Classroom Management

Classroom Management

§    Voice and Body Language

Teacher’s voice becomes an essential part in attracting students’ (young learners) attention in classroom management. Even actually they don’t want to hear the unnatural voice but sometimes a bit change in teacher’s voice will attract children’s attention. However, we don’t have to force ourselves to make this kind of variation because however students don’t want to hear a strange voice that can make them feel uncomfortable. Just try to be as natural as possible over them. Sometime we make our voice firmer. It’s to indicate that something bad or an unpleasant thing was done by the children; nevertheless, don’t make them shock or over frighten to you. Return to normal tone in which children feel most comfortable with.

We need to keep our smile along the lesson. Keep humble and charm to them and jut enjoy ourselves, so we will feel relax and able to transform the lesson well. In addition teacher should never be sarcastic or laugh at a child. Regular eye contact often expected by most of children. But it’s also possible that some are not love this way. Actually through eye contact we can establish a good relationship with the children; in other hands, this way can be used to show our disappointment or dissatisfy.

Body language is the next significant way in managing the classroom. For example, we can show our approval with face expression like by shaking our heads right to left, raising our eyebrow up, etc. Body language able to transfer a message to the children just by using our simple body language (without say too much words). By using body language, we expect that they will guess what we expect them to do. It can be like we want the children to quiet, or indicate that we ask them to come in front of the classroom, we want them to do something, etc. Anyway, in expressing our body language to the children we have to consider about the politeness. Don’t make them feel scary to us, or even until traumatic. Using body language is acceptable as long I was polite and not too over. Overall try to keep our reaction subtle to them, so the message by whatever the way is understandable by the children.

§    Whole Class Problems

Children are identical with their problem. In the class teacher has to give more attention to their students because the problem in the class are caused by a small member of students whose influence their friends to be a problem maker. If we do nothing to solve this problem, it can be a big problem and it will become to be a class problem. And of course, it will disturb the teaching learning process. So, as a teacher, we have to solve this problem before becoming an uncontrolled problem. As adult we have much more experience. We can use the experience well to avoid individual problems becoming class problem.

When the class problems are occur, we need to develop many strategies and set goals to work towards solution in the same way as when dealing with problem with individual children. We need to find the cause of problem before deciding on what action or the problem solving to take. We also need to tell another teacher to help us in solving the problem. We can use the example of their friends like who are charismatic or respected by another children and getting the class refocused on learning English.

§  Refocusing a Class

As a teacher, we must have something new and special when the students feel bored in the classroom. As we know, the student will be bored when they get a difficult subject at school and they will reluctant to do all of teacher’s instructions about what they have to do. They will not able to concentrate to the lessons, too. And sometime they will make any noise that make you resentful to them, but don’t be angry to them more over if they are the young learners because there’s no reason why should you angry to them easily.

Getting their attention to learn is sometimes become so hard to the teacher. As a teacher we must give them a fun time to get while the lesson, it can be like giving them a game. The games given should be interesting, simple, and easy to do by the learners.

To refocus the children to follow the lesson well, we have to know how to make them comfortable in joining our class. Some children often do other activities while we ask them to do something or while we are talking. Like maybe they are running around the classroom with their friends, walking to meet their friends in next desk, etc. In a classroom there are so many activities that could do all time with their friends. We faced so many characteristics of the student in a classroom. They might be nice, calm, some maybe hyperactive and fussy. As a teacher we should able to manage them as well as possible.

If only there are a student make any unacceptable attitude in the classroom, as a teacher we could do something, like get to know the children better as individuals, find out what they really love or enjoy doing outside the class, and use the knowledge extensively when planning lessons. For example, you could use their hobby and apply it in our class, maybe by using it in a conversation, asking it to the other students, or by other thing as your creation to make the topic more interesting. Other way is that we could ask all of the students to pay attention to the teacher and you then can make a game for them; just like a small game in order to make them quiet and refocus to the lesson.

. If you find your student bored or unenergetic in joining the lesson, you can ask all of the student follow your song. You can sing together with them to refresh their mind and spirit. Besides singing, we could make a game with the song Just combine the song with the game to make your class interesting. Besides to refocusing their attention, those ways also can be used in your scoring system during the lesson. The scoring deals with the affective, cognitive, and psychomotor.

§  The Fish Race Game

Game is a good choice to give to the young learners in any occasion.  Giving the game as a ‘renewing students’ spirit way’ is a good idea for you and also loved by the students. Teacher can choose many games before starting the subject or after you finish teaching them. The students will be respect to you and they will feel as if they got a new spirit to get the subject besides it also interesting of course.

One of the games that you can do is ‘The Fish Race Game’. In this game you only need a piece of paper for each of the students. This game is so simple, but it needs a team work (if you divide them into groups). First, the students must have a fish by drawing a fish. After finishing that, they can start the game. Teacher will invite three or five students or some groups of students to come in front to do the game. They have to make the fish move forwards by flapping it by books, magazines, or something alike. Playing this game will stimulate their creativity, team work, and even diligence. Overall, Fish Race Game is nice and interesting to do, but do it just in a right occasion, don’t too often.

§  The Catalyst

Many experienced teachers believe that games are able to refocus the students to the lesson, such as Fish Race Game. This game is effective to apply to the young learners. It’s so fun, easy to do, and able to renew their learning spirit, as well. ‘Managing the classroom by games’ and learning through games is a good thing to be applied.

At first, we have to get their attention, and make sure that they want to play together at that time. Then, they have to make their own fish. They can draw as alike as a fish itself. Before playing make sure that the classroom has enough space for the game. Don’t forget to divide them into some groups, and then that groups will compete each other.

This game is a relay race. One child should stand up face to face to his team (as a captain) with a pile of flashcards. Then he has to ask the front member of the team about the picture of the cards by saying ‘What is this?’ After that the front member answer and then she may flapped her fish once. Just repeat these ways like that until the first member reaches the captain in front her. When she reaches the captain, then she takes over that pile of flashcards and acts as the new captain. The first captain then goes to the back of his team and play as a member of his group. That was the roles.

This kind of game is very good to enrich their vocabularies and they must be enjoying the lesson. They are learning through the games. Teachers have to input some new vocabularies in this game in order to make them think and know some new words. Besides that, the teacher is as a jury that has to watch the game and so direct it well in order to avoid any dishonesty from any groups. As conclusion, this game will be so fun if you can direct them well.

A Pause to Reflect

§    Are the children learning to cooperate?

Some teacher said that these topics can encourage a competitive attitude to the children and it works against the cooperative learning environment that we are aiming for. The roles just like stressed them because it uses points, the teachers have to tell the children from the beginning about losing and winning that they will get.  Children need cooperative activities on the game; they try to win and try to be not arrogant if only they win the game.

In a lesson, the children are having the temporary experience about win and lose, build a view that they are winning without gloating and losing without minding. Make sure the purposes are completed by the games and that refocusing classroom ways that children are feeling as insider, having fun together, and learning new things together.