Behavior Management in ESL/EFL Teaching

Dr Zafar Iqbal Mohsin (Pakistan)

INTRODUCTION
Hello Mark! Is that you? [I was phoning my friend that had not spoken to for a long while]
...
So you had a bad day at school? Hum..
...
Terrible conduct, misbehaviour, problems . . . as always? What do you mean?
...
So the student pressed charges against the teacher and the school?

This conversation, reported by Dr. Jesús García Laborda (2006), the Editor of the
TESL-EJ Forum, in his contribution entitled The Dark Side of the ESL Classroom,
brings to our attention that misbehaviour and disciplinary problems are a reality in the
ESL classroom.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Hornby, 2000) defines behavior as, "The
way somebody or something acts or functions in particular situations". The term most
frequently used and discussed in an educational context is 'behavioral problems'.
Some educationists take this term as synonymous with maladjustment, that is a child’s
unsatisfactory adjustment his or her environment and condition of life, but many other
educators believe that it is neither a clinical nor even descriptive term but an
administrative one. However, we can define a behavioral problem as behavior that
usually causes excessive disturbance or disruption, or challenges the authority of the
teacher or the school. It is quite clear that this definition is not comprehensive. In fact,
more research is needed to clarify what a behavioral problem or misbehavior is.
However, it is obvious that most teachers describe children as having behavioral
problems if there is some kind of anxiety, distractibility, aggression or lack of
attention and motivation. Many teachers, especially those related to language
teaching, become defensive and annoyed when they face any 'misbehavior' from
pupils and they find it very hard to look at themselves and their methods and attitudes.
But if teachers take pride in the successes from their positive effect on pupils'
attitudes, feelings, actions and academic achievements, then they must logically
accept that the reverse can also happen, which means they can affect pupils in
unacceptable or undesired ways too. Many teachers are understandably unwilling to
recognize that the reasons for students' misbehavior can be found as often in their
teaching or behavior as in the students' inability or failure to learn.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNING & BEHAVIOR

Students and teacher work together to construct lessons and to reach instructional
goals; that's why management and instructional processes are closely related to each
other. Experts believe that a child has certain convictions about himself and the
people around him. From early childhood, pupils develop fixed ideas about
themselves and other people. These ideas are called "Life Positions". There are four
life positions which are important in the study of children's behavior. Those positions
are discussed individually:

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I am okay, you are okay:
This is an ideal position, which helps to establish a relationship of shared respect. The
pupils who assume this position have high self-esteem and they also respect others.
The sole aim of a teacher's training in a class should be to promote this position.

I am okay, you are not okay

When this position is taken up by teachers or students, differences are most likely to
arise. The teacher is likely to blame the students for all that goes wrong in the class,
and the students may in turn be unprepared to change their behavior.

I am not okay, you are okay

Teachers who take up this life position are likely to be more self critical and have
convinced themselves that they are not doing a good job. On the other hand, the
students who take up this stance are likely to be withdrawn, distant and they may
think of themselves as dull, sluggish, and incompetent and have no self-esteem.

I am not okay, you are not okay

This is the most negative life position, for both teachers and students. Teachers are
self-critical and are negative towards pupils whereas pupils put themselves down and
blame their teachers for their failures.

Experts suggest that the best strategy is to move towards a position where both the
teacher and the pupils are okay. This will enable them to create a good working
environment which greatly contributes towards building self-respect for both the
teachers and students.

LEARNING & BEHAVIOR DIFFICULTIES

It is obvious that difficulties in learning have a direct impact on students' behavior and
vice versa. No doubt it is very difficult to define all the causes of learning difficulties
but it is now well established that many students with learning difficulties suffer from
associated emotional or behavioral problems. Difficulties in the affected areas range
from severe maladjustment to slight emotional problems, for example, minor anxieties
or low self-confidence. Moreover, the students who are disinterested in learning, or
dissatisfied with the educational programs schools offer to them, may direct their
interest and energies away from school tasks towards a variety of disturbing behaviors
such as noninvolvement in academic work, absence and some kind of abuse towards
teachers. There are issues of stress, rejection, fear and anxiety that need to be
identified and handled appropriately. Jones and Charlton (1996), in their book
"Overcoming Learning and Behavior Difficulties", very rightly suggest that
"Understanding of school-based factors which cause learning and behavior difficulties
can benefit from consultations with pupils who encounter these difficulties."

