What if?

Dealing with some problems in classroom

Danuta Kowal
What if students are all at different levels?

• Using of different materials/technology

• Forming different study groups
• Trating some students differently from others
• Using self-study area
 Mixed-ability groups
• Doing different tasks with the same
material/technology
• Differentiation is taking place
• Students have roles or functions which are
appropriate to their level
 Ignoring the problem can be problem

• Students may be bored by the slowness of

their colleagues
• Students may be frustrated by their inability to
keep up
 Adopting a strategy of peer help and
teaching
• The better students can help weaker ones
• They explain things or provide good models of
language performance in speaking and writing
• Collaboration should be done in supportive
and non-judgmental manner
 What if class is very big?
• Using of worksheets
• Using pairwork and groupwork
• Using chrus reaction
• Using group leaders
• Thinking about vision and acoustics
 Advantages of the big class
• They are bigger, so that more humourous
• Funnier
• More exciting
• More involving classes
• A good class feeling is warmer and
• more developing
 What is students keep using their own
language?
• Talk to them about the issues
 Encouraging students to use English
appropriately
• Only respond to English use
• Create an English environment
• Keep reminding students, encouraging,
cajoling, even pleading with them to use
English
 What if students don’t do homework?

• Ask the students and get their agreement

about how much we should ask for and their
ideas about useful and appropriate homework
Make homework fun and respect it
• Homework should be something that students
want to be involved in
• Some slightly crazy tasks are a good idea
• Ensuring the useful feedback and encouraging
students to correct their mistakes
 What if students are uncooperative?

• We need to keep calm, and respond as

objectively as we can
 What if students don’t want to talk?

• Use pairwork
• Allow them to speak in controlled way at first
• Use “acting out” and reading aloud
• Use role-play
• Use recording
What if students don’t understand the audio
track?
• Preview interview questions using predictive
role-play
• Use “jigsaw listening”
 What can help to understand the audio
track?
• One task only, which doesn’t demand too
much detailed understanding
• Playing a/the first segment only and allowing
students to predict what is coming next
• Playing the listening in chunks
 Use the audioscript
• 1) we can cut the script into bits
• 2) we can let the students see the first part of
the audioscript before they listen
• 3) the students can read the audioscript
before, during and after they listen
 Use vocabulary prediction
• Giving students “key” vocabulary before they
listen
• Have students listen all the time, because the
more they listen, the easier it gets
 What if some students finish before
everybody else?
• Common sense has to prevail here
• A selection of spare activities – little
worksheets, puzzles, readings, etc
• Plan extensions to the original task – extra
work
 What if students have bad behaviour?
• One of the biggest classroom management
mistakes teachers make is that they take
disrespectful behavior personally.
• Taking poor student behavior personally sends
the message to your students that they can
push your buttons and disrupt your day if they
choose.
• When you react out of anger, you are inviting,
even daring, disrespect.
 So how should you react?
• The most effective way to handle disrespect is to
simply and dispassionately follow your
classroom management plan and enforce a
consequence.
• Enforcing your classroom rules—which should include
a rule specifically for disrespectful behavior—with an
attitude of indifference strengthens your authority and
your classroom management effectiveness.
• Rest assured, you’re not folding or giving in by
resisting the urge to react emotionally.
 Establish rules in the classroom
• Send the message that being respectful is not a
choice in your classroom and that anyone who
engages in disrespectful behavior will be held
accountable.
• Disrespectful behavior, emotional outbursts, and
bullying other students are examples of behavior
that would warrant an immediate time-out
separation from the rest of the class and, more than
likely, a letter home to parents, or sending them to
Coordination (Diego and Sofy)
 Useful Strategies for Handling
Difficult Students
• Take a deep breath and try to remain calm.
• Try to set a positive tone and model an appropriate response, even
if it means you must take a few moments to compose yourself.
• Teach students personal and social skills — communicating,
listening, helping, and sharing, for example.
• Avoid win-lose conflicts. Emphasize problem-solving instead of
punishment.
• Never resort to blame or ridicule.
• Be aware of cultural differences.
• Focus on recognizing and rewarding acceptable behavior more
than punishing misbehavior.
• Where reprimands are necessary, state them quickly and without
disrupting the class.
Deal with the behaviour, not the students

• Make sure students understand that it's their

misbehavior you dislike, not them.
• We need to act immediately and stop it from
continuing
• Face-to-face discussion is better than a public
confrontation in front of all the other students
• It is helpful to find out why the student is
behaving uncooperatively
 Go forward and use any means of
communication
• Enlist help
• Agree on behaviour standards with the class at
the beginning of the semester
• Language-learning contract
ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS…IF I…

1. I consistently followed my classroom management plan.

2. I held students accountable without becoming angry or taking
misbehavior personally.
3. I refrained from lecturing, scolding, yelling, glaring, or using
any other form of intimidation.
4. I praised students only for work, effort, or behavior that was
truly worthy of it.
5. I built strong leverage, influence, and rapport through my
consistently pleasant personality.
6. I avoided external rewards in favor of building intrinsic
motivation.
7. I had a good relationship with my most difficult students.
8. I taught routines thoroughly and held my class accountable for
performing them with excellence.
9. I taught clear, compelling lessons and then shifted
responsibility to my students.
10. I allowed my students to work independently with the least
amount of interference from me.
11. I was dependably able to get my students to listen attentively
and follow my directions.
12. I prepared efficiently and had ample time to spend with my
family and the hobbies I love.
13. I created a peaceful, happy, and orderly room environment
that my students loved coming to every day.
14. I experienced a minimal amount of stress throughout the year.