Practice Activities – FP007 CM

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Classroom Management-
Techniques and Reflections on Practice.

Heydi Patricia Ahumada Fernandez

Fabricio Alberto Maradiaga Durón

Ony Yanira Portillo Ayala

Group: fp_tefl_2021-06_uneatlantico

Date: September 27th, 2021

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Index

Introduction................................................................................................................................................... 3
Classroom Time Management ...................................................................................................................... 4
Individualised Learning.................................................................................................................................. 6
Mixed Ability Groups ..................................................................................................................................... 7
TEFL Assumptions .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 10
Bibliographic References ............................................................................................................................. 11
Appendices .................................................................................................................................................. 13

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Introduction
Clear goals are crucial in deciding how you want to spend your time in class with effectiveness.
Although there are many pedagogical strategies involved in managing a classroom, a common
denominator is making sure that students feel they are in an environment that allows them to
achieve (Ball, 2016). Classrooms with specific procedures such as getting assistance, turning in
work, working independently or in groups, and lining up have fewer off-task and disruptive
behaviors. The act of teaching requires exploring your own sense of identity. If you do not fully
know yourself, you cannot fully know your students, and therefore, you cannot connect with
them or create a great environment for learning (Holly, 2021). Teachers are constantly striving to
create an engaging learning environment for students, for updating knowledge, practice new and
technological ways of giving classes, strategies, and even new trends of assessments.

In this paper, we will review the importance and value of effective classroom
management as well as the many benefits we could get. It aims to analyze different points of
view about Classroom Management that arose from the answers to some reflective questions
about Ken Wilson´s blog. The first point to analyze is the question about how the basic role of
the teacher as an instructional leader remarks on controversial assumptions that dynamize all
the academic process, Since reflective questionnaires, types of seating arrangements to the
emphasis in understanding characteristics, drawbacks, and some recommendations about
individualized learning or not, can identify procedure’ described.

All the reflections above demonstrate that it is really important to prepare the
environment, knowing contexts, and facilitate understanding of all teaching and learning
processes when you try to learn a new language. Hence, language learning is an integral part of
the unity of all languages (Robbins, 2007); it requires time, practice, good routines, and cognitive
innovation.

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Classroom Time Management

Task 1.Reflection Exercises.

Read the reflection and answer the questions. Scrivener 2012 presents the following reflection of
Ken Wilson in his blog (2010):

Source: Scrivener, J. (2012). Classroom Management Techniques. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

Questions 1.1.

How do you feel about the reflective question: “it isn’t a big chunk of your time, is it?”.
What implications does it have for some teacher’s management of classroom time? Do
we consider activities in terms of time consumption or in terms of assumed utility?
Justify your answers with arguments from the materials and the readings

The basic role of the teacher is to be an instructional leader. To fulfill that role, the teacher must
deal with the social, intellectual, and physical structure of the classroom (Cook, 2001).
Classroom involves organizing routine procedures, gathering resources; arranging the
environment to maximize efficiency, monitoring student progress, anticipating, preventing,

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and solving problems. According to (McLeod, J, Fisher, J, Hoover 2003) There are 3 key
elements of a well-managed classroom, efficient use of time and classroom space,
implementation of strategies that influence students to make good choices, rather than ones that
attempt to control student behavior (Brown, 2009). We as teachers know that every lesson is
different and there are many teaching methods, and every strategy needs effective classroom
management. We know sometimes students have to work in groups, or pairs, that are why we
consider very important the different activities we do and of course we have to take into account
discipline because if students work in groups or pairs there are noises. It is a delicate activity but
we can manage it in a good way. We consider that ten or 12 minutes for an activity is a good
investment just if students did not waste their time, considering they learn with the activity. As
teachers we like changing seating plans, we think that it won't be monotonous, we as teachers
have to know that every student learns differently, maybe for some of them to work in a team or
pairs it's better than work individually (Landau, 2009).

Figure 1.1
Classroom situation

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Students need to focus and see what is going on in the classroom at any given time. It is a great
suggestion to choose the type of seating arrangement based on what activities you have
planned for the class as well as how long the class will be and any specific needs students may
have (MacDonald, 1993). The implications of an adequate management of classroom time
depend on the basic role of the teacher as an instructional leader. Clear goals are crucial in
deciding how you want to spend your time in class with effectiveness. To fulfill that role, the
teacher must deal with the social, intellectual, and physical structure of the classroom. Although
there are many pedagogical strategies involved in managing a classroom, a common
denominator is making sure that students feel they are in an environment that allows them to
achieve. On the other hand, the time that should be devoted to teaching and learning in
classrooms is significant. It represents essential minutes to further deepen modeling or exercise
during class. Planning and classroom management must take into consideration activities in
terms of time consumption and assumed utility. Teachers have a schedule to be followed to
accomplish the annual planning, which means, contents to be taught versus quality of time for
the development of them.

