Effective Teaching...
by Harry and Rosemary Wong

November/December 2004

PowerPoint Procedures

Some teachers duplicate pages and distribute them to students.  Some teachers make charts and attach them to the walls.  Some teachers make overlays and display them with a projector.  And Kazim Cicek in Tulsa, Oklahoma, communicates his classroom management procedures to his classes with a PowerPoint presentation.

“Right after I heard you (Harry) speak at our workshop in Tulsa, I produced an opening of school presentation.  I prepared my classroom management procedures and lessons using PowerPoint and a projector.

“Now I am using the projector most every day and the procedures are working every single minute.  I thank you for that.”

Kazim was born, raised, and educated in Turkey.  A graduate of Bogazici University, he received his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and genetics.

Kazim could communicate in English, because the university’s curriculum was taught in that language.  He came to the United States in April 2002, with a desire to become fluent in his verbal English skills.

Looking for a small city, Kazim found Tulsa to his liking.  He attended language classes at Tulsa University and graduated first in his class.

While at Tulsa University, Kazim heard about an available position as a science teacher at a charter school.  He did not have a teaching certificate at that time, but he applied anyway and was accepted.  Subsequently, he earned his teaching certificate and now teaches at the Dove Science Academy (www.dsatulsa.org), a charter school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Challenge

Kazim’s first three years were challenging.  As he says,

“I was trying everything to control the students.  Being a teacher was like being in a war to me.  I felt students were like the enemy and they were always trying to find my weak points to defeat me.

“I acquired the characteristics of a warrior.  Everyday was like a battle for me and a couple of times I wanted to give it all up.”

Kazim is now in his fourth year at Dove Science Academy. Before he began this past August, he and his 800 fellow teachers attended a presentation featuring Harry Wong.

He continues,

“I came because I was trying to find some way to solve my classroom management problems.

“Your presentation changed my teaching life.  I had never heard the word ‘procedures’ before, but it was so obvious to me after I heard you speak.

“During the break, I purchased your book and stood in line to have it autographed.  You probably did not even notice or remember me, but it does not matter.

“What matters is what I learned from you or ‘stole from you.’  I learned how important the first days of school were.

“Because school was starting in a few days the next week, I did not have time to read every word in your book.  However, I got the idea.  I got the inspiration.  The rest was my job!”

Kazim worked on his classroom procedures and prepared a PowerPoint presentation to teach his class the classroom procedures.

The Result

He says,

“The result is perfect.  My students learned my classroom procedures.  Everything is running smoothly.  I don't have to give the same simple directions to my students every single day.  They know the procedures and follow them.  I still cannot believe the secret of classroom management is that easy.

“Last week I confused my schedule.  I thought I had a lunch period.  While I was enjoying my lunch and chatting with teacher friends, the assistant principal came and told me there were students in my room and doing their work.  I ran out of the lunch room and saw that although it had been almost ten minutes since class began, there was no noise in the classroom and everybody was doing what they were supposed to be doing.  The teacher in the next classroom did not even notice there was no teacher in my classroom.

“I am writing this email and sending you my procedures to simply say, ‘Thank You.  You have made a huge difference in my life.’”

After Kazim Cicek sent us his PowerPoint presentation, we asked him to reflect on his classes this year so far.  Here are some of his reflections after three months:

• “I had heard of you and your book, but I thought it was another one of those classroom management books that were full of theory, inapplicable words, and did not fit my personality.  But, your book is different.  It is applicable.  Everyone can get something out of it to fit his or her personality.”

• “I am still amazed that my classes are going very, very well.”

• “What was different this year was what I did the first week.  In the past, I used to try to tell my students each day what I wanted them to do.  But you know kids don't like always being told what to do; nobody does.  So, they had a tendency not to do it most of time.”

• “Now, all I need to do is make myself very clear at the beginning as to what I want from my students.”

The Benefits

There is an even greater benefit at Dove Science Academy.  Because all the teachers attended the workshop, they all established "Classroom Procedures" for their own classrooms.  At the end of the first week of the school, the students were all tired of hearing the same concept of procedures again and again.  But at the end, Kazim laughingly says, “We established a school culture and we are all enjoying it now.”

The principal of Dove Science Academy, Zekeriyn Yuksel, says,

“Mr. Cicek’s classes are well organized and learning is at a maximum pace.  We are very happy to have him as part of our staff.

Our staff attended your presentation in August and as a result, we have several school wide procedures.  These procedures help us to run a well-organized and warm school focused on student achievement.”

To see how other schools have established a culture with a consistent set of procedures, please go to “How to Start Class Effectively” (http://teachers.net/wong/OCT00) and “A Most Effective School.”  (http://teachers.net/wong/JAN02).

The Future

Teaching has become rewarding to Kazim Cicek and he shares his future with us:

“This is my fourth and school's fifth year, and we are doing very well.  We are getting better scores each year.  Last year we were even better than some of magnet schools in our district.

“At Dove Science Academy we had a lot of regional and state awards.  Because of these successes, my H1 visa has been extended.

”I am very motivated to teach.  Being a teacher has always been a holy job to me.  I love helping people.  I like kids.  I enjoy it when I can teach something to someone.  So, being a teacher has always been on my mind.

”Feeling that I am being helpful to the students to build a better future is making me happy.  When I loose this feeling I will retire.  And so far it seems I will do this job until I die.”

The PowerPoint Presentation

Kazim says that he developed his classroom procedures within 48 hours after the workshop.  More importantly, he says, “The amazing thing is the change in my classroom by means of a little work which I produced in only two days.

“I pinch myself and can't help asking myself this question, ‘Why didn't I do it before?’"

Kazim admits that his procedures need more work, and he is still improving them.  His PowerPoint presentation is a composition in progress that he will continue to tweak and improve with each new class and school year.

The Gift

Kazim Cicek also learned something else at Harry Wong’s presentation in Tulsa, that August morning—the word share.  Kazim is honored that this humble fourth year teacher has been invited to share his procedures with literally the world via this website.

Share with others what you do in the classroom.  Be giving of your knowledge to make room for growth and change.  It’s the gift that defines the ultimate professional.  And now, Kazim Cicek invites you to “steal” from him, his classroom procedures.  To view his presentation click here.  Control the slides with buttons near the bottom of your screen.

For a printable version of this article click here.