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Tools for Teaching
In Tools for Teaching, Dr. Jones describes the skills by which exceptional teachers make the classroom a place of success and enjoyment for both themselves and their students. Tools for Teaching integrates the management of discipline, instruction and motivation into a system that allows you to reduce the stress of teaching by preventing most management headaches. Dr. Jones helps you reduce student disruptions, backtalk, helpless handraising and dawdling while helping you increase responsible behavior, motivation and independent learning. These skills are made accessable by practical, down-to-earth language and many examples and illustrations that provide the next best thing to attending one of Dr. Jones' workshops.
341 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2000
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March 12, 2017
Have you ever looked at the work kids turn in these days and wondered, "What will happen to this country in the next 50 years?" When you watch Larry sharpen his pencil, you know that the future is in good hands. It’s inspirational.
Last year I switched from teaching adults to teaching teenagers. Though I’m still teaching English, the job could hardly be more different. With adults, I could focus entirely on content; my students were mature, intelligent, and motivated, so I could think exclusively about what to teach them, and how. With kids, I am dealing with a classroom full of energetic, distracted, unruly, loud, and sometimes obnoxious humans whose main motivation is not to fail the upcoming exam. They’re not there because they want to be, and they would always inevitably rather be doing something else.
This probably makes me sound jaded and disenchanted (and I hasten to add that I actually have a lot more fun teaching kids, and my students are great, I swear!); but the fact is inescapable: when you’re teaching in a school setting, you need to worry about classroom management. Either you will control the kids, or they will control you.
It is the hope of every beginning teacher, myself included, to manage through instruction. We all begin with the same dream: to create lessons so dynamic, so enriching, so brilliant, and to teach with such charisma and compassion, that misbehavior isn’t a problem. But this doesn’t work, for two obvious reasons. For one, we don’t have unlimited control of the curriculum; to the contrary, our room to maneuver is often quite limited. And even with complete autonomy, having interesting lessons would be no guarantee of participation or attention, since it only takes one bored student to disrupt, and only one disruption to derail a lesson.
Even if you’re Socrates, disruptions will happen. When they do, in the absence of any plan, you will end up falling back on your instincts. The problem is that your instincts are probably bad. I know this well, both from experience and observation. Our impulsive reaction is usually to nag, to argue, to preach, to bargain, to threaten, to cajole—in other words, to flap our mouths in futility until we finally get angry, snap, yell, and then repeat the process.
But no amount of nagging creates a motivated classroom; and no amount of speeches—about the value of education, the importance of respect, or the relevance of the lesson to one’s future—will produce interested and engaged students. In short, our instinctual response is inefficient, ineffective, and stressful for both teacher and students. (Again, I know this both from experience and observation.)
Some strategies are therefore needed to keep the kids settled and on task. And since teachers are chronically overworked as it is—the endless grading and planning, not to mention the physical strain of standing in front of classes all day—these strategies must be neither too complex nor too expensive. They must be relatively straightforward to implement, and they must save time in the long run.
This is where Fred Jones comes in. Fred Jones is the Isaac Newton of classroom management. This book is nothing less than a fully worked out strategy for controlling a room full of young people. This system, according to him, is the result of many hundreds of hours observing effective and ineffective teachers, trying to analyze what the “natural” teachers did right and the “unnatural” teachers wrong, and to put it all together into a system. And it really is systematic: every part fits into every part, interlocking like the gears of a bicycle.
This makes the book somewhat difficult to summarize, since it is not a bag of tricks to add to your repertoire. Indeed, its main limitation—especially for me, since I’m just assistant who goes from class to class—is that his strategies cannot be implemented piecemeal. They work together, or they don’t work. As a pedagogical nomad who merely helps out, I am not really in a position to put this book into practice, so I cannot personally vouch for it.
Despite this, Jones manages to be utterly convincing. The book is so full of anecdotes, insights, and explanations that were immediately familiar that it seemed as if he was spying on my own classrooms. Unlike so many books on education, which offer ringing phrases and high-minded idealism, this book deals with the nitty-gritty reality of being a teacher: the challenges, frustrations, and the stress.
The main challenge of classroom management—the problem that dwarfs all others—is to eliminate talking to neighbors. Kids like to talk, and they will talk: when they’re supposed to be listening, when they should be working, whenever they think they can get away with it. This is only natural. And with the conventional classroom approach—standing in the front and lecturing, snarling whenever the kids in the back are too loud—talking to neighbors is inevitable, since the teacher is physically distant, and the kids have nothing else to do.
