CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

I am going to make a brief synthesis of all what has been discussed in class on ‘Classroom Management Techniques’. I must say that this is a very interesting topic and I am sure that all these advices will be very useful to me for my teaching career.

The first aspect we must take into account is that it is essential for a teacher to be authentic. As  Carl Rogers says:

´The teacher can be a real person in her relationship with her students. He can be enthusiastic, can be bored, can be interested in students, can be angry, can be sensitive and sympathetic… Thus, he is a person to his students, no a faceless embodiment of a curricular requirement nor a sterile tube through which knowledge is passed from one generation to the next´.

Starting from this idea, we must be aware that a teacher needn’t always be a perfect model to follow. A good teacher must remember: ‘you don’t have to be on that stage being THE TEACHER’. It is more important being yourself and be sure that if you make mistakes and fall down, you will be able to stand up and go ahead.

According to Sue Cowley, we must stop acting and be ourselves:

´A stage on which to perform… A show to present… An audience watching your every move… A character to step into… When you are on that stage, ´being´ the teacher, you´re not playing yourself´

Be oneself is the best way to establish a good rapport with students

Some advices:

• Don´t try to be ´The Teacher’.  Be real and always say what you feel
• Have real conversation
• Don´t pretend omniscience. Students may often ask you about things you do not know. Don’t worry about that. Find and learn the solution together.
• Be appropriately authoritative.
• Be wary of staffroom advice.

WHAT IS RAPPORT?

´The quality of the relationship in a classroom: teacher-student and student-student. It is not primarily technique-driven, but grows naturally when people like each other and get on together´. Scrivener.

Some ideas that can be useful to create good rapport:

• Be welcoming, encouraging and approachable.
• Treat students as individuals.
• Remember positive things about your pupils.
• Empathize.
• Be yourself.
• Don´t fake happiness.
• Be culturally sensitive.
• Avoid sarcasm.

Questions for reflection:

• Is it a good idea to be authentic in class?

Teachers are ordinary people who may commit failures and be wrong. Therefore,   as teachers we shouldn’t hide it to students.  We must recognize our limitations and investigate and learn with students when necessary.

If we work with little kids (preschool or primary education), we should control our emotions to avoid a negative impact on students.  However, when dealing with older students, there should not be any barrier that prevents students from detecting the teacher’s mood. Everybody may have a problem or a bad day, but when it comes to teachers, nothing will happen if students notice it and the teacher has a trusting relationship with them. Anyway, we should never let our mood affect the way we treat our students. That is to say, if for any reason we are angry, we shouldn’t take it out on students because they are not to blame for it. 

• Am I being myself in this class? Am I being real or acting?

My personal experience makes me realize that students work better if we are ourselves and have a close relationship with them, without going beyond the limits established between teacher and student.

The answer to the second question should be the same. We should show ourselves as we are and share with students those personal experiences that can be useful for them to learn.

NEURO LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING TECHNIQUES

NLP Techniques are an approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy created in the 1970s. The title refers to an asserted connection between the neurological processes, language, and behavioural patterns that have been learned through experience.  

Therefore, they are a communication model mainly based on the relationship between behaviours. Also, it constitutes an alternative therapeutic system that tries to educate people in auto science and effective communication, as well change their mental and emotional behavior models. The NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is based on the influence of language on our mental programming and other functions of our nervous system, as well as the linguistic patterns we use.

NLP Techniques:

• Mirroring:  We must change our body language when someone speaks to us; if the person speaking starts to imitate our movements, we will feel more comfortable.
• Pacing.
• Leading.

Another interesting aspect we deal with is: Is it Ok to be friends with students?

Three currents stand out:

1. Students are workers.
2. Students are students.
3. Students are people.

The least adequate current that we should avoid is ‘Students and workers’. If we had to choose one of them, it could be good to strike a balance between the second and third current. That is to say, a balance where we value students as individuals who may need our help.

LISTENING:

1. Conversational.
2. Analytical.
3. Supportive.

Following the example we saw in class, it is important to be sure what type of exercise we want to do because depending on our objective, sometimes we will have to correct some mistakes. 

• What is more important message or language?

To answer this question, it will depend on the objective set in the exercise. If we only have asked him to communicate it, we will not correct him. However, if it is a specific exercise, we will do it.

In addition, it is also important to see if we have focused on getting that the student communicates. It is no sense that we stop to analyze the problem.

