Teach English in ShuAnggang Zhen - Yancheng Shi

Do you know what classroom management is? Classroom management is the skill of organizing and managing the class. In other words, it is the ability of a teacher to create a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and maintaining discipline in the class. I’m absolutely sure, that it’s one of the most important skills which every teacher should have. First, it will help establish rapport between students and the teacher. Second, students will be able to learn the language effectively. Finally, students will be more motivated in learning and will feel more confident in the class. Of course, it’s very difficult to teach, if no one listens to you. In my opinion, the teacher must be flexible and should understand when he or she should help students or just leave them alone. There are some ways to make students focused on the class. The first one is a good eye contact. It can help the teacher to hold the attention of students who are not being addressed. The teacher will also be able to signal students to start, stop or get a move on, to check that everybody is participating, and to indicate that someone is correct or incorrect. The second technique is a good use of gestures. They can be effective in increasing the pace of the lesson. Using gestures, the teacher can reduce the need of verbal explanation and add visual interest. The third one is the teacher’s voice. It should change naturally. It’s absolutely true, that a dull monotone creates boredom and leads to students’ misbehaving. The fourth one is using students’ names. This method is not the least important. After five years teaching, I can truly say that it helps to get the attention of students and make them feel more confident. If the teacher doesn't know his or her students’ names, than it will destroy rapport with students. The next one is grouping students. Actually, it depends on what kind of activity the teacher has. In one case, students can work on their own. It’s less stressful and helps students become more self-reliant. In other case, pair-work can give students a safe environment to try out ideas before sharing with a group. This kind of grouping also allows stronger students to help weaker ones. Sometimes students can have group work, which can encourage them to cooperate and negotiate in English. I think every kind of grouping has its own advantages and disadvantages, so the teacher should know when this or that should be used. And the last one is a classroom arrangement. It is how the teacher organizes the position of the students and him or herself. Arranging the classroom, the teacher shouldn't forget about space available, type of chairs and tables, age of the students, their nationality and personality. Some teachers prefer set chairs and tables in orderly rows. I think it’s the most traditional form of sitting. In this case the teacher has a clear view of all students and all students can see the teacher. It can let the teacher be able to move freely around the classroom and help to maintain eye contact and reduce discipline problems. Other teachers like to put tables and chairs in circles. I suppose this method, which can allow students be more focused on the lesson, is useful in smaller classes. There are also some teachers who use to put tables separately. Although it’s very useful for group work and can make the class more informal, it can also create discipline problems, because it becomes more difficult for the teacher to maintain eye contact. To become a good teacher, you should always remember some simple rules of classroom management. You shouldn't go around the classroom and ask students in order, because it becomes predictable and students will not pay attention until they have to. You should spend longer with students who don’t understand the task, but don’t teach only the strong or weak students. Make sure you know all your students’ names and remember include them all equally in any activity. You should also give clear instructions and be positive in everything you do. Don’t forget to be sensitive to your students and love your job, than, as I think, it will be easier to manage the class and become a good teacher.