Sooner or later, every teacher will meet a child who displays behavioral problems, a
student who not only struggles to keep up the pace with the group, but who also
disrupts the class and teaching situation. The extent to which this behavior interrupts
will vary considerably according to factors such as the nature of the child's needs, the
size of the class, the subject being taught and the type of school.

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ASSESSING BEHAVIOR
Our beliefs also influence how we assess students' behavior and how we use that
information. At one end of the scale is the educator who believes the authority figure
identifies the degree of adherence to the expectations and delivers the consequences.
At the other end are those who believe it is the student who needs to reflect on this
information and make decisions to alter the behavior.

Good language learners always have an ability to recognize their weak and strong
points. On the basis of this knowledge, they are able to work out their own strategies
for better learning. This type of self recognition or self control is known as meta-
cognition. The work on meta-cognition in the academic arena is beginning to transfer
to our insights about how students need to think about their own behavior.

Behavior represents a person’s actions, attitude represents a person’s explanation of

their behavior, and belief represents an explanation of why their attitudes are
effective. For example, if a teacher decides to reduce in-class drilling time, this would
be a behavioral change. The behavioral change is likely linked to a change in attitude,
perhaps a conviction that drilling may not be an effective teaching strategy. The
change in attitude could in turn reflect a change in belief regarding how students
learn. Perhaps the teacher has gone from believing in a behaviorist approach toward
language learning to believing in natural language acquisition. This figure shows the
relationship between behavior, attitude, and belief.

Relationship between behavior, attitude, and belief

It is important to note that the directional arrows are one-way, thus a change in
behavior doesn’t necessarily indicate changes in attitudes or beliefs.

Another model for assessing formation of behavioral patterns can be studied in the
context of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. These three
factors help in formulating the intention which ultimately creates our behavior.

REASONS FOR MISBEHAVIOR AMONG ESL/EFL STUDENTS

It is sometimes not clear whether a behavioral problem is the cause of some difficulty
in learning, or vice versa. However, it is obvious that there is a definite relationship
between the two. Keeping this relationship in view, many writers have tried to find
various reasons for misbehavior among language learners. Newell and Jeffery (2002),
in their work entitled "Behavior Management in the Classroom", suggest: "The main

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reasons that pupils misbehave in a classroom are; not being able to do the work, fear
of failure, boredom, lack of clarity about what to do, too long spent on an activity
without a break, lack of self-esteem and poor relationships." It is also important to see
that the behavior of students is also affected by their surrounding and environment.

Attitude

Subjective
Intention
Norm

Behavioral
Control

Sometimes there are also physical reasons for pupils’ misbehavior in class. One of
those reasons can be the poor quality of hearing or vision. If the problems of hearing
and vision go unnoticed, they are most likely to create a lot of problems for pupils as
well as for teachers. The basic responsibility, however, rests on the shoulders of
teachers to note and discuss these problems of hearing or lack of proper vision with
the affected student and with his/her parents and, if necessary, the child should be sent
for a thorough medical examination. Poor vision or hearing can also have an adverse
effect on learning outcomes, therefore the students who have such problems are
undoubtedly the cause of a wide range of difficulties for their parents and teachers.
However, they also face hardships themselves in learning, and often disturb their
classmates and friends. This is especially true in language classes.

Many experts see the reasons for pupils' misbehavior only in teachers' conduct. Sonia
Burnard (1998), in "Developing Children's Behavior in the Classroom", says: "Badly
behaved classes are more likely to occur where teachers lack clarity about their own
everyday rules, and when teachers respond in an arbitrary and random nature to pupil
misbehavior. This most often happens when the control is to task rather than to
management." Secondly, teachers who only emphasize misbehavior and constantly
ignore students’ good behavior unknowingly signal students that showing
misbehavior is the best way to receive attention in class; therefore they actually
reinforce undesirable actions among students. Competent teachers are more
compensating; they give credit to positive attainments and draw their students'
attention to those accomplishments. Good teachers have a few simple rules that they

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apply justly and uniformly. In this way, students feel that rules are for everyone and
no one is beyond the law.

