Classroom Activities: Planning and Management

A. THE PLANNING PARADOX

Marios Case (The Planning Paradox) Mario is a senior studying Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English. He is now in his internship and has been teaching IV-Integritya star section at the school where he is teachingfor almost a month. A week prior to his actual teaching, Marios cooperating teacher, Ms. Santos asked him to create a three-week plan covering the skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. He was able to make the plan comprehensively and has given Ms. Santos her own copy so she could monitor his progress. During the first of the weekly evaluation, Ms. Santos talked about her concern on Mario not being able to meet the objectives for the initial week. Marios excuse was that some of his lessons took longer than usual because the class had found the topics rather difficult so he was obliged to give reinforcement activities. Dissatisfied with his performance, Ms. Santos urged him to strictly follow his lesson plan. On the second week during the evaluation, Ms. Santos asked Mario why he was still not able to meet his objectives. His excuse was that he had to make an interactive activity the following day since the students found one lesson very interesting and they were really eager to learn and because of that he had to move the lesson which was supposed to be on Friday to Monday. Ms. Santos warned Mario that if he did not follow his lesson plan, she might be compelled to give deductions on his grade since time management was one of her criteria. On the last week before the examinations, Mario finished all the six remaining lessons within five days. Ms. Santos was pleased and his grade was not deducted. However, in the result of the examination of IVIntegrity in English, most of the students had below average to average ratings. Most of the items were taken from the lessons taught the week before the exams and the students said that these lessons were quite difficult to understand since, according to them, the teacher was speaking too fast and many of them could not follow.

as the lesson progresses (as students interact with their teacher and with the language they are studying), things evolve and develop, depending on what has happened and what is happening minute by minute. Yet, by encouraging teachers to plan lessons with essentially linear aims, we might be producing teachers who are unaware of the complex patterns that are woven in the interaction between learners and the language to which they are exposed, and which they produce (Harmer, 2002: 8) This, then, is the planning paradox. On the other hand, it makes no sense to go into any situation without having thought about what we are going to do. Yet at the same time, if we predetermine what is going to happen before it has taken place, we may be in danger not only of missing what is right in front of us but, more importantly, we may also be closing off avenues of possible evolution and development. Craig Thaine pointed out that for inexperienced teachers, a plana mental structuremight be just the map we need initially (Thaine 1996b: 3). New teachers, especially, need maps to help them through the landscape. And students, too, like to know what their teacher has in store for them. Evidence of teacher planning helps to ensure their confidence in the person who is teaching them. A complete failure to plan may seem irresponsible to both students and others. A1. THE PLANNING CONTINUUM

No single teacher will go to class without doing some thinking and preparation beforehand. Jungle path lesson (Jim Scrivener, 2005)The teacher has no real idea what he or she is going to do before a lesson starts and where, as a result, the lesson is created moment by moment with the teacher and the learners working with whatever is happening in the room. This requires high skill and an ability to react appropriately minute by minute. DISADVANTAGE: a succession of jungle path lessons will suggests to the students a degree of carelessnessor even negligenceon the part of the unprepared teacher. A2. USING PLANS IN CLASS Planning a lesson is not the same as scripting a lesson. Lessons are not plays where students and their teacher have to remember and reproduce words in a pre-ordained sequence. Nor are they like western classical music where all the notes have to be played exactly as they were written. A better metaphor for a lesson, perhaps, would be jazz, where from an original chord sequence the players improvise their own melodies, inventing their own twists and turns so that they arrive at their own destinations by their own routes. What we take into the lesson, in other words, is a proposal for action, rather than a lesson blueprint to be followed slavishly. Indeed, many teachers will be constrained by the syllabus, exam preparation and cultural expectations so that the lesson outcomes will have been pre-determined. However, forcing those outcomes in the face of obvious and changing reality within the lesson itself and continuing with a planned activity simply because it is in the plan can be detrimental to the students perception of us as teachers and may, if we are not careful, close off learning opportunities which our students could have benefited from.

