Classroom Management

4 PISMP

Classroom Management
o "The ways in which student behaviour, movement and interaction during a lesson are organised and controlled by the teacher to enable teaching to take place most effectively "(Richards 1990). Refers to the actions a teacher needs to take in order to maintain order in the classroom which enables learning to take place.
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Classroom Management (2)

o Encapsulates any rules, regulations, procedures, consequences and rewards that are necessary to create a positive learning environment for the students o Term used to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly despite disruptive behaviour by students o Closely linked to issues of motivation, discipline and respect 3

Classroom Management (3)

o Dependent upon several interdependent components: (1) an engaging curriculum; (2) working with anger, projection, and depression; (3) students as responsible citizens; (4) the teacher as a self-knowing model; (5) classroom management skills; (6) working with resistance, conflict, and stress; and (7) robust instruction. If even one of these components is neglected, the whole process is compromised. Compromise results in the need for discipline.
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Philosophy of Classroom Management

Discipline becomes necessary when the positive learning environment is disrupted. Rules, regulations, procedures and rewards should be designed to make keeping that environment in the best interest of the students
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Philosophy of Classroom Management (2)

Prevention is better than cure. It is important to keep the primary activity flowing smoothly. The best teachers anticipate when misbehaviours are likely to occur and intervene early to prevent them. The most effective interventions are subtle, brief and almost private. They do not, therefore interfere with classroom activities.
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Positive Learning Environment

A positive learning environment is one that allows students to reach their full potential. Though the students in a classroom have varied learning styles, they can benefit from an environment that is a. Organized b. Quiet c. Supportive
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Rules and Procedures

According to Harry Wong (1991), Effective teachers spend a good deal of time the first weeks of the school year introducing, teaching, modelling, and practicing procedures until they become routines (p1) Classroom procedures are designated methods for completing certain class activities or tasks.
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Classroom Procedures
A. Beginning the class How should students enter the room? What constitutes being late (in the room, in the seat)? How and when will absentee slips be handled? What type of seating arrangements will be used (assigned seats, open seating, cooperative group seating)? How will the teacher get students' attention to start class (the tardy bell, a signal such as a raised hand or lights turned off and on)?
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Classroom Procedures
B. Classroom Management How and when will students leave their seats? What do students need in order to leave the room (individual passes, room pass, teacher's permission)? How will students get help from the teacher (raise hands, put name on board, ask other group members first)? What are acceptable noise levels for discussion, group work, seat work? How should students work with other students or move into cooperative groups (moving desks, changing seats, noise level, handling materials)?
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Classroom Procedures
B. Classroom management (2) How will students get recognized to talk (raised hand, teacher calls on student, talk out)? How do students behave during presentations by other students? How do students get supplies they are missing? How and when do students sharpen pencils? How will students get materials or use special equipment?
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Classroom Procedures
C. Paper Work How will students turn in work (put in specific tray or box, pass to the front, one student collects)? How will students turn in makeup work if they were absent (special tray, give to teacher, put in folder, give to teacher's aide)? How will students distribute handouts (first person in row, a group member gets a copy for all group members, students pick up as they enter room)?
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Principles of Classroom Management

Classroom organisation can be a daunting task, especially for the new teacher. Effective practices must be applied to get a well-run classroom that is positive, stimulating and energizing.

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Principles of Classroom Management

Consider these suggestions The physical environment of the classroom Voice and body language Unplanned teaching: Midstream lesson changes Teaching under adverse circumstances Teachers roles and styles Creating a positive classroom climate
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The physical environment of the classroom

Sight, sound and comfort - Classroom is neat, clean and orderly in appearance - Use the bulletin/notice boards wisely - Free from external noises (if possible) - Cooling systems (air-condition of fan) are operating
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The physical environment of the classroom

Seating arrangements - consider the size of the room, the class size, the desk-chairs (movable/fixed), the activities planned - appropriately arranged chairs and desks - think about patterns of semi-circles, U-shapes, concentric circles or even straight lines - Give thought to how students will do small-group and pair work with as little chaos as possible - Think about the relationships between people when deciding where to place them. The result is a seating plan with good relationships together, and bad relationships apart.

