David QuartermainMPI-Bell Centre of English

May 2013

Classroom ManagementHow to create an effective, stress-free

classroom

Pick me!

A typical day at Bell Thailand

Have you ever felt like this?

What kind of ‘classroom management’

problems have you experienced?

Why are these bad classrooms?

Are these good classrooms?

WARNING!Without Classroom Management, all of these classes could be a disaster!

What is‘classroom management’?

Classroom management n

The ways in which student behaviour, movement, interaction etc., during a class is organised and controlled by the teacher (or sometimes by the learners themselves) to enable teaching to take place more effectively.

Longman Dictionary ofLanguage Teaching & Applied Linguistics

Classroom management is a term used by teachers to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly despite disruptive behavior by students..

What is‘classroom management’?

Discipline

Seating

Timing / Pacing

Attending to student needs

Activities organised well

Best use of resources

Giving instructions

Monitoring / feedback

Teacher Roles

Discipline

What do the experts tell us about

classroom management?

Di Guilo (2007) claims that there are 3 steps to a managed classroom:

1)Preventative Intervention Before the fact

2) Supportive Intervention During the fact

3) Corrective Intervention After the fact

Major (2008) has 8 rules of Classroom Management:1) Keep students

busy2) Be Alert

3) Be Engaging4) Be

Consistent5) Get to know your students6) Don’t try to be your students’ best

friend7) …or their worst enemy8) Praise good

behaviour

Major M.R. (2008) The Teacher’s Survival Guide

“Teaching is NOT a popularity Teaching is NOT a popularity contestcontest”

Marchesani (2007) The Field Guide to Teaching

What does David tell us aboutclassroom management?

Tip No. 1: Set Clear Rules!• Classroom

Contract

www.superteachertools.com

Tip No. 2: Be consistent!

Start as you mean to finish

Know your rules from Day 1

Keep Them!

Treat each ‘broken rule’ or unwanted behaviour with the

same consequence

Boring them to death is not an option! (however tempting it may seem!)

Tip No. 3: Provide Clear Instructions

“Ok, everybody sit down. Now what you have to dois, when you, you take this sheet of paper that I’mhanding out now and keep it secret and some of youare “A”, it’s written at the top and some are labelled“B”. Ok, can you see that? Don’t show your paper toanyone and then you have to describe to yourpartner; sit face to face. Could you move your chairsaround and describe what’s on your paper so thatyour partner can find out what’s different and youmust agree; when you find something draw it onyour paper. Ok, do you understand?”

A B

A “I’d like you to peruse these questions and have a ponder, then make a stab at answering them.”

B “Could you just move your chairs a bit and get yourselves in groups?”

C “Imagine if you were in this situation – how would you feel? Do you see what I mean? No? OK, you – in situation – feelings? what?”

D “Let’s just run through the answers shall we?”

E “Why don’t you just have a chat about this with your neighbour?”

Tip No. 3: Provide Clear Instructions

The worst thing a teacher can say ..

Do you understand?

What is the purpose of teachers ‘monitoring’ student activity?

Tip No. 4: Effective Monitoring

How does the monitoring vary depending on the activity?

Advice taken from Jim Scrivener’s ‘Learning to Teach’

Tip No. 4: Effective Monitoring

1. Stand back to start with1. Stand back to start with2. Quickly go round and check1. Stand back to start with2. Quickly go round and check3. Don’t interrupt (unless..)

1. Stand back to start with2. Quickly go round and check3. Don’t interrupt (unless..)4. Spread your attention

1. Stand back to start with2. Quickly go round and check3. Don’t interrupt (unless..)4. Spread your attention5. Don’t correct (unless)

1. Stand back to start with2. Quickly go round and check3. Don’t interrupt (unless..)4. Spread your attention5. Don’t correct (unless)6. Be easily accessible

1. Stand back to start with2. Quickly go round and check3. Don’t interrupt (unless..)4. Spread your attention5. Don’t correct (unless)6. Be easily accessible7. If you need to, feed in ideas

1. Stand back to start with2. Quickly go round and check3. Don’t interrupt (unless..)4. Spread your attention5. Don’t correct (unless)6. Be easily accessible7. If you need to, feed in ideas8. Give encouragement if

necessary

1. Stand back to start with2. Quickly go round and check3. Don’t interrupt (unless..)4. Spread your attention5. Don’t correct (unless)6. Be easily accessible7. If you need to, feed in ideas8. Give encouragement if

necessary9. Take notes

Tip No. 5: Control the noise levels

What happens when you try to win an argument with a child by screaming?

So what should you do?

Tip No. 5: Control the noise levels Don’t try to talk OVER the noiseHave a consistent strategy

- Fingers on lips- 3, 2, 1

- Marble tin- Agreed noise level

- Wait!

- Scale of punishments

- Lights

Tip No. 5: Control the noise levels

The ‘No Game’ BarNO GAME

NO NO GAME !GAME !

You’ve got the power!

Are they still acting up?

Take it away!(if the problem lies with a thing)

Differentiation

(keep them busier with special / important tasks)

Change seating

(during the break)

Don’t Get Walked On!

You’ve got the Power!!

StudentArea

ofcontrol

Out ofcontrol

Teacher

You’ve got the Power!!

…but use it wisely!

Tip No. 6: You have the power of seatingRearrange seating whenever necessary:

• Avoid power groups developing• Prevent talkative or disruptive students sitting together• To support mixed ability groups

Consider these possible seating arrangements

What activities would they be most suited for?

Traditional Horseshoe Grouped (facing Teacher)

Grouped (facing each

other)

Closed circles

Open circle

Tip No. 6: You have the power of seating

What activities would they be most suited for?

Traditional Horseshoe Grouped (facing

Teacher)

Grouped (facing each

other)

Closed circles

Open circles

Mingle / class surveys Topic discussion

lecture Be easiest to change pairs

Pair work Maximum student production

Teams performing task Class with discipline problems

Test Your typical lesson

Think about your own position in the room

Stand or sit?

Static or moving?

Front of room or somewhere else?

Does it

matter

?

Public Praise www.rewardchartsforchildren.com

Points systems individual or team

Public Praise www.rewardchartsforchildren.com

Public Praise www.rewardchartsforchildren.com

Tip No. 7: Positive Reinforcement

TaskYou will be given several example situations.In your groups, talk about the following:

• What is the problem?

• Why has it arisen?

• How will you deal with it now?

• What will you do to prevent it arising in

the future?

a) A student hits another student because of anger

b) You often find the lesson ends while you are mid-task

c) A student never completes homework assignments

d) You often find yourself trying to lower the noise level within the

classroom

e) The entire class performed poorly on their previous test

f) One student seems not to want to work with any of the other

students

g) One student always copies from his friend who sits next to him

h) A student enjoys playing the role of class clown, frequently

disrupting lessons

• What is the problem?• Why has it arisen?• How will you deal with it now?• What will you do to prevent it arising in the future?

Thank you for listening !

Any Questions?