Unit 2 – Classroom Organisation

[Leonor]

I change the organization of my class to keep the students attention while I do my job and I want them to be happy during the class.
I know that varying the interaction between students helps to keep them motivated but I have to teach English every hour in different classes. Most of the time I can't move chairs or tables. I try to combine individual work with work in pairs. When they work with a partner, I try to put together two students with different level and that way they can help each other to improve their English while I go around the class helping all the pairs.
Students like activities that require completing a chart moving around the class and asking questions to their classmates. Even if they're 27 students in the class, there isn't too much noise.
Games that require role-playing between the students are activities that help them get more into the concepts of the lesson.
Going to the playground is a possibility that I use when I make groups and do some fun activities.

[Admin]

Thanks for your message Leonor. You have to go to the different classes? That means that you don't have your own classroom, correct? Can you put posters and things related to English on the walls, or is that not possible?
I know that moving furniture is a problem in some schools - but there are often ways that you can vary who works with who without doing so. In any case, as you say, it's a useful strategy and it helps to vary the rhythm and pace of the lesson.
I found exactly the same thing: filling in a chart with info that the kids gather from their colleagues is an excellent activity - it was the one thing that always worked! So I did it quite a lot... In the private sector school where I worked there was no playground, so taking them out was never an option. I imagine it's a good thing to do from time to time - something special!
Thanks for writing!
Pieter

[neus]

In my case in the class there are only 10 students so I prefer a good organisation for a discussion. The learners can see and speak to each other, and the teacher can monitor and intervene if necessary. This organisation will be the best way for my students and for me. I don't like to move on all the timep tables and chairs it is really noise and we waste half an hour to do it.

[Mse]

I tend to change classroom even with adults, but with younger kids it helps a lot as they can't stop moving or stay sitting during the whole class.
They feel more motivated if I participate actively in their activity, every time I say "Let's sit down/stand up in a circle" they get really enthusiastic, they already know that it means a game.
They also like working in groups, share some time working or playing with their closest friends. Group work also helps to make a difference according to their level and do different activities at the same time to make sure that everybody's learning without feeling stressed or forced.
The easiest way to make them quiet is when they are sitting individually and the focus is on the teacher, they feel something more serious is going on and they adapt to it, but it could block the shyer kids.

[Ana]

Mse, I think we see eye to eye on elicit the content and trying to make them participate actively .Every single activity should be full of iniciative so that the students do not get bored or tired. The more interesting the activity is, the more concentrated the students are. For instance, fill in the gaps with the the anwsers makes students think and they feel less overwelmed. I believe this encoureges them to struggle and feel more motivated. I always try to put me in the students shoes. I also reckon that since the students have diffrent skills, working in pairs is a eficient way of sharing knoledged and balance. For example, giving one story working in pairs and having to finish the story with of course different endings. Children would squeeze their brains in order not to have the same ending.