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In this unit I learned about what it takes for a teacher to effectively manage and organize a classroom in order to create the best possible learning environment for his or her students.
One of the first important areas of classroom management is the teacher's use of eye contact, gestures, and their voice. Using the right amount of eye contact with students is crucial for the teacher in order to see the reaction of the students and to gain a good rapport with the class. The teacher needs to make eye contact with every student in the class, but avoid staring or not looking at all at a particular student or students. Gestures, too, help the teacher communicate with students without the need for words. However, when a teacher does need to speak, a slight increase in the volume of the teacher's voice (but never shouting) and a higher pitch is often all that is necessary to keep the students attentive. Teachers should also avoid speaking too quietly or too slowly, or without varying the pitch of their voice, as students may then lose interest in what the teacher is talking about.
Another important point of classroom management is seating arrangements in the classroom. The way students are arranged within the class depends on various factors. One of the largest factors contributing to different seating plans is the style of teaching that best suits the teacher. The teacher may opt to seat students in orderly rows or at separate tables. Semi-circles or horseshoe arrangement may provide the best learning environment for smaller classes because then the teacher can be closer to the students and can interact with them easier. Ultimately, the teacher needs to weigh the pros and cons of a seating arrangement in order to determine which is best in their circumstances.
I discovered it is also important for teachers to sometimes give individual attention to students. First of all, a teacher needs to know the name of all the students in the class. A student may sometimes need that individual one-on-one with the teacher in order to better understand the task at hand. A teacher needs to try and involve all the students equally in an activity. If a student cannot or will not participate in an activity it may be better to let them remain silent. The teacher should always be encouraging, regardless, and give the student(s) praise for a task or activity well done.
One last important area I learned about in this unit is in regard to teacher talking time. There will be times when it is most important and appropriate for the teacher to be speaking. The teacher is, after all, a source of natural, correct English for the students to see and hear. But the teacher must be aware of the level of fluency in English for his or her students. Generally, as a teacher, you will want to keep your instruction as simple and consistent as possible. This helps reduce unnecessary teacher talking time and gives more time for students to speak and actively participate in class.
