3.Class Management


LOCKSTEP: the class grouping where all the students are working with the teacher, where all the students are ‘locked into’ the same rhythm and pace, the same activity.
PAIRWORK: the class grouping where activities are carried out in twos.

GROUPWORK: the class organization where activities are carried out in groups.

CLASSROOM OBSERVATION: CLASS MANAGEMENT

  1. Did the teacher maintain good eye contact? (always/sometimes/not enough/never)
  2. Did the teacher change position appropriately with action?
  3. Did the students work well together?
  4. The teacher rearranged the seating when necessary.
  5. The instructions were clear.
  6. The teacher checked that the students had understood the instructions.
  7. The teacher did not obscure the blackboard.
  8. The teacher’s voice was clearly audible at all times. Speech was not slow/fast/unclear.
  9. The students were clearly audible to each other.
  10. The teacher was aware of students’ learning difficulties and responded in a supportive way.
  11. The students took away useful and clearly illustrated language copied from the blackboard or in the form of a handout.


  • Reflection as Exercise
  1. Think back of your own learning situation and state advantages and disadvantages of each type of interaction.
  2. Draw a list of expected problems and possible solutions with group work.
  3. Reflect on your own experience of learning a language successfully. Share with your friend your memories on:
  1. how much of your success in learning English you would attribute to formal teaching, and how much to your own independent effort or experience.
  2. Certain strategies or techniques you used, which you feel contributed to your success.
Which of the things you have mentioned do you think are teachable and which are not? Were you taught any yourself? If not, how did you acquire them?
  1. One way of avoiding disruptive behaviour (though not all) is by making sure all your students of whatever age know ‘where you stand’. Somehow you and they have to agree upon a ‘code of conduct’. Write such a code you would like observed by your students.
  2. Mention three possible causes for discipline problems.
  3. Think of ways of teacher’s discouraging use of mother tongue in groupwork and pairwork.
  4. Here are some tips for monitoring group work. Please fill in the missing parts.
  1. Stand back
  2. Quickly check
  3. Don’t interrupt, unless: ………………………………………………………………….
  4. Spread your attention.
  5. Don’t correct, unless: …………………………………………………………………….
  6. Be easily accessible
  7. Jolly them, if necessary
  8. Take notes
  9. If you need to feed in ideas, it is better to ……………………………………………….
  1. Think of common techniques of constituting groups; mention varying roles the teacher must play during one and the same class.
  2. Organizing the class (explaining the task; seating arrangements; getting the timing right) is very important for the success of the group work. Devise a scenario of a lesson in which you use group and pair work. Pay attention to how clearly you state objectives, and organize activities. Mention level, age, and number.
  3. Finally, don’t be afraid of students using their mother tongue. A lot depends on your attitude, although it’s worth remembering that if you are doing group work as an alternative to whole-class work then even if only two people are using English simultaneously you have doubled the amount of student talk for that time!