Module 8: Lesson 1 - The principles of classroom management

Question 1

What is classroom management?

Answer 1

Classroom management relates to the wide variety of skills, techniques and choices a teacher has to ensure the class is running smoothly, the learners are focused, they are on task, and organized; be it in a face-to-face classroom or online.

Classroom management is concerned with building a rapport with the class, making sure all students have their learning needs met, providing clear instructions, sufficient monitoring by the teacher, and that they make full use of the board (and other visual materials).

It also refers to the decisions a teacher makes regarding the physical environment and resources available to them; including furniture (seating arrangements for offline classes), resources, materials, learners, and themselves. These decisions are made to support the aims of the class.

Question 2

Why is building rapport with your learners important?

Answer 2

When the class and their teacher have a good relationship, the learning becomes far more effective, and it is a much more pleasurable experience all around.

Question 3

How can you build rapport with your learners?

Answer 3

• A smile goes a long way.
• Make sure you make eye contact.
• Use students’ names.
• Make a seating map on a piece of paper and write down everyone’s names.
• Online, it’s worth taking the time to show students how to change their names.
• Keep notes on different students.

Question 4

What are good opportunities for TTT?

Answer 4

Presenting a new language point, e.g. in the presentation stage of a PPP lesson.

Giving instructions for an activity.

Giving feedback on errors and good language after a speaking activity.

Question 5

Why is monitoring important?

Answer 5

• monitor to make sure students understand an activity and are on task;
• monitor for students’ accuracy, e.g. during the practice stage of a PPP lesson;
• monitor for students’ fluency, e.g. during the production stage of a PPP lesson.

In-person: done by walking and monitoring, taking notes.
Online: asking questions, observing learners in breakout rooms.

Question 6

How would you issue instructions in an effective manner?

Answer 6

• Ensure you have learner’s attention.
• Use imperatives (demands, instruction sentences).
• Demonstrate the activity.
• Ask closed questions to check understanding of instructions.
• Monitor actively.

Question 7

How can you use the board?

Answer 7

• to present new language to students
• to record new vocabulary and its key features
• to share ideas and brainstorm
• write a keyword on the board and then elicit ideas
• to encourage interaction by asking students to come up to the board to write something down
• to monitor behavior
• to score points in an interactive game
• to use the board for a board race