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• Overview: Module 12
• Unit 1: Managing behaviour in the classroom
• Unit 2: The Seven ‘R’s
• Unit 3: Storytelling
• Learning through stories
• Unit 4: Drama
• Module Questions: Reflection Time

Overview: Module 12
Teaching children can be the most challenging and most rewarding experience of
teaching.

Once you become an experienced EFL teacher, you will be able to compare teaching
different types of classes for example, adults versus children.

It is true to say that children’s brains really are like sponges.

Adults may need to work very hard at remembering vocabulary for example whereas
children will surprise you in that you need to do far less to help to stimulate their memory
reserves.

If you can engage them in tasks and maintain control, you will be responsible for helping
a child learn a second language.

As a result, this could be a life changing experience for them in terms of future
relationships perhaps and career possibilities.

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Unit 1: Managing behaviour in the

classroom
Set some ground rules

When you start teaching a class of children, it is essential to establish clear parameters for
working together. By this we mean actively seeking to create a positive relationship with
the children and to set up a framework for ‘the way we are and the way we do things in
our classroom’ in which you and the children can work together side by side.
First and foremost, it is important that have a clear idea of how you would ideally like
things to be in your classroom and then implement a consistent and fixed approach in
order to achieve this. If you don’t it won’t just happen by chance.

The best moment to start establishing parameters for working together is as soon as you
meet a new class.

The early days are often referred to as a ‘honeymoon period’ and gives you the perfect
chance to implement your rules and expectations going forward.

It is important to make the most of this time, as it is always much more difficult to change
things later down the line. If you appear a little strict on day one or two, then that is not
bad thing.

They will soon get to know you and discover that you are not an ogre and that you do in
fact like them. Why on earth would you be teaching children otherwise?!

During the first few weeks of lessons, the children will be getting to know you and will be
willing to respect you, like you and do things your way.

Students will naturally test your limits to see how much they can get away with.
Subconsciously or wilfully, they are trying to establish boundaries so that they can model
their behaviour accordingly.

Bearing this in mind, it is then essential to be prepared for this before going into the
class room.

The actual rules of the classroom will vary from teacher to teacher and be influenced by
your upbringing, your own school experience and your own beliefs.

Other factors will also affect the class such as the age of your students, the number of
children and the culture of that country.

Therefore, as a basic guide for classroom management it would be useful to think

about ‘The seven R’s approach’.

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Unit 2: The Seven ‘R’s

The seven ‘R’s are Relationships, Rules, Routines, Rights, Responsibilities, Respect
and Rewards.

If you consider this combination before teaching your class, you will, without doubt
create a dynamic and positive learning environment. Your students will never forget you!

Relationships
The relationships that you establish with the class as a whole, and with the individuals
that make up each class, lie at the heart of establishing a healthy and happy working
environment and managing children positively.

On asking a number of children over the years the question “What makes a good
teacher?” The answers indicated the following:
“Knowing that the teacher likes me”
“Being funny”
“Strict but never gets angry”
“Doesn’t make me feel stupid if I make a mistake”
“Kind, patient, helpful”

Here are some more tips to ensure that you receive positive feedback from your young
learners.

