3605. On Discipline in the Classroom and on Lesson Planning

 Sorry for my silence these last days. Today I wanted to write about two points: classroom behavior management and lesson planning for English or any other language lessons. 

I have already told you that I’m reading Jeremy Harmer’s The Practice of English Language Teaching, which is a major work and a must read if you teach English or other languages. 

Recently I have read about problem behavior in the classroom. And the main point is that if you want to teach successfully, peacefully and serving your students, you have to engage them. If these ones are immersed in the class, you for sure will have fewer problems. 

We teachers have to manage the classroom, but always having in mind that we have to respect our students: the problem is their behavior and attitude, not the person. We don’t go against the person. 

And it’s practice and experience what will lead you to manage classes better and better. 

When some problem arises in the classroom, well we could stop talking and look at the student or students who are behaving disruptively. Just look at them, and maybe some brief comment. 

And then and after the lesson and apart, we may reprimand that person. 

I would add that if you the teacher are too angry, you may wait for tomorrow: you will achieve more with a clever and calm and kind comment than with a thousand words while quarrelling. It’s so because ultimately what we wish is for our students to learn and become competent learners and better persons. 

Much more could be said about behavior managing, but I just point out the previous issue. 

Now about lesson planning. A lot also might be said about that point, but I am just pointing out something which hopefully could help you plan your lessons. 

When I settle to plan next lesson, first I think about one or two points that are most important concerning THAT class or group of students: what do they need now more than anything else? 

And with my intermediate level students I try and think about activities that would make them speak in the classroom and thus practice that language skill in English. 

Finally I have to think of activities which push them toward competent learners, ones who wish to be also autonomous learners. For example and I finish the post with it, in the classroom lately I’m pinpointing the use of dictionaries, both online and printed ones, in order to learn English: one of the basic tools for learning that language is to be, say, dictionary-friendly learners. 

Also I promote and foster reading as a language learning booster: it gives you the language – vocab and grammar – which you will need to produce language. Have a nice day.