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Classroom management is an essential skillset to have when you are trying to run a successful classroom. Management can involve eye contact, gestures, voice, and the way you physically structure a classroom (where the students sit etc.). Eye contact, your gestures, and your voice are all very important parts of managing the classroom. Good eye contact is an important quality to have when managing a classroom because a teacher who never looks students in the eyes will often appear as if they lack confidence. As a result, the teacher could have problems in the future when he or she is trying to discipline their students. According to Unit 5 of the TESOL Handbook, maintain eye contact is really important, as it shows students they are all involved in the lesson, ensures that students understand what they are supposed to do and what is going on, indicates who is to speak, encourages contributions, holds the attention of students who are addressed, maintains discipline, signal students to start, indicates that something is correct or incorrect, and checks that everybody is participating. The use of gesture allows for the teacher to make sure that non-verbal communication is effective. It conveys the meaning of language, manages the class, reinforces instructions, adds visual interest, increases the pace of the lesson, and reduces the need for verbal explanation. An important note that Unit 5 makes is that gestures should only be used if they are obvious in meaning or the meaning has already been established with the students. The voice is an extremely important part of managing the classroom, if not, the most important. If a teacher’s voice does not have the correct clarity, range, variety or projection, he or she will have a difficult time in making your instruction. A teacher’s voice should change naturally according to the circumstances. Using students’ name allows for organization of an activity, acknowledgement of the students, indication who is to answer or response, and getting the attention of a student. The name of a student should be used at the end of a question, not at the start. This keeps the whole class alert, as they do not know will have to answer. Grouping students is a whole other type of technique to master: grouping students creates a sense of belonging among the group. Group work encourages students to cooperate and negotiate in English. Students are able to choose their level of participation. Students who work on their own allows for teachers to respond to individual differences in pace of learning and ability. However, it restricts possibilities for student-to-student interaction. Pairing students allows teachers to work with certain pairs while others continue to work. However, students may find themselves working with a partner they don’t particularly like. Classroom arrangement is also very important. It is dependent on these factors: space available, types of chairs, age of the students, nationality, and student personality. These are the types of arrangements: orderly rows, circles and horseshoes, separate tables, and the teacher’s position. Writing on the board is also something to factor in when the teacher is teaching in his or her given position. The teacher can use an overhead projector, invite the students, write on the board whilst students are engaged in a different task, and write in small sections and turn. These are some of the pointers that teachers should take when managing a classroom.