• Learn the children’s names as soon as you can and always use them. This may
sound easy however, if teaching in China for example; you could have a class
of forty children! All with difficult to pronounce names so getting each child to
write their name in English on a large piece of paper and sticking it to their desk on
the first day is one suggestion. You could also make small badges yourself and ask
the kids to wear them for the first week to help you.
• Avoid having favourites (or at least make sure that this doesn’t show).
• Listen to what the children have to say (if a child wants to tell you something at an
inappropriate moment, postpone till later but don’t then forget, as this will give the
message that you’re not really interested).
• Challenge the children appropriately and encourage them to believe that they can
succeed.
• Be patient if you need to explain or give instructions more than once.
• Create time for personalised moments in which you convey that you know and care
about each child as an individual. This may be, for example, at the start or end of
lessons, before or after formal teaching begins or while children are working
individually.
• Model the behaviour that you would like the children to adopt. For example, be
polite and courteous, use please and thank you when you ask them to do things,
smile and greet them whether in or out of the classroom.
• Use praise appropriately to provide feedback and encourage participation and
effort.
• Use humour and show a sense of fun.
• Be fair and firm about enforcing rules and acceptable classroom behaviour.
• Keep calm at all times if possible; try not to raise your voice or shout.
• if you tell a child off, make it clear it's their behaviour that you don't like, not them.
• Be consistent. If you say that you or the class will do something, make sure it
happens.
• Mark and return work promptly. Be constructive in your comments and respond to
children’s intended meanings, rather than just language accuracy or spelling. As you
develop your relationship with different classes and children, it is a good idea to get
 into the habit of monitoring yourself and how things are going. Through reflection
and analysis of your own behaviour, you will be able to identify different aspects of
your teaching that make your relationships work better and produce a more
positive response in the children.

Rules

As discussed in module 1, there are a number of different approaches to establishing

rules. We discussed the idea of asking the learners which rules they think would be useful
within the classroom.

With teaching children however, they often like to know the ground rules from the
start.

Providing clear boundaries helps children to feel secure so, when teaching a new class
especially, this area needs to be a little more prescriptive.

Rules may either be imposed by the institution or instigated by you. It is usually best to
have as few rules as possible and to make sure that the rules themselves are clear to
everybody

e.g. We must put up our hands if we want to speak – as well as the reasons for the rules –
e.g. If everyone is talking at the same time, we won't be able to hear what anybody is
saying.

It is important that any rules you establish are perceived as fair by the children and that
you can actually enforce them.

For example, with teaching adults, a rule which states We must always speak English in
class may be perceived as unfair by children if, for example, they have something they
desperately need to say. It may also at times be impossible for you to enforce. You don’t
want to set yourself up for a fall and then lose control.

In this case, a communication rule formulated differently – e.g. We must ask if we need to
speak Spanish (May I speak Spanish, please?) – might be more effective.

This version of the rule will not only establish English as the main language of
communication in the classroom, but will also encourage the children to think twice
before giving you a signal that they need to resort to their mother tongue.

The most effective rules are those which are expressed using inclusive language (our rules
for our classroom) and for which the children feel ownership.

It also helps when rules can be expressed positively rather than negatively in order to
highlight desired behaviour.

For example, in a rule such as We mustn't shout in our classroom, the immediate
association is to think of shouting, whereas if it is expressed positively, e.g. We must talk
quietly in our classroom, the same rule is more likely to work.
Routines

Routines are established patterns of behaviour in which everyone knows what is expected
of them and what they should do.

The introduction of classroom routines is instrumental in setting up working parameters

which function effectively.

It is vital that routines are established during the ‘honeymoon period’ before
patterns of behaviour are set.

In order to introduce and establish routines successfully, you need to have a clear plan of
the areas these will cover and the form they will take. For example, you may like to think
of routines for such things as:

• greeting the children

• taking the register
• starting lessons
• getting into pairs or groups
• moving from one part of the classroom to another
• doing particular activities, e.g. those involving movement or stories
• getting the children’s attention
• starting and stopping activities
• giving out and collecting in materials
• looking at and/or correcting children’s work
• collecting in and returning homework
• going to the toilet
• tidying up
• ending lessons

Familiar routines help to make children feel secure and confident in the classroom. They
promote co-operation as, for example, when we all help tidy up together. They also foster
a sense of community and belonging, in the sense that we all know and share the way we
work and do things together in the classroom.

As children become increasingly familiar with routines and what is expected of them at
different stages of learning, they begin to act more independently.

This helps you to manage your classes positively. It also helps save your energy and your
voice (highly important if you are teaching full time) as, in some areas at least, once
routines are established, children will only need a prompt to know what to do.

