Page 6 - FP Newsletter January 2020

PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

"Students

are not the

same from year

to year, as they

have different

needs to be

GOOD TEACHER, GOOD LEARNER satisfied."

Sharing tips for classroom management

A m a l H a s s a n M u r s i E s s a
B Y A M A L H A S S A N M U R S I E S S A F P E N G L I S H T E A C H E R
Teaching is a never-ending process. when to be soft and when to be
Satisfaction with being "just a tea- loud. Knowing how to observe
cher" with many years of exper- students during their learning is
ience should not be any teacher's another vital skill. It's necessary to
career goal. We always hear the know how to go around the room to
magic words: “do not stop” and “do check student understanding and
not be fossilized.” Stepping away how to choose someone to share
from phony words and pedagogical the answer with the class. It's never
concepts, it’s important to share our a good idea to choose the weakest
learning and teaching exper-iences. student. Otherwise, you might
This is where the role of embarrass them. Only call a student
professional development comes in out if you are sure that their answer
my life and how I made use of class is correct to encourage them to
management in running a
successful learning environment. share again. It is very important for
building self-esteem.
After spending 25 years teaching In classroom management, keeping
different students, I discovered that
I’m still learning. Students are not students fully engaged can be a
the same from year to year, as they challenge. Never teach important
have different needs to be satisfied. things at the end of the class and
Thus, the first thing I learnt from try to create new things to keep
the Certificate in English Language your students attentive from
Teaching to Adults (CELTA) course beginning until the end, which is
was: “Know your students.” From very difficult.
the first day in class, you should try
to understand your students; ask Finally, the key to being a good
them about their fears, needs and teacher is to be a good leaner. If the
expectations; build a rapport; melt teacher really knows their students
the ice and be one of them. More- and tries hard to cope with
over, l learnt the importance of my students’ needs, then a teacher will
tone of voice. You have to know never stop learning.

P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T | P A G E 6