You are about to start your practice period. You have been assigned a class and have started planning your lessons. What about classroom management?
Watch this video where experts give pieces of advice on how to get ss´attention. Jot down ideas in our comments section.
lunes, 8 de septiembre de 2008
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Well, this is really helpful but it's not all about an expert's recipe. On a personal side, I think we need both training and practice, then reflection and planning... and again training and so on in order to cope with new and challenging situations.
If you happen to read about conflict resolution or mediation theory, there are many good points that can be applied to discipline and classroom management. I consider acting techniques and NLP interesting as well.
I agree the moment you first step into the classroom is crucial: how you dress, your attitude, how you look at the students, how you smile and the way you react to what you dislike, among other things, are all strategies for you to build up a positive relationship with your students. Then, why not ignore some silly things the students do? They will always be there to challenge you both as a person and as a teacher. I've gone through that several times and I can never say I've really learnt all I need to succeed in the class. That's why I consider one should also be humble to accept our weaknesses. To conclude, teaching is a way of knowing ourselves better. If you take it this way, you'll find working with students rewarding in every possible way.
MARÍA JULIA RÍOS.
Among the pieces of advice given by the experts on classroom management - especially on the issues of developing non-confrontational tactics and finding alternatives to shouting to get the students’ attention, we could mention the following:
• Make students feel that when they enter the classrom they are in a safe and comfortable environment. It crucial to do this during the beginnig of the lesson.
• Apply “selective ignorance”: if students misbehave in the class, you should continue until you finish what you are doing and then you could have a word in private with them in order to call their attention.
• Apply the SWAT approach, which consists of the following stages: 1) state the rule, 2) warn, 3) act, 4) time-out.
• Be consistent: you should praise the students when they do things correctly, keep your word, and be fair i.e. treat all the students equally.
• Appear to be in control of the situation.
• Set rules. Be fair and consistent when applying those rules.
• Choose your battle grounds. Discuss significant matters, e.g. getting to class on time.
• Humour and smiling can often take the heat out of a situation.
• Speak slowly and deliberately when you want students to listen to you. If students are talking while you deliver a class, stop speaking and they will realize on their own that they have to stop talking.
• Start being tough and then ease off i.e. gradually release control of the class.
• Anticipate the students’ remarks.
• Try to win their trust and respect by being fair and consistent, in this way you will be able to get students to do anything you want inside the classroom.
• Think of prepared lines for certain situations.
• Start the lesson positively. The first encouter with students is crucial.
First of all, I personally believe that there isn't one single recipe for successful teaching. There's no one way of getting students' attention.
I consider that planning classes carefully is a good start. Of course, we should also be prepared for dealing with students' lack of responsibility, misbehaviour, etc. and in those situations show them that we are prepared to draw their attention to what's acceptable and what is not in our classes.
I also agree that the first impression in classroom for a teacher is essential: our appearance, body language, tone of voice, speech. It's very common for students (and for anyone) to make different kinds of appraisals.
And finally, I think that we should have a positive attitude towards teaching, towards the profession we have chosen. We should try to enjoy what we are doing and face the challenges students give us in the best possible way so that as time passes, we can earn more confidence.
What I can conclude, after watching this video, is that it all goes down to fairness, consistency and respect. These are, to me, the key values in classroom management that go beyond any specific technique or tactic.
Humor as well as positive attitudes and clear setting of "behaviour rules" are also crucial.
I really liked this video because it reaffirmed what I've always observed in teachers I admire. These teachers have earned my respect due to the values I stated before, and I wish I could be as fair and consistent as them in my prospect career.
Having watched the video, we've found it a helpful resource for us. Clearly, the best pieces of advice we would give Andy are the following:
- The T should feel confident and show so from the moment she enters the classroom. Otherwise, Ss will sense the lack of confidence and may take advantage of the situation.
- The T should make Ss feel that their classroom is a risk-taking one instead of considering the classroom a threatening atmosphere.
- If Ss misbehave, the T should wait until they finish in order to call the ss' attention, instead of raising her voice, which will be useless.
- In order to make Ss feel that the rules of the classroom are fair for everyone, the whole class should set up a series of rules to be followed during the course.
- The T should be consistent with the rules set up at the beginning of the year so that Ss feel that they are treated equally and that their teacher can be trusted.
- The T should praise Ss constantly whenever they do something right and consider their efforts and improvements.
- The T should keep a good humour in order to lessen the distance between teacher-class. At the same time, she should avoid being too humorous or friendly so as not to lose the respect.
- The T should apply the SWAT approach( Set the rules, Warn, Act and Time-out).
- The T should speak slowly and delibrately in order to make Ss listen to what she has to say.
- Anticipate Ss' remarks in order to be prepared to act in advance.
Personally, I reckon it's a pretty useful video to watch as it gives us some insight into classroom management from 3 different perspectives - quite enritching.
To me, interesting tips to keep in mind were :
* Prepared lines. It's important that we anticipate sts' possible questions and difficulties so that we are ready for whatever might come up in the classroom.In this way, we'll sound more confident, earning then their respect.
* Being fair and consistent when applying rules will help us win their trust.
* Greeting sts and smiling at them from the very start of the lesson and throughout it will help bonding with them, creating then a non-threatening learning atmosphere.
Well we velieve that the video is helpfull to remind us important techniques when it comes down to classroom management. Constistency seems to be one of the most relevant points in this issue, since not only generates respect towards the teacher, but also shows respect on the part of the teacher to her students. Consistency is an umbrella term that includes fairness, respect, rules.
Something to bear in mind is the way you start the lesson, the way you stand in front of the class and how confident and comfortable you show to be because students perceive our emotional state and it influences their behaviour.
Teaching our students that their actions always have consequences is vital for their being prepared for real life.
Humor in the classroom is useful to set a friendly atmosphere, but you have to set limits, making clear that you are still in charge.
Victoria & Yamila TM
The comment of the 16th September (anonimo) is from Florencia Hernandez and Natalia Panattoni. We forgot to add our names!
I think that this video video shows some good pieces of advice on how to get sts' attention and not being confrontational. I feel that most of the techniques mentioned are not new to us, but it is good to be reminded of them.
Fortunately, these are not the only techniques available to us. It is my opinion that each T should try to find what best fits their teaching style and personality and, obviously, the group. So, go ahead and try them out!
We belive that this video is really helpful since it provides us with very useful tools to apply while teaching students. We also need to bare in mind what Javier said, that these techniques are not the only ones available. Apart from this, we also think that the way in which one introduces oneself to the class is essential, as first impressions are a key factor. Each way of teaching is unique.
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