Classroom management is more of an art than a science and what can work with one class can sometimes ruin another. I've been teaching for over 10 years and I can honestly say I have loved teaching almost every class I've had however there have been some situations where I thought I was going to lose it. I remember it wasn't that easy but it wouldn't have been if only I had know that they key for a great class was Classroom management.
In the following lines you will be able to read and get tips for 10 essential categories for an effective classroom management.
1. Planning and preparation
The most important element for a teacher to get hold of a good class is to have an organized lesson plan. This lesson plan should have a select set of hands-on activities to be performed during class. As far as teaching EFL is concerned having clear learning goals and/or weekly objective is a must. It is also crucial to focus on transitions from one activity to the other. Materials such us photocopies, power point, wall charts, markers, USB, visuals should be checked before starting your class so that you don't panic when a kid asks for an extra worksheet.
2. Consistency: Setting up a routines & instructions
The only way to establish consistency in your classroom is to be consistent. The way you set the rules and instructions in the classroom should be given at the beginning of the class, once, twice, three times or more if necessary, until you and your class get your morning (or afternoon) routine clear.
Routines should be concrete, should be learned in a visual way, should first be modeled by the teacher and then be told or modeled by the student.
Start with something as simple as the beginning of your class (starters). Do it today, tell your students that there will be some changes in your class format and from now on you will do as written on the board. Actually, you can even ask your students to create their own rules and then sign it as a contract. Remember to stick it somewhere visible for as long as the course takes.
Display any of these sets of instructions on the board for a 1, 2 lessons or even a week and I can assure you they will learn the routine. In addition, when setting rules, students should have a clear understanding of the consequences of breaking your classroom rules.
3. Discipline
Complimenting a positive attitude should be publicly rewarded. If you have a noisy class and want them to start (or continue) working then praise someone out loud. Call out his/her name and tell everyone "wow, it looks like Carlos is ready, keep it up Carlos" this will foster discipline, students will turn around and imitate that behavour.
Another tip would be writing Carlos' name on the board next to a +1 , everybody loves merits or extra points, this works great in my classes (and it also works well the opposite way Carlos -1).
Try to come up with a discipline systems such as 3 warnings and you are out. First warning call their attention by name, 2nd warning move him/her to another place, 3rd warning give them time out, or as I love to call it "Reflection time", this means allowing the student to step outside the classroom and breathing fresh air and reflect on their current behaviour. If he/she continues then demerit, detention after class or a visit to the head of discipline is recommendable.
* If you are the technological type of teacher you can create an edmodo account and keep everybody controlled with merits and demerits, attitude and effort records online.
4. Student-centered environment
According to J. Harmer (1990, 2001) the teacher can have the roles of controller, assessor, organiser, prompter, participant, resource, tutor and observer.
According to me, the 21st century teacher should be a facilitator of the language, monitor, guide, role model, collaborative, innovator, risk taker, a good listener, a truth detector, creative, critical thinker, researcher, inclusive, open minded and a user of technology.
We need to be able to create classes where our students feel safe and fee to participate and voice their opinions. Working collaborative nowadays is a must in EFL classes. It is a proven fact that our students learn better by working in pairs if paired wisely. Even when the weak student is paired with the strong one, the strong one will play the role of a mentor and relearn everything learn while reproducing it while working in pairs. Group work is really effective with large classes and for project based learning and research.
Teacher talking time, TTT, should be minimum and use for instructions, now we have technology and can insert audiobooks, videos, songs, or esl online games for students to be more engaged and exposed to the language. Let's incorporate research into most (if not all) of our classes and allow students to find the answers by themselves. Millenials are the first generation of students who are producers of knowledge in the classroom. I am pretty sure that if we keep this in mind we will no longer have chaotic classes but active and participatory learners.
5. Developing relationships
James Comer says that no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship. It was my first bimester teaching the Diploma Program to 16-year-old kids and believe me they wanted to learn as much as I wanted to teach them. I came up with the idea of applying for an scholarship program for www.Knowmyworld.org and have my G11 students connected with a class in another part of the world. The first bimester didn't work as well as I planned but in the process of trying them to introduce themselves and relate to other culture I got to meet each one of them. Needless to say, I am about to finish the third bimester and I love my students just as much as they love me. They enter the room with a hello, they ask for my weekend, they chat and they even wish me a good day when they leave. The fact that we've become more connected in a student-teacher relationship has helped me own my role as a guide and role model and now they don't just sit there because they have to but because they are eager to know what my next class is going to be about and how it would help them in their future.
