The Tactical Teacher: Proven Strategies to Positively Influence Student Learning and Classroom Behavior
By Dale Ripley
(Solution Tree Press, 2022 – Learn more)
Reviewed by Trishauna Pulos
A common lamentation about teacher education programs is the lack of realistic classroom management strategies and instruction on how they can be effectively implemented by new teachers. Educational programs, while progressing in new and exciting ways, have for a long time brushed over the issues of classroom management with prospective teachers.
Obviously teacher educators want new teachers to be effective classroom managers. Dale Ripley’s The Tactical Teacher can be a solid resource for pre-service teacher programs. It’s a proverbial treasure trove.
The book concentrates on twelve soft tactics (allowing for autonomy) and one hard tactic (direct influence with pressure) in managing classroom behavior. By exploring the benefits of each tactic in depth, readers can focus on multiple principles of educational success.
The book starts with a strong focus on natural selection, providing purpose and understanding about student behavior. The writing does this with a nod to realism and some intriguing prose. The end of each chapter encapsulates two cornerstones of the book: summaries and reflections. The summaries highlight strategies and key ideas that reinforce our understanding of the reasons behind student (and often adult) behaviors.
The summaries are not only snapshots of the text in short form but serve as backgrounders as the book’s readers are invited to reflect on its content. Each chapter does this with nods towards the social dynamics of theories such as self-consistency, focusing illusion, and classical and operant conditioning. All good teachers want to improve their practice, and this book offers copious opportunities to consider informed changes.
Whether it’s tweaking a font color to increase focus during an exam, or creating a rhyming scheme to improve memorization, The Tactical Teacher encourages educators to consider all the elements of classroom instruction and how they can impact and affect students. And the author’s discussions of bias, influence, and motivation ensure that readers delve into all crucial methods for positively leveraging student learning, classroom behavior, and relationship development.
Dr. Trishauna Pulos is a veteran educator with over twenty-four years in the field, with a passion in education focusing on the middle levels. She is always in pursuit of improvement and often quotes to her students and staff that we want “progress, not perfection.” She is currently a junior high principal and serves on committees for the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE) and on the board for California League of Middle Schools (CLMS). She earned her doctorate from the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University.