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The physical environment of the classroom

Whiteboard use - gives students added visual input - use the in a neat and orderly manner, erasing as often as appropriate Equipment - the room has power outlets - the equipment actually works - teacher knows how to operate it - use of equipment is practical and necessary for the lesson 17

Voice and body language

Body posture exhibit confidence Face reflects optimism, brightness and warmth Use facial and hand gestures to enhance meanings Make frequent eye contact with all students Move around the classroom, but not to distraction Dress appropriately Follow conventional rules of proxemics (distance) and kinesthetics (touching) that apply for the 18 cultures of students

Unplanned teaching: Midstream lesson changes

What would you do when you or your students digress and throw off the plan for the day an unexpected but pertinent question comes up some technicality prevents you from doing an activity (e.g. machine breaks down, T forgets to bring handouts) you are asked a question that you dont know the answer a student is disruptive in class there isnt enough time to finish an activity 19

Teaching under adverse circumstances

Teaching Large Classes - Try to make each student feel important (not just a number, learn names or use name tags) - Assign students as much interactive work as possible - Optimize the use of pair and small-group work for maximum practise of language - Use peer-editing, feedback, and evaluation in written work whenever appropriate - Set up small learning centres - Organize informal conversation groups and study groups

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Teaching under adverse circumstances

Teaching Multiple Proficiency Levels in the same class - Do not over generalise assessment of students proficiency levels into the good students and the bad students - Competencies vary among the four skills, within each skill - offer choices in individual techniques according to needs and challenges - Take advantage of learning centres and laboratories that are available
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Teaching under adverse circumstances

Compromising with the institution - physical conditions in the classroom are onerous - constraints on how you should teach (a specific methodology that you disagree is required) - courses that are test-focused rather than language-focused
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Teaching under adverse circumstances

Discipline - Learn to be comfortable with you position of authority - gain respect of your students by treating them with equal fairness - state clearly and explicitly to your students your expectations regarding their behaviour, attendance and other obligations - be firm but warm in dealing with variances to these expectations - in resolving disciplinary problem, try to find source of the problem - contact the schools counsellor if you cannot resolve a recurring disciplinary problem

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Teachers roles and styles

Roles - play multiple roles e.g. authority figure, knower, director, manager, counsellor, guide, friend, confidante and parent - know yourself, your limitations, your strengths, your likes and dislikes - accept the fact that you are called upon to be many things to many different people 24

Teachers roles and styles

Teaching styles
- will almost always be consistent with personality style, vary greatly between individuals

Consider the teaching styles, each represents a continuum of possibilities: shy gregarious formal informal reserved open/transparent understated dramatic rational emotional steady moody serious humorous restrictive permissive
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Teachers roles and styles

Cultural expectations (Listed below are a number of cultural expectations of roles and styles as they relate to teachers and students and schools - adapted from Hofstede 1986)
-Teachers are allowed to say I dont know - Teachers are allowed to express emotions (and so are students)
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-Teachers are expected to have all the answers - Teachers are expected to suppress emotions (and so are students)

-Teachers interpret intellectual -Teachers interpret intellectual disagreement as personal disloyalty disagreement as a stimulating exercise -Teachers reward students for -Teachers reward students for innovative approaches to problem accuracy in problem solving solving -Students admire friendliness in -Students admire brilliance in teachers teachers -Students are encouraged to -Students should speak in class only when called on by the teacher volunteer their thoughts -Teachers can admit when they are -Teachers should never lose face; wrong and still maintain students to do so loses the respect of respect students - Teachers expect students to find - Students expect the teacher to their own way show them the way
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Creating a positive classroom climate

Establish rapport - important concept in creating positive energy in the classroom - show interest in each student as a person - give feedback on each students progress - openly solicit students ideas and feelings - value and respect what students think and say - laugh with them and not at them - work with them as a team, and not against them - develop a genuine sense of vicarious joy when they learn something or otherwise succeed 28

Creating a positive classroom climate

Balance praise and criticism
Ineffective Praise -Is impersonal, mechanical, and robotic -Shows bland uniformity -Is restricted to global comments, so students are not sure what was performed well - Is offered equally strongly for easy and difficult tasks
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Effective Praise -Shows genuine pleasure and concern -Shows verbal and nonverbal variety -Specifies the particulars of an accomplishment, so students know exactly what was performed well -Is offered in recognition of noteworthy effort on difficult tasks

Creating a positive classroom climate

-Attributes success to effort, implying that similar success can be expected in the future -Fosters intrinsic motivation to continue to pursue goals -Is delivered without disrupting the communicative flow of ongoing interaction -Attributes success to ability, luck, or other external factors -Fosters extrinsic motivation to only to receive more praise -Disrupts the communicative flow of ongoing interaction

Adapted from Brophy 1981 in Brown (2001)

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Creating a positive classroom climate

Generate Energy - a force that is unleashed in a classroom, perceivable only through a sixth sense, acquired in the experience of teaching itself - energy is what you react to when you walk out of a class period and say to yourself, Wow! That was a great class! - Energy is the electricity of many minds caught up in a circuit of thinking and talking and writing - Energy is an aura of creativity parked by the interaction of students - Energy drives students towards higher attainment - students and teachers take energy with them when they leave the classroom and bringit back the next day
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