Teach English in Xunzhen Zhen - Xinzhou Shi

Class management is mainly how the class is set up and controlled by the teacher through out a lesson for effective learning. Every teacher has a process of handling their classes in order to have an effective lesson. Most lessons really rely on the way the class is managed in order to ensure that students learn what they are supposed to. Whatever the topic may be. There are a number of ways in which a teacher may manage his or her class. Each of these come with advantages which help spell out why classroom management is important. In the next paragraphs, each of these advantages is stressed out. When teaching young children, it’s often noticeable that majority always need the teacher’s attention and affection at different stages of the lesson and even the toughest children will need a hug at some point. The best way to show that the teacher is interested in the students and what they are doing is to maintain eye contact. It is often better and also really wise to ensure that at all times the teacher is able to see the entire classroom. In cases of for example, a physical education lesson, it’s important to know that games are set up in away that all students are in the teacher’s visual range and also know that the teacher can see them as well. This helps the teacher avoid avoidable misbehavior among students with the idea that they will be seen if they try to misbehave hence better discipline. It is also known that human faces can be very expressive. In most cases, even shy students who do not often speak up in class, if they haven’t understood something or have something they would want to know but are shy to speak up, the teacher is most likely to see this just by looking at the student hence going to them and resolving whatever the issue may be. In cases of physical education, accidents may happen during play which may be inevitable in running and jumping games and the teacher needs to be able to see this to either avoid collisions or help out an injured child on time. Today, we exist in a world where human connections are so important that people are willing to do anything from physically meeting with people to making friends online. Children work better and learn better when they feel loved and accepted by their peers and classmates and organizing students in groups or pairs for activities is one way to keep the class organized as well as give students this connection they need. Not just in class but outside class as well. There are high chances that in pairing students and letting them work together, friendships and bonds are born. Pairing and grouping also allows students to independently work on their own and also assume leadership skills while helping out others. In the end, the teacher is not only able to keep the class occupied and get what is supposed to be taught learned, but also students get to pick up a number of important skills needed even outside the classroom. Students ( In cases of young learners) pick up a lot from the teacher and very often, the way the teacher speaks and the gestures they make capture students attention and are also in some cases copied by the students. The way a teacher speaks is also a lesson in its self so if it is respectful and professional, students are going to learn to emulate it. If the teacher is audible, the students will be able to pick up instructions and understand what is being taught and what to do. Similarly, gestures when known to the students help the teacher reduce talk time and increase the pace of the class. That way the teacher doesn’t have to shout or move from one child to another at all times to get their attention and interest. It’s is important to know where the class will be conducted, the equipment going to be used and the number of students attending a particular session in order to properly plan for the class' arrangement. Where the teacher will stand, how students will sit or work around the class for example, rows if the teacher will be the one discussing, seats around a table In case of group work and face to face seating for pair work. Considering movements of students which may be inevitable especially with young learners is also important as they may require toilet and or water breaks. When all these are considered, the class becomes more organized and the students also have a conducive atmosphere for studying and exchanging ideas without feeling stuck in movement or squeezed which makes them uncomfortable. If a class is well organized, In case a student needs the teacher for any reason during the lesson,it will be easy to access the student. This makes it easier for the teacher to manage the class and the students to receive the best attention needed to study effectively. Every now and then, students will need to walk into the classroom and find what they are going to cover that day or better yet, contribute answers in class and have their points written on the board. This motivates students to participate in the class as they would like their points to be written up on the board. While soliciting these answers and interacting with the students in the classroom, it’s important to know and use students names instead of just pointing. This also makes students feel like the teacher’s knows them personally and helps create rapport between the teacher and the students in the classroom. It makes students feel special in a way and if students feel special, they often try to ensure they don't disappoint the teacher in order to keep this favor hence paying attention in class. It is also important to remember that the teacher may organize the class and create rapport with the students but without giving instructions, learning may not be productive. Students (especially young learners) look up to the teacher as a role modal and often believe that what the teacher says is the truth and therefore seek to be told what to do. Whether it’s telling them to maintain silence, pair up or sit in groups... and or giving them work to do, it’s important to know that the teacher knows what he or she wants the class to do. Some students often prefer the teacher to tell them what to do compared to having free time to explore on their own. The teacher giving instructions and maintaining discipline is very important if effective learning is to happen. In the end, a teacher having great content to teach without knowing how to manage his or her class will only mean that the students will still not pick up what is being taught. The purpose of students coming to class is to learn so if the environment is not conducive to learn, then the teacher will be wasting not only his or her time but the students’ as well. This is why classroom management is very important in learning.