MANAGING THE CLASSROOM BY JEREMY HARMER

How to teach English:

Presented by Keri and Kaan

Managing the classroom

Classroom managementThe teacher in the classroomUsing the voiceTalking to studentsGiving instructionsStudent Talk and teacher talkUsing the L1Creating Lesson stagesDifferent seating arrangements & student

groupings

Classroom Management

Variables

Space

Students : groups vs alone

Classroom Time

Appearance

Voice

Talking to students

Mother tongue role

Difficult situationsClassroommanagementonline.com

Teacher in the

classroomProximity

Appropriacy

Movement

Awareness

Physical Location?

Standing ?

How close ?

Still or walking around ?

The teacher’s primary responsibility is response-ability (Wilberg, as cited by Harmer, 2007, p. 35)

Self Awareness

How our students see us

Importance of Attire (Roach, 1997)“Dress Professionally”“Relationship of GTA dress with student

perceptions of affective/cognitive learning, student misbehaviors, and student ratings of instruction”

GTA training often disregard “Non-verbal” factors.

Attire = attitudes, beliefs, values, socio-economics

True? False? Perception is everything

Persuasiveness Competence, credibility & professionalism.

…in the Classroom.

Different setting = different effectsOften no official dress code but strong

unofficial preference & effectivenessDress Seminars ? “One of the reasons the teachers are not paid

as professionals is that they don’t look like professionals” (Molloy as cited by Lang in Roach, 1997, p. 129)

Respect? Approachability?

Teacher Assistant Attire….

Negative Impact ? Positive Impact?

…Conclusion

“In light of study results, elevated TA attire levels create a positive, professional impression on students that is reflected in student attitudes toward the course, the instructor, the content, etc.” (Roach, 1997, p.137)

strange-lands.com

Using the Voice

Audibility

Variety

Conservation

Audibility Voice quality – projection – Volume

Variety Type of voice Type of lesson

Conservation Care of voice – breathing –

conserve energy

Talking to students

Manner Empathy Rapport Teacher – Student Parent – ChildRough Tuning

It is the simplification of language which both parents and teachers make in order to increase their chances of being understood.

Adjust language use : Grammatical complexity, vocab use, Tone.Kind of language; what they wish to say & Manner.

Giving Instructions

2 Rules:

Simple & logical

Check understanding

Mother tongue &

Translation

ilookchina.net

Student Talk Time (STT)(STT) Teacher Talk Time (TTT)

Not enough ? Too much ?

Student Talk & Teacher Talk

TTQ Teacher Talking Quality

Student centered or Teacher centered ?

Using the L1

L1 L2

Giving complicated instructions Use L1 when other ways of

explaining meaning are ineffective

May aid in pronunciation Help make connections and see

differences between L1 & L2

L2 should predominate Use L1 only when other

ways of explaining meaning are ineffective

Progression from L1 to L2

Beginner level Advanced level

Creating lesson stages

Arouse student’s interest

Signal beginning of activity or lesson

Hold and/or regain students’ attention

Signal ending of activity or lesson

Different seating arrangements

Different seating arrangements indicate a number of different approaches.

More than just seating arrangement

“In classroom settings where students are required or elect to bring several items to class, for example, a backpack, jacket, and handbag, in addition to notebooks and textbooks, defining one’s own territory may become increasingly important as a means of comfortably engaging in active learning” (Burgess & Kaya, 2007, p. 872).

Different student groupings

Whole ClassPresenting material (lectures)Drills/practiceCreates sense of belonging

Less individual attentionInhibition because perceived as more demanding

Group/Pair workCooperative and interactiveIncreases independenceIncreases participationTeacher can work with a group while other groups work

CompatibilityDominant vs. subordinateMay encourage disruptiveness

PROS CONS

Different student groupings

PROS CONS

SoloStudents work at own paceGives students thinking timeAllows individuality

?

Class to ClassInteraction between othersMay encourage positive feelings and higher motivation

Can be time consuming

Discussion Questions

Harmer does not mention this in the chapter, but to what degree do you think culture (the teacher’s and the students’) plays a role in how the teacher manages the classroom?

How important is the teacher’s appearance? Clothes? Grooming? Hygiene?

References

2 homeless men [Cartoon]. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2012 from, http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/ shabby.asp.

Burgess, B., & Kaya, N. (2007). Territoriality: Seat preferences in different types of classroom arrangements. Environment and Behavior, 39(6), 859-877. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from the Sage Publications database.

Can you help me, Mrs. Martin? [Cartoon]. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2012 from, http://classroommanagement online.com.

Dress code [Cartoon]. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2012 from, http://strange-lands.com/2010/07/dress-code-for-men-

and-women-in-public-schools.html

References

Harmer, J. (2007). How to teach English. Essex, UK: LongmanMale holding a book [Clipart]. (2012) Retrieved January 31,

2012 from, http://www.graphicsfactory.com/ Clip_Art/ Education/teacher401_138795.html

Teaching before and after-edited [Cartoon]. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2012 from, http://ilookchina.net/?

s=cartoon