Chapter 3 Classroom Management

Maximizing student interaction

-encourage friendly, relaxed learning environment -ask questions rather than explain -allow students time to think, process, listen -really listen -increase STT -use pairs and groups to maximize STT -arrange seating so students can all see each other if possible -if student is too quiet, move further away from them and encourage them to speak up -encourage students to ask each other questions and give explanations.

Ways teachers unintentionally hinder or prevent learning

-excessive teacher talking time -Echoing. When you echo what they say, they soon learn they don't need to listen to anyone except you because they know you repeat everything -Helpful sentence completion. predicting the word students will produce and preventing them from finishing their own sentences is counterproductive -complicated and unclear instructions -not checking understanding of instructions. Simple way is to ask a student or two to repeat them back to you -asking do you understand. These questions are often useless, as they could just say yes because they are nervous or embarrassed. It is better to have students demonstrate their understanding, by repeating and instruction, or using language item in a sentence, or explaining their interpretation of an idea. -fear of feedback. Open yourself up to hearing what students have to say without self-defense, justifications, or arguments, then you can find out what they're really thinking and work on responding appropriately. Don't take me back as a threat to you, your position, and your confidence -insufficient authority/over politeness.Don't beat around the bush, be clear, say what you need to say. Let your own natural authority to come through -Running commentary. Don't give running commentary on the mechanics of past, present and future activities. -Lack of confidence in self, learners, material, activity/making it too easy. Don't underestimate sooner, give material that is not too difficult and not too easy and challenges them. Believe they can do it, and then help them do it -over helping over organizing. As long as you're around, they will look for you for guidance, control and help. Make sure they do the work themselves, as this is where learning happens. -flying with the fastest. Don't rely on the strongest and fastest students for your overall class impression of who understands and who doesn't -not really listening (hearing language problems but not the message) Don't only be overly concerned with the accuracy of what is said. Here was the student is communicating and what the message is. -Quick report: creating a poor working environment. Until the relationships are good with in the class, the learning is likely to be of a lower quality, so it's worth spending time on this. Remember the three qualities: authenticity, respect, and empathy. -intuition. Being able to quickly read the classroom situation moment by moment and respond appropriately. It is the skill of spontaneously understanding something, bypassing the supposed conventional route of been carefully and reaching a considered decision.

Management Areas : grouping and seating

-forming groups -arranging and rearranging settings -deciding where you will stand r sit -reforming class as a whole group after activities

Management Areas : Authority

-gathering and holding attention -deciding who does what -establishing or relinquishing authority as appropriate -getting someone to do somethint

vanish

-get out of eyeshot -give yourself task to do, reading, work, etc., during activity. -sometimes emphasis the point that students need to work without your help

Management Areas : Activities

-setting up activities -giving instructions -monitoring activities -timing activities -ending activities

Management Areas : Working with People

-spreading attention evenly and appropriately -using intuition to gauge what students are feeling -eliciting honest feedback -truly listening to students

Management Areas : Critical Moments

-starting the lesson -dealing with unexpected problems -maintains appropriate discipline -finishing the lesson

Management Areas : Tools and Techniques

-using the board and other classroom equipment or aids -using gesture to help clarify instructions and explanations -speaking clearly at an appropriate volume and speed -use of silence -grading complexity of language -grading quantity of language

3. Seating - Considerations

-what different seating positions are available without moving anything -are any rearrangements possible -which areas are suitable for students to stand and interact in -can learners work in pairs -can learners work in groups -consider the most appropriate grouping, seating, or standing arrangements for each activity done in class

How to decide what's best to do

-what is the aim of the activity? -what is the aim of the lesson? -what is hindering the effectiveness of what we are doing? -what do I plan to do? -what would be the best thing to do now? -is it the time for a change of mood or pace? -are we using time effectively? -How did the students feel? -how do I feel? Two more factors involved in teacher decision and actions: 1. I don't know any other options 2. I know other options, but avoid them because they are nerve-wracking

Advice when Eliciting

1. Give sufficient information. 2. Use hand gestures to indicate who is being asked to speak. 3. Give clear feedback on each student utterance. 4. If someone is incorrect, get them to repeat it two to three times then say the correct answer 5. If they cannot provide the answer, don't stretch the eliciting out too long. 6. When given an appropriate answer, make sure to clearly establish it as a good answer, maybe by having it repeated by a variety of individuals. 7. Don't use eliciting with monolingual classes 8. Use eliciting regularly as a basic technique in most lessons for keeping your class active and involved

