Title: Classroom management strategies Peter Lucantoni
1Classroom management strategiesPeter Lucantoni
2Peter Lucantoni
- Started teaching in 1979 in UK, MA TESOL
University of Edinburgh, lived and worked in
Europe and Middle East, now based in Cyprus - Author, Educational Consultant Teacher Trainer
for Cambridge University Press - Cambridge TKT, CELTYL, CELTA DELTA trainer and
Cambridge CELTYL assessor - Examiner for Cambridge ESOL speaking examinations
3Workshop aims
- To establish a classroom definition for classroom
management - To establish what factors are involved in
managing learners positively - To brainstorm practical techniques for managing
learners positively - To consider the stages required in successfully
setting up tasks and activities
4What does managing mean?
- people controlling and organising different
situations that happen in their lives or their
work
5Definition
- What is classroom management? Work with your
colleagues and produce a definition. - Use these words for help
- techniques / ensures / behave /allows /
- lesson / smoothly / learning
6Definition
-
- Classroom management is a set of techniques
which ensures that the learners behave in a way
which allows the lesson to run smoothly and for
learning to take place.
7Discipline
Learners, Activities L2
Time Ourselves
Space Dynamics
8Factors
- There are various factors involved in managing
learners those which you can control or
improve, and those which you cant - Complete the table
Can control Cant control
Classroom layout Learners natural abilities
9Can control Cant control
Classroom layout Learners natural abilities
Lesson content Motivation Classroom
rules Involving learners in decisions Fairness Mut
ual respect Group dynamics
Previous experience Classroom size,
furniture Outside noise Home environment Imposed
coursebook Length of lesson
10Setting up
- What are the stages in setting up tasks and
activities? - For example, you could start with
- Prepare the language you are going to use to set
up the task, before going to class - Think of 5-6 stages for teachers to consider
11Setting up
- Look at Handout 1 with the suggested stages,
which have been mixed up - Put them into a logical order. There is more than
one possible answer
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
G H I A D F C B E
12Setting up groups
- Classroom groups move through various stages
(Tuckmen Jensen, 1977). What do you think each
stage involves? - Forming
- Storming
- Norming
- Performing
- In 1987, Tuckmen added a fifth and final stage
what do you think he called it?
13- Conflict minor arguments may arise
- Completion moving on
- Socialising not much actually gets done
- Cohesion listening to each other
- Task-orientation getting the job done
Adjourning
Performing
Norming
Storming
Forming
14Managing space and dynamics
- Most authentic communication requires the
teacher to adapt classroom space. Vale
Feunteun, 1996 - Newer approaches to teaching offer us
different possibilities of classroom dynamics
which make class activities much more
communicative and efficient. House, 1997
15Managing space and dynamics
- Where students sit can determine many things. Try
to think of three aspects of classroom management
which could be affected by where students sit - their attitude to each other
- their attitude to you
- your attitude to them
- how they interact with each other
- how they interact with you
- the types of activity they can do
16Why is group work important?
- Communicative language teaching (CLT) encourages
the use of pair and group work activities in the
classroom. - Why?
17Why is group work important?
- Interaction is the means and the goal
- Learning is task-based
- Communication of message is more important than
exact grammar - Authentic materials are used
- Multi-answers are possible
- Mistakes are part of learning
18What are the problems with group work?
- Students only speak in Arabic
- Students make too much noise
- Students get bored
- Some students finish early
- ...
- For each difficulty, think of possible solutions
191. Students only speak in Arabic
- Give learners the language they need
- Close monitoring
- Provide feedback
- Give incentives
- Assign English monitors
202. Students make too much noise
- Consider productive vs. disruptive noise
- Use quiet signal to maintain control
- Set clear guidelines about noise levels
- Assign English monitors
213. Students get bored
- Know your learners and what interests them (not
you!) and motivates them (not you!) - Match tasks to learners levels
- Give each student a role/job in the group
- Do follow-up feedback, reports
224. Some students finish early
- Prepare back-up activities for early finishers
- Use stronger students as teaching assistants
(learn by teaching) - Give feedback and encourage students to start
extension activities
23Management tips
- Ask yourself How can I help my students to
learn? - Give handouts, use visuals, realia, etc
- Insert pauses into the lesson for students to
catch up with regular changes of pace /
activity / skill - Use students as teaching assistants
24Management tips
- Encourage students to prepare questions and
quizzes in groups of 2-3 - Get other students to answer these questions and
encourage competition - Use Dictogloss, Jigsaw Texts, Moving Dictation
25Any questions?
26- peter_at_cup-training.org