• Home
  • Login
  • Registration
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
ESLarticle.com
Tweet
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Blog
  • Members
  • Add Article

Top Categories

Teaching 509
Other 210
Classroom Management 138
Career Development 135
Learning Methodology 121
Study Skills 90
E-Learning/CALL 87
English Language Learning (ELL) 78
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) 77
Teaching Methodology 76
English Language Teaching (ELT) 73
English as a Second Language (ESL) 64
Teach in Shanghai
Home / Articles / Classroom Management / View Article

Publishing

  • Articles
  • Add Article
  • Articles Archive
  • Latest Articles
  • Popular Articles

Latest Articles

Jan 5, 2019

Metacognition in Reading Competency

As related to the reading process, metacognition can be defined as contemplation concerning one's own thinking processes or knowledge of one's own...

Jan 5, 2019

Mass Media Literacy Reflections for Language Instructions

"You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself." Galileo Galilei Mass media forms thrive today. As development...

Nov 30, 2018

Ideas for the First Class with New Learners

~~The first class with new learners can be an anxious one for all concerned – teacher as well as learners. Below are some tips to make that first...

Nov 19, 2018

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners It is estimated that there are over a billion English speakers in the world, including native speakers,...

Nov 15, 2018

Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Hom

Education Today, December 2013 Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Home  Timothy G. Weih University of Northern...

Popular Articles

1144491 Views

5 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Classroom Bulletin Board This Winter

Back to school, fall leaves, Thanksgiving and Christmas all easily lend themselves to great decorating themes, but what to do when those are over...

383206 Views

Three Unique Ideas To Make Your Bulletin Board More Useful

Bulletin boards have long been existent in campuses. They have proven to be such versatile and useful aids in both the learning and teaching...

140998 Views

History of the Chalkboard

Walk into just about any classroom and you will find one: A dark green board on the wall, lined with pieces of chalk and felt erasers. Chalkboards,...

65299 Views

Report Card Comments

For a small minority, writing report cards isn't a big deal. But most teachers generally dread report card writing time. Completing the comment...

49448 Views

Second Language Acquisition: Swain's Output Vs Krashen's Input

1. Introduction: Input versus Output. A general overview In order to assess how compatible Krashen's and Swain's views are, it is essential to...


Managing very Young Learners

by Sophia McMillan

Jan 15, 2018 Classroom Management 3758 Views

~~Facing a class of under fives can be a very frightening experience. What do you do when they start crying, crawling under the table, throwing things, won’t participate etc?

It is important to remember that learning English can be a frightening and destabilising experience for a young child and it is vital that rapport and trust is established quickly. Greet them when they come into the classroom, and use their names as much as possible. Sometimes having children’s music/songs playing quietly in the background can reduce the stress felt by the learners.

Sometimes small toys/teddies etc can be used to distract nervous or tearful learners who can be asked to “look after” the toy for the lesson. It is important to set this up clearly or the child may become distressed at the end of the lesson when they have to return it. For this to work well the same group of toys should be available every week and there should be at least one available per learner. These toys can also be used to introduce new language etc.

Routines are very important for young learners as it fosters a sense of security and comfort. Always begin and end the lessons the same way, as the learners will get used to the routine making them easier to manage. You could use the ‘hello’ song (FAB Red) to start the lesson and “goodbye” (FAB Red) to end it. This means that the learners are controlled on entering and leaving the class.

Before the lesson starts make sure that all your materials are prepared and ready for use. This will mean that you can give the learners your undivided attention. Try not to turn your back on the class.

There are a number of ways of ensuring that discipline is maintained in a young learner class and the best method will change with the class and teacher. But there needs to be a clear and consistent system. Young learners need to know what is expected of them and be clear on why they are being told ‘no!’

One method is to draw two faces in the corner of the board at the start of each lesson, one smiley and the other sad. Write the names of the learners onto card that can be moved between the two faces. Stick them onto the board in-between the two columns. If the learners do something good e.g. participate, tidy up etc then the card is moved to the smiley face column. This is a clear incentive that shows the focus is not just on the naughty children. If someone does misbehave then their name should be moved into the sad face column, but remember to give them an opportunity to return to the middle and eventually the smiley face column during the lesson. At the end of the lesson be sure to make a point of congratulating those in the smiley column to reinforce and reward their good behaviour.

