I teach adults, and it surprises me that discipline is something I have to think about; some may chalk this up to classroom management…but in many contexts it is very close to discipline.
I’ve mentioned it before, in a post about using only English during lessons; I can explain to students why something is useful and how it benefits them, but there’s less I can do if they choose not to abide by it, aside from remind them in a friendly manner. And while I do what I can, they are adults, and in a private language school, they are also paying customers. In one sense, classroom management can seem complicated because of this inability to really discipline, but mostly, I find it a relief! While I don’t abdicate all responsibility for how things go, I realize I won’t have total control over how a group of adults act, and if they don’t act in the most productive way, it’s not always a reflection on me.
When I taught a kids’ class, my lack of practice disciplining students was a definite disadvantage though.
I struggled with this nearly every class and once or twice left close to tears. Compared to the experience of others, I realize teaching thirteen slightly rowdy eleven to thirteen year olds boys is probably not particularly remarkable. Still, standing in front of a group of people of any age and not really knowing what to do because they won’t listen to you is not an experience most of us savor.
As with most things, classroom management skills take practice and may come more naturally to some than others. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to start with some tips – and who better to give them than a teacher who works on a disciplinary campus. If I teach younger learners again, Amy’s tips are going up on the wall!
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I can’t teach kids just for the discipline problems. Fortunately I teach at a university and if I have problems I just talk about grades - problem solved.
I used to work at a langauge institute and there is very little you can do since the place is a business first and a school a very very distant second.
You mean it’s not OK to just spank them?
Seriously, discipline for adult students surprises me too. You’d think that if they’re paying for something out of their own pockets, they’d want to get their money’s worth. On the other hand, if you have adult students who are there to fullfil some work requirements on their employer’s dime … yeah, I’ve occasionally had problems with those types.
Oh, I charge extra for spanking.
Seriously, though, it’s not like adult students are running around the room screaming, but schools will say teachers should give and check homework regularly, and students don’t do it - they may really just not have time. And when higher level students speak in their own language in class - it’s not that they need to be punished, but they need to try and use English. Sure, they might do this in response to a task that’s too hard or poor instructions, but I don’t think that’s the case all the time. Some teachers use this red card yellow card football/soccer thing (which I don’t understand anyway); others collect money when students use their own language instead of English in class. These aren’t necessarily bad, but I really can’t do this stuff with a straight face, with adults, and I feel like being too strict can just alienate adults…
I think 1 - EFL Geek is spot on about private language schools being businesses first - and 2 - lots of people want to know a language, but don’t always have the energy or time for the learning portion of that process that comes before.
Business, first - language learning, second. How true! Yet, you’ll find the majority of students keen on learning. I never made it a huge issue if students didn’t do their homework, sometimes spoke in their native language. Relax, have fun, do the best you can. What more is there? Students have some responsibility too.
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