-
wide discipline plans. This kind of consistency across the school will help all the teachers in
managing their classrooms effectively which will, in turn, benefit the students. Deliberate
on what your goals for the discipline plan are, and then take your written plan to the
administration.Be sure to consider consequences and rewards. Additionally, make sure
you communicate openly with parents about your expectations as well. Your purpose
should be to collaborate with them in teaching the students acceptable behaviors, not to
criticize their parenting styles or their children.
There are two kinds of rules that you can make: general or specific. If you already have
a few years of teaching experience and have learnt how to encourage good classroom
behavior, you can use general rules. As a newer teacher, though, you may find it more
helpful to have specific rules that target particular behaviors. In either case, remember to
clearly explain your rules to the students!
Consequences: positive and negative
Consequences are what result when a person abides by or breaks the rules. They can be
positive or negative, but they must be logical. Posting your list of consequences will make
it easier for your students to follow the rules. In case students do disrupt the class (they are
children after all!), remember to keep your consequences reasonable. Do not overreact.
Follow your plan and ensure that the delivery of your lesson is only minimally disrupted. Do
NOT stop the lesson; just give the student a penalty.
When rewarding the students, remember to follow the same rule of thumb as with
consequences: be reasonable and logical. It is important that teachers hold high
expectations of their students. Bribing them with material rewards is not the way to keep
them motivated. Instead, their greatest reward should simply be the satisfied feeling of a
job well done.
Some useful tips to consider as you
design your discipline plan:
Remember to restrict the number•
of your rules to five, a number that
students can easily remember. If you
need more rules, make sure that you
don’t post more than five at a time.
Do not target academic work in•
your rules. Talk about acceptable
behaviors instead.
Think about what you want•
to accomplish and what
consequences or rewards will
contribute to the success of your
plan.
Have these rules, consequences,•
and rewards posted for students on
the first day of school to give them a
clear idea of procedure.

Chapter 7: How can you achieve student buy-in?
It is critical that teachers understand that they cannot increase student achievement by
‘disciplining’ students. Forcing students to settle down and pay attention to the lesson
should not be the teacher’s goal. Instead, it is crucial that teachers have procedures in
place that do not allow students the time to become disruptive. To the highest degree
possible, students must be engaged while they are in class: that is the reason why they are
enrolled in schools!
Procedures and routines
The reader may wonder, “If procedures are so important in ensuring that students learn,
how can teachers make sure they have the best routines in place?” The answer to this lies
in one word: planning. Teachers need to invest time in thinking about how their class will
proceed, and what issues could present problems. Then, they need to think of effective
ways to handle those problems without wasting any of the students’ time. That is, they
need to work out a process for how the class is conducted. Teachers and students must
both remember that procedures are simply steps that need to be learned and followed.
For example, teachers may have procedures in place for how students exit the classroom
at break and recess times.
How to ensure the success of procedures
After creating a procedure, however, it is essential that teachers communicate this to their
students. You may find the following three-step process useful.
Explain1. - Define the procedure in concrete terms. Demonstrate the procedure, don’t
just tell it. Go through complex procedures step by step.
Rehearse2. - Have the students practice the procedures step-by-step under your
supervision. Correct any errors. The students should repeat the procedure until it
becomes the norm and can be practiced automatically without supervision.
Reinforce3. - Determine whether the students have learned the procedure or if they
need further clarification, demonstration, or practice. If the procedure needs to be
corrected, reteach it, and give corrective feedback. If the students have learned the
procedure, praise them.
To the highest degree
possible, students must be
engaged while they are in
class: that is the reason why
they are enrolled in schools!

Chapter 8: What can you do to increase student
learning and achievement?Remember that you must
enable your students to
work hard by setting up
procedures for them to
follow and making sure
they complete tasks in a
meaningful way.
It is essential for our students to be able to show that they have learned something. If they
are unable to do this, then as teachers, we have failed our students. The responsibility for
student achievement lies on the shoulders of teachers.
As you have read, effective teachers have high expectations of all of their students, have
excellent classroom management skills, and are skilled in lesson planning and design.
Teachers must be very clear about their primary duty: it is not to discipline the students,
nor to pressure them into doing things in a certain way. Teachers are hired to guide
students in developing their knowledge and skills. As such, it is their job to ensure that
students spend the maximum amount of time during the school day to work. By increasing
the amount of time that a student spends working, you improve the odds of increasing
student achievement. The quality of the work that they do is a major determinant in
student achievement rates and depends on the quality of your instruction. However,
by ensuring that you purposefully use up the students’ time in class you can be better
assured of improving their academic performance. This gain in academic ability can be
measured in various ways, through different tests. It is not realistic to expect that you will be
able to prepare students to show learning in all of those ways but make certain they can
demonstrate their learning meaningfully.
Remember that you must enable your students to work hard by setting up procedures for
them to follow and making sure they complete tasks in a meaningful way.
“Did the student learn what you wanted the student to learn?”
“Can you show that the student learned what you wanted the student to learn?”13
If you are able to answer the two questions above in the affirmative, you may feel proud
of yourself, because you have done your job.
13

REFERENCES
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2001). The first days of school : How to be an effective teacher. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong
Publications.
Teacher with students [Photograph].(2011) Retrieved from http://www.tcf.org.pk/imageGallery.aspx
Teacher with class of girls [Photograph]. (2010) Retrieved from http://barakatnews.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/
Farid, S. Teacher reading with girl [Photograph]. (2012) Retrieved from http://asiafoundation.org/program/books-for-asia/
storytime.php?p=10822
UNESCO, Islamabad. Male teacher with students [Photograph]. (2009) Retrieved from http://unesco.org.pk/education/
teachereducation/tegallery/te%20%2827%29.JPG
UNESCO, Islamabad. Female teacher doing activity[Photograph].(2009) Retrieved from http://unesco.org.pk/education/
teachereducation/tegallery/te%20%2815%29.JPG
UNESCO, Islamabad. Teacher in a small group with students [Photograph]. (2009) Retrieved from http://unesco.org.pk/
education/teachereducation/tegallery/te%20%2830%29.JPG
Majeed, A. Teacher writing on board [Photograph]. (2009) Retrieved from http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/
features/pakistan/2010/09/08/feature-01
Smiling teacher [Photograph].(2009) Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/7295819586/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Row of smiling kids [Photograph]. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.zindagitrust.org/
Teachers collaborating [Photograph]. (1998) Retrieved from http://agahischools.org/our_story.html
Teachers collaborating on a project [Photograph]. (2012) Retrieved from http://transition.usaid.gov/pk/db/sectors/education/
project_34.html
Zaidi, A. Male teacher helping students [Photograph]. (2012) Retrieved from www.flickr.com/photos/unicefpakistan/7731137286/
sizes/m/in/photostream/
Teacher conducting a class [Photograph].(2010) Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/print/4c07a23c6.html
Smiling girl [Photograph]. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/8030901336/sizes/m/in/photostream/
Zaidi, A. Teacher explaining Mathematics to student [Photograph]. (2008) Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/
story/story.php?storyId=19333953

Effective tips for South Asian Teachers

Effective tips for South Asian Teachers

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