Teach English in Gongping Zhen - Chongqing

Discipline_managementKeeping the focus and attention in an ESL classroom is one of the most challenging tasks of the teacher. It is through this system that the teacher will be able to carry over new information and knowledge to the students. It would be very naïve of a teacher to assume that simply having good command of the English language and grammar without classroom techniques would be enough qualification to lead an ESL lesson; in fact, a good, communicative teacher with good classroom skills and less grammatic expertise would have the advantage. After a teacher organizes and prepares for a lesson, with his theoretical class of well-behaved learning machines, he must be prepared for the reality that students are not well-behaved learning machines. For this the teacher must be able to think in real-time about how to keep order and attention, so that his lesson can go on as carefully planned, and the students can learn as much as possible. The most necessary element of a good, well-managed classroom is a clear, firm, professional teacher to whom the students look up with respect. The teacher must be consistent with his demand for order in the classroom, and consistent with his own calm and self-restraint. When students see this calm and professionalism, they will have a better idea of their boundaries. students need to know when it is acceptable to be ?individual?, creative, and outspoken, and when they must respect the teacher?s turn to speak, a classmate?s turn to speak, or the need to focus on an in-class assignment. A very important way for the teacher to make himself clear to the students is to use language they are sure to understand. To angrily rant to a student about his behavior, with fast moving English and words the student might not understand, is just about as helpful as cursing another driver from inside your own car. In order for discipline to be effective, the recipient must understand clearly what the problem is, what you require of them to fix it, and perhaps what will be the consequences if they do not fulfill this. Shannon Sensei gives a great example of this in her article entitled When Teaching Toddlers?KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) http://www.teach-esl-to-kids.com/teaching-toddlers-simple-language.html , where a young student, not understanding the disciplinary words of her teacher, ended up in tears when she realized the consequences only too late. As the son of an immigrant to America, being raised around many other immigrants to America, and living for eight years abroad where English is many times the only common language, I understand very well the different kind of language I have to use in order to be effectively understood. If the purpose of language is communication, then the responsibility is equally on the speaker and the listener to find a way to communicate! Garnering the respect of students is not only done through disciplinary action. Through positive reinforcement, a teacher can be the sort of gentle, respected, well-liked leader that students are seeking. Teachers must not only correct errors in English or in class discipline; rather, the positive reinforcement of praising good behavior or good examples will go very far. It is an important class management tool to keep a positive learning atmosphere by combining praise with criticism. Sometimes, a teacher can make the student feel like he is being praised, even when he is actually being corrected in a mistake he made. A teacher could, for example, say ?Wow, thanks Suzy. That was very creative, and a good use of interesting vocabulary! Don?t get distracted by that, though, and forget about how we make simple past tense in English??The unicorn rode into the forest clearing?? When the teacher has established a healthy relationship with his students?not a dictator, not a friend, but rather a mentor, coach, or partner in the learning process?the discipline in the classroom should not be a problem, aside from specific cases out of the teacher?s hands. However, these cases, such as attention seekers, power seekers, or withdrawn, depressed students, can all be dealt with if the teacher is calm, fair, and consistent. Most language schools will have a policy regarding discipline in the classroom, and it is important for the teacher to be aware of these policies. In any case, the common elements for teachers to keep in mind are keeping professional, keeping communicative, and staying positive. In this way the students will hopefully be open and receptive, learning English effectively perhaps even with a smile on their faces. Sources: http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/Articles/Classroom_Management.htm http://www.teach-esl-to-kids.com/teaching-toddlers-simple-language.html http://teflbootcamp.com/tefl-skills/student-discipline-efl-classroom/ http://www.teach-esl-to-kids.com/classroom-management-idea-change-order.html http://www.onestopenglish.com/support/methodology/classroom-management/classroom-management-classroom-discipline/146446.article http://www.onestopenglish.com/support/methodology/classroom-management/classroom-management-the-role-of-correction-in-english-teaching/146448.article http://teflbootcamp.com/tefl-skills/correcting-errors-in-efl/