CLASSROM

MANAGEMENT
By Gabriel Marquez


Chapter I: Classroom Talk
Language learning is essentially and interaction activity between educators
and learners, as well as between learners themselves, all this in order to achieve
students language development. The role of the teacher is just facilitating this
educative development.
Interaction in the classroom may take several forms in which teachers are not
always direct part of the interaction; such as: group work, collaborative work, peer
work and so on. On the other hand; closed ended questions, teacher talk, and
questioning are techniques that needs to be guided by the teacher in order to elicit
the interaction. Furthermore classroom communication can be set in
Transactional Communication, which is the information transmitted when
teachers explain some aspects of the language, (grammar, vocabulary, etc.) the
common views of teaching emphasizes this
approach because students need to internalize
the knowledge that educators are able to provide.
On the other hand, Interactional
Communication, which is the communication
process for real communicative purposes, this real
context talking is the main goal in ESL
classrooms, because interaction gives learners
the opportunity to incorporate target language structures into their own speech.
Classroom Talk is also defined as Teacher Talk versus Learner Talk; both of them
are very important and necessary. Teacher Talk, is important because it helps to
students language acquisition due to educators are the major source of
comprehensible target language input that a learner is likely to receive, teacher talk
is also divided in Quantity vs. Quality; the issue is that around 70% of the time is
what teachers spend talking or giving lectures, in addition what really matters is the
quality, it means that all the time teachers spend speaking to students must be
meaningful and in fact helps learners to develop their own language skills; however
at the end, the amount of talking time will depend of the syllabus content and
classroom environment they are studying. In contrast Learner Talk, during can
show accurately their current competence through their performance, and one
strategy for improving this is using communicative tasks, where teachers could be
able to interact with students, provide feedback and model learners output.
In conclusion classroom talk management will depend on the right
interaction between teachers and students and the quality of this interaction is what
triggers students free target language development.
Chapter II: Corrective Feedback
In foreign language development corrective feedback allows learners to
comprehend some aspects of the target language through backchannelling and
negotiating process. The aim of this is just improving students performance.
Inside classrooms, feedback is primarily triggered by Errors and Mistakes; errors
are those that cant be self-corrected since learners do not know a form to do it,
because it is not a part of their competence; on the other hand mistakes are those
that can be corrected by the own learner because it is part of their language usage.
There are some teaching theories that explain how educators should correct
students. Behaviorist, Cognitive, Interlanguage, Monitor and Communicative
Approach agreed in one thing: the major objective of feedback is to develop
students self-correction in order to achieve some degree of autonomy.
The corrective feedback process explains who, when, and how students must be
corrected. First, Who Corrects? Mostly the teacher because its their job;
nevertheless educators may also use peer correction in
which students correct their performance among
themselves, but teachers must encourage self-correction
which is more meaningful for students due to helps to
improve both competence and performance, and at the
same time allows them to achieve autonomy in the target
language abilities. Second, When? According to experts this will depend on the
aim of the activity, some communicative tasks should not be interrupted until is
finished even though students make a lot of mistakes, because it could harm
learners confidence toward speaking activities, then the feedback introduced
without affecting students willingness to perform target language. Other tasks
mostly based on competence might depend of both teachers and students, taking
in account learners predisposition to be affected or not by the corrective process in
an emotional level. Finally, Who? The way in which teachers correct learners is
very important, since some rude feedback strategies can harm students feelings
and affect their eagerness for acquiring and performing in the L2, on the contrary
good ways of correcting encourage students to become more participative during
classes, teachers have to take the roles of coaches in order to model learners
attitude, competence, and performance rather than referees that decide who is
right and who is wrong.
In short feedback is a complex part of the teaching process, because has to
be handled carefully, otherwise teachers can damage students confidence
towards the second language development. As was mentioned before the ideal
and healthy feedback is made by the students themselves.
Chapter III: Group Work
Group work is one of the pillars of English
language teaching, due to the interaction among
students. Furthermore group work allows learners to use
the target language in a comfortable environment, also it
increases students responsibility and independence; in
addition group work contributes with a feeling of co-
operation since learners feel that L2 acquisition can be
share among the members of the team instead of one single person.
According to experts the ideal number for group work is three students, due to in
this way all the members not matter their target language level and skills is able to
perform during the activities and learn new abilities through language use. Of
course there are also some critics to group work technique such as: discipline,
code switching, and that stronger students would take control of the activity and
weaker ones would not develop new target language skills.
Some important guidelines in order to make small group work in the classroom are:
Presentation, it refers to the instructions and parameters given at the beginning in
order to avoid confusion, this stage of the group work is very important since
teacher explain and clarify the activity, and for evading misleading, educators can
use their mother tongue, in that way students know exactly what to do and there is
no wasting of time. Process, in this stage the role of the teacher is just monitoring
and he/she only contributes when it is required, providing support and helping
students who face troubles and also keeps students focused speaking in the target
language all the time, and teachers also can give all the members the same
opportunity for participating in the task. Ending, all activities and tasks need a
closure, so for that reason teachers should establish a time limit; nevertheless if
students are deep involved in the activity teachers can extend the due time,
because this will be beneficial since learners (stronger and weaker) could spend
enough time using L2. Finally, Feedback, this stage is used for provide students
performance with accurate solutions to those mistakes and errors.
Individualization is one important aspect in group work; this approach implies less
direct teacher control or supervision and allows learners to develop autonomy and
responsibility in their own learning process. The following factors can determine
whether or not a learner is able to be individualized in the educative process:
speed, level of the learner, the content of study and the language skills.
Indeed group work seems to be an outstanding strategy in English language
development when is used correctly, inside ESL classrooms.
