Here are the problems, their reasons and my solutions.
Problem
Often when her class are about to embark on an activity it occurs to her that all the whispers and puzzled faces mean that they haven't a clue what to do.
Possible reasons
a) instructions weren’t clear for students;
b) instructions were too complicated;
c) classroom management wasn’t on a proper level;
d) pre-task activity was omitted;
e) task is not appropriate for the students’ knowledge.
f) few auditory learners in the class.
Solutions
a -b) make clear, short and slow instructions again; use visual help; use body language, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions; don’t speak low monotone or a high-pitched voice , it can be difficult to understand or grating to the ears; speak on the right volume, don’t speak too fast..
c) solve problems with discipline, insist on attention during the lesson(even if you must dedicate to it the whole lesson ), explain your students that their poor knowledge is the result of their disorganization.
c) work in groups, monitor and help weak pairs. Call the strongest pair to the blackboard to present their work to the class.
d) do the pre-task activity with the class, translate or explain in English the new vocabulary.
e) check if students are ready for the task according to their previous knowledge.
f) use a lot of visual support and flash cards.
Problem
One group of students has no interest in learning English and she wonders why she is wasting her time.
Possible reasons
a) this group of students have fallen behind their study;
b) the activity doesn’t cover their learning style;
c) the group was formed from one learning style students or students all with the same low learning skills.
Solutions
a) uninterested group of students needs extra work to cope with their educational problems;
b) a teacher has to adopt the activity to her ‘uninterested group’ learning style;
c) correctly reform the group.
Move properly
Sitting behind a desk or standing on a dais creates a "distance" between the teacher and the students. Try to have an aisle and enough space between the rows so that you can easily reach those at the back. This way you can talk to individual students, allow the shy ones to ask questions quietly without the fear of embarrassment, as well as check their work and help them .
Some movement on your side is essential, because it allows the students to focus on you.
Stepping forward to emphasise a point, small steps towards different sides of the class lets the student feel that the teacher is taking genuine interest in what he or she is saying
Problem
Every time she puts the students in groups but they just talk in their L1 and usually about topics unrelated to the class
Possible reasons
a) the topic is not interested to the students;
b) students have little vocabulary to speak the topic;
c) bad group formation, no leader;
d) low motivation and little control from the teacher.
Solutions
a) find the topic challenging the age group of your students;
b) practice the new vocabulary, use different aids to support all types of learners;
c) change group members to balance their group work, avoid close friends in the group.
d) Monitor, advise and motivate the students with brilliant marks and praise.
Problem
The course book she is using is terrible. It is too easy for the students and they get bored easily. She doesn’t want to spend hours planning as they don’t seem interested anyway
Possible reasons
a) low motivation;
b) boring lessons;
c) the course book is not relevant to the students’ abilities and knowledge.
Solutions
a-b-c) It's important to keep to the program, not to the course book, change the book when possible; if not, add some readers and grammar books; prepare songs, chants and games on the topic you need; do projects, involve students in self-study, encourage to go to the library and use the Internet; use a lot of different visual, auditorial and kinesthetic materials; look through your classroom management, correct it, make your lessons lively.
Question
Good night, some advice, what strategy could I use or what could I do, when I am reviewing the homework or explaining to the students that they did not understand and the other children are stopping, bothering their classmate, etc., what measures or what should I do to avoid these acted on, some tips, what could you give me? thanks for your kind reply
Re: Question
Hi Yessina,
Thanks for your question. It can be difficult to manage the rest of the class when you're trying to give students individual feedback. It could be a good idea to have some "fast finisher" activities planned for the students who have already finished or who don't need so much support. You could ask them to create some revision questions or vocabulary games for the rest of the class, for example. There are some more ideas in this webinar: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/news-and-events/webinars/webinars-teachers/finished-teacher-what-do-fast-finishers-young-learner
You might also find some other ideas in our free course for teachers, Classroom management for primary: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/training/classroom-management-primary
I hope that helps, and good luck!
Philippa
TeachingEnglish team
Classroom management
Hello everyone!
Thank you for sharing your experience. It's sometimes difficult to know what to do on the spot while teaching. Whatever we do, let the learning environment be the place students want to come back.
Congratulations!
Classroom Management
Ideas about classroom management
Dear SonyaM,
Thanks a lot for your ideas! They are definitely worth taking into consideration! The reasons of the problems and their solutions are of a great value to me. I'm sure your pieces of advice will help me to avoid a lot of mistakes in my classroom management.
Classroom management
Thank you Sonya. You're blog's been most enlightening.
Classroom management is certainly a topic which always keeps me "on the alert"
I love the tips and will put them into practice.
Sharing ideas with colleagues is very beneficial!
Dear Georginahudson,
Thank you for your comment, but I must add that I was working over "Classroom management..." during my ETTO course(2009) in a group together with a few talented English teachers. I strongly believe that sharing ideas with experienced and young colleagues is very beneficial.
Best Regards to you
and to my ETTO (2009) friends!
Hello!
Thank you for sharing your experience. Knowing what to do in each situation is important while reading others' experiences helps us reflect on ours.