Classroom management — Connect Lite

Trainee

Would you rather? Pick one, then tell your partner why

Think back to teachers you've had: at school, in language classes, anywhere. Which teacher would you rather have?

why pairs and groups

Who is talking? Move the sliders

A speaking activity. The teacher can ask each student one by one in open class, or put everyone in pairs. How long does each student actually get to speak?

Students in the class:

Minutes for the activity:

Open class, one at a time

Pairs

Open class assumes the teacher takes half the time asking, prompting and responding. In pairs, each student speaks about half the time.

So why pairs and groups? Tap each one

what it covers

Spin the wheel In your group

Good classroom management covers all of these, and probably more. Spin, then discuss: why does it matter? Think about how it feels to be the student, and the teachers you've had.

SPIN

Spin to start

Thirteen areas. Can your group get through them all?

what do you think?

Yes, no or maybe? Decide, then reveal

Agree with your partner first. Then reveal what most experienced teachers would say. Some of them really do depend.

how teachers get in the way

Spot the problem Match it

Fourteen real moments from real classrooms. Why is each one a problem? Pick the label that fits.

0 / 14

say less, say it clearly

Grade your language Tap to fix

Imperatives, direct questions, natural speech. No idioms, no baby language, no shouting. Tap each one to see a clearer version.

Your turn: rescue this teacher Rewrite it

“Right, so what we're gonna do is, er, I'm gonna put you into groups, but before that there are a few things we've gotta sort out. So just jot down, if you've got a pencil, could you write this, then when we've finished that we're going to move on to the next bit, which involves…”

The task: learners read five questions, then ask a partner and write down the answers. Write the instructions in short steps, and add one question to check they've understood.

“Work with your partner.” (gesture: you two, you two)
“Read the five questions. Don't write.” (hold up the handout)
“Ask your partner the questions. Write their answers.”
“Five minutes.” (show five fingers)

Check: “Are you writing your answers, or your partner's?” (My partner's.) Then demonstrate the first question with one student before everyone starts.

this afternoon

Take it into TP Tick what you'll try

Pick the ones you'll try first, and watch for them in your peers' lessons too.

Trainer notes Tutor only

Before

Groups of three with one device each for the wheel; the rest is whole class on the screen. Nothing to print.

Running it

Stage	What you do
Would you rather	Six dilemmas, fast. Pick one, tell your partner why, next. The point is that they already have a theory of good teaching; this session gives it names.
Who is talking	Set the sliders to their TP class: the real number of students, the real minutes. Watch the bar. Then the six cards: ask them to predict the six reasons before clicking.
The wheel	Threes. Each group spins and talks for two minutes per area; they will get through five or six, not thirteen. Collect one line per group at the end.
Yes, no or maybe	Pairs decide, then reveal one at a time with the whole room. Number 7 (repeating what a student said) is the one to stop on: it is the echo they all do.
Spot the problem	Whole class on screen, one moment at a time, a different trainee each time. These are Scrivener’s fourteen; say so at the end, not the start.
Grade your language	The six fixes as a class, then the rescue in pairs. Compare two or three rewrites against the model on screen.
Into TP	Each trainee ticks two, not eight, and says which two.

The key

Everything reveals on the page: the twelve yes-no-maybe answers with their reasons, the fourteen problems with their labels, the six graded instructions and the model rescue.

Watch for

The wheel eating the session. Twelve minutes is the limit; stop it with the sentence from the page: "which of these is the hardest for you, and why?"
Capital letters on the board: they will argue. The reveal gives the reason (they hide which words take a capital); hold the line.
The rescue rewrite coming out as polite questions. Imperatives, and a check question that is not "do you understand?"

Sources. The moments in "Spot the problem" and the statements in yes, no or maybe are made up for this session. The ideas behind them draw on Jim Scrivener, Learning Teaching (Macmillan), the chapter on classroom management.