Jones begins by suggesting board work: an activity that each student must start at the beginning of class, something handed out or written on the board, to eliminate the usual chaos that attends the beginning of the lesson. He then goes into detail about how the classroom should be arranged: with large avenues to the teacher can quickly move around. Movement is key, because the most important factor that determines goofing off is physical proximity to the teacher. (This seems certainly less true in Spain, where people are more comfortable with limited personal space, but I imagine it’s quite true in the United States.)
This leads to the lesson. Jones advocates a pedagogical approach that only requires the teacher to talk for five minutes or less at a time. Break down the lesson into chunks, using visual aids for easy understanding, and then immediately follow every concept with an activity. When the kids are working, the teacher is to move around the classroom, helping, checking, and managing behavior, while being sure not to spend too much time with the students he calls “helpless handraisers”—the students who inevitably raise their hands and say they don’t understand. (To be clear, he isn’t saying to ignore these students, but to resist the impulse to re-teach the whole lesson with your back turned to the rest of the class.)
This leads to one of the main limitation of Jones’s method: it works better for math and science than for the humanities. I don’t see how literature or history can be broken down into these five-minute chunks without destroying the content altogether. Jones suggests frequent writing exercises, which I certainly approve of, but it is also hard for me to imagine teaching a lesson about the Spanish Reconquest, for example, without a lengthy lecture. Maybe this is just due to lack of imagination on my part.
When it comes to disruptions, Jones’s advice is refreshingly physical. The first challenge is remaining calm. When you’re standing in front of a crowd, and some kids are chuckling in the back, or worse, talking back to you, your adrenaline immediately begins to flow. Your heart races, and you feel a tense anxiety grip your chest, intermediate between panic and rage. Before doing anything, you must calm down. Jones suggests learning how to relax yourself by breathing deeply. You need to be in control of your emotions to respond effectively.
Then, Jones follows this with a long section on body language. The way we hold our bodies signals a lot about our intentions and our resolve. Confidence and timidity are things we all intuitively perceive just from looking at the way someone holds herself. How do you turn around and face the offending students with conviction? How do you signal that you are taking the disruption seriously? And how do you avoid seeming noncommittal or unserious?
One of the most brilliant sections in this book, I thought, was on dealing with backtalk. Backtalk can be anything, but as Jones points out, it usually takes a very limited number of forms. Denial is probably the most common; in Spanish, this translates to “Pero, ¡no he hecho nada!” Then there is blaming: the student points her finger at her neighbor, and says “But, she asked me a question!” And then there is misdirection, when the offending student says, “But, I don’t understand!” as if they were in a busy intellectual debate. I see all these on a daily basis. The classic mistake to make in these situations is to engage the student—to argue, to nag, or to scold, or to take their claim that they “don’t understand” at face value. Be calm, stay quiet, and if they keep talking move towards them. Talking back yourself only puts you on the same level.
The penultimate section of the book deals with what Jones calls Preferred Activity Time, or PAT. This is an academic activity that the students want to do, and will work for. It is not a reward to hold over their heads, or something to punish the students with by taking it away, but something the teacher gives to the class, with the opportunity for them to earn more through good behavior. This acts as an additional incentive system to stay on task and well behaved.
The book ends with a note on what Jones calls “the backup system,” which consists of the official punishments, like suspension and detention, that the school system inflicts on misbehaving kids. As Jones repeatedly says, this backup system has been in place for generations, and yet it has always been ineffective. The same small number of repeat offenders account for the vast majority of these reprimands; obviously it is not an successful deterrent. Sometimes the backup system is unavoidable, however, and he has some wise words on how to use it when needed.
Now, if you’ve been following along so far, you’ll have noticed that this book is behaviorist. Its ideas are based on control, on incentive systems, on input and output. As a model of human behavior, I think behaviorism is far too simplistic to be accurate, and so I'm somewhat uncomfortable thinking of classroom management in this way. Furthermore, there are moments, I admit, when the job of teaching in a public school feels more like working in a prison than the glorious pursuit of knowledge. Your job is to keep the kids in a room, keep them quiet and seated, and to keep them busy—at least, that’s how it feels at times. And Jones’s whole system can perhaps legitimately be accused of perpetuating this incarceration model of education.
But teachers have the choice of working within an imperfect system or not working. The question of the ideal educational model is entirely different from the question this book addresses: how to effectively teach in the current educational paradigm. Jones’s approach is clear-eyed, thorough, intelligent, insightful, and eminently practical, and for that reason I think he has done a great thing. Teaching, after all, is too difficult a job, and too important a job, to do with only idealism and instinct as tools.
