class management

<b> Forum for discussing activities and games that work well in the classroom </b>

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Patrice
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Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 12:22 am
Location: Taiwan

class management

Post by Patrice » Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:26 am

Dear all teachers
I have some English teaching experiences on elementary education.
However, it’s very difficult for me to manage my students and involved activities in the course at the same time. I hope my students can enjoy the class and be active to join every language activity, but they easily losing control.

Have you ever encountered the same problems with me?
Or, any suggestions for me to improving my teaching skills?

Thanks!!

Sally Olsen
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Location: Canada,France, Brazil, Japan, Mongolia, Greenland, Canada, Mongolia, Ethiopia next

Post by Sally Olsen » Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:23 am

We have discussed this a little bit. Here is one discussion
http://forums.eslcafe.com/teacher/viewtopic.php?t=5426

KeepUpRichard
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Post by KeepUpRichard » Mon Aug 29, 2011 4:18 pm

I've found that if you get your students properly motivated you won't have too much of an issue with classroom management. So, with this in mind, I tend to lean towards the prevention aspect of classroom management. I try to prevent the bad behavior before it starts by keeping the students properly motivated and interested in your lessons.

Some ideas for that would be: games, songs, being funny, and having a rewards program (ie...when students try I give them a point and after so many points they can get a treat).

And don't fret! The most difficult thing for newer teachers is classroom management. At one point or another, almost every teacher here was in the same boat as you (I know I was!) With time, you'll get better and find what works for you.

lip420
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Classroom Management Tips

Post by lip420 » Sat Sep 03, 2011 1:32 am

Here is a recommended article on classroom management tips.
Last edited by lip420 on Fri Nov 20, 2015 6:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.

millerd
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Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 12:00 am
Location: New Jersey

Classroom Management and Adults

Post by millerd » Sat Dec 03, 2011 3:31 pm

Dear Community Adult ESL Teachers,

I would like to know what are some of the strategies you employ in adult education classes to assist in maintaining an environment for learning. For instance, in some cases, I have experienced groups of adults talking, in their L1 while class was in session. I do not want to appear as if I am treating them like children (in fact many of them tend to be older than me). While most of the behavior management skills are for young children and young adult, I am not sure about older adults. I do not want to "turn some people off."

Thank you,

D. Miller

Sally Olsen
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Post by Sally Olsen » Sat Dec 03, 2011 6:41 pm

I used to sit in on the conversation in their L1 and try to guess what they were talking about. Then I would say after 5 minutes or so, " I think you are talking about ... and I wonder about this aspect." At the beginning I was way off topic usually and then they had to explain what they had been talking about in English but we carried on the discussion from there in English and I knew it was something they were interested in. As I got to know their language a bit better I was closer to the topic and the conversation was easily changed to English to include me. But I sat down and was at their level so was part of the conversation rather than the "teacher". I let them tell me things.

There were some who persisted of course, and then I would translate for them to the rest of the class - "Marco is saying that he had a terrible day at the office and would like to ring his bosses neck." Of course, I was wrong here too but it got a laugh and then Marco or someone else would explain. If you catch it right away, then they will switch to English. I didn't bother with small translations for those who didn't get it and just nodded approval for whoever translated for someone who didn't understand. They felt they were doing me a favour as well their friend and it made a nice atmosphere in the class.

I always let them talk in L1 at coffee and tried to learn new vocabulary in their language at coffee time.

If someone was having real difficulty with something, I would ask them to say it their language first and then try English.

If you value their language, they will value what you are trying to teach them. Many mistakes are translation mistakes so it helps to have the better ones in the class explain it in their language or to explain instructions. It just makes everything flow smoothly.

At the end of the class when they were tired I used more and more of their language and let more and more of them speak in their L1 but it had to be about something we had talked about or about a grammar or vocabulary point in English.

Of course, I did a review at the very end of the class so they could over the points of the day. I write a lot on the board as we talk and usually have boards on at least three walls and can write on the windows with special pens or on the curtains with fabric pens and then I go around the rub things off as we review them. Posters are great too, on the walls, windows or roof. We always added a word or two to our word wall before they finished and they would review previous words and try to make a sentence with them as they left.

RozannaB
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Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 6:33 pm
Location: Sewell, NJ

Post by RozannaB » Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:26 am

I believe making activities fun and engaging is key! It is also important to address all the various learning styles even at the elementary level over the course of their time in the classroom with you. For example, some students may be visual learners while others enjoy learning through hand-on activities. Another important factor in classroom management is creating a good environment in your classroom. This includes establishing a rapport with your students (e.g. talking to them about their lives before class etc.), praising students when it's appropriate, being warm and energetic (e.g. walking around the classroom, being approachable etc.), and changing seating arrangements to whatever works best for your classroom! It is also important to gauge whether or not you are teaching multiple proficiency levels in the same classroom because those who are uninterested may not be understanding the activities or lessons as a whole. There are a lot of factors that go into classroom management. Good luck!

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