Rights and responsibilities

Rights and responsibilities are often two sides of the same coin. Here are some examples
from the children’s perspective:
 • If you have the right to join in the lesson, then you also have the responsibility to
remember to bring your books.
• If you have the right to speak in the classroom and have others listen to you, then
you also have the responsibility to listen to others when they do the same.
• If you have the right to use the classroom scissors, crayons and glue, then you also
have the responsibility to share them with others when they need to use them as
well.
• If you have the right to have a turn in games, then you also have the responsibility
to respect the turns of others when they play.
• If you have the right to see the pictures when the teacher tells a story, then you
also have the responsibility not to block the view of others.
• If you have the right not to be mocked or laughed at, then you also have the
responsibility not to mock or laugh at others.

Although it is unlikely to be appropriate to talk about rights and responsibilities explicitly

with children, it is important to model through your own behaviour the way you value
these.

For example, with responsibilities, if a child constantly forgets their book, it may be
necessary for the teacher to issue frequent reminders and reprimands. Reinforcement
through positive interaction will help encourage the child to be a more responsible
student. The desire for praise and approval can be a strong motivator. Show that you
value a student’s actions by offering praise and specifically identifying what they have
done so well.

For example, many children are forgetful. Students may forget to bring books to class. If
you have a forgetful student that shows up with their book, make sure to comment on
how well they have done to remember their book.

A quiet word of praise – e.g. Well done for remembering your book today, Juan! – is much
more likely to reinforce the behaviour you want than saying nothing, which may leave the
child wondering why he bothered to bring his book anyway or whether you even noticed
or cared.

Similarly with children’s rights, it is important to show through your behaviour that you
value these and are willing to protect them. If, for example, a child mocks or laughs at
another child in the class, you need to make it clear that this behaviour is completely
unacceptable.

In this case, it may be also be worth explicitly discussing the reasons for this, possibly in a
private moment after the class, and inviting the child to consider the situation from the
other child’s point of view by asking how they would feel if the same happened to them.

Encouraging children to reflect on their behaviour and see things from someone
else’s point of view means they will be more likely to act towards others in a
responsible way.
Respect

Respect is the glue which underpins and holds together all the other ‘R’s.

Respect cannot be taught explicitly, but it can be modelled in all your behaviour, such as
using the children’s names, being polite, respecting personal space, valuing diversity,
recognizing that children contribute and participate in different ways and understanding
that they have feelings and ‘off days’ just like you.

The most important thing about fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect as part of
managing children positively is to remember that respect works two ways.

If the children feel that you respect and treat them like individuals rather than a class to
control, they will also respect and respond to you as individuals, rather than with a
collective group mentality which is always much harder to manage positively.

Rewards

It is usually best not to use any system of extrinsic rewards to raise motivation levels
and/or ensure good behaviour, at least at the outset.

This gives a positive message that you expect everything to go well and could also mean
that you have to spend a fortune on chocolate and sweets to get your class to do
anything!

However, there may be times with some classes when introducing a reward system can
be an effective way to reinforce appropriate behaviour and/or to add an additional,
motivational and competitive feel-good factor to things that are already going well.

Reward systems can be devised in all kinds of different enjoyable ways, e.g. using stars,
stickers, points, smiley faces, raffle tickets or marbles in a jar.

If used effectively, they can help promote collaboration, appropriate behaviour and
individual as well as class effort.

However, if used without care, they may also have the opposite effect and create a
divisive atmosphere of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’, in which some children become obsessed by
collecting stars or points, while others adopt a strategy of opting out, which has a
correspondingly negative effect on their motivation, effort and behaviour in class.

The kinds of reward systems which generally work most effectively are ones which
are designed to involve each child working cooperatively for a prize or pay-off
which will be won by the whole class.

For example, in the case of collecting marbles in a jar, individual children, pairs or groups
may be awarded marbles during lessons for such things as working well, making an effort
to speak English, helping others, completing their work carefully or whatever you decide.

As soon as the jar is filled with marbles, the whole class gets a reward.
This may be something as simple as watching a favourite video, having a quiz, playing a
favourite game or whatever else you and the children choose.