October 14, 2012
Positives:
1) This is a fairly complete classroom management system. Jones introduces a large number of systems that back up each other in order to maintain good classroom behavior. Almost every time I thought "But what about ________?", Jones would handle it a few pages later. It's not a book that shies away from the tough cases.
2) So far, it's the best book I've seen on classroom arrangement. Jones emphasizes "working the crowd" as a classroom management technique and talks nuts and bolts on setting up the class to making working the crowd as effective as possible.
3) So far, it's the best book I've seen on the use of body language and the use of non-verbal communication to curb student misbehavior. The focus on calming breaths, dramatic turns, and relaxed facial features (while giving a look of withering boredom) is detailed, doable, and effective.
Negatives:
1) The philosophy is behaviorism. The most common examples Jones uses to illustrate lesson content are step by step algorithms (e.g., long division). If you think of education as more holistic and less atomistic, you may have issues. Correspondingly, his focus on motivation emphasizes rewards --- students get extra time for educational games if they save time on other tasks. There's not much on intrinsic motivation.
2) Perhaps it's Jones' writing style, but much of the book reads to me as "how will we control the kids?" There's a regular undercurrent of the idea that kids will undermine you and that their parents are "weenies" (his words, not mine). Near the end, Jones does emphasize relationship building (and distances himself slightly from the behavioral viewpoint), but it didn't mitigate the tone of control for me.
3) Physically, it's a hard book to read --- it's about twice as long as it is tall. Perhaps it's made for lying flat (although I can't see why), but it's difficult to hold and read.
1) This is a fairly complete classroom management system. Jones introduces a large number of systems that back up each other in order to maintain good classroom behavior. Almost every time I thought "But what about ________?", Jones would handle it a few pages later. It's not a book that shies away from the tough cases.
2) So far, it's the best book I've seen on classroom arrangement. Jones emphasizes "working the crowd" as a classroom management technique and talks nuts and bolts on setting up the class to making working the crowd as effective as possible.
3) So far, it's the best book I've seen on the use of body language and the use of non-verbal communication to curb student misbehavior. The focus on calming breaths, dramatic turns, and relaxed facial features (while giving a look of withering boredom) is detailed, doable, and effective.
Negatives:
1) The philosophy is behaviorism. The most common examples Jones uses to illustrate lesson content are step by step algorithms (e.g., long division). If you think of education as more holistic and less atomistic, you may have issues. Correspondingly, his focus on motivation emphasizes rewards --- students get extra time for educational games if they save time on other tasks. There's not much on intrinsic motivation.
2) Perhaps it's Jones' writing style, but much of the book reads to me as "how will we control the kids?" There's a regular undercurrent of the idea that kids will undermine you and that their parents are "weenies" (his words, not mine). Near the end, Jones does emphasize relationship building (and distances himself slightly from the behavioral viewpoint), but it didn't mitigate the tone of control for me.
3) Physically, it's a hard book to read --- it's about twice as long as it is tall. Perhaps it's made for lying flat (although I can't see why), but it's difficult to hold and read.
August 21, 2010
Atwell, Beers, and now Fred Jones have totally changed my perspective as a teacher. This book was incredibly helpful... I might even keep the gig for another 10 years!
Below was my writing after trying his methodology for one week...
Note to Self on Discipline Program
1/4/09
On 12/18/09, as my 7th period left the classroom, I thought it was the end of my teaching days. The students had pushed me to the limit with their tardiness, lack of self-control, rudeness to one another and me. No matter what lessons I was putting together, or what discipline I threw their way, I did not feel as though I was in control or that learning was going on. Time was being wasted. Kids who could learn, were still learning, but the other kids were still in their quagmire of nothingness. On top of that, the discipline that the school was using was not a threat to my students. With teaching 6 periods a day, and teaching 158 students, I was exhausted. My new profession was not what I imagined, and I was looking for a way out.
Before I left to go to S. Florida, I went to the library. I picked out some books on classroom mgmt. I was pretty sure that I could not find a new idea that would work. I also was sure that Ron Clark and Nancie Atwell were being dynamic teachers not only because of their great ideas, but because they had left the public system. I was trying to see if that would be my only option as well.
On the third book that I read, Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones, I finally came upon a text that was talking about many aspects of the classroom that no one else had mentioned. Mr. Jones made the assumption that the kids were bad, and did not want to learn. He did not waste time trying to find the reasons. He also refused to offer a “silver bullet” solution, but insisted that there were many layers to a dynamic classroom. His ideas came from his research as to what the “natural” teachers were doing with those “bad kids” that was working. The teachers themselves did not know, so he observed to figure it out. According to him, 100’s of hours later, he was finally seeing patterns that worked, and built this book around experimentation with those patterns. The experimentation was with children who were seen as the outcasts of the school system. When he applied the many layers of discipline, and methodology of instruction, teachers were teaching, kids were learning, and no one was stressed.