Individualised Learning

To what extent does Wilson’s story cater for individualised learning? What advantages
and what drawbacks can you identify with the ‘procedure’ described? (Ur, 1996:236)
Explain your answer.

The educational system is constantly changing and improving. Nowadays, teachers face
different demands from parents, students and authorities that is why we need to change our way
of teaching every day. Although the concept of individualised learning is often identified with the
use of self-access centers, it can also be present within the more structured environment of the
classroom.

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According to (Russell, 2019) Individualised learning is aimed at creating a learner-centered

classroom, teachers must be aware of the possible difficulties and problems that might occur in
the process of adopting individualized learning in their classroom. Based on this relevant
assumption (Ur, 1996) proposed some factors to consider achieving some degree of
individualised learning in a conventional classroom, they are speed, level, topic, language skill or
language point. Wilson's story is a clear example of individualisation, the students are facing the
wall and not the guest teacher for doing the activity, and this gives them a certain degree of
responsibility and autonomy. One of the main advantages found in the exercise is time
management. The guest teacher developed the activity in around thirteen minutes, making them
have a new experience and trust in what they know. Another factor shown in the story is
discipline, students silently change their chairs position, they did it so quickly and took just one
minute, this can probably become a drawback because we do not know if they collaborate
because there was a guest teacher or just it was completely new for them.

Drawbacks are present during the class, but taking into account the previous exercise with the
information provided, we cannot measure the level, subject, or language proficiency of the
students, but we can certainly measure speed in individual tasks and what can we demand to
form them to the future activities, as (Ur, 1996) stated before.

Mixed Ability Groups

Questions 1.3

Considering Ur’s statements in our module, do you think the technique described could
be used with mixed- ability groups? If so, would this always result in a more successful
SLA for learners?

Based on the technique described in the exercise, the discussion point must not be its
usefulness; the question might be how it can be used. (Ball, 2016) considers that heterogeneous
classes have been criticized and working with these groups for teachers is a challenge because
it means different reactions in the design of this innovative exercise. This class can be seen as

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very challenging and interesting to teach and provide greater opportunities for creativity,
innovation, and general professional development. Mixed Ability groups tend to be successful in
Second Language Acquisition, it is because learners have different abilities and they share their
experiences and knowledge with others, so the weaknesses of one are the strengths of the
other. These classrooms might help us understand the diversity we observe in our students and
provide a framework for addressing these differences in our teaching.

Moreover, mixed ability groups students have the opportunity to practice their second language
acquisition, and most of the students feel comfortable when they are in a group, for example, if
they have any doubt they discuss as a group, and in that way, they help each other.

TEFL Assumptions

Below, we have listed some common assumptions in the field of TEFL. Do you strongly
agree or disagree with any of them? Choose two statements that would make you react in
either direction, explain how they would relate to each other, in the light of the
bibliography of the subject, and try to reflect on why they made you feel strongly in either
approval or disapproval.

 If you give instructions for activities in the mother tongue, you deprive students of
an important opportunity to be exposed to natural L2 use.

We strongly agree. According to (Fanon, 1967) to speak a language means to assume the
culture of the native speakers of that language. (Sowell, 2017) believes that “instruction-giving
has a direct effect on learning; a lesson or activity becomes chaotic and fails when students do
not understand what they are supposed to do”. Many times as teachers we thought that giving
our students instructions in L1 would help them develop a better task, but we are just taking
away the opportunity of being immersed in the L2.(Gardner & Gardner, 2000) assert that
students should be introduced to the use of English from the first class; doing so helps students
understand that foreign languages are not just subjects to be studied but are also, and more
importantly, a means of communication. Most of the time we as teachers make that mistake,
giving instructions in the mother tongue, we don't think that in that way we are not helping them,

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we deprive them to learn the L2 in a better way. Arguments against teachers using students’ MT
are mainly pedagogically based. Turnbull (2001), in his response to Cook (2001), mentions that
students do not benefit when teachers over-rely on using their students’ MT, particularly when
the EFL teacher is the sole linguistic model and main source of FL input. Classroom situations
can create various experiences for students such as real-life situations through simulations
(McDonald, 1993); if the teacher uses the MT to a great extent, students may lose the chance to
benefit from these situations. In addition, teachers who overuse their students’ MT deprive these
learners of an important language process in which students try to make sense of what is being
said in class (Ellis, 1994). The use of the FL in class influences students’ achievements and
proficiency in FL because of the experiences they gain in class

 Our beliefs as teachers affect our classroom management more than any other
factor in the classroom.