The jar for the marbles should not be too big, so that the reward is attainable over a
reasonably short period of time, for example a week or, maximum, two.

If it takes a whole term (a long time in the life of a child!) to fill up the jar and earn the
reward, then they are likely to lose interest and enthusiasm.

Giving a reward is best done instantly as an ongoing part of your teaching, so that the
association between the reward and the reason for it is always fresh in the children’s
mind, e.g. Great work, Daniel and Antonio. I only heard English in the game. Two marbles
in the jar for you!

The effect of individuals collecting rewards for the benefit of the whole class creates an
atmosphere in which there is positive peer pressure to make an effort, work well and
produce appropriate behaviour.

A collaborative reward system like this can also be made fun by your challenging the
class, e.g. Can you fill the jar by Friday? I don’t think so. Show me I’m wrong!

If you do decide to use a reward system such as the one described above, it is a good
idea to vary the system you use for accumulating rewards (marbles, raffle tickets, stars,
etc.) regularly, as, if you always use the same one, it is likely after a while to lose its
associations of pleasant expectation, surprise and fun.

It is also essential always to use reward systems in the positive way in which they are
intended, i.e. as rewards, rather than negatively or punitively, for example, by taking or
threatening to take marbles back out of the jar once they have been awarded.

To sum up, the seven ‘R’s provide an integrated framework for thinking about ways
of managing children positively and creating a happy working environment in
which teaching and learning take place in an effective and harmonious way.

Drag and drop three more R’s

'R's:
Responsibilities
Rewards
Relationships
Rules
Wrong 'R's

Repetition
Rights
Respect
Routines
Reliability
 Check answer

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Unit 3: Storytelling
Storytelling and drama both lend themselves perfectly to the EFL classroom as they allow
us to play to children’s natural affinity for imagination and play.

In many ways, children learn through stories and drama.

They can learn about themselves by becoming completely engrossed in a story or by

becoming a character in a very familiar, fun and safe way.

Imagine how much fun your children will have when your classroom, by the power of
some blue paper and a lot of imagination becomes an underwater world for you all to act
out the story of the little mermaid for example.

Storytelling and drama are above all shared, communal classroom events which
engage children’s interest, attention and imagination and develop their language
skills in a holistic way.

They also appeal to children with different intelligences (musical, movement etc) and
learning styles and allow us to facilitate social skills and attitudes, such as active listening,
collaborating, turn taking and respect for others, in a positive way.

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Learning through stories

Most children start school familiar with stories in their own language and quickly transfer
this into a willingness to listen to and participate in stories in English.

Stories provide a natural, relevant and enjoyable context for exposure to language and an
opportunity to familiarise children with the sounds, rhythm and intonation of English.

The discovery and construction of meaning is supported through things such as visuals,
mime, gesture, voice and characterisation, and children also develop learning strategies
and thinking skills, such as predicting, hypothesising, guessing and inferring meaning.

Stories help young children to develop concentration skills and also aspects of emotional
intelligence, such as empathy and relating to other people.

Stories also provide a springboard for a wide range of activities which develop language,
thinking skills as well as appreciation of other cultures.
As children increasingly develop their ability to understand, retell, act out and/or create
their own stories in English, this also has a positive effect on their motivation, confidence
and self-esteem.

Choosing stories

Stories can be selected from a range of sources, including graded readers, story websites
on the internet or picture books originally written for children whose first language is
English.

If you are employed to teach children, it would be advisable to buy a few second hand
story books to take with you as you never know what resources will be available to you
once you arrive.

Suitable material for children’s stories can be mined from a variety of resources. It is
important to ensure the material is appropriate to the learners’ needs.

Review the content to determine if the subject matter is relevant to a lesson plan. Use
interesting stories that will appeal to the background of your students. Select stories with
illustrations that will capture the attention of students.

Make any adjustments necessary to ensure that a story’s vocabulary and level is
appropriate for the class / curriculum you are following.

