Teach English in Rudongdong'Ankejiyuanqu - Nantong Shi

Throughout this course it has been explained how a teacher should stimulate students in order to promote learning, this can be seen in the ESA strategy of teaching which focuses on encouraging students to participate in learning. During this course there have been many examples which show how the teacher can be determining in the learning process and create an optimal environment for learning for the students. There are many aspects a teacher must manage/consider when teaching a classroom to establish an optimal learning environment. These include the level of the students, appropriate material, equipment, preparation beforehand, building rapport with the students, positioning of the in the classroom, time, short term and long-term goals amongst other aspects. One of the first things a teacher should consider is the group of people that they will we be teaching as the different possible groups can imply many different things and will require a different approach and material for classroom. For example when teaching a group of young people it is likely that they may be less motivated and more easily distracted than an adult group of learners, these differences will have to be taken into account by the teacher and the teacher will have to manage the classroom tailored to each group. One way in which a teacher can motivate a classroom and make lessons interesting for students is to prepare appropriate materials for the students, this is material which is within their difficulty level but not too easy and related to topics of interest to students. By making lessons interesting, challenging and fun to students, it is less likely that students will misbehave due to boredom and create a better environment for learning. Another aspect a teacher can influence in classroom management to promote a better learning environment is the organization of the classroom. For example, the positioning of the teacher in the classroom can draw the attention of the class to or away from the teach, resulting in a different impact to the classroom environment. Following an ESA approach the teacher may be in front of the classroom at the “E” phase of the classroom as they encourage students to participate, and gradually take less presence in the classroom towards the “A” phase where the students will have more protagonism. Furthermore, the teacher can also arrange the classroom by modifying the seating plan to create a better learning environment, for example by organizing tables in “horseshoe” fashion and pairing stronger students with weaker students. A teacher should prepare for lessons in advance, such as by having a teaching plan prepared before the lesson to guide them during the lesson, but not be used as a script. Having a teaching plan before the lesson will help the teacher focus on the key points they want to get across and avoid wasting time in thinking on the spot what should be done. Time is another important aspect a teacher should consider as it may not always be possible to teach all the material planned. A teaching plan can help keep a record of what has been taught or what was missed and can therefore aid teachers in preparing future lessons. In addition to this a teacher can also prepare/ check equipment before the start of each lesson to make sure that all is functioning and will not cause a problem when teaching. Lastly how a teacher manages their relationship with the classroom also has an impact on the learning environment. A teacher should promote a good relation between the students (i.e arranging a seating plan that ensures students are comfortable and preparing group activities) and more importantly establish good relationship with the classroom and build rapport with them. One thing a teacher should not do is to build a bad image of themselves to the students, for example by harsh disciplining and threatening students with harsh discipline, as this will make it difficult to build a good learning environment, adversely affecting the potential learning of students and could give rise to further disciplinary problems due to boredom and lack of motivation. There are many things a teacher can do to make sure to build a good relationship with the classroom, for example always been early to the classroom will help students take the teacher more seriously than if the teacher were to arrive late often, or by giving positive reinforcement instead of pinpointing mistakes constantly in order to make the students feel comfortable and secure when participating. Managing a good relationship with the class and building good rapport will ultimately build a good classroom environment and lead to students enjoying their lesson and will likely make them more productive in class.