The role of the teachers in students' behavior can also be determined by the student-
teacher relationship. If we ask students why they enjoy a subject, they will often say
that they like the teacher of that subject. It is difficult for students to learn anything
from someone whom they dislike or don't respect. Good relationships between a
teacher and the class sometimes have a great magical feel about them. Obviously, the
reverse is also true. Bad relationships between a teacher and the class can cause an
unsettling environment and lead to misbehavior.

Many students face problems because of the inability of a teacher, or a group of

teachers, to provide classroom experiences that are meaningful and relevant to the
interests, experiences, skills and knowledge of particular children. Clearly a child with
a behavior problem is likely to experience difficulty in learning effectively. On the
other hand, a child who has learning difficulties is more likely to present some
behavioral problems, because he/she is unable to keep up with lessons, feels a failure,
and does not follow the teachers properly.

SOLUTIONS TO BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AMONG ESL/EFL LEARNERS

Following are the important measures that help to establish good classroom
management for ESL/EFL students.

Proper Preparation by the Teacher

It is very important for effective teaching that the teacher should be well prepared for
his/her lesson. As Stone suggests in Managing Difficult Children in Schools, "Being
prepared to work with and teach children involves thinking ahead and making sure
that potential problems are prevented or minimized." The prior arrangement of all
necessary equipment before the lesson includes checking that audio-visual equipment,
such as a tape recorder, television, overhead projector and computer etc., is in good
working order. It also includes checking and trying out practical activities to ensure
that they work. It is a recognized fact that well planned and carefully organized
lessons, well defined learning outcomes, a variety of activities matching the pupils'
ability and good usage of interesting resources all play a vital role in managing
behavior in the classroom.

Good Teaching Methodology

Effective teaching methodology is the basic key to good classroom management.
Teachers who create an interesting experience, by adopting suitable teaching
techniques for their lessons, can leave a lasting impression on pupils' minds. No
matter which the subject or what the topic, each lesson should be based on activities
that will attract students' attention. Definitely, there is no one particular correct way of
teaching. In fact, a good teacher should be and has to be innovative in teaching. Every
teacher is an individual with his/her unique methodology and s/he brings something of
his/her own personality and thinking into the teaching. If a teacher explains his/her
lesson clearly, he/she will be able to keep pupils focused and managed. The opposite,
ambiguity, will undermine good management because it increases the level of unrest
in the classroom. If pupils know what is about to happen they will be more likely to
remain calm and pay attention. Therefore, it will be useful to outline to students, at the
beginning of each class, exactly what will be happening during the period.

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Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is a useful method not only of effective learning but also better
classroom management. It also teaches the students how to cooperate among
themselves. We all can imagine how useful this learning will be for students in
tomorrow's practical working environment. Collaborative learning also ensures
maximization of students' potential. Their abilities are greatly nurtured through pair
work, group work, questioning, role play, project or research work and other activity
based tasks.

Creating a Learning Atmosphere

Good teachers create such a nice atmosphere of learning in their classrooms that
students love to attend those classes. A supportive learning atmosphere includes,
among other things, confidence, participation, good relationships and group
cooperation, availability of resources and a good lively method of sharing experiences
in the class. This can be more helpful if more consultation, conversation, counseling
and discussion are included and tension, screaming and yelling are avoided in the
class. A teacher should establish such a nice setting for the class that a student should
never be afraid of entering the classroom.

Meaningful Tasks to Promote Effective Learning

If class activities and learning tasks are in accordance with the capabilities and
interests of the pupils, they will not only excel in their studies but will also be well
behaved. Thus the best way to avert behavioral problems is to engage pupils in
meaningful tasks. If students are not busy in fruitful activities or lessons, behavioral
problems are bound to arise in the class and class management suffers, with the result
that the students' level of motivation falls and the whole process of teaching and
learning becomes low standard. In Teaching Children to Think Fisher affirms a
creative climate in the classroom saying, "All children are born with creative ability
but it is up to us to provide a climate to support the child's creative efforts." It is,
therefore, a teacher's responsibility to encourage students' creativity, with well
designed, interesting and fruitful activities.

