7
Sep
We’ve had plenty of Discipline ideas before if you have several (or a whole class!) of misbehaving kids.And today’s discipline technique is for when you are lucky (or unlucky!) enough to have just one difficult student.
And it is very simple:
Make them your executive assistant for the day!He/She comes to the front and helps you out, doing demo discussions, helping explain things etc.
Very often if there is just one problem student in the class it’s because they aren’t being challenged enough.
So making them your assistant can do wonders.
Have you tried this before? Do let us know how you got on in the comments.
Or check out the previous Discipline ideas
Be genki,
Richard
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10
May
Wow, yesterday’s post on the “bad kids at the back” and the proximity trick certainly proved popular.
Judging by the feedback and comments I think there is one more discipline technique we need: The Agreement.
It uses the Pygmalion Effect which refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the expectation placed upon people, often children or students and employees, the better they perform.
But first let me tell you a story from my own school days ….
My class at school was pretty well behaved really.If you can sympathise with that story, The Agreement is what you need.
But one day we had a new temp French teacher.
We could just tell she didn’t have confidence.
So what did some kids do?
They pushed the boundaries to see what they could get away with.
What did she do? Nothing!
So they pushed some more and more and more.
Each time they could see they were getting at her and it just became a game to see how far they could go.
Eventually she broke down in tears and ran away. (Yep, seriously!)
It was really like seeing a bunch of wild wolves tearing away at her!
It’s not all you need, but you do need it.
This one is tough for one off lessons, but if you see the kids more than once it will be revolutionary.
So here we go … Bikers & Police
Whenever humans interact there is always a, usually tacit, unspoken, agreement as to how we should behave.
For example I bet you’d behave differently to a uniformed police officer to how you would behave with a young baby.
And you’d behave differently when seeing a dodgy looking biker dude on the street compared with your best friend from college.
It’s just part of who we are.
We assess the situation, think back to how we should behave and change how we act accordingly.
Sleeping & Learning
For all its faults the school system has done a pretty good job of setting up this behaviour and expectations.
The teacher stands at the front.
The students sit quietly in rows sleeping, sorry, learning.
The problems come when this breaks down.
Either from a lack or parents, a lack or parenting or even teachers in lower grades.
They leave some kids just not knowing what is expected of them.
They have no frame of reference or experience to work from.
Or even worse they pick up the bad expectations of their peers.
How far can they go? Just what is allowed in class? What can they get away with?
Even the best classes can succumb to this as we saw above.
Luckily this also means that even the worst classes can be turned around!
And how do we do this?
By simply setting out, before we start, the expectations of the class.
The agreement between you and them, to see what each side expects of each other.
For example the teacher will set out that they will:
Teach really cool useful stuff (either for life or for exams) in a really fun way.Next you set out what you expect from the kids
Respect the kids and listen to what they have to say.
E.g. They will:
Act respectfully of each other and the teacher.For younger kids keep it really simple.
Always try their hardest, no matter what.
Speak up and keep trying.
And of course for older kids it’s always best to ask them to come up with their own ideas.
You’ll get the smart kids saying “We agree to sleep and do nothing.”
So have a discussion about it! Ask them if that’s really want they want to spend their time on.
Usually though, it won’t go this far.
Most kids just want to know what to do and what is expected.
That’s all they ask for.
And if it’s not there they will always act up.
We all want, and need, boundaries so we know what behaviour to go with.
Yes they’ll still push you and push the limits, that’s what kids do.
But just stand firm and stick to the agreement.
And you’ll need some punishments to back you up.
Once everyone knows where they stand and it will solve, not all, but a great deal of the problems.
It sounds crazy doesn’t it?
But just like the proximity trick it’s just these simple steps that separate the great teachers from the chaotic ones!
What I do …
Even now I always do this with every presentation I do.
And those of you who keep a sharp eye on the blog will have noticed than whenever I forget then that’s when things go pear shaped!
You can even make your students smarter by expecting them to be!
I expect all of you to listen to what I say, but not believe it till you’ve tried it.