However, you must be careful and learn to draw a very clear line between your student and you, the teacher. Teachers have a position of trust and a duty of care to the pupils. You can listen to them when they feel down or need advice and always talk to their tutors, your coordinator or the school psychologist. Always remember your role as a guide or even a coach but not as a psychologist.
6. Motivation
By building relationship I'm pretty sure you must have found out what interests and motivates some of your students; if not, do activities where students define their preferences, life objectives and dreams. Adapt or adopt new strategies in your classes so that your students feel more eager to participate.
Motivation are the internal and external factors that stimulate the desire in people to continue interested and committed to a goal. In order for your students to continue feeling motivated to attend your classes (and be participatory) you should address to them by their names, reward their participation and efforts, use interesting, relevant, and/or controversial topics to encourage speaking through debates or discussions.
Start your class by explaining your lesson objectives orally, it is not enough to just write them on the board... Stand up and walk around, pad them on the shoulder if they did well, smile. Encourage them to give the A+1. Thank them for their participation even if the answer was wrong. Make eye contact, give them constant feedback and make sure your class is going to be helpful in their life. Make each of your sessions memorable, I know you can do it!
7. Differentiation & Mixed-ability classes
Heterogeneous classes are classes made up by students of different level of proficiency however Penny Url suggested in the early 90's these term is misleading as no learners are really alike and "homogeneous" classes don't actually exist. Every time I train teachers I tell them every student is unique, every student is a different world. Thus, we have to consider their level of language proficiency, background, learning styles and even maturity, so we should be smarter and anticipate the problems that dealing with these differences might arise.
Find a good course book that can supplement your school one and always trust on it for extra material. Also, an effective seating arrangement will help your student stay more focus in the task and the way you draw their attention should be consistent so that everybody pays attention to your instructions.
The following sites will help your students practice and improve their English at their own pace:
Writing: storybird.com (my students love it!) / makemynewspaper.com / storyboardthat.com
PUZZLE: www.eslgamesplus.com/crossword-puzzles/
http://esl-galaxy.com/crosswords.htm /
Listening & reading: learnoutloud.com / discovermagazine.com Lit2go: http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/books/ storynory.com (for children and teens, I love it!)
Vocab & Grammar through Youtube: real english / tutor time (great videos for conditional sentences) / teacher mark
For Children: http://pbskids.org/
8. Drawing attention
1, 2, 3 who's ready? - This attention getter is one of my favorites! As I said at the beginning "consistency is key" and we need to get them used to our tricks. Some teachers use a whistle, some scream out loud, I just stand up in front of the class very serious looking and put my hand up up counting 1, 2, 3... always works. I remember I taught these kids to respond to my Are you ready?? - I was born ready - Then I said awesome! and started telling them what my class was going to be about. I think I've tried many things through out my career starting from the 1,2,3 to songs to even a 10-minute yoga session, you just need to have them aware that you want their full attention.
Using an Online Stop Watch also helps:
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-timer/
9. Seating arrangement (S.A.)
Your seating arrangement says a lot about you, whether you are an authoritarian, a team player or a careless teacher, this will be reflected also on your classroom environment. Remember that the place where your students sit should not only work for you, but for them too so by selecting the appropriate seating arrangement your students learning and production process will be more effective. There are many ways for S.A., here you can see some of them:
10. Teacher's Confidence
Every time I have to show up for the first day of class I make sure to wear my best suit, and prepare a great lesson carefully. Students know when you are not prepared, doubtful so you need to fake it until you make it! I mean you really should think about how to build up your confidence otherwise students will tear you down.
Don't play the arrogant or know-it-all teacher instead focus on your students strengths and give them leadership roles, say thank you for their participation and encourage them to continue working well. Be enthusiastic and show concern about your students' lives, they will look up to you for that.
If your students are complaining about something you are doing in class and according to them it's boring, ask for opinions or recommendations, but remember it's up to you to decide which changes are to be made.
Students talk. They talk, about their teachers, with their peers and with their parents. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want your kids imitating your husky voice, your "sexy" clothes or your long strides. So project your voice and be aware of "your teacher outfit", your body posture and especially your body language.
Consider these 10 aspects of teaching in order for your students to achieve their learning goals and always keep in mind that what works with one class might or might not work with another.
Siorella Gonzales
Penny Url (1990) A course in Language teaching: Theory and Practice
Richards J (1990, 10), cited in Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Linguistics, edited by Keith Johnson and Helen Johnson. http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9780631214823_chunk_g97806312148237_ss1-12
Rogers T. (2016) You can tell a lot about a teacher from how they lay out the desks in their classroom https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-teacher-how-they-lay-out-desks-their
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