Teach English in Donghai Nongchang - Shanghai Shi

Games in the classroomClassroom management is an extremely important aspect of teaching. Good classroom management can improve and the relationship between class and teacher, maintain discipline and offer incentives for students to pay more attention or be more productive. There are many strategies for improving classroom management. As the saying goes, ?The Devil makes work for idle hands?. By keeping lessons interesting and through active participation, the teacher can prevent indiscipline before it arises. It can also prevent inattention or waywardness due to boredom. In order to actively participate, the students must understand the material and this also applies to classroom management. If the student?s don?t know or understand the rules, they may be prone to break them. The teacher must ensure that the class rules are established from the start and that they are understood by the class and clearly displayed in the classroom. It may help to have the students participate in the creation of the rules, eliciting ideas and such, so that they feel a connection with them and are not just following orders. ?by making the classroom rules clear and taking the time to teach students these rules, teachers put students in a knowledgeable position.? It is important to keep the rules short and clear. Too many rules can dampen the atmosphere of the classroom. Rules, however, are of little importance unless enforced fairly. The teacher must ensure that all students are treated equally. He/she cannot have favourites. Similarly, it is often thought best to start each day with a clean slate and positive expectations. Even if a student was disruptive everyday of the week, today may still be different. Negativity only begets more negative behaviour. Thus a teacher must remember to accentuate the positives. For example, ?See if you can work as quietly as you did yesterday? is much more positive than ?Be quiet!? The teacher?s voice is an important tool for classroom management, not just for issuing verbal warnings. By keeping his/her own voice quiet and calm, it encourages the class to follow suit and stresses that the most important voice is not the loudest. My friend was once told by an inspector that one of the reasons that she had a noisy classroom was because she had a boisterous tone of voice herself. In TEFL, verbal warnings may often become obsolete if the class doesn?t understand the meaning of them. Gestures, either bodily or facial, can oftentimes be enough to cease misconduct, while maintaining the flow of your lesson. Symbols, such as yellow/red football cards or a noise-o-meter can be useful when dealing with students of limited english. Rewards are probably the most commonly known source for maintaining discipline and managing the classroom. While some may argue that it demeans the importance of learning, others believe that it reflects the real world. Rewards come in many shapes and forms from simple (10mins on the computer) to more elaborate (holding a raffle). Creative teachers can develop a reward system that interests students, promotes good behaviour and also encourages co-operation, equality and fairness. One I have used involves students moving across a board as a diver collecting treasure and avoiding hazards, such as sharks and octopuses. Positive behaviour, such as working hard, or helping another student, moves the student on one step closer to the treasure. When they have collected 10 treasure chests, they get a mystery prize from my ?treasure chest? ? this can be as simple as a pencil or more ornate prizes such as an art set or jigsaw. The children really enjoy it and see it more as a game than a code of behaviour and it gets results. 10 steps to the treasure x 10 treasure chests = 100 positive behaviours before being rewarded! However, it must be noted that students vary and that different techniques work better for different class/individuals. ?Just as students function at different levels in reading and math, they also function at different levels, or stages, of discipline.? Younger pupils might respond more favourably to reward systems, whereas older students may be better suited to self-discipline or verbal reasoning. These are just a few of the factors dealing with classroom management and there are many more techniques and methods that could be utilised, but I have found the most effective is to be a caring and understanding teacher. Students respond better to a likeable teacher and show more respect for someone who shows respect for them. Word Count: 753 Bibliography 1. Tauper, Robert T., 1999, Classroom Management: Sound Theory and Effective Practice, p.107 2. http://www.honorlevel.com/x45.xml 3. http://www.webenglishteacher.com/discipline.html 4. http://www.honorlevel.com/techniques.xml 5. http://www.honorlevel.com/x46.xml 6. http://teacher2b.com/discipline/discistr.htm 7. http://712educators.about.com/od/discipline/tp/disciplinetips.htm 8. http://www.seomraranga.com/tag/classroom-management/