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Teach English in Yaxi Zhen - Weihai Shi

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Introduction Generally, classroom management is one of the common concerns of teachers, especially novice teachers. Without a well-managed classroom, teaching and learning are not possible. The learning process and keeping order are identified as the two crucial tasks around which classroom management revolves (Doyle, 1986). Classroom management is a broader terminology used to describe teachers' strategies and decisions for teaching and learning materials, the approach for interacting with students, and other areas associated with the time and space of the class (Evertson & Weistein, 2006). It involves creating a conducive teaching and learning environment, and this differs across cultures, personalities, and settings. A study has found that there is more stress in a foreign language class than in other subject classes (Allwright & Bailey, 1991). This paper reviews classroom management in an EFL class. Classroom management "Teachers are required to have certain organizational skills and techniques in managing multitude of tasks and situations that can occur at any time in the classroom” (Scrivener 2005, p. 79). Creating a well-managed learning environment could be an undeniably, demanding task. Studies show that teachers encounter numerous diverse instructional, behavioral, and managerial problems in the classroom that has the potential of slowing down teaching, resulting in dissatisfaction. Chaotic and noisy environments have adverse effects on learners and an indication of classroom management problems. Among the areas that cause classroom management and related challenges are the class size, lesson timing, group activities, and students’ behavioral problems. Behavioral problems caused by naughty students' pose immense classroom management challenges for most teachers, especially among monolingual groups where the teacher does not understand the native language. Teaching techniques, planning lessons, and students' motivation could result in other classroom management issues for EFL teachers. The problems are classified into student-centered problems, students-teacher problems, contextual and supervisory problems. Classroom management encompasses a variety of steps and activities to establish a welcoming atmosphere of learning, ensure the smooth running of lessons, and minimize misbehaviors and disruptions (Wehby & Reschly, 2011). According to Martin and Sass's (2010), teachers' preventive strategies to control misbehaviors pertain to behavior management and selecting materials, setting daily rules and regulations (Martin & Sass, 2010). Using the native tongue is an effective way of managing certain parts of the classroom. Whether the teacher speaks the native language of the students, or there is a second teacher with such a background could be used for managing a class (Wilkerson, 2008). This approach is useful for controlling the speed of classroom interactions, eliminating waiting or lag time, and limiting students’ turn taking. It is by establishing clear guidelines and sticking to them from the beginning that language teachers can solve problems associated with negative class attitudes and behaviors. Some of the other ways to manage a class for effective teaching and learning are; talking with the students concerned, varying activities in a lesson, maintaining students’ attention, keeping learners busy, giving clear explanations and instructions, managing time, focusing, monitoring, modeling, non-verbal promptings, environmental control, assertive and positive disciplinary measures. Interestingly, some of these mechanisms may lead to the application of particular classroom management concepts such as the “monkey concept” (Waters 1998 p. 12), abandoning punishment and aggression in favor of more recognition and reward (Rahimi & Hosseini, 2012) or Farrell’s (2008 p. 215) “story structure framework.” In this concept, a safe and non-judgmental support mechanism is created by foreign language teachers to share their emotional burden and isolating experiences. Lastly, promoting students’ self-esteem and responsibility in maintaining a positive learning environment (Soares, 2007) could reduce the tendency of rowdiness and instill responsible attitudes. In conclusion, language teachers should be professionally trained and skilled to manage the language class effectively and to meet the objectives of students to learn English as a second language. Also, the teacher’s behavior influences the management of the classroom. Teacher exhibit either desirable or undesirable behaviors, but generally, desirable behaviors prove to be more effective for classroom management, teaching, and the learning process. A friendly demeanor can attract the attention of students and create a social bond between the teacher and students. This good and supportive relationship characterizes suitable classroom management. Bibliography Allwright, D., & Bailey, K. M. (1991). Focus on the language classroom. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Doyle, W. (1986). Classroom organization and management. In Wittrock, M. C. (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (pp. 392–431). New York: MacMillan. Evertson, C. M., & Weinstein, C. S. (2006). Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues. New York, us: Routledge. Farrell, T. S. C. (2006). The first year of language teaching: Imposing order. System, 34(2), 211-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2005.12.001. Farrell, T. S. C. (2008). Classroom management. TESOL International Association. New York, US: Macías, D. F., (2018). Classroom management in foreign language education: An exploratory review. Profile Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 20(1), 153-166. Martin, N. K., & Sass, D. (2010). Construct Validation of the Behavior and Instructional Management Scale. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(5), 1124-1135 Merç, A., & Subaşı, G. (2015). Classroom Management Problems and Coping Strategies of Turkish Student EFL Teachers. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 6(1), 39-72. Rahimi, M., & Hosseini, F. K., (2012). EFL teachers’ classroom discipline strategies: The students’ perspective. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 309-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.060. Sariçoban, A. (2010). Problems encountered by student teachers during their practicum studies. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 707-711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.088. Scrivener, J. (2005) learning Teaching: A Guidebook for English language teachers (2nd ed.) Oxford: Macmillan. Soares, D. (2007). Discipline problems in the EFL class: Is there a cure? Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 8(1), 41-58. Waters, A. (1998). Managing monkeys in the ELT classroom. ELT Journal, 52(1), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/52.1.11. Wilkerson, C. (2008). Instructors’ use of English in the modern language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 41(2), 310-320. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2008.tb03294.x.


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