Using Visual Cues in the Classroom

An important technique many teachers use as a tool for management is that of visual
cues. Some teachers flip light switches, others use facial expressions, body posture
and hand signals. We can extend this to other non-verbal cues such as pocket clickers
or tapping the board with chalk for attention. One technique which works well,
especially with adults, is asking people to pay attention and raise their hand when they
see the teacher's hand raised. This has a knock-on effect of spreading the signal
silently and efficiently throughout the classroom. Cueing management visually also
has the advantage of appearing less aggressive and, more importantly, allows the
teacher to reserve his/her voice for content.

Some General Steps to Avoid Behavioral Problems

Everyone knows that the way in which a teacher works and behaves with students
affects the behavior of the individual child as well as the class as a whole. However, it
remains a fact that not all students’ behavioral problems are the results of the teacher's
behavior, although most of the problems can be prevented or minimized if a number
of appropriate steps are taken. Some of those steps are suggested here:

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 1. Educational leaders should work with teachers, parents and students to ensure
good understanding between the teachers and the students.
2. A balanced and flexible school policy on both academic as well as behavior
aspects should be devised.
3. The teachers’ academic expectations of the students should be high but not
irrational.
4. There is always a great need in educational institutions for teaching staff to set
high professional standards in terms of punctuality, planning and completion
of tasks.
5. Praise for good behavior and good performance should always be louder than
criticism for misbehavior.
6. The curriculum should be designed to meet not only the students' present
needs but also their future needs in practical life.
7. There should be a respectful and comfortable relationship between teachers,
between teachers and students, between students and between teachers and
parents.

TRAITS OF EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT

The roles and responsibilities of teachers in managing behavior are important. It is
unfortunate that if someone complains about students' misbehavior, the teachers will
blame the high number of students, lack of time and resources, the government's
policies and other problems, but they will never talk about their own behavior or short
comings. The truth is that the classroom teacher is responsible for making major
decisions, creating a positive classroom environment, writing behavior plans, carrying
out interventions and establishing classroom rules and procedures. Teachers also
perform a variety of tasks that are unique to their position. A teacher's roles include:
demonstrating, explaining, modeling and reinforcing appropriate behavior and skills.
Additional roles often include: observing, monitoring, and recording students’
behavior. All these roles are quite demanding from the teachers' perspective but at the
same time exemplary for the pupils.

It has been noted that good teachers make clear to their students from the very
beginning what behavior is expected from them and what is not. They tend to
establish procedures, routines and clear rules of conduct for all the students equally.
To avoid disturbances from the students in the class, it is of paramount importance to
make all the instructions and activities clear to students. Motivating students to learn
is also a good form of behavior management. A student involved in a good learning
activity is not involved, at the same time, in a clash with the teacher or with other
students. No doubt it is possible only if the teacher is playing his/her role effectively.

BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Sonia Burnard (1998) in Developing Children's Behavior in the Classroom states,
"Behavior management is about coordinating what we know about behavior, the
process of development, what will redirect different behaviors, about looking ahead,
and planning creatively for the group and for the individual." Behavior management
strategies are written documents that describe the behavior to be changed, strategies or
interventions regarding the required behavior, and include a recording system.
Behavior management plans are developed by either the classroom teacher or other

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educational leaders. Behavior management plans help the teachers to handle pupils'
behavior actively and effectively. Such strategies also help teachers remain consistent.
The use of a behavior management plan helps to establish the expectations of both the
teachers and students. It permits frequent feedback regarding the effectiveness of the
management strategies being employed, assists in documentation of student or class
progress and provides useful guidelines for interacting with students.

No doubt, the prime objectives of behavior management are to provide the best
educational opportunities for students and to teach students new skills. It is very
useful to rely on educational leaders to provide a plan or approach for dealing with
behavior in the classroom. Basically, it is the teacher's responsibility to establish the
classroom behavior management plan. Systematically gathering information about
students' behavior is important in planning and developing effective strategies for
teaching students positive behaviors. To devise such strategies, teachers should first of
all bear in mind what learning behaviors students need to have before they start a task.
Then comes developing and maintaining a relationship with all the students.