Reached this point, I think it is important to consider the type of ‘listening’ that we are used to do: 

• How do you listen in class?

I usually get closer to ‘listening with full attention’, mainly in those subjects I am interested in. However, even when it is about topics that aren’t so interesting to me, I use to have this degree of attention. In any case, I usually do it in a passive way.

• How do you listen in day-to-day life?

In this point, I might be in an average position of the table ‘listening in an interested way’, though whenever they have told me something that does not interest me, it takes me a long time to remember it. This makes me think that this is a clear sign of considering myself included in ‘listening in a distracted way’

• Do you think the kind of listening you do is important?

Personally, I think it is really essential to increase motivation among our students, improving their attention in ‘listening’.  In this way, the rate of school failure and bad results could decline significantly.

In Spain we have serious problems to motivate students and make them take interest in the new concepts they learn in class. Therefore, as teachers we should keep in mind this idea and do our best to get that students take interest, participate and pay attention to us. 

MASTER´S DEGREE

FROM THIS POINT, ALL NEW ENTRIES WILL BE RELATED TO THE SUBJECT TEACHING ENGLISH!!

'A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to'.

J. R. R. TOLKIEN. The Lord of the Rings

THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE TEACHER

Nowadays, the educational system seems to be anachronistic and out of fashion and it should be adapted to the evolution of time and society.

Many teachers have the same teaching method that our grandparents used. This makes children get bored in class and consequently, they have bad results. This teaching method should be changed by enhancing motivation and arousing in students an eager want to learn.

The daily work of the teacher in class should meet current society requirements. There is no point in giving any more brilliant classes to forty ‘hypothetically  homogeneous’ students sitting in rows and attending on-site classes that tend to be dogmatic and silent. Needless to say, the 21st century teaching techniques in Spain have evolved significantly and there is no similarity with those from the past.

The teacher is no longer the erudite who was admired years ago. On the contrary, teachers give interactive classes, teach through projects, solve conflicts, use new technologies and educate in values. For this purpose, their training should be focused on these new techniques.

It is worth stressing that Neill´s[1] teaching methods were really valuable: according to Neill, methodology in education is not as important as the environment where the educational process is developed. For better or worse, people have got to learn several areas of knowledge in spite of the different educational methodologies.

However, the education of our emotions, principles and values that mark our personality along our life is strongly influenced by the environment. In turn, the conventional environment ignores abstract aspects and gives life to resigned human beings who are not satisfied with their lives and become conformist. On this account, Neill developed some principles that promoted self-fulfillment and freedom.

In conclusion and based on the reasons given, we think that it is necessary to change the school in its whole. Education needs a revolution, it is necessary that everything changes and all traditional and boring methods disappear. Teachers should focus on students’ motivation and get the development of the 21^st century children. We need an educational system that enhances customized education through social learning.

Likewise creativity, passion, energy and talent should be stimulated because our future will bring new challenges that will demand new solutions. These solutions will be linked to the student’s creativity and liveliness.

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[1] A. S. Neill, Scottish pedagogue. He founded the Summerhill School.

TEN TIPS THAT SOMEONE TOLD ME TO BE A GOOD TEACHER

1. A teacher is a professional who uses teaching techniques and specific vocabulary.
2. In a new class, the first thing to do is ensure the leadership position. Keep your affection for later.
3. Entering a classroom requires a balanced emotional state as well as great powers of concentration.
4. Look inside yourself: What students make you feel says more about you than about themselves.
5. Always keep your teacher’s role. If you don’t do it, nobody else will.
6. A student will excuse you for anything except your lack of respect. 
7. Be tolerant and excuse your students but take profit of the occasion and teach them to be tolerant and excuse others.
8. Expect great things from your students: rely on them and you will find out how far they can go.
9. Students don’t get along with empty people; be genuine.
10. Leave improvisation aside and let experienced teachers do it. At the beginning try to plan and calculate each step.

Own Translation.

MONSTER DIFFERENCES

Complementary activity about aliens:

The activity that we propose here below is a complementary activity to work listening about aliens. It can be found on this same blog. We think that this activity could be worked in the same session because it is related to the content, it is funny and it can be developed using the same image.

AIMS:

·         Speaking: asking and answering questions.

·         Question formation and parts of the body: arms, legs, head, eyes, ears teeth, hands, How many…has…got?; colours: What colours is/are…?; numbers.

