Open books open minds

Teacher as manager

developing

rapport

encouraging

learners

praising

learners

controlling

the group

dynamic

deciding on

interaction

patterns

motivating

learners

demonstrating

tasks and

activities

giving

instructions

maintaining

discipline

responding to

classroom

problems as they

happen

• Write down your age (37).

• Write down an important year in your life

(1995 entered university).

• Write down the number of years that have

passed since that important year (19).

• Write down your year of birth (1977).

• Add the four numbers up. 4020

Guidelines on giving effective

explanations and instructions

• Prepare

• Make sure you have the class's full attention

• Present the information more than once

• Be brief

• Illustrate with examples

• Get feedback

Compare

In what ways did they follow or differ from the

guidelines?

Were they effective?

How could they be improved?

Classroom groupings

A. Students working in closed pairs: students work with a partner doing pairwork (not in front of the class).

B. Students work with the teacher in open class or whole class: the teacher leads the class and all of the

students are focusing on the teacher, rather than working alone or in groups.

C. Students working individually: students work alone.

D. Students working in groups: students work in small groups talking together (not in front of the class).

1 s s s s s s

↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

s s s s s s ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

↑

╥

2 s ↔ s s ↔ s

s ↔ s s ↔ s

s ↔ s ╥ s ↔ s

s ↔ s s ↔ s

s ↔ s s ↔ s

3 s s s s

s s s s

s s ╥ s s

s s s s

4 ╥ s⇆s

⇅ ⇅

s⇆s

s⇆s ⇅ ⇅

s⇆s

s⇆s ⇅ ⇅

s⇆s

s⇆s ⇅ ⇅

s⇆s

Classroom groupings

1 s s s s s s

↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

s s s s s s ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

↑

╥

B. Students work with the teacher in open class or whole class: the teacher leads the class and all

of the students are focusing on the teacher, rather

than working alone or in groups.

Classroom groupings

2 s ↔ s s ↔ s

s ↔ s s ↔ s

s ↔ s ╥ s ↔ s

s ↔ s s ↔ s

s ↔ s s ↔ s

A. Students working in closed pairs: students work with a partner doing pairwork

(not in front of the class).

Classroom groupings

3 s s s s

s s s s

s s ╥ s s

s s s s

C. Students working individually: students

work alone.

Classroom groupings

4 ╥ s⇆s

⇅ ⇅

s⇆s

s⇆s ⇅ ⇅

s⇆s

s⇆s

⇅ ⇅

s⇆s

s⇆s

⇅ ⇅

s⇆s

D. Students working in groups: students

work in small groups talking together (not in

front of the class).

Classroom groupings

Classroom groupings

Student

grouping Advantages Disadvantages

Classroom

activity/situation

Whole-

class

Individual

Pairwork

Groupwork

Classroom groupings

Student

grouping

Advantages Disadvantages Classroom

activity/situation

Whole-

class

• sense of belonging

• cost-efficient

• allows Ts to 'gauge the

mood' and get a general

understanding of S

progress

• everyone is forced to

work at same pace

• not much chance to

speak

• transmission of

knowledge

• not communicative

• taking the roll

• making

announcements

• organising drills

• giving explanations and

instructions

Classroom groupings

Student

grouping

Advantages Disadvantages Classroom

activity/situation

Individual • allows individuals to

progress at own pace

• less stressful for Ss

• can develop learner

autonomy

• can restore peace and

tranquility

• does not help promote

sense of belonging or

cooperation

• giving different tasks

involves a lot more

preparation

• brainstorming

• written activities

• listening tasks

• reading tasks

Classroom groupings

Student

grouping

Advantages Disadvantages Classroom

activity/situation

Pairwork • dramatically increases

Ss' speaking time

• promotes learner

independence

• allows Ts to focus on

1,2 pairs

• promotes cooperation

• Ss share responsibility

• quick, easy to organise

• noisy class

• Ss can veer away from

task or speak in L1

• greater chances of

misbehaviour

• not always popular with

Ss

• choice of partner can

be problematic

• speaking activities

• compare answers

• almost all kinds of tasks

Student

grouping

Advantages Disadvantages Classroom

activity/situation

Groupwork • dramatically increases

• Ss' speaking time

• greater chance of

different opinions

• promotes cooperation

• promotes learner

autonomy

• Ss can choose level of

participation

• noisy

• not all Ss enjoy it

• some Ss may

dominate

• can be time-consuming

• speaking activities

• games

Classroom groupings

Student

grouping

Advantages Disadvantages Classroom activity/situation

Whole-class - sense of belonging

- cost-efficient

- allows Ts to 'gauge the mood'

and get a general understanding

of S progress

- everyone is forced to work at

same pace

- not much chance to speak

- transmission of knowledge

- not communicative

- taking the roll

- making announcements

- organising drills

- giving explanations and

instructions

Individual - allows individuals to progress at

own pace

- less stressful for Ss

- can develop learner autonomy

- can restore peace and

tranquility

- does not help promote sense of

belonging or cooperation

- giving different tasks involves a

lot more preparation

- brainstorming

- written activities

- listening tasks

- reading tasks

Pairwork - dramatically increases Ss'

speaking time

- promotes learner independence

- allows Ts to focus on 1,2 pairs

- promotes cooperation

- Ss share responsibility

- quick, easy to organise

- noisy class

- Ss can veer away from task or

speak in L1

- greater chances of

misbehaviour

- not always popular with Ss

- choice of partner can be

problematic

- speaking activities

- compare answers

- almost all kinds of tasks

Groupwork - dramatically increases Ss'

speaking time

- greater chance of different

opinions

- promotes cooperation

- promotes learner autonomy

- Ss can choose level of

participation

- noisy

- not all Ss enjoy it

- some Ss may dominate

- can be time-consuming

- speaking activities

- games

Classroom groupings

Procedures for pairwork and

groupwork

Before Motivate Ss (Ss need to feel enthusiastic about what they are

going to do)

Teach useful language (If Ss don't know the language, they'll

feel frustrated)

Give instructions (Check understanding)

Demonstrate (Model with a good S, elicit more examples)

Set time limit (Ss often work better with time limits, be flexible,

but don't let it drag for too long)

Divide Ss into pairs/groups (Vary techniques)

While

Monitor and intervene when appropriate (to help Ss, to make

sure Ss are using English, to ask early finishers to do sth else, to

stop the activity)

After Get feedback (use variety of techniques, Ss demonstrate

language used or work, open up discussion – give feedback)

Classroom discipline

Classroom discipline video

Practical hints regarding

classroom discipline

1. Start by being firm with students: you can relax later.

2. Get silence before you start speaking to the class.

3. Know and use the students’ names.

4. Prepare lessons thoroughly and structure them firmly.

5. Be mobile: walk around the class.

6. Start the lesson with a ‘bang’ and sustain interest and curiosity.

7. Speak clearly.

8. Make sure your instructions are clear.

9. Have extra material prepared (e.g. to cope with slower/faster-working students.)

10. Look at the class when speaking and learn how to ‘scan’.

11. Make work appropriate (to pupils’ age, ability, cultural background).

12. Develop an effective questioning technique.

13. Develop the art of timing your lesson to fit the available period.

14. Vary your teaching techniques.

15. Anticipate discipline problems and act quickly.

16. Avoid confrontations

17. Clarify fixed rules and standards, and be consistent in applying them.

18. Show yourself as supporter and helper to the students.

19. Don’t patronize students, treat them with respect.

20. Use humour constructively.

21. Choose topics and tasks that will activate students.

22. Be warm and friendly to the students.

How to torture your teacher

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