The Key to a Great Class I believe that effective classroom management is one of the most often overlooked aspects of ESL teaching. You may be given a great curriculum to work with, and all of the materials that you need to teach English. But how many tools are you given to properly manage your class? Heck, in my first teaching job, I wasn't allowed to punish kids who were acting out! That meant that I couldn't put them in a corner, couldn't properly scold them, couldn't even withhold a reward. I simply had to endure bad behaviour. I wish I had known then what I know now: Effective classroom management is the foundation of any good lesson. One of the best ways to learn classroom management is

 Watch Your Language Working with ESL learners, we have to be very careful of the type of language we use. It's very easy to get frustrated when the kids aren't understanding you. However, this is often because we are using language that is too difficult for them. We are speaking to the students as though they are native English speakers. They are just as frustrated as you! Check out Using Simple Language to read more about this. Positive Rewards I'm a big supporter of using positive reinforcement in the classroom. I remember one time I was getting very frustrated with a student, Riki, who wasn't cleaning up. I kept saying "Riki, clean up. Riki, clean up." After the first few times, I was definitely using my "angry voice". Yet Riki wasn't moving. Suddenly I decided to switch gears and I started praising all of the other kids who were cleaning up. Sure enough, Riki started to clean up. It's things like this that made me create the Smile System. This has been a very effective classroom management idea. I hope you'll try it out (or something similar). Time Management The proper timing of your lessons is another area that ESL teachers need to be aware of. Timing is everything and if you come into your lesson with too much or too little planned, you're going to have a hard time. Proper management of your in-lesson time is essential to maintaining a good class. Wild Ones All teachers will eventually face a class of unruly children. It doesn't have to be a nightmare. This is a technique that I have found useful for dealing with these types of situations. Secondary Education Degrees Effective classroom management can also be learned in a university setting. Many teachers choose to pursue secondary education degrees to enhance their performance in the classroom.I hope that you find at least one of these suggestions helpful for your class. If you have any ideas that you'd like to share, please contact me. And if you want more classroom management tips or to find out what's new on the site, please sign up for the newsletter.

The Five Golden Rules of Good Classroom Management Are you an ESL teacher with classroom management problems? I hope not, but if you are reading this, it might be the case. Have you got a handful of troublemakers who wear you out? Or has the whole class taken over and you find it hard to teach anything? This article proposes 6 golden rules for good classroom management to help you create your plan or strategy with your young students learning English. Why the classroom management problem in the first place? Firstly let's look at reasons why the children might be misbehaving. Are they bored? Does learning English not engage them? Are they fed up with sitting at their desks? Do some of them have behaviour problems such as ADD and disrupt the class for others? Maybe the children find English hard and do not think they can learn it so they hide their lack of confidence behind an excuse of misbehaviour. Maybe the naughty child just thinks that the teacher does not like him or her. Or maybe the children are not motivated to be good because they are never praised when they are well behaved. One thing is for sure; you must be the boss, because, like a young puppy that will try to become pack leader, if you are not in charge then the children will be. And that's the last thing you want! Some newly qualified ESL teachers go out into the classrooms today like so many sacrificial lambs! They want to be nice, fun and friendly, but they fail to establish class management rules and boundaries from day one and the children stampede right over them. This can be a bit of a shock! There are many techniques and strategies for good classroom management and ultimately you have to develop your own personal style that fits with your philosophy in life and that is also effective. In addition you must comply with the rules of the establishment you work in. If your school or institution has rules that you do not agree with and you cannot change them then look for another job! The school should be your ally not your foe. The Only REAL Classroom Management Solution Rather than a plan, strategy or technique, the vital key to good classroom management comes from the ESL teacher's attitude and decision to earn the love and respect of your students. Think about it, if students like you and respect you they will naturally behave well and pay attention because they want to please you. So how can an ESL teacher make this happen? Good Classroom Management Rule 1 Be a mentor not a friend and earn the children's trust by being firm, fair and consistent. Save yourself the humiliation of trying to be the students' best buddy, they will probably laugh at you behind your back. Rather be their mentor, a model for them to copy, not

