Classroom management is one of the most unnoticed aspects of teaching English but it is one of the most important factors that can determine how effective a teacher is in the subject. You may have a great lesson plan and all the materials needed but without the proper classroom management, it will be difficult to succeed in the classroom.
Proper classroom management will help children to become more involved in the lesson. Children could end up being fed up with the lesson and get diverted by irrelevant activities. However, with the right classroom management techniques, you can motivate your young students and prevent the erosion of your authority in the classroom. Finding the right classroom management strategies and merging it with your own personal style will help you become a more effective teacher.
Here are some tips and techniques for effective classroom management.
1. Be fair, firm and consistent. Don’t try to be your students’ best friend. You’re in the classroom to teach, so be a mentor and not your students’ buddy. Strive to be someone they can learn from and someone they can trust if they need help.
2. Establish clear rules from day one and be consistent in applying them. Don’t suddenly start yelling at your students or engage in erratic behavior.
Demonstrate, not explain. Children need different teaching techniques from adults. Limit the wordy explanations and opt for more demonstrations. Actions speak louder than words.
3. Establish rules and routines. Children need order and they need routines in their learning. Try to have a set schedule in their lessons. Try to start and end a lesson in a similar manner. Be strict about the rules you want to follow. For example, emphasize that you will only give gold stars to students that have finished their work early.
4. Praise and encourage good behavior. Children respond better to praise than disapproval. Never ever use destructive criticism as this will make them feel worthless. As a teacher, you can build your students’ self-esteem through praise and positive dialogue. Draw more attention to good behavior and give out tasks to students who are being good. Rewarding students is part of the process but don’t resort to bribing them to achieve the desired results. Use ideas that give responsibility to the students such as verbal or written praise or a positive note to the parents.
5. Vary your teaching style. Use different teaching styles to reach all your students in the classroom. Don’t just stand in front of the class since this will not interest many children. Using a wide variety of classroom techniques will engage your students and tap into their visual, auditory and tactile skills.
Suwara 044 3EN