Our political, religious, social, and personal perspectives are bridges that join or separate us
from our students. We agree and we consider that as teachers, we must not enforce our beliefs
or thoughts on the students in order to have significant learning, the best results in teaching
happen when the student thinks the teacher is sharing some of their opinions without expressing
them aloud. We as teachers have our own beliefs and we think in the way we learned, our
students will do it as well but is important take into account that every student learns in a
different way, as we learn maybe is not the best way for them, we can try but is important to
know our students, and changes are always important. Teachers’ beliefs and teaching practices
should be related in a meaningful way, as is the case for other teaching tasks, such as student
assessment, in which conceptions of assessment and assessment practices are significantly
associated (Brown, 2009). The reasons teachers adapt classroom management practices such
as the use of rewards and punishment has been analyzed by Landau (2009) and Landrum
(2006). Teachers’ main argument for using such practices is their efficiency: They offer a readily
and easy-to-use applicable solution to react to misbehavior. Furthermore, this gives the teacher
a feeling of keeping students under control. At the opposite end of the spectrum, practices such
as complimenting and private verbal encouragement are believed to be not very useful as
teachers say that such practice cannot work with the teachers’ own students.

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Conclusion

The act and the art of teaching are basically a real process of academic options. At every angle
in each lesson, a teacher has a huge number of options available according to the contexts,
situations and beliefs; he or she can choose to do something or to do something else, or not to
do anything at all. In order to guarantee knowledge acquisition, it seems important to be aware
of as many options as possible (Scrivener, 2012). To do an appropriate analysis about this, it is
essential to recognize the importance of classroom management to the teacher, the student, and
the rest of the stakeholders of education. This way, you will be able to understand the trickle-
down benefits of effective management of the classroom from the teacher in projection to the
entire society.

After answering the questions above we could conclude:

 For each activity you do in class, consider what grouping, seating, standing arrangements are
most appropriate. It is worth including effective implementation of dynamic strategies
depending on an assertive discipline management
 Mixed Ability groups help to share their experiences and knowledge with others, so the
weaknesses of one are the strengths of the other.

 The educational system is constantly changing and improving.

 Classroom management involves all the methods and strategies an educator uses to
maintain a classroom environment that is conducive to student success and learning.

Planning is a thinking skill that helps you to be clear about what you want to do for getting
academic goals. A lot is going to happen on the spot in the class. You can´t ever completely
predict how learners will respond to anything but the better prepared you are, the more likely it is
that you will be ready to cope with whatever happens.

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Bibliographic References

Ball, P. (2016). Classroom Management. Funiber Ediciones.

Brown, G. T. L. (2009). Teachers’ Self-Reported Assessment Practices and Conceptions: Using

Structural Equation Modeling to Examine Measurement and Models. Sense Publishers.

Cook, V. (2001). Using the First Language in the Classroom. The Canadian Modern Language.

Ellis, R. (1994). The study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford University Press.

Fanon, F. (2008). Black Skin White Masks. Grove Press Ed.

Gardner, B., & Gardner, F. (2000). Classroom English. Oxford University Press Ed.

Holly, (2021). Teach Starter. https://www.teachstarter.com/us/seating-arrangements-us.

Landau, B. (2009). Classroom Management. International Handbook of Research on Teachers

and Teaching (pp. 739-753). New York Editions.

Landrum, T. J., Kauffman, J. M. (2006). Behavioral Approaches to Classroom Management.

Handbook of Classroom Management (pp. 47-71). Lawrence Erlbaum Editions.

McDonald, C. (1993). Using the Target Language. Mary Glasgow Cheltenham Editions.

McLeod, J., Fisher, J., & Hoover, G. (2003). The Key Elements of Classroom Management:
Managing Time and Space, Student Behavior, and Instructional Strategies. ASCD
Editions.

Robbins, S. (2007). Ethical Decision-Making by Educational Leaders. Clarendon Press.

Russell, D. (2019). Individualised Learning Improves Outcomes. Teacher + Evidence.

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/outcomes.

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Scrivener, J.(2012). Learning Teaching. A Guide for English Language Teachers. Macmillan
Books.

Sowell, J. (2017). Good Instruction-Giving in the Second-Language Classroom.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156495.pdf. English Teaching Forum.

Ur, P. (1996). A course in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press Ed.

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Appendices

1. Seating Arrangement.

2. Traditional Type of Seating Arrangement.

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3. Gibb´s Reflective Cycle.

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