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UNIT 5 – MANAGING CLASSES
This unit was nicely detailed and gave a lot of information regarding classroom management. It detailed several different actions that the teacher can keep in mind to control how the class is getting along. Eye contact, gestures, use of student names and other aspects of the teacher’s personality and actions shapes the classroom leaning experience. Other than educating the students clearly, it’s important for the teacher to inspire confidence, deal with problems, and be flexible as the situation calls for it.
Not only the teacher’s actions, but also the class structure can affect learning. This unit went over the pros and cons of different grouping arrangements (whole class, individual, pairs, and small groups) to help structure lessons (especially the activate and study stages) effectively. Classroom arrangement thus depends of several factors, including class size, age, resources available, as well as nationality and personality of the students.
Other important managerial factors to consider were also mentioned, such as chalkboard use, how to clearly give instructions, how to establish rapport (a very important aspect of learning and interaction), and how to maintain discipline.
Personally, one the most important things in this course was the class grouping and establishment of rapport. Rather than the old-style of teaching that I remember, where introverts and low-level students were forced to speak in stressful whole-class situations, this unit details the fact that groups (especially small groups and pairs) can be beneficial for these students. Individual learning styles and needs must be accommodated to some extent, even in group activities. Similarly, the need to curb over-enthusiastic students that dominate the class and “hog” teacher attention was also interesting for me. This way all students can have an equally effective learning experience and come out of each class feeling as if they have made progress.
