International TEFL InstituteDiscipline in the TEFL classroom
It can be a joy to teach young learners who behave well and make an effort to learn what you teach. It can be frustrating when you are faced with a rowdy crowd of misbehaving children. Some children can be naturally boisterous and noisy. Others can be quiet as mice and they can have difficulty in expressing themselves in a TEFL class using their own native language, let alone a strange and foreign language. You need to have a relaxed and fun atmosphere in your TEFL class without it descending into confusion and chaos (no discipline). This is something that will only come from your own experience as a TEFL teacher. It all depends on the class you are teaching.
One TEFL class may be full of young children who are quite serious and want to spend time learning English. Other children just want to play and have fun. Some children won’t want to be in your class, because they lack any incentive to learn or are just plain bored. Occasionally you will come across children who want to cause trouble. You will seldom come across badly-behaved delinquent children. If your TEFL classes are fast-paced, interesting, with a wide variety of activities and games, you shouldn’t have too many problems with discipline.
How to prevent discipline problems from occurring?
From the outset of your TEFL class, you need to have set rules – things students can and can’t do – you need to be firm about this from when you begin teaching them. The school where you work will have its own guidelines on what is and what is not permissible in your classes.
When teaching any subject, by far the most effective way of doing this is to create the need before filling it. Getting our students to try to find a way to communicate with us as teachers themselves gives them the desire to learn and find out. You can tell your students what to say, but it is far better to let them find out themselves.
One major rule in your class should be that your young learners can only speak English – not their own language. It is up to you, and the school you work for, how far you want to enforce that.
What happens when you have a child in your class who is particularly naughty and continually disrupts your class, maybe even inciting the other children to misbehave? You must be firm and show your displeasure at this behaviour. Whatever happens, do not get angry. Do not shout or scream and never hit a child even if he or she attacks you first.
How much does the child understand you? For example, could you tell the child that you will need to discuss their behaviour with the child’s parents? And if they don’t have enough English to understand that, perhaps an administrator from the school will tell the child in his or her own language. If things get really serious and the child continues to disrupt your class you will need to talk to the Principal or the Director of the school. Perhaps one of the parents will be invited to observe your class to see the situation for themselves. Perhaps the child will be removed from the class or even if necessary removed from the school.
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