Classroom management tips

• Remind them of the rules at the start of the lesson.
• Give praise to students who are behaving / doing well.
• The fish analogy - rein the net in if your control is slipping. Never try to raise your voice above theirs. Make them wait and issue threats/warnings if necessary - and praise the good ones.
• Before students set off on a group / independent task, set a time limit. Have something ready for them to do if they finish early.
• Have fillers up your sleeve in case of technical mishaps or you need time to setup. E.g. Talk to your neighbour about 3 things your know / learned last lesson about, demand that they be ready to share it after the time is up.

Train wreak: World cup reading comp

When a class is going well, you know.

Students are engaged in their work, they are on-task, they are responsive to your questions...

The Y3 board game design class worked extremely well - it worked great for a number of reasons:

• students found it meaningful, they could play the game they made!
• it was approximately the right level for the class - challenging for some, but gave enough room for creativity in the high ability ones.
• it was well scaffolded

...and things were as smooth as clockwork.

But Y4 today was another story. I had the vague sense last night that it wouldn't be a great lesson, but at least not the complete train wreak which it turned out to be.

Obviously, things in the classroom can fall apart when:

• Students don't understand or find it too difficult
• Students are bored or think it is too easy
• Students are not interested in a topic
• You cannot manage a classroom
• Technology fails and students are just waiting with nothing to do

...and I think I had all these issues today.

The problems started right away from the third minute. A Powerpoint wouldn't load. I was trying to hold the discussion together whilst praying that the PPT would start. As it dragged on, some of the boys got bored and started poking each other and tattertailing. I tried to ignore them and prayed that the PPT would load - big mistake, it didn't and things got out of hand. I had to shout. Luckily, my class teacher intervened and took the troubling students outside.

Threatening to take away lunchtime etc only stems the tide... and increases the bad atmosphere. In retrospect, I should have stopped the lesson right there, admitted my faults for not being prepared instead of trying to carry on, and ditched the Powerpoint.

Without activating background information, the rest of the class never improved. The reading task was pitched at a level too high anyway, and with only a quarter of the students showing vague interest, I should have ditched the whole exercise instead of trying to ram it down their throats.

In the end, the problem lay with poor planning - choosing a poor topic, didn't generate student interest, and the inexperience of being able to salvage the lesson on the spot.

Learning to live and learn together. I get it.

Art instructions / A system for tidying up

Today's mega art / instructions session wasn't too bad. The pack of activity cards "50 things to draw and paint" was a great resource.

Everyone had something to do, and the finished collage of their drawings looked great.

At the start

Need to focus more on giving clear instructions for an activity

- Set clear goals (e.g. We are going to put together a collage for display)

- Give clear instructions, write them out on the board, especially for EAL students.

Cleaning up

One sink, 22 students.

After an art activity, a good clean up system is needed when there are paint brushes, ink, paper and glue everywhere.

-What could be a more efficient way of tidying up?

-What about students who have already tidied up? How to keep them occupied?

Wrapping up

I forgot to ask 2 crucial questions, probably for any activity

- What had they learned from the activity

- How they could improve it if they did it again

Small classes vs big classes: the pros and cons

Individual sessions

- Really different from other types, as it is completely teacher-student interaction
- Can easily work at own pace
- Perfect for very low ability students
- Students may easily get bored. Difficult to sustain concentration for>45mins

Comments: It's very easy to slack off and not prepare (I am guilty sometimes), but a little planning goes a long way. Some simple worksheets or appropriate reading comprehension exercises can go a long way. Make sure you have a ton of reference resources available (a visual dictionary is exceptionally helpful, as is easy access to the internet).

2-3 People in a class
- Paired activities are possible, which makes the class more interactive.
- Very dependent on student matching. Try to ensure they are of similar ability level.
- Ideal size for idea sharing, reading aloud and writing workshops.

Comments: I dislike working with 2-3 students, but it is possible to have good discussions and fun activities. However, it's difficult to have anything competitive since it's rare to have students of matching ability. Ideal for idea sharing and individual writing though as they can give each other feedback.

Tutoring style (4-6 students)
- A good balance between individual attention and group energy.

- Good size for in-depth discussions.
- Very good for multiple high ability students, as they can give each other pressure.
Can give substantial feedback on homework.

Comments: a good size for task based learning, as you can focus all your attention on the one group. It is also an ideal size for debates, peer reviewing, and counseling. One of my favorite class sizes.

Mini class (8-12 students)
- Good size for team competitions / games.
- Less individual time spent with students in class.

- Task based activities possible.

Comments: Very energy consuming. Requires ample planning and interesting activities. Task based learning and group based projects are ideal. Assign individual work for homework.

Small class (12-18 students)
Can be more open with projects and let students work at their own pace and level.
Possibility for big projects.
Less feedback to students, minimal indivudual attention to individual students.

Comment: Classroom management skills are important. Design activities for a wide variety of levels and encourage task-based learning.

Medium classes: (18+)

Must plan for a large range of abilities - scaffolding, reading texts should be pitched around the middle, never too high.

Classroom management skills are imperative

Class discussions must be tightly controlled

Very important to give clear instructions.

Comments: This is where it really starts to get challenging for me. Don't forget about the oddballs at the end of the ability spectrum, as well as trouble-makers. I think this type of class requires a lot of experience to manage well and at the same time deliver a great lesson. You could have a great idea, but without good management skills, it will all go to hell.