His book outlines the step by step, and the whys of what he suggests, as well as the layering that must take place. The ones I should note here are:
1. Working the crowd
2. Say, See, Do Teaching (one step at a time)
3. VIP’s (Visual Instructional Plans – Step to the right)
4. Praise, prompt, leave (30 seconds max)
5. Motivation – my mgmt system
6. Using PAT time to encourage right behavior and abolish wrong – self monitoring among the students
So, what happened…
Day 1 – adjusted tables to 5 people per group. Person at head of the table is responsible to bring group to order and keep group quiet at appropriate times. Assigned one student per group, in most cases the one who was shy or usually not willing to take risks, as Material Manager. Introduced concept a bit, and talked about PAT of 12 minutes for game on Friday. Introduced how they could earn bonus points. With 1st period offered 1 min. if everyone arrived on time.
Gave YIR assignment. Discussed… pointed to the board. Worked the crowd. Students worked diligently. After about five minutes, everyone seemed to be engaged. I worked at my desk quietly. As I noticed students finishing, I got up and started to read student’s work. Pointed out issues with word choice and lacking elaboration. Before groups could pass in comp books, everyone double checked that the group had a title and date and was self-edited. Graded all of 1st periods. No grade lower than a C. Everyone finished who was in attendance!
It was difficult to not talk back when the kids were being fresh. Jones says to never open your mouth to a fool. Let them talk themselves out.
Only once did I have to do the slow rise, and turn to students who were off task. I did not have to go further than standing and looking at the two boys. They looked embarrassed, and got straight to work.
Day 2 – Assignment was to have mat. Mgr. get homophone cards. Students were working while I checked for reading books. By the time I finished, everyone had done a card. 1st period was all in the classroom before the bell and earned a minute!
Announced to all classes that 4 minutes would be added to PAT if they worked diligently. However if I was interrupted working with my small group, every time I had to ask people to settle in, they would lose a minute from the 4. Standard classes kept most of their minutes. 4th period, honors, had problem with it with two boys, and the other students were furious that they lost 3 out of the 4 minutes. 6th period also had trouble holding on to their minutes. 1st and 7th period, my most difficult classes, only lost 1 minute. Perhaps those students were more afraid of the derision of their peers if they caused a disruption that hurt the class.
All the students were so interested in keeping the minutes for PAT. Many students mentioned that they can’t wait to find out Thursday what their role will be. Many wanted to know today, and I told them they would just have to wait until Thursday. They are psyched for that.
Both days I could not believe the sense of peace I had all day. There was no disrespect from students. I was able to grade during the day, plan and stay ahead of the paperwork. At the end of the day, I was still calm. I have had a few issues with students refusing to do their work, but instead of writing referrals at the end of the day, I just logged carefully in the grade book what the student refused to do. No arguments, just choices.
I also found that during my planning time, instead of feeling a sense of hopelessness and tension at all I had to do, I was able to put on the radio and just take one task at a time.
I am wondering if the students also notice the calmness in the classroom, and the fact that most students have been succeeding rather than getting by. I wish I could get a faster turn-around to them of their work. I will be interested to see if I can get them to learn to peer edit each other’s work on a more regular basis, and therefore have a faster turn-around.
Below was my writing after trying his methodology for one week...
Note to Self on Discipline Program
1/4/09
On 12/18/09, as my 7th period left the classroom, I thought it was the end of my teaching days. The students had pushed me to the limit with their tardiness, lack of self-control, rudeness to one another and me. No matter what lessons I was putting together, or what discipline I threw their way, I did not feel as though I was in control or that learning was going on. Time was being wasted. Kids who could learn, were still learning, but the other kids were still in their quagmire of nothingness. On top of that, the discipline that the school was using was not a threat to my students. With teaching 6 periods a day, and teaching 158 students, I was exhausted. My new profession was not what I imagined, and I was looking for a way out.
Before I left to go to S. Florida, I went to the library. I picked out some books on classroom mgmt. I was pretty sure that I could not find a new idea that would work. I also was sure that Ron Clark and Nancie Atwell were being dynamic teachers not only because of their great ideas, but because they had left the public system. I was trying to see if that would be my only option as well.
