TEFL Summerhaven Arizona

Classroom management is one of the most important skills to have to ensure a lively, efficient and dynamic classroom setting. Managing a class goes beyond simply acting in an authoritarian or disciplinarian role; rather it has more to do with how an instructor turns their classrooms into a space of learning. There are several principles that help to establish a conducive learning environment: how we organize our classroom space; how we communicate, especially using our voice; and how we decide who talks most in the classroom. Given the correlation between student motivation and student behaviour, a better functioning class will lessen the time the teacher must spend as a disciplinarian. How a teacher decides to organize their class will have a direct impact on what type of atmosphere the teacher wishes to foster. Grouping students largely depends on whether the activity is geared as a whole-class activity or more intimate pair work. Each grouping has its positives and negatives. For example, whole class groupings create a sense of belonging among the students, but it reduces the opportunities for the students to engage with each other in english. Group work, on the other hand, greatly increases the potential for student-talking-time, but also increases the chances for stronger students to dominate the conversation. Through my own teaching experience, I have found that a healthy mixture of the various groupings greatly helps in establishing a positive learning environment; variety lessens the chances for boredom and for the same students to monopolize the conversation. For my smaller classes, for example, I would arrange the class so the students formed a horseshoe around me; this ensured that everyone could see and hear me and felt that they were part of the class while I was speaking. During activities, or pair-work, the students could easily arrange their desks so to maximize their speaking time. The arrangement of the class, therefore, had a positive effect on its overall dynamic. Similarly, how a teacher uses their physical presence, especially their voice, will have a drastic impact on the type of atmosphere created in the classroom. To have command of the classroom, an instructor must have a capable voice. If the teacher lacks projection, clarity, or range, the chances of smoothly-run class are slim. A good teacher can alter their voice depending on the context: in larger classes, for example, greater projection will be necessary. Obviously, a teacher shouldn't be shouting over the students. Once, while I was teaching in Chile, I found myself straining my voice so that I could be heard over a group over chatty teenagers. I simply stopped talking and waited. Eventually my students realized that they should not have been speaking and finally quieted down. The key to good vocal command is, therefore, the instructor's ability to alter its variation. Depending on the level of the students, the voice may not be the most suitable mode of communication: gestures and body language can be just as effective, sometimes even more so, in communicating information/instructions. As with classroom organization, the ability of the teacher to alter their physical presence to adapt to the needs of their class will only sharpen its efficiency and create a more hospitable learning environment. Finally, how a teacher maximizes their talking time has a direct impact on the effectiveness of the classroom environment. Although tefl methodology understandably tries to maximize student talking time, the teacher is a repository of natural and correct english. Some teacher-talking-time is, therefore, beneficial and desirable, but the instructor must ensure that they economize their language: pithiness and precision are the sought-after attributes of teacher-talking-time. The rest of the time should be dedicated to activities that prioritize student-speaking-time. Not only does it help the students become more involved in the lesson, it ensures that the students are given ample time to experiment with the language. An engaged speaking student is a motivated student and fostering motivation is a key ingredient to a teacher's overall success, not to mention ensuring a positive classroom dynamic. There will be times when a teacher must act as a disciplinarian; children and teenagers do misbehave. However, it is often too easy to place all the blame squarely on the shoulders of an unruly child - a disruptive student is often also a bored one. It is, therefore, incumbent on teachers to do everything in their power to cultivate a learning environment that privileges dynamism. Managing a classroom in a skillful and lively way is one of the surest ways to accomplish that.