TEFL Yongzhou

The ability to plan, control and facilitate interaction in the classroom that is appropriate to the activity and promotes learning and takes into account different needs and abilities of learners, in addition to demonstrating an awareness of equal opportunities for learning is what we include under the umbrella of classroom management. This phenomenon is becoming increasingly widespread and an integral part of teacher training. Classroom management, is in fact, all about methods and strategies a teacher uses to maintain a classroom environment that is conducive to student success and learning. It is imperative for students’ to feel that they are in an environment that fosters achievement. It is also a safeguard to prevent violence through discipline, as classroom management is the skill of organising and managing the class, having a friendly , relaxed manner, and a clear approach to discipline, by not making threats that cannot be enforced and by sticking to the school’s disciplinary code. The classroom manager i.e. the teacher, can be likened to a farmer in his fields. Just as a farmer prepares the soil before sowing, so also does the teacher prepare and create an environment conducive to sowing the seeds of education. It is therefore, imperative for the teacher to focus on skills for enhancing students’ performance. We take a look at these ‘skills focus’: Managing the learning environment - Classroom management here requires use of appropriate variety of resources and equipment to facilitate learning. The teacher varies the classroom set-up in a way that is appropriate to learners and activities. Is fully aware of the effect of the learning environment on the learner’s learning, innovates and experiments with different learning resources, evaluates their effectiveness and shares findings with others. Again, a safe, supportive and purposeful learning environment is to be provided. Managing interaction - As a classroom manager, the teacher varies roles according to the type of learners and the type and stage of the lesson. Interaction also needs to be varied accordingly. A good awareness of useful and appropriate teacher talk time, while maintaining the balance between learner talk time. This segment also entails making use of individual, pair and group work, to fully engage all students throughout the lesson. Managing the lesson and activities - The teacher ensures learner engagement through appropriate and varied tasks and the use of clear classroom routines. While managing time accordingly, the teacher demonstrates flexibility with learners’ needs. Clear instructions must be given. Managing relationships and behaviour - A good rapport with learners’ that aims to provide a positive learning environment for all. Mutual respect and managing learner behaviour constructively by establishing and maintaining a clear and positive behaviour framework in the classroom. Too little or too much cognisance must be avoided, when dealing with student problems. Managing oneself - A role model for learners and other teachers. Should be able to use language in a natural way, but which is always comprehensible to learners. Treating students with consideration goes a long way. Should be able to demonstrate and promote positive values through own behaviour. It is always advisable to use a range of effective questioning and elicitation techniques to involve students in the lesson. Managing feedback - by responding appropriately to and building on learner contributions. All students look forward to feedback, so a healthy atmosphere can be maintained by the teacher monitoring students’ work and giving feedback on their performance. Having clear insights into individual learners and their progress, strengths and weaknesses is what is expected here. Accurate, timely and constructive feedback to learners is advisable. Learning, developing and innovating - entails evaluating own performance and demonstrating commitment to further development. The teacher has a creative and constructively critical approach to innovation. The teacher shows a preparedness to change or adapt practice where benefits and improvements can be identified. These ‘skills focus’ are the very backbone of classroom management and must be followed to ensure that the teacher is in the driver’s seat, leading the students to a goal. Experiments and research have been carried out highlighting the tools for effective classroom management. The results are given below: Prepare yourself: You must be prepared each time you walk into your classroom. Students know when their teacher has done their homework and they respect the fact that you care enough about their learning. Be enthusiastic about your lessons: When you teach a lesson teach it as if you love what you are doing. Be interactive with your students and encourage them to participate. Develop a method to call on each one of the students and don’t let a few of the talkative ones dominate the class. Make your classroom attractive: This sets the tone for learning, so take some time to make the classroom appealing and conducive to learning. Display attractive bulletin boards containing students work, art projects, related brochures, motivational sayings, good work with smiley’s etc. Space permitting, you can also have a learning corner, mini library or listening centre. Set classroom rules: Students need rules to follow. Sit with your students and design a set of rules in addition to the ones already in place, as students involved in designing rules are more likely to follow them. Be fair with students: Don’t make differences. Make it a point to always hear students and treat them with dignity. Respect: makes up an integral part of classroom management. Before any instructions commence, mutual respect must be developed. Consistency: Having a consistent set of procedures and routines that the students are familiar with will help run the classroom well. Proximity: plays a key role by letting students know that you are aware of what each one is doing in the classroom. Move around, join a group, squat on the floor; just let them know you are ‘in’. Seating arrangement: Pairing weaker ones with stronger ones, or changing the furniture around, the teacher needs to think about the order of the room and the students and how it will affect learning. Trial and error: Finding out what works with students and allowing the class to develop into a safe and secure environment is an important element here. Keeping good student records: Students work should be recorded and kept in a grade book. Be fair with the grading system and let them see how and why they received the grade. In conclusion, teaching is a very important job and once you get your classroom management skills in order, you will enjoy teaching more and have a productive career. As a final word, practical classroom management strategies revolve around establishing early rules system, using quietness or silent gestures to gain attention, clap patterns and monitoring the class. With the large numbers of students present in today’s classrooms, it can be difficult to manage everybody’s attention and foster effective learning. This is where the huge dependence and importance of finding a classroom management strategy that works for both the teacher and the students. Classroom management an integral part of a teacher’s training curriculum and the new trend all across the globe.