On the third book that I read, Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones, I finally came upon a text that was talking about many aspects of the classroom that no one else had mentioned. Mr. Jones made the assumption that the kids were bad, and did not want to learn. He did not waste time trying to find the reasons. He also refused to offer a “silver bullet” solution, but insisted that there were many layers to a dynamic classroom. His ideas came from his research as to what the “natural” teachers were doing with those “bad kids” that was working. The teachers themselves did not know, so he observed to figure it out. According to him, 100’s of hours later, he was finally seeing patterns that worked, and built this book around experimentation with those patterns. The experimentation was with children who were seen as the outcasts of the school system. When he applied the many layers of discipline, and methodology of instruction, teachers were teaching, kids were learning, and no one was stressed.
His book outlines the step by step, and the whys of what he suggests, as well as the layering that must take place. The ones I should note here are:
1. Working the crowd
2. Say, See, Do Teaching (one step at a time)
3. VIP’s (Visual Instructional Plans – Step to the right)
4. Praise, prompt, leave (30 seconds max)
5. Motivation – my mgmt system
6. Using PAT time to encourage right behavior and abolish wrong – self monitoring among the students
So, what happened…
Day 1 – adjusted tables to 5 people per group. Person at head of the table is responsible to bring group to order and keep group quiet at appropriate times. Assigned one student per group, in most cases the one who was shy or usually not willing to take risks, as Material Manager. Introduced concept a bit, and talked about PAT of 12 minutes for game on Friday. Introduced how they could earn bonus points. With 1st period offered 1 min. if everyone arrived on time.
Gave YIR assignment. Discussed… pointed to the board. Worked the crowd. Students worked diligently. After about five minutes, everyone seemed to be engaged. I worked at my desk quietly. As I noticed students finishing, I got up and started to read student’s work. Pointed out issues with word choice and lacking elaboration. Before groups could pass in comp books, everyone double checked that the group had a title and date and was self-edited. Graded all of 1st periods. No grade lower than a C. Everyone finished who was in attendance!
It was difficult to not talk back when the kids were being fresh. Jones says to never open your mouth to a fool. Let them talk themselves out.
Only once did I have to do the slow rise, and turn to students who were off task. I did not have to go further than standing and looking at the two boys. They looked embarrassed, and got straight to work.
Day 2 – Assignment was to have mat. Mgr. get homophone cards. Students were working while I checked for reading books. By the time I finished, everyone had done a card. 1st period was all in the classroom before the bell and earned a minute!
Announced to all classes that 4 minutes would be added to PAT if they worked diligently. However if I was interrupted working with my small group, every time I had to ask people to settle in, they would lose a minute from the 4. Standard classes kept most of their minutes. 4th period, honors, had problem with it with two boys, and the other students were furious that they lost 3 out of the 4 minutes. 6th period also had trouble holding on to their minutes. 1st and 7th period, my most difficult classes, only lost 1 minute. Perhaps those students were more afraid of the derision of their peers if they caused a disruption that hurt the class.
All the students were so interested in keeping the minutes for PAT. Many students mentioned that they can’t wait to find out Thursday what their role will be. Many wanted to know today, and I told them they would just have to wait until Thursday. They are psyched for that.
Both days I could not believe the sense of peace I had all day. There was no disrespect from students. I was able to grade during the day, plan and stay ahead of the paperwork. At the end of the day, I was still calm. I have had a few issues with students refusing to do their work, but instead of writing referrals at the end of the day, I just logged carefully in the grade book what the student refused to do. No arguments, just choices.
I also found that during my planning time, instead of feeling a sense of hopelessness and tension at all I had to do, I was able to put on the radio and just take one task at a time.
I am wondering if the students also notice the calmness in the classroom, and the fact that most students have been succeeding rather than getting by. I wish I could get a faster turn-around to them of their work. I will be interested to see if I can get them to learn to peer edit each other’s work on a more regular basis, and therefore have a faster turn-around.
December 20, 2008
Fred has great voice. He says things you can't help but agree with but never articulated with quite the edge he manages. Although it is a long book, it is an easy read, packed with examples that make sense. Because he's marketing to K-12 teachers, regular and special ed., I think he doesn't answer some of the questions that particular grade levels or content areas might have.
There are lots of good ideas here, but really the power of the book would come from implementing the entire system, which most teachers won't be able to do unsupported. I also think that his approach to 'instruction' is the most limited portion of the book, yet is where most classroom difficulties begin. All in all, I enjoyed the book, but didn't feel like it was the universal solution it claims to be.
There are lots of good ideas here, but really the power of the book would come from implementing the entire system, which most teachers won't be able to do unsupported. I also think that his approach to 'instruction' is the most limited portion of the book, yet is where most classroom difficulties begin. All in all, I enjoyed the book, but didn't feel like it was the universal solution it claims to be.
