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This unit covered how to manage a classroom, establish good rapport with the students, and maintain discipline. There were many aspects of classroom management that I hadn?t directly considered before, such as eye contact, when to stand, and seating arrangements. Eye contact should be used to encourage participation, keep attention, and ensure that communication is clear. The teacher should stand only when giving instructions or presenting new material. While students are working on their own or in pairs, the teacher should sit or monitor appropriately. It is important to vary the class groupings in order to insure sufficient student talk time and to make more shy students comfortable. I frequently using pair work in class, but I have noticed that students tend to revert to their native language quite often. Orderly rows work best for large groups. Horseshoe or circles make pair-work easier and make the setting more relaxed and intimate. Small group tables are good for some activities but can be problematic when it comes to discipline. A good tip is to make sure you have everyone?s attention before giving instructions and to avoid giving handouts until after the exercise is explained. One of the most difficult things is using lower level language for a beginner class. It?s a good idea to choose a set of words and phrases to use for instructions every time. Demonstrating what you want students to do is often the most efficient. Reducing unnecessary teacher talking time is also important, which can be done by keeping language simple and choosing exercises that encourage participation, such as pair or group work. Maintaining discipline has rarely been a problem for me so far, because I mainly work with adults. However, I do have one class of young adults that has been getting out of hand. I believe it stems from boredom and lack of motivation in their case, so I will try to use some of these new ideas to make the lessons more interesting and varied. It is also good advice to focus on the undesirable behavior and not the student.