And I hope you always expect me to always try my best to help you reduce the stress levels whilst coming up with fun ideas to make your classes better.
That’s the way we roll here.
Keep the agreement and we all win!
Be genki,
Richard
P.S. A few people have asked how you do this if you don’t speak the kids’ language, as obviously it won’t work in English. I’d always just get another teacher to do it for you. Or get it written up on the board. That can be just as effective. But remember, don’t do this in all classes. Just the ones you want to be well behaved!
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One of the most popular questions in the surveys is always about discipline and how to keep kids under control.
And contrary to what people often think, a fun class is usually the most disciplined. (Otherwise it would just descend into chaos!)
Luckily there are a few simple “ninja tactics” to make even the toughest class at least a little easier to handle.
So let’s start with the first (and my favourite) : Proximity!
(A Genki English demo class with 600 kids – easy with these tricks!)
Let’s imagine a traditional classroom set up.
The teacher is at the front with the computer.
The good kids sit down in the first row.
(They are rarely a problem so that’s cool.)
But where do the “bad” kids sit?
Yep, that’s right…
…on the back row!
But the question is…..
Why?
.
Are the comfiest seats there?
Do they have free gummy bears on tap?
Nope, it’s simply because that’s the furthest they can possibly be from the teacher.
Kids instinctively know that the further away from the teacher they are, the more they can get away with!
So what’s the solution?
Simple, just move nearer to them!
And that’s the basis for the proximity technique.
It sounds just too simple doesn’t it?
And that’s why most teachers don’t use it.
They resort to shouting at the kids.
Sometimes even throwing things.
All whilst stood firmly at the front of the class!
Now think about the best teachers you know.
Where do they stand?
Are they always at the front?
No, very often they’re always moving around.
They slowly move up and down the rows as they talk.
They sometimes explain something at the back of the class.
Then explain the next at the front.
The kids never know where they’ll go next so they’re always on best behaviour.
Just like mixing a fruity birthday cake, you’ve got to keep the motion going so nothing turns sticky and stale!
Sometimes a kid will get a little out of line.
So what does the good teacher do?
They simply move closer and stand by the kids’ desk.
There’s no eye contact, no harsh words, everything just continues as before.
The teacher never misses their story, they just keep going on like before.
When the student has calmed down they simply walk away to somewhere else in the room.
They never need to resort to any negative punishments.
It’s all done with proximity – how close they physically are to the students.
(One other beauty of this is that the “bad” kids often clump together so you can get several of them in one go!)
So the next time you find the kids at the back are too chatty or not paying attention,
Just slowly start moving around the class, gradually stopping by their desks as you talk.
In the vast majority of classes it will make all the difference.
And of course, as with all Genki English techniques, only use it on the classes you want to make better!
If you like this please feel free to share, link to, like it or make a comment.
If it’s popular enough I’ll see if I can share my other top discipline tips with you!
Be genki,
Richard
P.S. If you are reading this on email, if you have a look at the online version there are more discipline tips and videos at the end of this post!
And contrary to what people often think, a fun class is usually the most disciplined. (Otherwise it would just descend into chaos!)
Luckily there are a few simple “ninja tactics” to make even the toughest class at least a little easier to handle.
So let’s start with the first (and my favourite) : Proximity!
(A Genki English demo class with 600 kids – easy with these tricks!)
Let’s imagine a traditional classroom set up.
The teacher is at the front with the computer.
The good kids sit down in the first row.
(They are rarely a problem so that’s cool.)
But where do the “bad” kids sit?
Yep, that’s right…
…on the back row!
But the question is…..
Why?
.
Are the comfiest seats there?
Do they have free gummy bears on tap?
Nope, it’s simply because that’s the furthest they can possibly be from the teacher.
Kids instinctively know that the further away from the teacher they are, the more they can get away with!
So what’s the solution?
Simple, just move nearer to them!
And that’s the basis for the proximity technique.
It sounds just too simple doesn’t it?
And that’s why most teachers don’t use it.
They resort to shouting at the kids.
Sometimes even throwing things.
All whilst stood firmly at the front of the class!