August 10, 2021
This book was Exactly what I was looking for. It is easy to read, has very real and usable techniques (that you need to commit to) and it simply makes sense. It truly made me feel better about starting work as a teacher next month. I just hope I’ll be able to efficiently implement the basics and learn how to keep my cool. But other than that, I trust that there is a big chance to succeed at this super difficult and mysterious job that is teaching.
I warmly recommend this book for the simple reason that everything felt extremely real. I was a student myself for a long time, not long ago. I remember these things and they were spot-on. Do yourself a favour and read it if the topic is yours.
It’s amazing to think how scared I was that it would be silly and childish because of the cartoons on the cover and because of the offputting colour scheme. Trust me, don’t judge it by the cover. It’s serious while being fun, instructive while being enjoyable, and every bit as real as any day on the job.
I warmly recommend this book for the simple reason that everything felt extremely real. I was a student myself for a long time, not long ago. I remember these things and they were spot-on. Do yourself a favour and read it if the topic is yours.
It’s amazing to think how scared I was that it would be silly and childish because of the cartoons on the cover and because of the offputting colour scheme. Trust me, don’t judge it by the cover. It’s serious while being fun, instructive while being enjoyable, and every bit as real as any day on the job.
July 19, 2017
A friend recommended this book and, had I not also had her as a mentor, I probably would have needed to read it more. But she'd already shared the key points of the book with me in her mentoring Definitely some good points here, though, especially if your struggling with classroom management.
August 1, 2018
Read it cover to cover. Great classroom management refresher. Definitely will do some of his ideas and already try to do many others.
March 4, 2017
This should be required reading for every teacher, and the system should be required implementation at every school. Most teachers rely on simply the school-wide discipline management system, but we all know it doesn't work. Fred Jones offers here a fantastic, detailed, and best of all effective management system that is cheap for the teacher and means sending students to the office with discipline referrals is a truly last resort. As a result, this book has transformed my classroom.
One of the things I appreciate most about this book is that it is intentional about applying every example to secondary teachers as well--since it often seems that PD books are written for elementary teachers while the secondary often get left out.
I cannot speak highly enough of this book. It will change your life as a teacher.
One of the things I appreciate most about this book is that it is intentional about applying every example to secondary teachers as well--since it often seems that PD books are written for elementary teachers while the secondary often get left out.
I cannot speak highly enough of this book. It will change your life as a teacher.
April 16, 2012
I received this book as a freebie, but required reading, during teacher induction my first year teaching. Unfortunately, my review of this book is not exactly fair, because much of just simply does not apply to me as a teacher. I teach choir, but am also a traveling teacher, moving throughout the day to five different schools and having a different environment and class size at each school. Since I only see students for 45 minutes of their day in a classroom that is generally not MINE, many of his strategies are impossible for me to employ. However, much of what he says is common sense (and he tends to be over-explicit at times, fairly vague when he is not and repetitive in-general, in my opinion) and applicable in most situations. The chapter I found most useful gave many good suggestions for games to play when students have earned time for it. I can adapt most of those games in my classes. I would recommend this book for a traditional classroom teacher, but not so much for a teacher of the performing arts.
September 4, 2012
So, warning: this is a grad school book.
The layout of this manual (because it reads more as instruction and how-to than as a textbook) is concise, arranged with columns and illustrations that aren't cutesy or simply aesthetic. At first leaf-through, it felt almost as though it was arranged for students and I came to appreciate that level of instructional clarity. There isn't a lot of background on research, so you'll have to look elsewhere for that, but as a clear text with a spirit of brevity I have come to love this book. When I started Integrating methods into the classroom, I could see their purpose and power.
A little annoying it's an oversized, landscape-style volume. While that makes it easy to spot on the shelf, it's not standard for placing it as easy reference unless you have horizontal space. Also, I don't always love the diction of the writing, hence 4, not 5 stars.
The layout of this manual (because it reads more as instruction and how-to than as a textbook) is concise, arranged with columns and illustrations that aren't cutesy or simply aesthetic. At first leaf-through, it felt almost as though it was arranged for students and I came to appreciate that level of instructional clarity. There isn't a lot of background on research, so you'll have to look elsewhere for that, but as a clear text with a spirit of brevity I have come to love this book. When I started Integrating methods into the classroom, I could see their purpose and power.
A little annoying it's an oversized, landscape-style volume. While that makes it easy to spot on the shelf, it's not standard for placing it as easy reference unless you have horizontal space. Also, I don't always love the diction of the writing, hence 4, not 5 stars.