Similar to football it is possible to use a card system with your learners – yellow cards for minor infractions and red for more serious ones. (Two yellow cards are followed by a red card).

Seating arrangements are a very important factor to a well-managed class. As a teacher you need to be able to make eye contact with all the learners. If they are using tables make sure that you are mobile, change where you sit. Use designated seats to split up children who easily distract each other or put quieter learners with those they get on well with. This can be done with word/colour cards given at the door that the learners match to a card on a chair.

Ensure that the learners only have the bare minimum available. A friend’s pencil can quickly become the most fascinating thing in the world!

Prevention is better than a cure and the reasons why learners might be misbehaving are often easier to deal with than the behaviour itself. Learners need to be challenged and they should always have something achievable to do. If they are bored or do not understand the task they will become bored and harder to control. Make sure activities are clearly demonstrated. Help those who do not understand and if possible encourage the learners to help each other. Have extra materials and ideas prepared for those who finish faster than the others.

Varying the type of activity and groupings used in the class is important. Make sure that fast paced active games are interspersed with calmer more sedate ones. Remember children can be very loud but the louder you are the louder they will become. If you want their attention try standing where they can all see you with your hands on your head. It will take a few minutes for the whole class to copy you but the more focussed ones will follow quickly and the others will be intrigued by what is happening and the class will quieten.

Article source: http://eslarticle.com/pub/classroom-management/139631-Managing-very-Young-Learners.html

  • General Information
Author Info

Author Name: Sophia McMillan

About Author:

~~Sophia McMillan is the Training Manager / TESOL Course Director at Shane Training Centre, Shane Corporation Ltd, Japan. The only Trinity accredited centre in Japan and dedicated to promoting & fostering teacher development.

Most Recent Articles

  • Jun 16, 2018 Why Effective Teachers Have Minimal Classroom Problems by Sophia McMillan
  • May 10, 2018 School trip ideas: How to make them exciting & educational by Sophia McMillan
  • Jul 31, 2017 The Need To Shift From The Natural Voice To An Instructor's Voice by Sophia McMillan
  • May 17, 2017 Tips for Classroom Management by Sophia McMillan
  • Apr 15, 2017 Ten Reasons Why Educators Need Professional Development On the Topic o by Sophia McMillan

Actions

  • Print Page

Articles Archive

  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2021

Random Articles

Grammar

ESL Grammar Errors Activity

This is an activity that ESL teachers can use to get students practicing English grammar.

English Language Teaching (ELT)

SIght-Words remain biggest problem in reading

Sight-Words are a blight on the teaching of English. No ordinary person ever learned to read with Sight-Words. Article explains why we should...

Classroom Materials

Seven Things Every Classroom Teacher Needs

When summer ends and the teachers head back to their classrooms, they will be looking for new ways to make teaching easier and more organized. New...

Classroom Management

9 Tips for Better Discipline in the Classroom

It is not uncommon for new teachers to have trouble figuring out how to handle classroom discipline. It's no small task trying to keep a roomful of...

Young Learners

Developing oral skills in young learners

When teachers think of teaching young learners, they usually think of oral activities that include singing songs, and saying chants and rhymes. But...

About ESL Article

ESL Article is a private ESL/TEFL site designed and maintained by educators and educational administrators. It was launched in August 2008 with the aim of bringing ESL/TEFL students, parents, teachers and schools information and articles about the teaching profession and learning community.

Icon Group Member

ESL Article is a member of Icon Group Thailand (IGT), a group of ESL TEFL TESOL websites providing educational resources and information to teachers, schools and students around the world. The group was founded in 2003 and now includes 15+ websites covering educational information services, teaching resources and e-learning.

What is ESL?

English as a second language (ESL) is the use or study of English by speakers of different native languages. It is also known as English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), English as an additional language (EAL), and English as a foreign language (EFL).

  • Home
  • Registration
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Help
  • Partner
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
​

© 2022 ESLarticle.com.
Member of Icon Group Thailand - Educating the Future:
TESall All TESOL  Total ESL  ESL Job Feed
TEFL World  TEFL Jobs Overseas  Teach Overseas
Asia TEFL  ESL Powerpoint  Teacher Training