How to teach English:
MANAGING THE CLASSROOM
BY JEREMY HARMER
Presented by Keri and Kaan
Managing the classroom
 Classroom management
 The teacher in the classroom
 Using the voice
 Talking to students
 Giving instructions
 Student Talk and teacher talk
 Using the L1
 Creating Lesson stages
 Different seating arrangements & student groupings
Classroom
Management
Variables
Space
Students : groups vs alone
Classroom Time
Appearance
Voice
Talking to students
Mother tongue role
Difficult situations
Classroommanagementonline.com
Physical Location?
Teacher in the
classroom
Proximity
Appropriacy
Standing ?
How close ?
Movement
Awareness
Still or walking around ?
The teacher’s primary responsibility is response-ability
(Wilberg, as cited by Harmer, 2007, p. 35)
Self Awareness
How our students see us
Importance of Attire (Roach, 1997)
 “Dress Professionally”
 “Relationship of GTA dress with student perceptions
of affective/cognitive learning, student misbehaviors,
and student ratings of instruction”
 GTA training
often disregard “Non-verbal”
factors.
 Attire = attitudes, beliefs, values, socio-economics
True? False?
Perception is everything
Persuasiveness
Competence, credibility &
professionalism.
…in the Classroom.
 Different setting = different effects
 Often no official dress code but strong unofficial
preference & effectiveness
 Dress Seminars ?
 “One of the reasons the teachers are not paid as
professionals is that they don’t look like
professionals” (Molloy as cited by Lang in Roach,
1997, p. 129)
 Respect? Approachability?
Teacher Assistant Attire….
Negative Impact ?
Positive Impact?
…Conclusion
“In light of study results,
elevated TA attire levels
create a positive,
professional impression on
students that is reflected in
student attitudes toward
the course, the instructor,
the content, etc.” (Roach,
1997, p.137)
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Using the
Voice
Audibility
Variety
Conservation
 Audibility
 Voice quality – projection – Volume
 Variety
 Type of voice
Type of lesson
 Conservation
 Care of voice – breathing – conserve
energy
Talking to students
 Manner
Empathy
 Teacher – Student

Rapport
Parent – Child
 Rough Tuning
 It is the simplification of language which both parents and
teachers make in order to increase their chances of being
understood.
Adjust language use : Grammatical complexity, vocab use,
Tone.
Kind of language; what they wish to say &
Manner.
Giving
Instructions
2 Rules:
Simple & logical
Check understanding
Mother tongue &
Translation
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Student Talk & Teacher Talk
Student Talk Time (STT)
Teacher Talk Time (TTT)
 Not enough ?
 Too much ?
TTQ Teacher Talking Quality
Student centered or Teacher centered ?
Using the L1
 L1
 L2
Progression from L1 to L2
Beginner level
Advanced level
 Giving complicated instructions
 Use L1 when other ways of
 L2 should predominate
explaining meaning are
ineffective
 May aid in pronunciation
 Help make connections and see
differences between L1 & L2
 Use L1 only when other ways of
explaining meaning are
ineffective
Creating lesson stages
 Arouse student’s
interest
 Signal beginning of
activity or lesson
 Hold and/or regain
students’ attention
 Signal ending of activity
or lesson
Different seating arrangements
 Different seating arrangements indicate a
 number of different approaches.
More than just seating arrangement
 “In classroom settings where
students are required or elect
to bring several items to class,
for example, a backpack,
jacket, and handbag, in
addition to notebooks and
textbooks, defining one’s own
territory may become
increasingly important as a
means of comfortably
engaging in active learning”
(Burgess & Kaya, 2007, p.
872).
Different student groupings
PROS
CONS
Whole Class
Presenting material (lectures)
Less individual attention
Drills/practice
Inhibition because perceived as
Creates sense of belonging
more demanding
Group/Pair work
Cooperative and interactive
Compatibility
Increases independence
Dominant vs. subordinate
Increases participation
May encourage disruptiveness
Teacher can work with a group
while other groups work
Different student groupings
PROS
CONS
Solo
Students work at own pace
Gives students thinking time
?
Allows individuality
Class to Class
Interaction between others
May encourage positive feelings
and higher motivation
Can be time consuming
Discussion Questions
 Harmer does not mention this in the chapter, but to
what degree do you think culture (the teacher’s and
the students’) plays a role in how the teacher manages
the classroom?
 How important is the teacher’s appearance? Clothes?
Grooming? Hygiene?
References
 2 homeless men [Cartoon]. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2012
from, http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/
shabby.asp.
 Burgess, B., & Kaya, N. (2007). Territoriality: Seat preferences in
different types of classroom arrangements. Environment
and Behavior, 39(6), 859-877. Retrieved January 27, 2012,
from the Sage Publications database.
 Can you help me, Mrs. Martin? [Cartoon]. (n.d.). Retrieved
January 31, 2012 from, http://classroommanagement
online.com.
 Dress code [Cartoon]. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2012 from,
http://strange-lands.com/2010/07/dress-code-for-menand-women-in-public-schools.html
References
 Harmer, J. (2007). How to teach English. Essex, UK: Longman
 Male holding a book [Clipart]. (2012) Retrieved January 31, 2012
from, http://www.graphicsfactory.com/ Clip_Art/
Education/teacher401_138795.html
 Teaching before and after-edited [Cartoon]. (n.d.). Retrieved
January 31, 2012 from, http://ilookchina.net/?s=cartoon