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Classroom Management is a crucial skill to ensure friendly, fun, well organized, disciplined classes be carried out in a relaxed atmosphere. When done correctly the teacher can then continue to inspire confidence in the students, creating a platform to ensure effective learning. It is important for Teachers to know when to be firm and when to leave students alone. Establishing a good rapport with the students is crucial to ensuring a successful and enjoyable class. The general approach and attitude of the Teacher towards the class and its students will determine whether or not the students actively engage with the lesson or not. Being positive, smiling and welcoming the students into the classroom as they arrive will help set the tone for the lesson. It is also important to personalize your lessons as much as possible by addressing the students by name, showing a genuine interest in them and planning your lessons around their general interests or surroundings. As the Teacher, try encourage the students to give their input and opinions during group and class discussions, as this will build confidence and build good rapport between the students themselves which is just as important. Other approaches to encourage interaction and participation is to always start the class with an ice breaker activity to get the students interacting with one another and talking in English. Use plenty of pair work or group work to encourage student discussions with one another and ensure that the students know each other by name and a little information about one another. When giving the class always ensure you make eye contact with your students, this will increase involvement and understanding of the students. It can also be used to encourage contributions or to indicate who is to speak next. Making eye contact with the students will also hold the attention of the students who are not being addressed and in so doing maintains class discipline. Effective use of Gestures can be used to decrease Teacher talk time by reducing the need for verbal explanation. Which in turn will increase the pace of the lessons and add a visual interest that reinforces instruction and conveys more meaning to the language. Always ensure the use of internationally acceptable gestures to avoid unintended offense. An example would be the “thumbs up” gesture which means correct or good to most, but to some cultures means the exact opposite and is actually an extremely offensive gesture. The use of your voice in classrooms can be a great tool when used correctly. Always ensure you speak with good clarity and appropriate range. The voice you use teaching a class of fifteen students should be very different to a one on one class. Varying your tone will help keep students engaged, whereas having a monotone voice will create boredom. By using the volume of your voice you can quite down a class or create a bit of excitement and liven it up if need be. When addressing students use their names as much as possible, as this will be a very effective way of getting their attention and indicating who is next to answer or respond. Knowing the students names will also help when organising activities or acknowledge students, which will further build the rapport in the class. Remember when giving classes to always maintain a fun yet professional approach and ensure that you as a teacher are well organized and punctual. This will foster respect from your students and help ensure your lessons go smoothly and your objectives are met. This in turn will increase the confidence of your students and add to a great atmosphere and greater learning in the classroom.