Chapter IV: Mixed Ability
The term Mixed Ability is relatively new in English language teaching, even
though mixed ability is nothing new; in fact classroom groups have been always
heterogeneous, and all students have different valuable strengths. Nevertheless
there are some critics for mixed ability approach due to language abilities and
development must be the same for everyone. Nowadays MA has destroyed the
old-fashioned belief of good versus bad students.
Teachers also misunderstand the fact that students have different strengths and
skills for developing the target language and instead of noticing that hidden
potential, educators often get confused and treat some of their students as weaker
learners. No matter how outstanding or awful a language student group could be,
eventually all of them will develop the same L2 skills.
For educators having stronger and weaker learners
working together is pretty helpful since the former get
more proficient by producing comprehensible input
and the latter gain the experience in negotiating
meaning. There are some advantages in teaching
mixed ability groups, such as:
Classroom interaction: Mixed ability groups provide a cornucopia of new
ideas, points of views, interests, and real life experiences, which students
are able to experience and make them as part of their new target language
input.
Educational and Moral Values: Mixed ability groups provide a healthy
environment where learners can share beliefs and values, as well as
develop tolerance and understanding toward others personalities.
Self-management: This MA groups help teachers to monitor the students
individual performance, since learners themselves support each other,
studying and working together. This peer collaboration creates a healthy
atmosphere for both stronger and weaker learners.
Interesting Classes: Target language sessions become much more
challenging and meaningful for students and also allow learners to use their
creativity, innovation and general professional L2 development.
In conclusion Mixed Ability classrooms really challenge educators to perform
and outstanding job that goes beyond of simple old-fashioned classes, different
skills require different methodologies and resources. Teachers must update their
approaches of teaching and take advantage of the different strengths of their
students.
Chapter V: Discipline
Discipline is an important area of classroom management; this concept is
closely bound up with factors such as: learners age, the socio-cultural context, the
authority figure of the teacher, and the emotional relationship between educators
and students. The discipline approach is achieved when learners accept the set of
rules and correct behavior in a smooth way that leads to an efficient teaching and
learning target language process.
Having class control doesnt mean that students have to do exactly what teacher
wants; discipline classroom affairs are a universal agreement established by
educators in order to maintain a harmony environment during classes. There are
two approaches that explain how discipline work; Strategic Redefinition, in which
teachers ideals, beliefs and methodologies are applied in
the classrooms until succeed, showing educators courage
toward classroom affairs. On the contrary Strategic
Compliance, which is the educators giving up attitude
toward classroom management affairs that eventually lead
the teacher to become part of the old-fashioned system.
Innovation and Flexibility are also helpful because
encourage L2 development and autonomy, the old-
fashioned belief that teachers must approve every aspect of the classes is
criticized, due to some educators love have the power and intimidate students,
even the stronger ones, and as a result they become unable to perform the target
language in a freely way. This takes place mostly during grammar classes where
teachers used to have control of students output utterances.
Discipline is a peculiar thing, some teachers that face this affairs, use the
reinforcement technique, in which praises, rewards, or merit marks are new ways
of achieving discipline by motivating students behavior that turns them into
autonomous healthy students. However traditionally views of old-fashioned
teaching assumed that: punishments, detention, extra homework, and even
spanking, encourage good behavior and breaks the bad behavior on students.
Nowadays reinforcement can achieve more than punishment without affecting the
teacher authority figure.
In short for teachers cope with discipline is not easy, because students
usually look for a tiny opportunity for taking advantage during classes.
Nevertheless educators should aware about new management methodologies that
can overcome these classrooms affairs. Educators must be seen as leaders not
dictators.
Chapter VI: The Use of L1 in the Classroom
The use of L1 inside English language classrooms has always been strongly
criticized, mostly because the abuse of mother tongue for communicating
everything inside ESL classes; the excessive use of L1 deprives students for
acquiring L2 competence. The main goal for a target language class is in fact
achieve communicative skilled speakers, if the mother tongue is always present
the interlanguage ability get lost.
For centuries GTM has been the dominant approach in foreign language teaching,
because links the target language with the mother tongue, after that, Direct Method
appeared and change the way of teaching, since it places students
into a target language environment where L1 is forbidden. New
theories soon arrived in order to explain mother and target language
use inside classrooms; one of them is: Coordinate Bilingualism,
where people exposed to two different languages, are able to
acquire them simultaneously and also develop two independent
language systems that make them proficient in both. In contrast the
Compound Bilingualism, is what L2 learners usually do, they
acquire their mother tongue and then the target language using the first as a base
or reference. Interlanguage is an approach that explains why L1 is necessary for
L2 as the latter is constructed on the bases of a previous language system that not
necessarily affects the target language acquisition. On the other hand, students
sometimes end up switching between the two languages, because it is easier for
them, and a result some linguistic variations is formed. (Spanglish).
Inside classroom L1 can be used as a strategy for providing support and security,
this offer learners the opportunity to gather new vocabulary as well as confidence
for saying what they want avoiding frustration, misunderstanding and peers
mockery. Besides mother tongue is useful for explaining grammar points or
complex instructions that confuses students, also L1 use saves time. L1 inside
group work is a nightmare for teachers, because learners tend to use their mother
tongue if the level of the activity is too complex for them. Nevertheless teachers
can allow mother tongue in order to provide confidence to students for developing
activities. But the results must reflect some degree of performance in the target
language.
In conclusion the ELT has suffered many changes in their teaching
approaches through the history and L1 vs. L2 will be always present there.
Because pros and cons about its use inside classrooms generates discussion
about how effective is in the final target language acquisition.