How do I solve this classroom management problem when I'm teaching? First, learn your learners' names. I know it sounds simple, but this is vital not only for building rapport, but also for the next tip.
Second, nominate learners to answer your questions. This will ensure that everyone has a chance to participate in the lesson. In some cultures, learners naturally give the answers in group settings. But you need to be firm and kind by saying, ‘I’m sorry, Juan, I asked Reem to answer the question’. With practice, learners will become used to this.
Third, allow learners time to compare their answers with their partners' before doing any class feedback. This allows learners to pool their ideas and fill in any gaps they might have. It can also boost confidence and increase learner-learner interaction.
2- Lesson Aims What are lesson aims? These are what we hope our learners will be able to do by the end of the lesson.
What is the most common problem with lesson aims in the English language classroom? Teachers tend not to make learners aware of the lesson aims at the beginning of the lesson. That can cause learners to feel confused or overwhelmed by what’s going to happen in the next 60, 90 or 120 minutes.
How do I solve this problem with lesson aims in my classroom? At the beginning of the class, write the lesson aims on the board for everyone to see. I like to break the lesson into stages by making them aware of how they’re going to achieve the aim.
For example, if the main aim is ‘talk about our last holiday using past simple verbs’, I would write:
Vocabulary – holiday activities
Grammar – forming past simple verbs
Speaking – talking about your last holiday.
Refer back to these during the lesson to show that learners have finished one stage and are now going on to the next.
3- Pronunciation What is pronunciation? Gerald Kelly divided features of pronunciation into two main areas, in How to Teach Pronunciation (2000) Longman:
phonemes (sounds), which include consonants (voiced or unvoiced), vowels (single- short or long) and diphthongs (the combination of two vowel sounds)
suprasegmental, which include intonation and stress (word and sentence).