MATERIALS:

·         Picture photocopies.

·         Coloured pencils.

·         Overhead projector.

LEVEL: Beginners.

TIMING: 20 Minutes.

ASSESMENT CRITERIA: The children should be able to ask and answer simple question and work co-operatively in pairs.

PREPARATION:

1.      Photocopy the picture.

2.      Cut the photocopies.

PROCEDURE:

1.     Tell the children you are going to give each of them a picture of a monster to colour. Point out that each child will have a different monster from his/her partner´s.

2.     When they have coloured their monsters, they have to work with a partner, asking each other questions to find the differences between their monsters.

3.    Write the words the children will need on the board for them to refer to, for example, eyes, ears, arms, legs, teeth. How many heads/eyes/ears/arms/legs/ has your monster got?

4.      Give out the pictures photocopies and allow the children time to colour their monsters.

5.    If you think it is necessary, demonstrate the activity to the class. Colour your own monster. Invite a volunteer to work with you so that you can find the differences between his/her monster and yours.

6.    Monitor the class while they are colouring and ask them no to spend time colouring in too carefully. This can cause problems if some children have finished and their partners are still colouring. (They can finish colouring later if they want to).

7.     Put the children into pairs. Make sure that they change partners, so that they are not sitting next to the child who saw them colouring.

8.    Get the children started on finding the differences. Remind them not to look at each other´s worksheets.

Important:

This activity involves self-assessment. When each pair has finished they can look at each other´s monster. They can then assess how well they have done and give themselves a score.

MONSTER DIFFERENCES
We checked our monsters and there are________ differences.
The differences are:
1.      ___________________ 2.      ___________________ 3.      ___________________ 4.      ___________________ 5.      ___________________	6.      _________________ 7.      _________________ 8.      _________________ 9.      _________________ 10.  _________________
We found____________ differences.   We get____________ points.

FOLLOW – UP:

The children pretend to be one of the monsters, give themselves a name, and introduce themselves in two or three sentences. For example: Hi, I´m Scary! I have two heads and five legs. My hair is green.

VARIATION:

You can lower the language level for this activity by limiting the language used as well as the number of differences. For example, if the children don´t colour their monsters, the questions will be How many teeth/ears/ eyes/arms/legs/ has it got? And there will only be five differences focused on.

PORTFOLIO:

If the children want to, they can include their worksheets with the coloured monster and their score sheet in their portfolio.

Made by: Cristina Muñoz, Pablo Pérez.

SOURCE: 500 Activities for the Primary Classroom by Carol Read (MacMillan).

QUOTES AND THOUGHTS

Over the last few months, we have found quotes and tales that have been really interesting. We understand that we should have tried to mention their authors, but much to our regret and although we tried to find them, we didn’t get to know some of them. In spite of that, we think it is worth to know the quotes.

‘Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day’.   Paulo Coelho

‘Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.’ John Lennon.

An optimist goes to the window every morning and says, ‘Good morning, God’. The pessimist goes to the window and says, ‘Good god, morning!’         

‘Suffering from injury is only important when we keep remembering it’.          

‘From listening comes wisdom and from speaking, repentance’

‘I’d give all what I know in exchange for what I don’t know’. Víctor Hugo.

‘Who does not understand a look, cannot understand long explanations’

‘Patience is a tree with bitter roots that bears sweet fruits’

The wise man may sit on an ant’s nest but only the foolish keeps sitting on it -         

Avoid being praised but deserve it

‘The world turns aside to let any man pass who knows where he is going.’

‘I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception’. Groucho Marx.

Socrates asked his disciples: ‘Why should I resent it when an ass kicks me?’

‘It’s good to be important but it’s more important to be good’

Two young lovers ask the chief of the tribe for advice to keep together forever and ever. The chief asks the woman to bring a falcon and the man an eagle to the hamlet.

When they come back with the animals, the chief ties the two animals’ legs together and releases them. The birds try to fly away and as they cannot do it because they are tied up together, they start to attack each other. Turning back to the lovers, the chief of the tribe says: ‘never forget what you are watching’, ‘fly together but not tied up’, ‘release the one you love and let him fly with his own wings’, ‘respect the right of others to fly heading towards their dreams’.’WE NEED TO BE FREE TO LOVE’.

We thought it would be good to include these quotes and stories here because we can learn a lot from them.

Source: Some of them own translation.