Students who are impulsive can learn problem-solving strategies which force them to
scrutinize problems and evaluate possible consequences. In their study entitled
Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning and Behavior Problems, Bos and
Vaughn recommended a strategy called FAST for this purpose.

The steps in FAST are:

1. Freeze and think! What is the problem?

2. Alternatives? What are my possible solutions?
3. Solution evaluation. Choose the best solution: Is it safe? Is it fair?
4. Try it, slowly and carefully. Does it work?

BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT & CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Classroom management and management of student conduct are skills that teachers
acquire and sharpen over time. These skills usually don't shape up properly until after
a minimum of a few years of teaching experience. However, effective teaching
requires considerable skill in managing the innumerable tasks and situations that
occur in the classroom each day. Classroom management skills are central to teaching
and require common sense, consistency, a sense of fairness, and courage. These skills
also require that teachers understand the psychological and developmental levels of
their students in more than one way. The skills associated with effective classroom
management are only acquired with practice, feedback and a willingness to learn from
mistakes.

It is a common misconception that management of class and instruction are two

separate domains. As students and teacher work together to construct lessons and to
reach instructional goals, management and instructional processes are closely related.

CONCLUSION: PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM

MANAGEMENT

1 Teaching of English as a second or foreign language is more likely to be

successful if:

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 • Each lesson has specific objectives.
• Lessons have an overall theme and there is continuity in the lecture.
• The teacher's work is properly prepared.
• Class activities and tasks are appropriate to the students' age and
ability.
• There is feedback on regular basis.
• The teacher adopts a variety of strategies and activities to attract
students' attention.
• The lesson is concluded in an orderly and organized manner.
• Students are commended for work done well.

2 Unwanted behavior can be minimized by:

ƒ Ensuring an interesting and timely start of lecture.

ƒ Introducing the main theme clearly and avoiding unnecessary
repetition.
ƒ Ensuring smooth and continuous flow of lecture.
ƒ Getting the maximum number of students involved in the classroom
activity.
ƒ Motivating students to learn the lesson thoroughly.
ƒ Looking for and responding to feedback from the students.
ƒ Using a questioning/answering technique properly.
ƒ Emphasizing students' responsibilities.
ƒ Establishing good eye-contact with students.

3 Confrontations and disputes with students are more likely to be resolved

successfully for both teachers and students if:

ƒ A cooperative relationship based on mutual respect and understanding,

is established.
ƒ The teacher focuses on positive behavior and not on personal likes or
dislikes.
ƒ Disputes and problems are solved mutually and they are not made
public.
ƒ The teacher doesn't use threatening behavior.
ƒ The teacher tries to avoid embarrassing, humiliating or abusing
students.
ƒ A calm and healthy atmosphere is maintained.

Perhaps one can never eliminate misbehaviour entirely because one cannot control
influences (like family influence) from outside of the classroom that affect a learner's
behaviour; but one has the option of managing the classroom on the inside to lessen,
if not nullify, negative behavioural tendencies that are brought into the classroom
from elsewhere. The guidelines offered above are one way of doing this. It is up to
teachers and educational leaders to train and educate their students on one side and
provide them such a conducive atmosphere in the classroom that can help students
developing good behaviour. This will not only have its positive effects inside the
classroom or the institution but will show its positive manifestations in students’
overall life.
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REFERENCES

Ahtisham, Nawal (2005). Management of Behavior in the Language

Learning/Teaching Situation. Pakistan: A. I. O. U.

Burnard, Sonia (1998). Developing Children's Behavior in the Classroom. London:

Falmer Press.

Charlton, Tony and Davis, Kenneth (1993). Managing Misbehavior in School.

London & New York: Routledge.

Hornby, A.S. (Ed.) (2000). Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. London: OUP.
Jones, Kevin & Charlton, Tony (1996). Overcoming Learning and Behavior
Difficulties. London & New York: Routledge

Laborda, Jesus G (2006). The Dark Side of the ESL Classroom. TESL-EJ Forum.
September 2006 Volume 10 (2). Accessed from http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/
TESL-EJ/ej38/f1.html on 18 June 2007.

Newell, S & Jeffery, D (2002). Behaviour management in the classroom: a

transactional analysis approach. London: David Fulton Publishers.

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