Crab Orchard, Nebraska TESOL Online & Teaching English Jobs

Managing Classes The voice Voice should have the correct clarity, range, variety and projection. Voice should change naturally according to circumstances. Greater projection is necessary in large or noisy groups. The greater the variation of the voice, the greater the effectiveness. Using students’ names Students’ names can be used when you want to: Organize an activity. Acknowledge the students. Indicate who is to answer or respond. Get the attention of a student. The name of a student should be at the beginning of the question, not at the start. This keeps the whole class alert, as they do not know who will have to answer. Grouping students Whole-class grouping: pros and cons Creates a sense of belonging among the group. Allows students to interact with any other class members. Suitable for activities where the teacher needs to be in control of / have the attention of the class as a whole. Quicker and easier organization. Reduces opportunities for the students to speak. Can be be off-putting to shy students who may not wish to participate in front of the whole class. Students working on their own: pros and cons Allows teachers to respond to individual differences in pace of learning, ability etc. Less stressful for the students than contributing in front of the whole class. Helps the student become more self-reliant. Restricts possibilities for student to student interaction and group belonging. Pair-work: pros and cons Dramatically increases opportunity for student talking time and student to student interaction. Allows teacher to work with certain pairs while other students are still working. Gives students a safe environment to try out ideas before sharing with the group. Allows students to share ideas and thoughts. Allows stronger students to help and support weaker ones. Allows students to share responsibility for work and removes the burden from the individual. Quick and easy to organize. Can be rather noisy. Some students prefer only to communicate with the teacher and do not like to interact with another student. Students may find themselves working with a partner they do not particularly like. Group work: pros and cons It can increase student talking time and student to student interaction. Personal problems are less problematic than in pairs. Encourages students to cooperate and negotiate in English. Students are able to choose their level of participation. Can be very noisy. Can take longer time to organize and get started. The exchange of ideas among group members can slow activities down too much. Some group members may dominate and passive students do not get adequate opportunity to participate. Classroom Arrangement: Orderly rows: Traditional. Used for large classes (25 and above)the teacher has a clear view of all the students and all the students can see the teacher. Helps reduce discipline problems. Effective for whole class activities. Circles and horseshoes: Used in smaller classes. Allows students to be more focused on the lesson. Makes pair work easier. The classroom effect becomes far more intimate. Separate tables: the class becomes less formal. It is easier for the teacher to work at a table while the other groups continue working. Useful for group work. Can create discipline problems. The teacher may not have an eye contact with all the students. The teacher’s position: Students are often sensitive to the teacher’s position in the classroom and whether he is standing or sitting. Writing on the board: Reducing the time of writing with the back to the class: overhead projector, vocabulary cards, inviting students to write on the board, writing on the board whilst students are busy with other tasks, writing in small sections and turning to the class every now and again, making sure of the availability of chalk, markers etc, have the board work up before the class starts. Giving individual attention Know the names of all the students. Spend more time with students who need help. Do not teach exclusively to strong or weak students. Do not go around the room and ask the students in order. Do not allow individual students to hog your attention. Include all the students equally in the activity. Students should never feel they are picked on. TTT VS STT Teacher will speak more when: Presenting, checking, modelling or clarifying. Providing language input Giving instruction, setting up activities Establishing rapport. Advantages of TTT The teacher is able to provide students with source of natural, correct English that is specifically geared to the students’ ability. Disadvantages of TTT Reduces the amount of time available for the students to speak and actively participate in the class. How to avoid unnecessary TTT? Choose carefully the language for explanations and instructions. Avoid TEFL jargon Use gestures, mime or pictures Do not over elaborate. Use language that is at or below the level being taught. Basically, keep it simple. Giving instructions: How can you make your instruction effective? By attracting the student’s attention. Making sure everyone is listening and not working. Use language at a lower level than that being taught. Longer more complex language wastes time, slows the students down and prone to misunderstanding. Use the same set of words for the same instruction. Teach beginners the necessary language for following instruction. Reinforce instructions with visual clues, realia, gestures, pictures and mime. Write the instructions on the board. Give a demonstration as an example. Ask questions to check they understand the instructions. Monitor to see if they are following the instructions correctly. Establishing rapport Be aware of which students get on well together and which are not. Make sure the students know each other’s name At the beginning of a course Choose materials Use plenty of pair work Change pairs frequently Get the students to help each other. Let students correct each other. Do not let individual students dominate the group Do not supply everything yourself Give clear instructions Look as if you enjoy the job. Have the right manner. Be positive in everything you do. Show personal interest in the students. Personalize activities to students’ surroundings and interests. Ask for comments and opinions from the students. Do not forget to smile! Maintaining discipline It is important for the teacher to strike balance between exercising control and encouraging a relaxed friendly atmosphere conducive to learning. Reasons for problem behavior : Family problems Low self-esteem Boredom Peer-pressure Lack of respect for the teacher/others Class size Preventing problem behavior: By being: Punctual Well prepared Consistent and fair Not allowing personal feelings affect student treatment Never make threat which cannot be carried out. Returning homework promptly Never losing temper Showing the same respect for the students as you expect from them Making lessons interesting and varied Establishing rapport with students Responding to problem behavior: Act immediately Focus on the behavior and not the student Change the classroom dynamic Keep calm Keep the the problem student after class and reprimand in private. Keep to the school disciplinary Use the knowledge of your colleagues Bear in mind that you can go over the top with rules. In fact, this unit is of utmost help in classroom management. It gave me great ideas for establishing rapport with students and maintaining discipline. It also helped me create balance between teacher talking time and student talking time and to be sensitive to the complexity of the language I use with the different levels of language learners and to use an adequate language to each level I teach.