دانش سرا

BEING A TEACHER

Managing a Class

When answering the following questions consider:
1. The course so far you have had and how you have felt.
2. Past experiences of good / bad teachers you have had.
The Physical Environment
1. Seating
How do you want the students to sit?
What choices are open to you?
What may influence your decision?
Are you going to give them the chance to move in your lesson? Why? Why not?
Where are you going to place yourself?
Are you going to stand, sit, and kneel
with the students or apart from the students?
How will this affect the atmosphere of the room?

2. Voice Projection
How loudly are you going to speak? Why?
How important is it that all the students hear and understand one another?
How can you ensure this?
3. Blackboard
Can the entire students see the blackboard?
Do they need to in your lesson?
Rapport between Teacher and Students
1. Physical Position
Where will you be?
How does distance and position affect your relationship with the students?

2. Eye Contact
When I was teaching young children, I trained myself to share my eye contacts out among the group. I find this is crucial in establishing a `fair` relationship with them. I`ve seen many teachers who concentrate their eye contacts on only a few students, and this does affect the feeling in a group. Certain students are disciples, but others feel separated, or experience themselves as less interesting, or as `failures`. - from `Impro` (K. Johnstone)
How will the seating arrangements affect ease of eye contact?
What must you guard against?
2. Using Students` Names
How can you remember all the names quickly? Is this important?
What should you do / not do if you forget a name?
What is wrong with nominating a student before you ask a question?

4. Personal Involvement / Enjoyment
Seeming personally involved and genuinely interested in what the students are saying and not just how.
5. Encouragement
I`ve also trained myself to make positive comments, and to be as direct as possible. I say `Good` instead of `That`s enough`. I`ve actually heard teachers say `Well, let`s see who fails at this one`, when introducing an exercise. Some teachers get reassurance when their students fail. We must all have encountered the teacher who gives a self-satisfied smile when a student makes a mistake. Such an attitude is not productive to a good, warm feeling in the group. - from `Impro` (K. Johnstone)
How do you feel if something you think you have done well is not acknowledged?
6. Self-confidence
If you are confident in yourself as a teacher and in what you are teaching then the students will trust you.
What gives you more self-confidence? (Think of planning etc.)
7. Clarity
How can you make your instructions and explanations very clear?
How can you be sure the students have understood?
Is `Do you understand?` a good check of understanding? Why? Why not?
Student`s Individual Sense of Belonging to a Group
1. Teacher involving all equally

Have you ever felt left out of a class? Why?
What can the teacher do to help?
What is outside his/her control?
2. Expressing their own personalities

What aspects of your character would you want to share with a group a) a few minutes after meeting them, b) having got to know the others over time?
What would you never want to express?
How would you feel if you were never given a chance to express yourself personally?
3. Constitution of groups in the class

How can you prevent students always sitting in the same seat?
Why is this a problem?
What ways can you think of re-organizing the group at a) the start of the class, b) for particular activities?