Teach English in Shengzhuang Zhen - Tai'an Shi

Although there is no one superior teaching style that all effective teachers share, what all “good” teachers have in common is effective classroom management. Effective classroom management is a balancing act and requires a great degree of perception and flexibility on the part of the teacher. While the teacher must remain friendly and approachable and foster a welcoming, safe learning environment, he or she must also maintain discipline in the classroom. To do so, an effective teacher must know when and how to organize and manage the class depending on a myriad of factors, including classroom group dynamics, the type of learning activity, and the goals of the teacher for a particular lesson. Effective classroom management begins with the fundamental aspects of how one presents himself or herself as a teacher. Basic behavioral cues go a long way towards effective teaching. For one, it is vital to maintain good eye contact with students as this allows the teacher to encourage, engage, and discipline students. Evidently, the voice that one uses—along with its clarity and projection—is critical to student engagement. An effective teacher is able to adjust the characteristics of the voice he or she uses in the classroom according to the specific circumstances and needs of the lesson. It is also important to learn students’ names in order to not only build greater rapport with students but also to organize activities or give personalized attention to a student. Another aspect of classroom management is the multitude of ways in which a teacher can organize the students. Different activities and lessons call for different group orientations. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. For instance, although whole class groupings allow students to interact with all their classmates, it also diminishes the opportunities that each student has to speak (particularly for shy or more reserved students). Individual work allows teachers to provide personalized guidance for students, but it doesn’t allow for peer or group interaction. Pairwork and groupwork have been shown to be effective learning tools as it allows students to learn from each other, provides a safe environment where students can share their thoughts, and increases student-to-student interaction. Relatedly, the arrangement of the physical classroom should be compatible with classroom activities. Classroom arrangement depends on logistical factors (such as the amount of space available and the types of chairs and tables), as well as more personal factors (such as the personalities of students and group dynamics). The classroom can be arranged in rows, horseshoes, separate tables, pairs of desks, etc. Proper arrangement of the classroom will allow the teacher to more effectively conduct lessons and other classroom activities. Many teachers believe that the most rewarding aspect of teaching is the relationships built with students, as well as providing an environment for positive student-student relationships to grow. As a teacher, establishing positive rapport with students lends itself to greater student engagement and learning. To establish rapport, it is critical that the teacher know all students’ names and that all students know each other’s names. Teachers can use ice breakers to accomplish this. To establish positive group dynamics, teachers should utilize pairwork and groupwork activities, rotate pairs relatively frequently, give students the opportunity to help each other, give clear instructions, personalize classroom activities to students’ interests and personalities, and show personal interest in the students. Perhaps even more fundamentally, it is critical that teachers smile, are positive, and appear as though they enjoy teaching. Though classroom management is more than just discipline, maintaining discipline within the classroom is nonetheless a critical aspect of effective classroom management as well. Factors that affect to what extent a teacher has to maintain discipline include the age and motivation of students, as well as school culture, class size, and the respect (or lack thereof) between the student and teacher. It is also critical to reflect on the underlying reasons behind a students’ problematic behavior; these can include problems at home, low self-esteem, and peer pressure. Though a teacher cannot prevent all problems, he or she can minimize it by being punctual, prepared, enthusiastic, fair, patient, and calm. An effective response by a teacher to a problem behavior is immediate, maintains calm, and focuses on the behavior itself (and not the student). Striking a delicate balance between maintaining discipline and fostering a relaxed atmosphere that lends itself to effective learning is critical to effective classroom management.