Provide your class with a variety of stories. Literary classics, light-hearted funny stories,
moving dramatic accounts, delightful fantasies all move the imaginations of children and
help to captivate their attention and effectively draw them into lessons.

You could also think about using fables or stories with a moral, myths, legends, funny
stories, rhyming stories, stories with flaps or pop-ups, biographical stories, stories which
help children understand their own feelings and stories from other cultures.

Telling stories

It is important not to let the flow of concentration be interrupted. That is why it is

recommended to rehearse your storytelling. This also gives you an opportunity to
discover points in the story where a particular word or phrase can be enhanced with
miming or actions. There may be moments when it is appropriate to change your tone of
voice or facial expression to convey meaning which will help facilitate learning. A pause at
just the right moment can create suspense or give a student the chance to pose a
question. Critical pauses are invitations for engagement.

If you read a story from a book, make sure that you are not hiding behind it thus making
it difficult for the class to hear you. It is also important that students see your lips forming
the words. Strike a position where you can hold the book in your hands with your face
open and forward to the class. If the book has illustrations, stop from time to time and let
the class enjoy associating pictures with words for reinforcement of what they are
learning.
It is also important to consider the seating arrangement of the class during story time.
You may be tempted to keep them in their seats. However, a semi-circle of students on
the floor at your feet creates an intimacy that captivates their attention. It also makes it
easier for them to hear you clearly. When illustrations are shared, children who sit at the
back of the room would have difficulty seeing them. By sitting in a semi-circle right in
front of you, they won’t feel left out.

You may want to set the mood before you begin reading. A reading ritual of repeating a
rhyme or song is perfectly appropriate right before story time.

Although it is easy to get wrapped up in the story, don’t forget to keep an eye on your
students. Frequent eye contact serves two purposes. One, it helps students stay attentive
on you and the story. Secondly, it helps maintain order in the classroom. So, remember to
look up frequently as you read the story and make eye contact with your class.

Respond to cues and body language that can indicate if a student has a question or may
be struggling to understand. It is also appropriate if a student simply wants to comment
about the story. Encourage engagement and interaction.

When the story is over don’t just say, “The End” unceremoniously and close the book.
Hopefully, the interest of the children has been piqued with the story. Before adjourning,
give students the opportunity to respond or ask questions. They may have a similar
experience to share. Perhaps they want to explore feelings a story provoked. It is an
excellent opportunity for everyone to exercise new vocabulary and reinforce
conversational skills while you, as a teacher, prompt and promote further discussion.

Planning story-based lessons

As with other listening and reading activities, it can be helpful to plan story-based lessons
following the three stages of before, while and after.

Consider using extended stories over several lessons. It is easy to pick up a story where
you left off the day before. This element also creates suspense, motivating children to not
miss a class or they will not be able to find out what happens next.

Create lesson plans that are centered on featured chapters with activities that follow story
time to reinforce learning about the events that took place. Ask open ended questions
which will allow students to predict, summarize and develop upon the narrative.

Another way to improvise storytelling is to re-tell the story. This can be done with
activities like acting out the story. Create an illustrative activity with children designing a
comic book version of the story or re-writing it in a theatrical play version. The goal
should be for students to use as much of the target language from the story as possible.

The storytelling cycle can be an effective lead-in to students producing the language
through role-play or other forms of dramatization. (A traditional top down approach to
listening as discussed in modules 7 and 8 'Receptive skills').
It is important for older children to be aware of how stories are created. The emphasis
should be on giving students an opportunity to create their own stories based on what
they have learned. (Ideas for this have been covered in modules 9 and 10 'Productive
skills'.

As part of activities in the storytelling cycle, and in order to enrich and enhance
children’s learning, it is often appropriate to integrate storytelling with drama

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Unit 4: Drama
Drama provides opportunities for multi-sensory, kinaesthetic (movement)
responses to stories and engages children in ‘learning by doing’ at a number of
different levels.

