Harry Wong Procedures Video Analysis

Harry Wong Procedures Video -- Summary and Response The video has a very strong opening, comparing teaching to woodworking. It says that like woodworkers begin with rough wood, teachers begin with a group of students full of problems, anxieties, and misinformation. That all can and must be corrected using procedures in all areas of the classroom. The first procedure given as an example is a way of quieting and grabbing the attention of your students. This should be done in a way that doesn’t belittle the teacher, nor requires the teacher raising their voice. Harry Wong does this by simply holding his hand in the air, or ringing a bell if the students are facing another way. Elizabeth Wong takes this a step further by saying or cueing the phrase
First, it is necessary to dress professionally and appropriate for the job. This tells the students that you are serious about them, and they will in turn treat you as a serious person. Next, procedures should be taught as needed. During the first week of school, a number of procedures should be taught to allow the classroom to flow smoothly. Additional procedures, such as how to walk past other classrooms on the way to the library should be taught later when they are needed. The third thing is your way of communicating the procedures to students. Procedures are to be taught, not disciplined. This means that a student who does not follow a procedure shouldn’t be scolded but should be asked to say what the procedure is, and then told to follow it. This reinforces the procedure in the student’s
Hearing Henry Wong wording for when a student fails to follow a procedure was eye-opening. He first says the student’s name. He then asks the student what the procedure is. Once the student answers, Henry asks the student if the student thinks that they can do it. He phrases it in that way because no student wants to admit to not being able to do something and will hence agree to and follow the procedure. That specificity of word choice is amazing, and it is something that I hope to master. The second aha was the cooperation mentioned in the video across classrooms and schools in a certain school district. The idea of implementing procedures such as headings for papers in collaboration with other grade levels is incredible for the teachers and the students. This eliminates confusion on behalf of the students and frees up time for the teachers by not requiring the re-teaching of procedures as