Now think about the best teachers you know.
Where do they stand?
Are they always at the front?
No, very often they’re always moving around.
They slowly move up and down the rows as they talk.
They sometimes explain something at the back of the class.
Then explain the next at the front.
The kids never know where they’ll go next so they’re always on best behaviour.
Just like mixing a fruity birthday cake, you’ve got to keep the motion going so nothing turns sticky and stale!
Sometimes a kid will get a little out of line.
So what does the good teacher do?
They simply move closer and stand by the kids’ desk.
There’s no eye contact, no harsh words, everything just continues as before.
The teacher never misses their story, they just keep going on like before.
When the student has calmed down they simply walk away to somewhere else in the room.
They never need to resort to any negative punishments.
It’s all done with proximity – how close they physically are to the students.
(One other beauty of this is that the “bad” kids often clump together so you can get several of them in one go!)
So the next time you find the kids at the back are too chatty or not paying attention,
Just slowly start moving around the class, gradually stopping by their desks as you talk.
In the vast majority of classes it will make all the difference.
And of course, as with all Genki English techniques, only use it on the classes you want to make better!
If you like this please feel free to share, link to, like it or make a comment.
If it’s popular enough I’ll see if I can share my other top discipline tips with you!
Be genki,
Richard
P.S. If you are reading this on email, if you have a look at the online version there are more discipline tips and videos at the end of this post!
Press the "+1" button if you like this!
Similar Posts:
- Discipline 2: Fred Jones
- Discipline: The helper!
- Discipline: The Agreement!
- Discipline & Power Teaching
- 10 Top Tips for Starting Your Own School
- How to teach abcs
- Help, My Junior High Kids Are Dead!
How would you like a class full of little angels who are all your perfect students?
A lot of the time we talk about actual practical techniques here, but this is something different.
This is how I get great students, for everything, it’s a really simple technique, but it really works.
What do you think?
Be sure to put your comments below. (Also be sure to put what you have to become in the comments too!)
P.S. The winner of October’s comment competition was Dan! If you’d like to win a Genki English CD of your choice this month, get commenting below, the more you comment you more chance you have to win!
A lot of the time we talk about actual practical techniques here, but this is something different.
This is how I get great students, for everything, it’s a really simple technique, but it really works.
What do you think?
Be sure to put your comments below. (Also be sure to put what you have to become in the comments too!)
P.S. The winner of October’s comment competition was Dan! If you’d like to win a Genki English CD of your choice this month, get commenting below, the more you comment you more chance you have to win!
Press the "+1" button if you like this!
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One thing I’m trying to get teachers to do more is to make the
initial vocab introduction a bit more fun. ”Repeat after me” with a
list of vocab is really boring!
But doing a story or getting the kids’ opinions can make all the difference in making them lean forward and be interested or leaning back and tuning out!
Robots
Simple examples can be asking the kids “What do you think my favourite subject is?” for subjects. If they shout out one that is in the song, you teach it there and then. Then tell them you have another favourite subject and ask them to guess what that is. Keep going till all the vocab is taught. The kids stay fixated to the end, especially when there is only one more to guess!
Or for the Eat, Drink, Dance theme, you can make up stories like ….
It makes it a lot more fun when there’s a “why” to the learning. Another great idea for the Eat, Drink, Dance theme, which the teachers came up with on Saturday, my birthday, was to say “Oooo, it’s Richard’s birthday today! We’re all going to his party tonight! What will we do at the party?” and you then introduce the vocab when they kids shout it out and proceed with the lesson plan.
Cops & Robbers
You can also use it for a lot of the songs. e.g. asking a superhero “Where are you going?” in the Where are you going? lesson. Or in the “What are you doing?” song get the kids to pretend to be cops and robbers who get annoyed with them. It’s hilarious and really livens up the chorus of a song – check out the video!
But doing a story or getting the kids’ opinions can make all the difference in making them lean forward and be interested or leaning back and tuning out!
