Classroom Management

I have never taught before, but I will be teaching ENC 1101 next semester and I plan to teach English as a second language overseas. Because I'm taking a course in pedagogy (for writing and rhetoric) as well as this class in methodologies (for teaching a foreign language), I feel prepared to handle class management within the US albeit "lesson plans may not go exactly according to plan". However, relative to teaching overseas, I feel a certain level of nervousness and excitement. I realize that teaching methods and school curriculums can be quite different across the world. Also, I have to keep in mind various cultural differences as well as teacher/students relationships when conducting a lesson in the classroom (and outside the classroom). Hence, I'll have to find some balance to classroom management that not only adheres to my own beliefs, but to the beliefs/regulations of the setting I will work in and the people I will work with.

My approach to classroom management is to be clear of my expectations of the classroom (have hard copies for the class to read as well as say them aloud), establishing a mutual respect between teacher and student on day one via class discussion (ask them about their expectations about the class, me and each other) and to make sure they are there to learn (ask them to share their motivations for learning, while sharing my motivations for teaching).

Whether I teach ENC or English as a second language, I also want to implement the idea of a student-led classroom when appropriate. I believe by asking the student questions about the topic at hand (directing them in a sense, but no spoon-feeding them answers), having them reformulate their ideas and argue/discuss these same ideas with one another, they will learn a great deal more than simply having me lecture in the front of the classroom for unnecessary, prolonged periods of time.

If I face misconduct, I have to adhere to the rules of the institution I am working at and control the situation in a manner that is as calm and collected as possible. If the misconduct is in the form of verbal abuse, I believe the situation is manageable in several ways, e.g. asking the student to leave the classroom and try to prevent further problems by establishing a relationship with the student. I believe if students are treated with respect and spoken to as such, they'll generally redistribute the positive back to the teacher.

However, if that fails and the the verbal abuse becomes truly detrimental to the teacher as well as other students' learning or the misconduct extends to physical abuse, campus authorities need to be notified immediately and students should be let out of class for their own safety.