Teach English in Siziwangqigongjitang Zhen - Wulanchabu Shi — Ulanqab

Discipline often comes to mind at the mention of classroom management, but the crucial component of teaching is much more. Classroom management creates a set of expectations used in an organized classroom environment. It includes routines, rules and consequences. Effective classroom management paves the way for the teacher to engage the students in learning. Classroom Management is the skill of organizing and managing the class, having a friendly, relaxed manner and maintaining discipline.Therefore, classroom management goes beyond just ensuring discipline in the class. The importance of classroom management can be better appreciated by understanding the consequences of having a disorganized class which lacks classroom management. Such a class would make a teacher's job unnecessarily difficult as the routines and expectations are not clearly laid out. The root cause of lack of discipline and disruption would be the students failing to understand what is to be done. A teacher would lose crucial teaching time in regaining control of the class, which could have been avoided by implementing classroom management strategies. Classroom management strategies organize a classroom's environment that is conducive to teaching and learning. Students show more interest in class which fosters their learning of the subject. There are various strategies and practices that can be used to manage classes. These are not sophisticated practices but rather simple practices such as maintaining eye contact, using commonly understood gestures, and so on that can help a teacher establish good rapport with the students. Good eye contact is the sign of a confident teacher who is keen on maintaining discipline in the class. It also engages students in the lesson and encourages their contribution in class activities. However, eye contact should be used judiciously and must not intimidate any student. The use of gestures can convey the meaning of language in minimum words and makes a class visually more appealing. Appropriate use of voice can offer great assistance in managing a class. A clear voice with good variety and projection offers significant assistance as the students will find it easier to understand instructions and explanations, thus reducing any confusion in the class. Chaos and confusion can also arise as a consequence of ill-management of group activities. Group activities are an integral part of learning and thus cannot be avoided. A number of factors determine the grouping to be made, such as the size of the class, the lesson being taught and so on.Therefore, a judicious choice must be made when grouping students for an activity. Whole-class grouping is suitable when the class must be addressed and involved as a whole. Individual work is appropriate when the self-reliance of students must be improved. Pairing students though easy to organize, can be quite chaotic. The arrangement of the classroom also plays an important role in managing classes and ensuring discipline. A large class can have orderly rows, with the teacher standing on a podium. A relatively small class can be organized in a circle or horseshoe, with the teacher at the center. A teacher’s position when conducting lessons and activities plays a significant role as well. Moving in the classroom can help control the class whereas sitting down creates a relaxed atmosphere. Control of the class may also be lost when writing on the board, and may be difficult to regain. Writing the most essential information on the board, using cards when teaching vocabulary and the use of overhead projectors are some of the effective practices in this situation. An effective classroom management strategy is to establish good rapport with students. This makes a class enjoyable and successful, as students enjoy the lesson being taught. Allowing students that jell well to sit together, constantly asking for feedback from the students, performing ice breaking activities at the beginning of the lesson, refraining from over-correcting students, and having a cheerful manner create a conducive ambience which fosters learning and understanding. Effective strategies for providing instructions are also beneficial. Besides the clarity of voice, the use of simple language, consistency, using visual cues to reinforce and clarify instructions and checking whether students have actually understood the instructions are examples of such strategies. Maintaining discipline in a classroom is contingent on various factors such as age of the students, size of class, the motivation for learning, and so on. This area intimidates many inexperienced teachers and a significant amount of classroom time may be used in maintaining discipline. Understanding the reasons behind lack of discipline is important. These may include family problems, boredom, peer pressure and many more. Some reasons can be influenced by the teacher, while others cannot. Behavioral problems can be prevented by being punctual to the class, being well-prepared, consistent and impartial in evaluating students’ work, and never losing one’s temper. In spite of employing these preventive measures, behavioral problems may still occur. In these circumstances, a teacher can act immediately and prevent worsening of the problem, change the classroom dynamics, or reprimand the problem student after class. Classroom management strategies are very important during the conduction of a class as it not only maintains discipline but also creates an atmosphere that promotes learning and understanding. The appropriate use of these strategies establishes good rapport with the students and helps in efficient use of classroom time. Therefore, a proper understanding of classroom management strategies is of utmost importance for any teacher, and helps the teacher to be effective and successfully carry out his/her responsibilities.