Robots
Simple examples can be asking the kids “What do you think my favourite subject is?” for subjects. If they shout out one that is in the song, you teach it there and then. Then tell them you have another favourite subject and ask them to guess what that is. Keep going till all the vocab is taught. The kids stay fixated to the end, especially when there is only one more to guess!
Or for the Eat, Drink, Dance theme, you can make up stories like ….
Oooo look, I’ve just bought a new robot (one of the students). What do you think we can make him do? (Kids shout out stuff). Ahhh.. but he only understands English instructions! Ask the kids again what instructions they’d like to give & teach the ones that come up from the song. Just say “ah, I don’t think he can do that!” for the others. Again the kids love it when there’s only one more command left and they have to guess it!Cakes
It makes it a lot more fun when there’s a “why” to the learning. Another great idea for the Eat, Drink, Dance theme, which the teachers came up with on Saturday, my birthday, was to say “Oooo, it’s Richard’s birthday today! We’re all going to his party tonight! What will we do at the party?” and you then introduce the vocab when they kids shout it out and proceed with the lesson plan.
Cops & Robbers
You can also use it for a lot of the songs. e.g. asking a superhero “Where are you going?” in the Where are you going? lesson. Or in the “What are you doing?” song get the kids to pretend to be cops and robbers who get annoyed with them. It’s hilarious and really livens up the chorus of a song – check out the video!
Press the "+1" button if you like this!
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(There are lots of videos in today’s post, so if you are on email then click here to see them!)
Today we had a workshop in Shinjuku Tokyo right outside the Ministry of Defence!
One of the requests for was for some card games using the Mini Cards. Now to be honest I don’t really like card games as although they are really fun, the kids tend to spend more time sorting out the cards than speaking English. But if you really have to use them….
* First do the Do you have any pets? song to get the English in their heads (or whatever theme you are teaching that day)
* Then you could try the Do you have.. ? Card Game
But as you can see from the video below, you really have to have really good control over the class as otherwise it just turns into chaos!
Shut it down!
I also have no hesitation in shutting a game down right away if the kids stop listening – even the teachers below were a bit surprised!
It is important as otherwise no English gets practiced.
If you forget a rule…
Part way through I noticed I’d forgotten an important rule “Only English during the game” (of course it’s important to use the kids’ native language when explaining the game, but not during the game!)
The clap technique that I show in the Beginner’s Workshop Video doesn’t work when they have cards in their hands, so I had to teach them another class control technique!
Normally you would do only one game for one lesson, but seeing as the teachers wanted to see some more games we just re-used the same English with Island Hopping
And then the minicards version of the Leapfrog Game:
So as you can see I’m not a big fan of card games in class! I much prefer “no preparation” games like the ones I wrote up in the Genki English Manual as the kids spend way more time actually speaking.
But what do you think? Answers in the comments please!
Today we had a workshop in Shinjuku Tokyo right outside the Ministry of Defence!
One of the requests for was for some card games using the Mini Cards. Now to be honest I don’t really like card games as although they are really fun, the kids tend to spend more time sorting out the cards than speaking English. But if you really have to use them….
* First do the Do you have any pets? song to get the English in their heads (or whatever theme you are teaching that day)
* Then you could try the Do you have.. ? Card Game
But as you can see from the video below, you really have to have really good control over the class as otherwise it just turns into chaos!
Shut it down!
I also have no hesitation in shutting a game down right away if the kids stop listening – even the teachers below were a bit surprised!
It is important as otherwise no English gets practiced.
If you forget a rule…
Part way through I noticed I’d forgotten an important rule “Only English during the game” (of course it’s important to use the kids’ native language when explaining the game, but not during the game!)
The clap technique that I show in the Beginner’s Workshop Video doesn’t work when they have cards in their hands, so I had to teach them another class control technique!
Normally you would do only one game for one lesson, but seeing as the teachers wanted to see some more games we just re-used the same English with Island Hopping
And then the minicards version of the Leapfrog Game:
So as you can see I’m not a big fan of card games in class! I much prefer “no preparation” games like the ones I wrote up in the Genki English Manual as the kids spend way more time actually speaking.
But what do you think? Answers in the comments please!
Press the "+1" button if you like this!
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