Classroom Management Classroom Management Forum DiscussionForum Discussion

Presenters

• ALTs– Ashley Williams– Lacey Love– Ryan Love

• JTE– Nakayama Midori

Today’s Plan

• What’s the goal of classroom management?

• What works and what doesn’t work• Problem Solving

Goals of Classroom Goals of Classroom ManagementManagement

• Many people have different ideas about this

• It can mean something different to every teacher

• What do you think?

• Our Idea:– Teachers should manage the

atmosphere of a classroom so that:• it becomes a place of active learning

and participation• it fosters both individual and group

thinking• teachers respect students• students respect both teachers and each

other

Goals of Classroom Goals of Classroom ManagementManagement

What doesn’t work…What doesn’t work…• Yelling– Yelling shows the class 2 things:

• 1. They’ve gotten to you and you lost your cool• 2. You are working against them, not with them

– Yelling in English: they probably won’t understand you

– Yelling in Japanese: they’ll probably make fun of your Japanese

– Yelling does not show or earn respect, even when the words are understood

What doesn’t work…What doesn’t work…• Sarcasm– It just doesn’t translate

• Corporal Punishment– Don’t hit kids!

• Being short-tempered/mean• Not communicating well with your

JTE/ALT about expectations

What works?What works?

• Be a role model! Show your students the attitude you expect them to have

• If they have a “bad attitude,” don’t react with one. Keep your composure no matter what.

What works?What works?

• If you are tired, sick, hungover, miserable, or anything else, leave it outside the classroom

• As soon as you walk in the door, your “teaching persona” should switch on and you should become genki, cheerful, and confident

• Have you ever watched the Dog Whisperer?

What works?What works?

Oh

no!!

Dogs!!

• Students, like dogs, can sniff out your fear and lack of confidence.

• If you think they won’t listen to you, they probably won’t. – Students instantly detect your lack of

confidence/authority

What works?What works?

• Bad dog owners…– give their dogs whatever they want– let the dogs become dominant– don’t enforce rules – let dogs do whatever they want

• As a result, dogs are unhappy and become rebellious.

• They need structure to thrive.

What works?What works?

• Good dog owners…– give their dogs clear jobs with clear guidelines– show their dogs respect and love– have rules with very clear consequences/rewards

• As a result, the dogs feel comfortable, trust their owners, behave well, and become happy and productive.

What works?What works?

Doesn’t that

sound like

teaching?!

• So, project confidence, kindness, and respect no matter what, like a good dog trainer does!

What works?What works?

• If you:– are inconsistent– talk down to students – talk too far above their level– aren’t prepared for class– show no enthusiasm– blur the line between teacher and

student

…they may not be on your side or respect you as a teacher.

What works?What works?

• So, in a practical way, what works? – Walking by a misbehaving student…– Tap the desk of a sleeping student…– Encourage pair/group work

What works?What works?

• Take advantage of Japan’s love of group thinking

• Western classroom management often singles out students– Positive and negative

• However, in Japan, this often leads to frustration, tension, and a widening gap between ALT and student

What works?What works?

Specific Problems • Let’s solve specific problems.• We will work in groups. • Each group will get a problem and a

paper to brainstorm some ideas on. • After a few minutes, we’ll go over the

ideas together.

Problem #1

• My students don’t like English and don’t participate in games. Even with stickers and prizes as incentive, they still cheat or don’t participate. The JTE wants more games, but I’m having trouble getting students to play them.

Problem #2

• My JTE translates everything I say and speaks too much Japanese in class. I think the students understand and don’t need all of this translation. I want more of an active role in leading the class.

Problem #3

• My class is controlled by a small group of baddies. No one participates, even with hanko points. To get them to answer, I have to draw names. I wish more students would participate.

Problem #4

• One class has a ringleader who doesn’t like me. He sleeps in class. The 8 boys around him do whatever he does. The JTE will touch his shoulder gently and ask him to participate, but this doesn’t help. I ignore his actions and teach around him, but other students are starting to copy his behavior. I'm not sure how to address this without insulting my JTE.

Problem #5

• Some of my students say mean and hurtful things to me in Japanese when I walk by them in class. Many of my students are nice, but the few who say mean things really hurt my feelings. My JTE doesn’t understand how hurtful this is, or if he does, he doesn’t know what to do.

Silent Class IdeasSilent Class Ideas• Give some kind of incentive for

answering, such as stickers, hanko points, etc.

• Allow students to talk to a partner or group before answering/make the questions into a group competition

• Give students cards when they walk in and ask questions that students with a specific suit have to answer (a competition between suits)

Silent Class IdeasSilent Class Ideas• Be perceptive about your class!

Sometimes, a class is silent because there are too many students who are stuck sitting next to their worst enemies/secret crushes/frenemies

• Try changing the seating chart (number them 1-3-5-7 instead of 1-2-3-4), or give them a card when they walk in that determines their seat at random

• This can make a big difference!

Noisy Class IdeasNoisy Class Ideas• If your classes are too noisy, they

probably have a lot of energy• Harness their energy!!• Give them activities with lots of

physical movement, competition, and stimulating props like videos, images, or audio

• Don’t try to stop their noisiness. Try to turn it into noise that’s working with you rather than against you.

Noisy Class IdeasNoisy Class Ideas• If there are problem students who actually like

individual attention in your class, then it may be okay to single them out once in a while – but try to do it in a way that appeals to their need for attention for the group

• For example, in a class about gestures, I had a “problem student” who was making disruptive gestures to many students around the classroom…