Teach English in Richmond - TEFL Courses

Classroom management presents one of the most difficult challenges to teachers, and it becomes an even greater challenge when a foreign language is involved. How classrooms are managed plays an important role in teaching and it affects both the students' ability and desire to learn. For learning to be effective, the teacher must be able to create a good relationship with the students, provide an environment where the students felt comfortable and confident enough to learn, while being able to maintain the discipline required. Classroom management comprises three key areas: student behaviour/motivation, classroom arrangement, and the teacher's roles. Student behaviour and motivation (or lack of), to engage in language learning is influenced by the teaching method and the classroom in which those lessons are being taught. These key areas are discussed in more detail below. Fowler and Sarapli (2010) conducted a survey on teacher-student relationships in Turkey. The results showed that the teachers attitude being friendly and respectful was the single most important aspect of the student teacher relationship. The majority of students also indicated that the teacher being enthusiastic about the subject was highly important. The teachers' physical presence plays a large part in classroom management. The way the teacher moves, stands, and how demonstrative they are in lessons has a direct impact on the students they are teaching. The teachers' physical presence may need to be adjusted dependent on the age/culture of the students, as (for example) in some cultures, maintaining eye contact may be seen as inappropriate. Additionally, the teacher needs to determine how close to be with students, without coming across as cold and distant, or being over-friendly/informal. A study carried out on over 300 teachers in japan (Sakui, 2007) confirmed that all teachers in the study had either experienced classroom management difficulties or that they knew some other teachers who have had problems. The majority of the problems were involving students walking in and out of the classroom, talking, and not listening to the teacher (Sakui 2007). Some teachers clearly felt that there is very little they can do to influence this factor. How the teacher handles bad behaviour is important, as it impacts on the entire class. If the teacher doesn't handle the student well, they may lose the respect of the class, or be unable to stop the behaviour in the future. Disciplinary rules need to be fair and consistent for all students and must be carried out in a professional manner, to earn the respect of the other students. The most effective way is by remaining calm and focusing on the students' behaviour rather than on the student themselves. It is more productive to talk with the student at a convenient time, e.g. as you are passing the student say you want to see that student after class. At the meeting, find out the cause of the behaviour, and explain the consequences. If necessary, the teacher can put the troublesome students at the front of the class, so they can approach them easier if the students become unruly. Varying the seating arrangements can not only help the teacher control the more unruly students, it can add variety to the classes and provide a more conducive atmosphere for learning. For example, orderly rows when teacher is working with the whole class, where the class is less interactive (e.g. grammar instruction, tests etc), where the teacher can supervise the class as one group. In activities or communication based tasks (pair/group work), arranging the class into tables may be more beneficial as students can carry out the task together. Grouping students into tables, means students have greater mobility and more freedom in their choices of behaviour, which can make classroom management more challenging for the teacher. For example if the groups of students are facing each other rather than the teacher, it may be more difficult to manage all of the groups simultaneously. Additionally, if the teacher's attention is taken up by managing the more problematic groups, rather than focusing on academic matters, groups that are on task are left alone and don't receive any monitoring of their performance. In conclusion, the key aspects of effective classroom management are: ? The teachers physical presence and actions, ? Classroom and lesson organisation, and ? Managing problem behaviour. Studies have shown that effective classroom management is equally important to students as it is to teachers. There needs to be a degree of trust between the teacher and students, and in general, students want an enthusiastic teacher, and to feel that they are valued and respected by the teacher. References: Fowler, Jeana and Sarapli, Onur (2010) ‘Classroom management: What ELT students expect'. Procedia Social and Behavioural Sciences 3 (2010) 94-97. Krieger, J. (2003). Class size reduction: Implementation and solutions. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED475489. Sakui, K, Kobe Shoin Women's University, japan ‘Classroom management in japanese efl classrooms' JALT Journal, Vol. 29, No. 1, May, 2007, 41