How To Create a Productive Classroom

1. Make the classroom materials interesting for the students -- include music, sporting events, local issues, activities with a purpose and a result, quizzes, games, etc.
2. Adapt the activities to suit your class – deoebdubg yoib the level of your class or the variation in levels of students in the class. Make sure the materials are neither too difficult nor too easy.
3. Comfort and safety - try to create an environment In your classroom where students are not afraid to try, where students don’t laugh each other or make each other feel embarrassed for any reason.
4. Encourage mistakes! - tell students not to worry about inaking, mistakes. It is better to try and do someting and slake a few mistakes than not to try at all. When students feel comfortable about doing something even though they know they won't get it 100% correct, they'll try harder and try more often because they won't be afraid.
5. Praise and reward - praise builds confidence. When correcting students, begin by highlighting what they did well. Follow with a discussion of one of two mistakes or errors that need improvement, but don't over-correct. Focussing only on what they did wrong will damage their confidence and de-motivate students.
6. Ensure that students regularly experience some degree of success –especially at the end of the lesson!
7. Make sure students are actively engaged throughout the lesson - keep them busy all the time! This is important in large classes so you can work with individuals or groups.
8. Vary the way you teach - try new activities and methods! For example, if the course book uses lots of comprehension questions, make a matching activity for a change. If you always work with the whole class together, divide them into groups occasionally.
9. Make the task of teaching easier for yourself and your students – teach students to work independently, use students to help you, share ideas with other teachers, etc.
10. Make the most of the (limited) materials you have – do not just use material once, and discard it – use texts again and again with different activities each time.
11. Keep energy levels high - do warm ups, get students physically moving.
12. Students make their own activities - keep their interest by netting students to make up activities. This can be quite time-consuming but students do enjoy it. It will get easier and quicker to do once you have done it a few times.
13. Tes/Grading free lessons - have lessons without any grading and testing, from time to time. Students will be encouraged to try harder.

Posted in: Teaching Methods