Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified in China? Are you interested in teaching English in Linqing, China? Check out our opportunities in Linqing, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English in your community or abroad! Teflonline.net offers a wide variety of Online TESOL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Here Below you can check out the feedback (for one of our units) of one of the 16.000 students that last year took an online course with ITTT!
This unit discussed classroom management, from arranging the seating of the students, to eye contact and hand gestures used during the lessons. Ive always known to make good eye contact when addressing any crowd, but the points made here as to the usefulness of it in a classroom was beneficial. Using eye contact to indicate who is to talk next instead of gesturing is a good idea, since it makes a better indicator than just randomly pointing. This keeps gestures down to using them when needed, rather than constantly using them. Though I have been known to talk with my hands, I can understand the importance of limiting gestures in a classroom setting. Using the voice properly is not anything I was unaware of. I have spoken to classrooms before, and taken speech classes to learn how to properly talk in front of groups. I did agree with the points on using student names, especially on when to use them and how often. This draws the students in while not giving others the chance to fade out if they know they are not going to be involved.
Over the years Ive seen each of the seating layouts described here, from the horseshoe to rows of desks. Personally I always enjoyed either a few to a table or just sitting at my own desk as a student, but I am aware that everyone is different and works better in other situations. Of course how they are seated affects how they can be grouped up for projects as well. The whole class working together can work with any seating arrangement, however it can leave some of the students out of interacting and getting to have a voice. Some students like to work on their own, but I find working in pairs or small groups to be the best option so that everyone can participate, but nobody will feel overwhelmed by a project and feel like they have nobody but the teacher to ask.
Now I can see rearranging the classroom based on a project, as I remember doing that in school as well. Bringing groups together for something more comprehensive or just to change up the dynamic for a day or two can be a great way to help them learn.
As for the position of the teacher, I like the idea of placing my desk at the back of the classroom, while having boards on more than one wall if possible. All the instruction would be done from different locations, with as little facing away from them as possible. I like the idea of an overhead, as I have had professors spend their whole time using one, but I prefer a board so as not to be sitting the whole time as that could lead to. Also with being in different locations like that, its easier to make sure students can get individual attention and make sure they do not feel lost in the back of the room.
I appreciate the idea of balancing teacher talk time with the students talk time. One does not want to dominate the experience verbally since they are there to learn a language, and having conversations and practicing are required to do so. Obviously the teacher needs to talk to give instruction and new material, but in this type of classroom the students should be engaged and conversing back each day. When the teacher does talk they need to keep it simple, and not go beyond what their students already know, using visual clues and remaining consistent in their methods. I completely agree with this, simply because you do not want to intimidate them and lose their interest right out of the box. The students level should always be considered and respected in this regard.
This will also help establish the rapport with your students, keeping them engaged, and making sure they do not feel lost or overwhelmed at any point. If they like you and like working with you, then they will have an easier time learning while you have an easier time teaching them. Of course throughout this you need to watch for problem behaviors and know how to prevent such things from happening. Best way is to always be on time, be prepared for the day, stay consistent, and always show them respect. If something does come up, it needs to be handled immediately, calmly, and properly.