August 9, 2012
Tools for Teaching is not a book of quick fixes for the classroom. Rather it is a system composed of four elements- all four need to be in place in order to truly experience the benefits. Importantly, everything in the book is based on solid, extensive research (and common sense). Reading this book really opened my eyes to how I can improve delivery of instruction, motivate my kids, effectively practice positive discipline, and go home at the end of the day with energy to have a personal life. Take his workshop of you ever get the chance. He is brilliant as well as very funny!
July 25, 2022
Overall I found a lot of the strategies helpful, but the book was poorly written in a lot of frustrating ways. I disliked the language that was used to refer to the students, parents, and teachers and found the attitude towards students frustrating. Also the book had a lot of chapters about what not to do, which could have been condensed. There were still a lot of really good strategies of what to do, but the focus could have been spent more in that area and the book would have been better.
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June 8, 2009The educational guru I most admire. A behaviorist who is compassionate. His strategies can work wonders.
"Good behavior management always has relationship building as its primary objective. You want teachers to relate to children positively, and you want children to succeed in school so they will be self-confident. Behavior management is simply a means to that end." (330)
"Good behavior management always has relationship building as its primary objective. You want teachers to relate to children positively, and you want children to succeed in school so they will be self-confident. Behavior management is simply a means to that end." (330)
August 17, 2021
Lots of great ideas in here, but omg, SKIM skim skim. It's super wordy, and Jones is VERY proud of his work. To his credit, the book is very thorough; most of the time, however, I was like, "Get ON with it!!”
November 16, 2015
My favorite textbook thus far
Really engaging and helpful ideas for classroom management that focuses on relationship building and setting the teacher up for success. Super!
Really engaging and helpful ideas for classroom management that focuses on relationship building and setting the teacher up for success. Super!
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March 31, 2022There are many options for class management. Just remember to use the positive options to encourage your students to maximize their learning opportunities.
December 9, 2018
Great book on classroom management
My wife recommended this book to me when we met. It took me 4 years to pick it up, and I wish I had read it when she first told me about it. I was one of those naive first year teachers described in the book. I had developed a classroom management plan in college, but in no way was I prepared for the indifference, disrespect, lack of motivation, and even typical juvenile behavior. What this author calls the backup system was all I had. While I developed many skills and gathered more tricks into my bag over the years, I haven't had a solid positive incentive system that ties it all together as Tools for Teaching does. This system does not replace other management techniques (i.e. Attention getters, teaching of expectations, rate of positive interactions), but it provides a cohesive explanation of why the kids are acting a certain way and why traditional punishments are not an effective long term solution.
I would recommend this book to all beginning teachers.
My wife recommended this book to me when we met. It took me 4 years to pick it up, and I wish I had read it when she first told me about it. I was one of those naive first year teachers described in the book. I had developed a classroom management plan in college, but in no way was I prepared for the indifference, disrespect, lack of motivation, and even typical juvenile behavior. What this author calls the backup system was all I had. While I developed many skills and gathered more tricks into my bag over the years, I haven't had a solid positive incentive system that ties it all together as Tools for Teaching does. This system does not replace other management techniques (i.e. Attention getters, teaching of expectations, rate of positive interactions), but it provides a cohesive explanation of why the kids are acting a certain way and why traditional punishments are not an effective long term solution.
I would recommend this book to all beginning teachers.
July 19, 2025
Recommended to me by a retired Master Teacher who came in to help with Sex Ed the last 3 weeks of the semester. She started teaching in the early 90’s and started out as a sub, and got into this program after her first year as a teacher. Shadowing her and parts of this book really have put into perspective the utter importance of first impressions and deep breathing.
I love to be chill but I love to educate and actively engage in participating in learning. So, I feel a proper rewriting of my own DNA and how I would restructure my class period. Got a better idea for bookends that will help a lot in time management. I knew what I struggled with but I did not know what I was looking for. So thank you for that.
This did repeat a lot of things that I have been doing in the back half or just had sturdy grasp on. The mind blowing parts were in the first third to half.
Still an over a great uplifting read. I will access the website later to try the practice and such.
What a summer of healing it has been. Glad this was part of it.
I love to be chill but I love to educate and actively engage in participating in learning. So, I feel a proper rewriting of my own DNA and how I would restructure my class period. Got a better idea for bookends that will help a lot in time management. I knew what I struggled with but I did not know what I was looking for. So thank you for that.
This did repeat a lot of things that I have been doing in the back half or just had sturdy grasp on. The mind blowing parts were in the first third to half.
Still an over a great uplifting read. I will access the website later to try the practice and such.
What a summer of healing it has been. Glad this was part of it.