Dramatization of a story involves several skills which are useful in learning a new
language. It involves, first, listening to the story. Next, students may respond and engage
by asking questions to ascertain that they understand the meaning of all of the language.
Word association with actions is a natural part of the learning process. Memorization,
usually a boring but necessary part of learning, becomes more interesting and dynamic.
Finally they are able to demonstrate their understanding of the language with gestures,
sounds, imitation and miming of the story.

A natural extension of dramatizing language skills is to re-tell a story through another

medium, such as using puppets. This is an effective way to recycle a story via a fresh
perspective. For shy children, a puppet show is a great option to boost their confidence
because the spotlight is on the puppet rather than on themselves.

A play or performance can also be a special way to enjoy using drama as part of the
learning process. It can be highly motivational for students and encourage them to work
even harder at their language development knowing that they will be performing in front
of parents or peers.

For everyone involved, teacher, students and audience, it is a very rewarding experience.
A class coalesces with a sense of identity that is unified in a collective performance with
peers relying upon one another for ultimate success.

Managing drama activities

It is common for children to experience anxiety and stage-fright when faced with the
prospect of performing in front of others. Therefore, it is important to gradually build
confidence before introducing drama.
Use stage direction cues like, “Action!” or “Freeze!” to control the students when
conducting drama activities.

Remember that students look to a teacher as a role model. So, don’t just direct from the
side-lines!

Teacher participation in the drama is also very important and serves as a way to model
the response you expect from your students.

This also helps prevent the students from developing that uncomfortable feeling of being
watched and judged. If the teacher is also performing, students will feel freer in their
expressive movements.

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Module Questions: Reflection Time

As you use the storytelling and drama activities in this section with your classes, you may
like to think about the following questions and use your responses to evaluate how
things went and plan possible improvements for next time:

1. Interest: Did the story engage the children’s curiosity, interest and attention? Why? /
Why not? If so, how was this sustained?
2. Participation: Did the children participate actively? What factors encouraged – or
discouraged – this?
3. Creative thinking: How did the children respond to activities which invited a creative
or imaginative response? Did this affect the way they used language? If so, how?
4. Kinaesthetic learning: How did the children respond to activities involving mime and
movement? In what ways did such activities seem to help or detract from the
children’s learning? What were the reasons for this, do you think?
5. Collaboration: Did the children collaborate and work well together? What factors
influenced this?
6. Enjoyment: Did the children enjoy the story and related activities? Why? / Why not?
What effect did this have on their motivation, confidence and self-esteem?

Please answer these True or False questions.

1. It is better to go into a class, get a feel for the atmosphere, get to know the students
and then decide on what type of classroom rules you would like.

Check answer

2. If you experience any bad behaviour, it is better to try to deal with it as it happens. You
can not plan for or predict what might happen.
 Check answer

3. Children will always have the ability to misbehave. This might happen as children will
want to test you. It is then essential to be prepared for this before going into the class
room.

Check answer

4. Learn the children’s names as soon as you can and always use them.

Check answer

5. Never be overly critical and encourage them to believe that they can succeed.

Check answer

6. Always try to be serious in the classroom or your students will not respect you.

Check answer

7. Be fair and firm about enforcing rules and acceptable classroom behaviour.

Check answer

8. If your class get out of hand it’s OK to bang your hand on your desk and shout “shut
up!” to get their attention.

Check answer

9. A good rule to include at the start would be “We must always speak English in class” .

Check answer

10. To get your class on-side, it would be a good idea for your first lesson to use a box of
chocolates as an incentive in a communicative game.
 Check answer

11. It doesn’t really matter if all the children can see the pictures from a book. As long as
they can hear you, they will understand.

Check answer

12. When using a story to illustrate your chosen target language, it is perfectly acceptable
to just pick up the book and go into the classroom and let the story dictate how you will
read it.

Check answer

13. It is best not to stare at the children in your class whilst they are performing in
character, as this may unintentionally convey an impression that you are judging them.

Check answer

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