Classroom Management: Tips and Tricks

Something they very rarely teach you in TEFL courses yet is supremely important in your TEFL journey is classroom management. It’s not that TEFL courses are intentionally skipping over a vital component but that unless the academy stresses on practical training, like the TEFL Madrid, there’s very little opportunity for you to learn about it. Even if you’re an experienced teacher, when you step into the class on a new day and see commotion, it’s easy to let it overpower your senses. So you’ve got to continually upgrade your strategies and find out ways to reach to students in a much better and efficient way. A lot of this also depends on your personality, for instance whether you’re domineering or silently authoritative.

Classroom Management Ideas, Tricks, and Tips

Yet there are few things you can always improve upon to develop your classroom management skills. Firstly, it’s the need to set down ground rules and ensure discipline in a class, whether it’s full of kids or adults. You need to let them understand that you’re the leader and how much of leeway they can get away with it. You also ought to talk and instruct them in a way that gives them respect at the same time.

Lesson planning is another important step where you’ve got to know what you’re going to do on that specific day. The students need to know that there’s objective and purpose for the class which ought to achieved.

When it comes to interactions with the students, it varies depending on the demographic. For instance, with adults you share the same mentality and life experiences, so you can connect with them. However the drawback is, things can get too friendly blurring the lines. With younger kids, you can be strict yet easy going and having fun since they respond to activity and entertainment better.

You don’t always need to be a disciplinarian who sticks to the curriculum. You can play games, have fun, etc. Just ensure you garner the attention and respect of the students and you’ve got a lot of freedom to teach the way you want.  

Always be clear of your objectives and instructions. Communication is a huge part of being a teacher and you need to make sure that the students hear you well, and understand what you expect of them.

Stick to commitments and don’t go back on your word, like forgoing a test, or focusing on practical training. Even if your original plan doesn’t go as you thought it would, try to improvise on it. Be self aware on how fast/slow you’re going, how engaged the students are, etc. And improvise according to the reactions of your students.

Remember classroom management isn’t just handling a room full of silent faces but teaching students in way that reaches them and helps been understand the lessons comprehensively.