1-2-3 Magic in the Classroom: Effective Discipline for Pre-K through Grade 8

This excellent manual for teachers provides straightforward discipline strategies and behavioral management techniques. This offering, in its second edition, is based on Phelan's earlier book 1-2-3 Magic and has many simple key concepts and phrases for a busy teacher to remember easily. This will be an especially helpful read for new teachers, who might need some specific tools for classroom management. Phelan identifies "stop" and "start" behaviors (conduct that educators want to discourage and encourage, respectively) and relevant techniques. The brief explanations about students' psychology and the impact of teachers will also help cement these strategies. Newer classroom teachers will appreciate the many case studies and scenarios that visualize how to use these techniques, while veteran teachers will like the way the volume is laid out. Designed with busy teachers in mind, the title features chapter summaries and sidebars that allow educators to skim for new ideas or to flip quickly to a specific area. The last section presents tips for working with students with special needs, as well as subchapters on what administrators can do to support teachers. The main difference between this selection and its first edition, published in 2004, is that this iteration does not include a section on high school students; rather, it stops at middle school. It also has refined the "start" behaviors, highlighting positive routines and reframing "active listening" as "sympathetic listening."