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Classroom Management is probably one of the most important factors in the success of its students. This must be taken into consideration by the teacher when organising and managing classes. It is vital for the teacher to have a friendly, relaxed manner, whilst still maintaining discipline, as this keeps students comfortable and obviously adds to their willingness to learn and grasp the language, whilst also keeping the class under control. A teacher should be able to inspire confidence into their student’s, whilst being flexible in approach. Whilst doing so, they must also make sure that their approach is also not too dominant, to not intimidate the students. Important features to note within managing a class are eye contact, gesture and voice. All these factors help establish a good rapport with the teacher and students. Eye contact can be used to involve students in the lesson, to ensure that they understand instructions, to encourage contributions, to hold their attention and to maintain discipline, however, no eye contact whatsoever shows the students that you lack a certain confidence. Gesture’s can be used to manage the class, to convey the meaning of language and to add visual interest. The teacher’s voice should always be clear and concise, have a varying range and variety and project accordingly. It is important not to be dull or monotone, so students do not become bored, have a reason for misbehaving or worse, not focus on the language being taught. Grouping students is equally important when managing a class and there are various ways in which to do so: Whole class grouping – this elicits interaction between students, is quick and easy to organise and creates a sense of belonging within the class. It can however be off-putting for shy students; Students working on their own – this allows the teacher to respond to individual differences in learning pace as well as ability, it is less stressful for students yet restricts student to student interaction and group belonging; Pair work – this increases the opportunity of student interaction and also allows the teacher to work individually with the pairs, it creates a safe environment to share their ideas and thoughts and is also quick and easy to organise; Groupwork – this encourages co-operation and negotiation in English but can also become noisy. However, some students can also dominate the quieter students. It is vital to vary the above options, so as to create a balance. Classroom arrangement usually has a big dependency on the following factors: Space Types of chairs and tables Age of the students Nationality Student personality There are various ways in which to do this; 1. Orderly rows – This is the traditional classroom setting and gives a clear view of the teacher and students. The teacher can move freely, and the teacher can be effective for the entire class. 2. Circles and Horse shoes – This is designed for smaller classes and the teacher is less dominant. Pair-work is easy and is a more intimate environment for students. 3. Separate Tables – This is more informal and is useful for groupwork but does tend to lend itself to disciplinary issues. The teacher’s position (this being standing or sitting) is an important aspect to managing classes as this can either make students feel dominated or in turn more relaxed and comfortable in the environment. This must be looked at in different aspects of the class and certain activities taking place, including language presentation, reading activities, monitoring and activate stages within a lesson. Teacher Talk Time (TTT) should also not be unnecessary and should be kept to presenting, checking, clarifying, giving instructions, setting up activities and keeping rapport with the students. Another important aspect when managing a class is being able to maintain discipline. The teacher should be able to act immediately if a student causes disrupts the class, whilst keeping calm and focusing on primary behaviour and not on student itself. All the above is integral when managing a class and should all be taken into careful consideration, as essentially this has an impact on a student’s ability to effectively learn English as a foreign language, as well as the total success of the class.