Origins of intuition

1. We do things 2. We recall and reflect on them. Add them to our store of experienced situations. 3. Process and unprocessed memories mix, overlap, synthesize, get confused, cross-fertilize, etc. 5.Intuitive insights

Complex instructions

5 steps: 1. Become aware of your own instruction giving. 2. Pre-plan essential instructions. Analyze instructions before hand to only include essential information and simple, clear language, and sequenced in a sensible order. 3. In class, separate instructions clearly from other chitchat. Create silence beforehand, make eye contact, use an authoritative tone, make sure they're listening before you start. Use silence and gestures to clarify instructions and clarify their meaning. 4. Demonstrate rather than explain wherever possible. 5. Check that students have understand what to do. Don't assume that everyone will automatically understand. Get concrete evidence so they know what is required. Can have one or two students tell you what they're going to do as a simple way to achieve this.

Monitor discretely

Aim is that students know you were there, but watching and listening does not disturb them. They will not call you unless there is a significant problem - and when they do ask for help, be swift and effective, then return to discreet monitoring.

Using the board - organization

Best to have organization. Can divide into sections, like : -vocabulary columns, second column for example sentence and uses -substitution for new grammar items -space to sketch pictures when telling stories -questions for students to consider when listening to recordings —— -avoid long times spent writing where students just watch -write things up while students are working -write to the side

Classroom interaction

Common types -whole class working together with you -whole class moving around and mixing as individuals -small groups -pairs -individual work

Classroom management

Creating and managing a successful class where learning can take place. Relies on certain organisational skills, techniques, atitude, intentions, personalitt, and your relationship with the learners.

Gestures

Develop a range of gestures to save yourself having to repeat basic instructions, and increase opportunities for learner talk. Ex. Pointing to ground - present tense Pointing forward - future Pointing behind shoulder - past tense

8. Eliciting

Draw out information, language, and ideas from students. Enables teacher to start from what students know and work forward. 3 steps to elicit: 1. Convey clear idea using pictures, gestures, questions 2. They supply appropriate language, ideas, information. 3. Give them feedback -Helps reduce TTT and maximize STT -helps students take an active part in lesson, even where there usually might only be teacher explanation -teacher knows precisely what students do and don't know

Fixed, semi-fixed and large seating - Diagrams

Horseshoe arrangement is particularly suitable for English classes.

Basic skill of classroom management

Look, options, actions

Monitor actively

Monitor as described in vanish, but be more visible and allow students the possibility to call on you. Walk around, view and listen, offer spontaneous advice and corrections, and respond to request and questions.

4. Giving instructions

Multilingual class you have to use English for instructions, but in monolingual classes do you have a choice of English, native language, or a mixture of both. It's possible to use only English, but problematic because of the quantity and over-complexity of language used.

Participate

Sit down and join a group, take part as if you were a member with ideas, questions, discussions. By the end of the task, you might have worked with a number of groups. Maintain awareness of other groups and problems while you are working with one group in particular.

Moveable seating

Some ideas and possibilities: -ask students to move seats when you create pairs or small groups. -turn classroom around so focus is on a different wall than normal -change seating to reflect different contexts, like airplanes, carriage, town center, etc. -deliberately place your seat off-center, subvert and challenge expectations of students -divide into separate groups in the far corner of the room -push seats and desks against wall and sit inn the floor - ask how class thinks class can be reorganized to make a nicer environment. Discuss, agree, then do.

How to get learners attention

Strategies : -Start making eye contact with as many people as possible -establish a gesture that shows you want to speak -just wait -Don't look anxious or impatient. Look from person to person patiently -Think of it as gathering attention -wait as long as necessary until there's silence and people are looking your way -if this doesn't work, don't alter it dramatically. Add in clear attention drawing words such as OK. Say it once and go back to waiting

5. Monitoring - Step 1

The first 30 seconds: are they doing the task set? Immediate need to check to make sure students understood then basic instructions and mechanics of activity, and are doing it correctly. Listen in to make sure that students are doing what they are supposed to. This is called monitoring to check the mechanics.

Monitoring - Step 2

The task itself Aim is for learners to get chance to work on their own speaking. If task is being done correctly, they shouldn't need you. Your presence might interfere, as they might look to you for language items and help whenever they hit a problem. Might be more useful for them to struggle a little and learn to use their own resources. Monitor discretely and vanish When students may not move forward, best options could be monitor actively or participate.

Fixed, semi-fixed and large seating

You can ask students to: -then around and sit backwards, working with people behind them -sit on the ends of their row and work with people in the next row -stand up, move around and return to a different seat -stand in the aisle between rows -all come to the front