only in terms of learning English but also in terms of how you expect them to behave. You are someone they can trust and come to for help. Err on the side of being strict, especially at first. It is harder to become strict if you have been casual and lenient. The children will trust you if you are consistent, clear in establishing the rules from day one and consistent in applying them. Refuse to go on teaching until your rules are applied. If you are inconsistent, if you yell at the children or lose your cool, suddenly punish a child unexpectedly, put them down, be sarcastic or embarrass them, they will know that they cannot trust you. Good Classroom Management Rule 2 Show your EFL / ESL pupils that you care about them. At the same time as being firm and fair in class find opportunities to talk to your ESL students informally outside of class time for example sharing a walk over to the canteen or down a corridor. When you get the chance ask the children how they are, what sports they like, who their favourite band is at the moment and so on. The children will feel special because you have taken some of your time to speak to them. If the children feel that you know them, you know what they like, what they can't wait to do when they get home and so on, they will truly feel that you care about them. Now tell me, seriously, how much more likely are they to behave when class time comes round? In fact they could even feel embarrassed for playing you up! Another way to communicate that you care is to look at your pupils, make eye contact and smile at them. If you have some ESL pupils you do not like in your class put yourself in their shoes and do whatever it takes to replace your negative feelings with feelings of compassion for that student. Good Classroom Management Rule 3 Get closer to your EFL / ESL pupils. Never spend a full class up at the board or at the front, behind your barrier of a desk. Instead, perhaps during an ESL writing task, take some time to sit in next to different students and ask them how they are, ask them if they have anything in particular they would like to ask you that they have not understood, or just tell them that they are doing well and put a couple of ticks on their work. Good Classroom Management Rule 4 Praise and encourage good behaviour. Children respond far better to praise than criticism, which only makes them shrivel up inside and feel worthless. Never ever, ever use destructive criticism. Far too many human beings have a lack of self-love, as it is, without propagating it further in the classroom. There is so much good that you can do as an ESL teacher by increasing your pupils' selfesteem through praise and encouragement.

 If you listen to a rather shocking number of parents, they spend their whole time telling their children to stop doing this or stop doing that, and the whole dialogue is negative. Be conscious and make sure you do not fall into that trap. Focus on the positive in order to draw more attention to it and apply the universal law of "you attract what you focus on". Make sure you give plenty of praise and encouragement to ESL students who are well behaved. For example, give out tasks to students who are being good, thank them for being well behaved or for doing something quietly. If children are vying to get your attention say; "I'm picking Sarah because she has been so good today". If a student is being naughty avoid using his or her name. Children love the sound of their own names it means they are getting attention. If Johnny is talking say, "I'm listening to Sarah now". Rewarding students is all part of the process. This does not mean taking them out to pizza. I personally am against rewarding ESL students in this way. To me it belittles the teacher to have to resort to such things, not to mention the fact that ESL teachers are usually not properly paid for the work they do without having to spend part of their salary on bribes for the children. Instead use ideas that confer responsibility or distinction on the pupil such as: verbal or written praise, a positive note to take home to parents, a star on the work, displaying a particular student's work on the wall, being given a seat of honour, being named the student of the day or week, being given a special responsibility such as running an errand for the teacher, doing the role-call, helping the teacher with a class activity, collecting or giving out materials, leading a group activity or tutoring another student. Good Classroom Management Rule 5 Make your teaching style interesting and varied. Tap into all the different ESL learning styles so that you reach all students in your class. Just standing there talking at the board is not going to interest many children anyway, but aside from that, you'll miss the children who mainly learn from tactile and kinaesthetic experience. By using a wide variety of ESL classroom games you will by default dabble in auditory, visual, kinaesthetic and tactile skills and thus engage all your pupils at least some of the time. The other advantage to ESL classroom games is that they engage and motivate the children. It's obvious; if a child is enjoying the learning process then he or she is FAR more likely to pay attention! It important though to choose appropriate games for your class size and classroom configuration. Summary of the Golden Rules for Good ESL Classroom Management These six golden rules will ensure that your ESL pupils trust you because they know what your rules are and that you will apply them. Your pupils will like you because you show

