TEFL Sorocaba

Classroom management, is one of the singularly most important aspects of teaching without good classroom management the students will not be able to maximize their learning potential. There are many aspects to classroom management these all need to be juggled together to create an organized class with a friendly relaxed manner but still maintaining discipline. The teacher, the lesson plan, the class layout, the use of teaching materials available, and the way the students are managed all play an important role. In this article I am concentrating on how the teacher her/him self can effect classroom management. It has been found that introducing fun and laughter can seriously improve student interaction and ability to learn. The teacher does not need to be extrovert as a low-key teacher can be just as effective; a mere entertainer who will not inspire the class. The teacher needs to be flexible and able to discipline but also allow freedom for the students to express themselves. The introduction of humor and laughter has the rare ability to soften hearts, open minds, and endear students to one another. It is a means that allows a teacher to influence the difficult, unmotivated, awkward, and the unhappy and have them respond back. It is a common language that everyone understands, its easy to use and builds togetherness, it motivates students to behave, easies tension, encourages hard work. There is a common belief that if you use humor in your classroom, you’ll lose control of your students. If you already have poor classroom management, that’s likely. Trying to be funny will backfire on you and behavior is likely to get worse. However if you have strong classroom management skills, then bringing more laughter into your classroom will make your classes more effective. Never be afraid to have fun made of you, be part of the class yourself. The key is to have your students liking to be part of your class. If your students don’t like being in your classroom, then you’ll struggle with classroom management. The students will be unmotivated, badly behaved, you will become stressed, tired and frustrated, your lessons will be ineffectual and you will have to rely on bribery, lecturing, etc to maintain discipline. At the beginning of each year you will be fretting over ‘will I have a god class’ rather than concentrating on making sure your students get the most out of your classes. If you walk into the first class in a relaxed happy way, your students will immediately find you likeable. If you take an interest in them and build a rapport from day one, they will start to trust you. Passion and enthusiasm are important to good teaching. So when you’re presenting a lesson, motivating, or playing a game with your students, let the moment dictate the volume and intensity of your voice. When you’re giving directions, handling behavior issues, and otherwise attending to the day-to-day operations of your class, try to take a deep breath, step back, look your students in the eye, and speak to them in a soft voice. Tell them exactly what you want, the chances are they will give it too you. You don’t always have to make big, dramatic changes to see classroom management improvement. Sometimes it can be a slight adjustment. A small change in the way you do things, in how you speak, move, or relate to students, can make a big difference. Your voice is a good example. Most teachers talk too loud. They speak loudly because they believe that the louder they are the better their students will listen. This is not the case students tune out teachers who bark commands and instructions. To them it sounds like nagging or threatening or that the teacher doesn’t think they’re bright enough to follow along otherwise. This is why students often grudgingly follow directions or ignore them altogether. A soft voice encourages good listening, and a desire to follow directions. If you lower your voice students will become still and lean in so they can hear you. It will also encourage them to look at you to help understand what you are saying. It will encourage the students to want to listen and will have a calming effect on the class. All the other aspects of classroom management need to be address as well and one is not effective without the other.