Classroom Ideas -- Classroom Management

Students of any age may misbehave and may not always follow your directions as you desire. This is something that many teachers find to be universal. No matter what subject, age group, or location, problems in the classroom may occasionally arise and even if you've had experience teaching, they are not necessarily easy to deal with. This entry is dedicated to helping you cope with and manage these problems.

In the beginning...
As difficult as it may be, it is always a good idea to start off each semester (especially if you have a new group of students) somewhat strictly and sternly. It may not be fun or easy for you to be the "bad guy" in the classroom, but you'll almost certainly be able to lighten up as the session continues. Establishing yourself as an instructor that has rules, expectations, but empathy is important in order to have a successful semester with your students. To begin with, it might be a good idea to come up with 3-5 rules and have the students write them in their notebooks. Discuss with them the consequences should they break these rules. Many teachers like to introduce the "3 strikes and you're out" rule. (i.e. Respect others by listening to what they say and if you have something to add, raise your hand and wait your turn to speak.)

Enforcement...
It may seem easy to simply threaten students with punishments that seem very harsh, but it is essential to present them with real consequences should they misbehave in class. The punishment must be real and pose a real burden to them. It might be a good idea to make the punishment connect to the material being taught. (i.e. extra homework). Punishments such as writing a phrase 100 times tends to be somewhat ineffective. If you do not enforce the rules, students will quickly learn that they can get away with pretty much anything. It's OK to have fun, but remember that you are there for a purpose : to immerse students in the English language and help them improve their language abilities.

Serious problems...
Sometimes, you will have a student act out in various (and potentially dangerous) ways. In this situation, it is advisable not to try to handle a situation such as classroom violence all alone. You have co-workers and although they might not be your friends, you are a team. Don't hesitate to send a student not involved in the situation to fetch another teacher to help you manage the problem. Avoid any aggressive physical contact with students at all costs.

Bad language...
Foreign language learners often find it enjoyable and humorous to learn offensive words and expressions in the target language. Especially with younger ages, it's hard to know how to react when something offensive is said. Instead of overreacting and severely punishing the student, it might be a good idea to explain to the entire class the potential consequences of using this kind of language with a native speaker of the target language. It's not a bad idea to make the consequences a bit scary and serious as to get the point across that offensive language is hurtful and disrespectful. If the problem persists, then more severe punishment may be required.

* The most important factor in classroom management is consistency. Empathy is of course needed in some situations, but try your best to maintain your rules and the consequences should these rules be broken!

Any stories of effective classroom management techniques that you know of or have experienced? Feel free to send us a comment!

Classroom Ideas--Lesson Plan Template (elementary)

Below is a lesson plan template that is aimed at elementary age groups, 3rd graders more precisely. It includes goals and activities for the prepositions of location. Have fun with this lesson plan and of course, feel free to add some of your own personal flair to make it your own! It also may need to be adjusted according to the level of your students or size of your class.
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It's Under the Table

Objective : Students will be able to ask and answer questions regarding the location of objects using common prepositions of location.
~ Students will be able to hear phrases containing prepositions and understand the referenced
location of objects. (Listening)
~ Ask and answer questions regarding the location of items. (Speaking)
~ Recognize, read and understand the words : box, in, on, pencil case, table, and under.
(Reading)
~ Write the letters : Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo in English and be able to distinguish the difference
between lower case and capital letters. (Writing)

Show the students pictures of a box, pencil case and table. Even better, have those items physically present to show the students when a pencil case is under a table or in a box. Using your props, ask the students questions of location, so that they may have initial experience using the prepositions of location in relation to the items you have in the classroom.

Communicative structures and language functions used :
Communicative structures
~ Location Question : Where is my pencil case?
~ Location Confirmation : It is under the table.
Language functions
~ Where is _____________________ ? It's ____________ _____ ___________.

Practice this question and answer set with the students aloud. You can ask them the question and they can give you the answer. Next, pair them into partners and give them the chance to ask each other using vocabulary that they already know to change the question and answer set, but to continue practicing the objective structures.
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Have fun with this one! It shouldn't take up too much time, but you may be able to think of things that you can add to it in order to spice it up and give the students more exposure to these grammar ideas! Good luck! If you have any other unique ideas to add to this lesson, please let us know!

Arirang TV

As you know already, the majority of the schools that HandS Korea works with, provide televisions for their teachers in their apartments. From time to time there are some foreign movies and television shows that are aired on the Korean broadcast networks. However, the majority of the programs are in Korean and most of the time are without subtitles. Sometimes a Korean drama may catch your eye, but because of the lack of subtitles, watching it and knowing exactly what's going on can be difficult.
Arirang offers a solution to this problem. Arirang TV is operated by the Korean International Broadcasting Foundation and has been around since 1996. It offers documentaries, cultural features, language learning programs and much more for the foreign population located or interested in Korea. The word "Arirang" comes from one of Korea's most popular folk songs.
Some highly watched shows on Arirang that you might want to check out are : Arirang News, Showbiz Extra, and Heart to Heart. The news programs are means to learn about up-to-date domestic and international headlines from a Korean perspective. To see a list of all the shows past and present, click here.
The Arirang TV website also provides a sort of TV guide with what programs will be showing at what time. Even if you don't have a television set, you can watch Arirang TV using your computer and an Internet connection. Just sign up when you arrive at the home page and you have access to all the programs that Arirang has to offer!