Tag Archives: classroom management

Creating Losers: Rethinking Games And Competitions

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Crying_babyConsider the following quotes and decide which statement is more aligned with your views of learning:

(A) “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

(B) “Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Suffice it to say that I guess you all know where I’m going with this post! To what extent would you agree that competition is ‘healthy’ in the classroom?

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Keeping Ahead Of Disruptive Behavior

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One of the jobs teachers have is to foster student participation. After all, ‘class time’ is for students to practice and produce language expression and skills. I’m sure you will agree it’s not for ‘teacher talking time’ (TTT). However, if you find yourself ‘all talked out’ at the end of a lesson, it’s useful to examine whether most of your time is spent explaining things, and how much of your time and effort is spent trying to maintain discipline and interest levels.

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Classroom Dismanagement

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As a teacher trainer, I often enter a classroom, observe a class that a trainee conducts, make notes and then discuss what happened. One of the elements that we discuss, is the trainee’s class management skills. The following account is what I would describe as ‘typical’ of trainees who go into the classroom with very little experience and with a somewhat incomplete grasp of what classroom management means in practice.

Following the account below are my comments and advice given to the trainee. The trainee (who is now a working teacher) was informed of this article and has agreed for it to be published. The name of the ex-trainee has been withheld. For practical purposes, I’ll call her ‘Sheila’.

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Taking Charge: Classroom Management

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The Thinker Musee RodinBefore you read any further, ask yourself the following questions and answer them honestly.

Are you teaching English until you find something more fulfilling or interesting to do with your life, that is, how seriously do you take this profession?

What do you love and hate about this job?

What qualities do you share with other teachers you admire?

What is your ‘Achilles heel’ as far as being a teacher is concerned?

What would you like to be doing in 5 years time as regards this profession?

The previous questions were basically designed to help you determine whether it is worth your while to read any further. What is meant, in other words, is that classroom management is something needs thought, reflection and action, something that anyone who wishes to provide something of value to teaching must pay serious attention to. Anyone who is not serious about EFL would not and should not be concerned about classroom management issues.

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Is Your Wine Glass Half Empty Or Half Full?

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WARNING: This article might shock you! Hopefully however, it will shock you into action rather than depression. Of course, a lot might depend on the way you look at things because, like many things in life, it can be taken either positively or negatively.

OK, so what are we talking about here? Well, it is my intention through this blog to help you gain not only a better sense of control of your classes, but also perhaps even of your life. It’s not my intention to make you realize all the things you don’t do in the classroom or to foster in you a complete sense of frustration and loss of self-esteem. In fact, what I will share with you is not specific to EFL or ESL teachers, but rather it relates to common elements that all teachers of all disciplines must address: classroom management and more generally life management skills.

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