Classroom management tips and tricks

Classroom management tips The natural way of the development process in kindergarteners is done by playing so we should have this into account if we want them to learn a second language.

Classroom management in preschool have to be well planned and organized in advance. Here are some tips and tricks to have the classroom running smoothly:  Using puppets Puppets represent a very useful resource to introduce a foreign language at Kindergarten. The puppet can come to the class as a foreign visitor and can explain the children about where it’s come from and it can show the pupils songs and games from it country. We can encourage children to help us show things to the puppet as another pupil in the school. We also can use the puppet as a routine to introduce the English lessons and to help students come out of their fears of speaking. Tell the children that the puppet speaks only English so kids have to pick up the language to be able to communicate with it.

 Pronunciation and accents: Children who learn a foreign language when they are in Kindergarten have a better chance to improve the accent and to pick up easier the language. Make sure that your pupils see your lips when you speak and avoid to over-correct the pronunciation.  Hands on activities.

As teachers we have to take into account that children learn things more successfully when they are taught in an affectionate atmosphere and through activities they enjoy. The lessons have to be relevant to the kid’s age and interests and as visual as possible. Using a visual approach keeps the student’s attention. Children have got very short attention span so try to keep the lessons dynamic designing short activities.  Sing songs.

Children love to sing songs, play instruments, listen and move. Many songs reinforce what they are learning in class like the colours, the alphabet, the days of the week, counting, among others.

Songs are also a very easy way to get the kids speaking a foreign language. We can use flashcards and show them as children sing the song. Rhymes and songs develop the ear which

is one of the most important steps in learning a language. Through the songs we teach vocabulary, structures, pronunciation and intonation in a natural way and having fun.  Respect.

Every child is unique. Children learn at different rates and in different ways, the difference in maturity among preschoolers of the same class can be enormous, teachers have to take these differences into consideration when choosing activities for students. We have offer to our pupils as many different ways as possible to learn and understand a topic, providing a variety of activities. Respect the child as an individual, spiritual, creative being.  Cooperative learning. Peer tutoring The cooperative learning is when a small group of students work together on a common task and all kids learn best from each other. The cooperative learning emphasizes basic social skills.

In small groups, students can share strengths and also develop their weaker skills.

One of the teamwork tactic that emphasize accountability is “Ask three, then me” and by the third student children usually have the answer.  Labelling the classroom.

Creating a classroom layout can be very useful, one can create an environment designed to help teaching children languages. Labelling the shelves and the buckets make clean up time so much easier because children know exactly where the materials belong. Each labelled item should have an image and the English name stuck on it.

 Establishing rules Involve children in deciding the rules and ensure that they understand and see the need for each rule. Set the rules in a positive way so explain then as goals. For kindergarten have the rules short and specific to make it clear.  Different instructional practices Tidy up song: teach the children a song to tidy up the classroom by the end of the song they should have everything on its place.

Student Helpers: give students responsibilities on a rotating basis.

Use the tone of your voice and body language to communicate information: Example “Thumbs up if you understand and thumbs down if you don’t”.

Time out corner - calm down kit: Is a place where children can look at a book, can do a puzzle, can draw a picture or can listen to music.  Assessment.

Rubrics are a useful assessment tool to measure students’ work and also help teachers to focus their own attention to the key concepts.

Teachers have the flexibility to reuse the same rubric for various class assignments Rubrics can be created for any content area and they can be modified easily for various grade levels