them you care by taking time to talk to them and by getting close to them physically. They will like you because you make them feel good about themselves and learning English through your encouragement and enthusiasm. Finally they will respect you for your stimulating teaching through the use of ESL games, ESL stories, songs or ESL plays that tap into all learning styles.

Classroom Management (http://esl.about.com/od/esleflteachingtechnique/a/classroom_management.htm) retrieved 16 March 2013

By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide

See More About: esl teaching techniques teaching speaking skills teaching beginning english teaching intermediate english Classroom management in the ESL / EFL classroom can be challenging at times because of a number of variables in English classroom management. However, one key element of classroom management remains the same: The desire to communicate in English. This article discusses the challenges of classroom management that occur in one form or another in most ESL / EFL settings. Also provided are a number of suggestions to deal with these issues. There is also an opportunity for teachers to learn from each other by contributing your own experiences in classroom management, as well as tips for effective classroom management.

Classroom Management Challenges Common to Most ESL / EFL Settings

Classroom Management Challenge: Students find it difficult to participate because they don't want to make a mistake.

Classroom Management Tips:

Give examples in (one of) the native languages of the students. You're sure to make some mistakes, and use this as an example of willingness to make mistakes. This classroom management technique should be used with care because some students might wonder at your own language learning capabilities. Break students up into smaller groups rather than conducting discussions as a large group. This approach can lead to more

classroom management issues if the classes are large - use with care! Classroom Management Challenge: Students insist on translating every word.

Classroom Management Tips:

Take a text with some nonsense words. Use this text to illustrate how you can discern general meaning without having to exactly know each and every word. Conduct some consciousness raising about the importance of context to language learning. You can also discuss how

babies absorb language over time. Classroom Management Challenge: Students insist on being corrected for each and every mistake.

Classroom Management Tips:

Establish a policy of correcting only those mistakes that are relevant to the current lesson. In other words, if you are studying the present perfect in that particular lesson, you will only correct mistakes made in present perfect usage. Establish a policy of certain activities which are correction free. This needs to be a class rule so that students don't begin

correcting each other. In this case, you'll have another classroom management issue on your hands. Classroom Management Challenge: Students have varying levels of commitment.

Classroom Management Tips:

Discuss course objectives, expectations and homework policies at the beginning of each new class. Adult learners who feel this is too demanding can make their objections known during this discussion. Do not go back and repeat information from previous lessons for individuals. If you need to do review, make sure that the review is done as a class activity with the objective of helping the entire class.

Adult English Classes - Learners Speaking the Same Language Classroom Management Challenge: Students speak in their own language during class.

Classroom Management Tips:

Use a donation jar. Each time a student speaks a phrase in his / her own language, they contribute to the fund. Later, the class can go out together using the money. Give students some of their own medicine and shortly instruct in another language. Make a point of the distraction this

causes in class. Classroom Management Challenge: Students insist on translating each phrase into their own tongue.

Classroom Management Tips:

Remind students that translating places a third 'person' in the way. Instead of communicating directly, each time you translate into your own language you need to go through a third party in your head. There is no way you can keep up a conversation for any length of time using this technique.

Take a text with some nonsense words. Use this text to illustrate how you can discern general meaning without having to exactly know each and every word. Conduct some consciousness raising about the importance of context to language learning. You can also discuss how babies absorb language over time.

Help Others with Classroom Management

Please use the following form to contribute your own experiences and tips for classroom management. You can learn from other teachers, while providing valuable insight for other teachers who are dealing with similar situations.