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October 23, 2025In Tools for Teaching, Dr. Jones describes the skills by which exceptional teachers make the classroom a place of success and enjoyment for both themselves and their students. Tools for Teaching integrates the management of discipline, instruction and motivation into a system that allows you to reduce the stress of teaching by preventing most management headaches. Dr. Jones helps you reduce student disruptions, backtalk, helpless handraising and dawdling while helping you increase responsible behavior, motivation and independent learning. These skills are made accessable by practical, down-to-earth language and many examples and illustrations that provide the next best thing to attending one of Dr. Jones' workshops.
July 31, 2018
Fred Jones provides the tools for solid classroom management to a great level of detail. The techniques are based on his extensive research and classroom observation of "natural" and less accomplished teachers. In the last chapter, he reminds the reader that although these techniques are behavior oriented, in order to be successful at classroom management, a teacher must also establish and maintain a meaningful relationship with his/her students. He is adept at threading together the behavioral and emotional components of his tools throughout the book. It is a must-read for a teacher with any degree of experience - novice to seasoned veteran.
June 16, 2019
Common Sense
A great book on classroom management - others have stated that it is mostly common sense and this is true. That is not to say it is not good advice.
This book is more of an overview and outline for thinking about classroom management. There are specific strategies presented but as above it if you want an in depth, super detailed plan this is not it.
I will definitely implement the ideas in the book but not all are possible. For instance two ideas presented are keeping kids after school or giving them prefered activity time. I know that many schools would not be ok with this approach although as Jones describes it the time IS ACADEMIC and IS NOT free time.
A great book on classroom management - others have stated that it is mostly common sense and this is true. That is not to say it is not good advice.
This book is more of an overview and outline for thinking about classroom management. There are specific strategies presented but as above it if you want an in depth, super detailed plan this is not it.
I will definitely implement the ideas in the book but not all are possible. For instance two ideas presented are keeping kids after school or giving them prefered activity time. I know that many schools would not be ok with this approach although as Jones describes it the time IS ACADEMIC and IS NOT free time.
July 18, 2020
This is a really useful book to read - even after more than 20 years as a primary school teacher, there were still ideas and explanations in this book that made me think.
The first part of the book does a lot of the explaining whilst the really helpful stuff that shows you how to put it into practice in the classroom comes later.
It would have been useful to be able to buy a print copy of the book so I could scribble in the margins and highlight the parts I really want to remember - but I think I will have to read it again with a notebook beside me .
The first part of the book does a lot of the explaining whilst the really helpful stuff that shows you how to put it into practice in the classroom comes later.
It would have been useful to be able to buy a print copy of the book so I could scribble in the margins and highlight the parts I really want to remember - but I think I will have to read it again with a notebook beside me .
April 8, 2018
Lots of useful tips and tricks for managing a classroom. I wish I had read this before I started my first year teaching. my only complaint is that it tends to get redundant. There is only so many times you can read about the "turn and breath" method before you skip those sections that include it. but it does allow you to read the chapters you need instead of the entire book and it has helped my classroom management.
September 17, 2018
A great resource for new or not-so-new teachers who want to take a look at the most effective classroom management for their classroom. This book is geared towards elementary, secondary, and high school, though I feel like some of the examples (especially around incentive plans and building motivation) would work better in elementary school. It definitely made me think and reflect as I read and has a good amount of humor to balance out the sound advice. Definitely a book that I would recommend.
November 28, 2017
A humorous read about classroom management. The illustrations are cheesy, but I cannot complain because there are some genuinely good ideas in the text. I am surprised that it is a psychologist, not an experienced teacher, that wrote this book. I have a feeling I will keep coming back to this book in my years as an educator.
February 12, 2020
Tools for Teaching is an excellent resource for teachers. It provides an insightful and holistic plan to help teachers create a positive learning environment and establish student success.
Dr. Jones provides teachers with the necessary tools and wisdom to allow teachers to be effective educators.
All teachers need to get this book. I highly recommend it!
Dr. Jones provides teachers with the necessary tools and wisdom to allow teachers to be effective educators.
All teachers need to get this book. I highly recommend it!
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March 15, 2021I didn’t read ~all~ the chapters (I think there were 4 or so that weren’t included in the required reading for my class) BUT I did find the suggestions helpful, if repetitive. My biggest takeaway was the chapter on body language to show students that “you mean business” and the section on classroom arrangements to “work the crowd.” Definitely wish I’d have read this before I started teaching!
February 8, 2017
This is one of the best books for classroom management. If you are having any difficulties, read this book or take his class. Amazing!
December 24, 2017
The best book on classroom management I've read yet!
July 19, 2018
This book had some great information, especially for new teachers! I loved the pieces that focused on avoiding stress and having a work/life balance.
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