Managing the classroom
by Melany Portillo
1. Movement. Most successful teachers move around the classroom to some extent. That way they can retain their students’ interest
2. Awareness. Means assessing what students have said and respondingappropriately.
3. Using the voice. When considering the use of the voice in the management of teaching, there are three issues to think about.
4. Audibility. Clearly, teachers need to be audible. They must be sure that the students at the back of the class can hear them just as well as those at the front.
5. Conservation, It is important too that teachers vary their voices throughout the day, avoiding shouting wherever possible, so that they can conserve their vocal energy.
6. Talking to students Gesture, expression and mime should become a natural adjunct to the language we use, especially with students at lower levels.
7. Giving Instuctions There are two general rules for giving instructions: they must be kept as simple as possible, and they must be logical.
8. Classroom Management If we want to manage classrooms effectively, we have to be able to handle a range of variables.
9. The teacher in the classroom. All teachers like all people, have their own physical characteristics and habits, and they will take these into classroom with them.
10. Proximity. Teachers should be conscious of how close they are to their students, should take this into account when assessing their students’ reactions and should, if necessary, modify their behavior.
11. Appropriacy. It is important, therefore, to consider what kind of effect such physical behavior has so that we can behave in a way which is appropriate to the students we are teaching and the relationship we wish to create with them.
12. Variety. It is important for teachers to vary the quality of their voices and the volume they speak.
13. Students talk and teacher talk The best lessons, therefore, are ones where STT is maximized, but where at appropriate moments during the lesson the teacher is not afraid to summarize what is happening, tell a story or enter into discussion, etc.
