The school culture

The school culture :

Each institution, large or small, rural or urban, primary or secondary, has its
own culture. This is a set of unwritten rules regarding codes of behaviour:
how staff should dress, how they address each other, how teachers and
pupils should work together and how discipline problems are dealt with. Find
out what these rules are by discreet questioning and observation. Even if
you do not agree with them all you must respect the institution which is
employing you. Avoid taking matters into your own hands and rely on the
advice of colleagues if problems arise. If you behave very differently from
the rest of the staff then the students will not know where to place you and
will not necessarily respect you as a staff member or teacher of English.
Even if you are only employed to assist teachers, remember that in the eyes
of the students you are in a teaching role when you take a class alone. The
quality of your preparation and how you manage the classes counts most.

Teaching approaches :

Approaches to language teaching vary greatly from school to school, not just
from country to country. Even if the national directive is to teach languages
communicatively, with emphasis on all four skills, in practice this will not
necessarily have been taken up at grass roots level. Even within one school
one teacher may favour more speaking and listening work, with videos and
lots of communication activities, while in the same building a more
traditional colleague may prefer to work with more translation and grammar
work. Most teachers help themselves to a variety of techniques which they
feel comfortable with.
The assistant should bear the following in mind:

All teachers have their own style. Respect their way of working even if
you are convinced through reading, training courses or personal experience
that other techniques work better for you.
• It is unwise to rush in and try to change things overnight. Your role is
to facilitate language use but you need to start with the familiar and
gradually introduce new ways of working which suit your purpose.
• Learners from teacher-centred classrooms need to be taught how to
collaborate and work in pairs, etc. and this has to be done gradually to

avoid confusion and chaos.
Learning styles and
classroom management

*Management of games
*Using diagrams and time-lines
*Learner attitudes to role playing
*Dictogloss
*Mind maps



• The techniques used very much depend on the age range.
Adult learners in a small group in a private language school respond differently
from a large group of excited adolescents in a state secondary school. Ballthrowing
communication games are great fun in a primary school (although
difficult to handle with twenty-five children), but it will not appeal to most
adolescents. You have to weigh up the age range factor carefully. Assess
the games and activities in ELT books in this light. Most work well with
co-operative adults in a UK language school but need real classroom
management skills to work in a continental European classroom.

• Teaching approaches are reflected in the room arrangement.
You may realise that the ideal layout for a classroom is horseshoe-shaped. In a lot
of state schools there are fixed, immovable rows of desks with almost no
room for the teacher to move between each one. Shifting furniture for
group work may be the answer but be wary of noise and the time it takes.
Plan ahead and leave the room as you found it.


Handling role play
Motivating activities or teenagers
Teacher talking time

the activity in hand doesn’t appeal to their way of working. It is impossible to
please everybody all the time but we can try and stimulate as many as
possible in the hour we have. This means it is unwise to spend a whole hour
on one activity. Some learners will instinctively take to role play even if their
command of English makes it challenging. Others may dislike role play,
putting on a show, exposing themselves publicly or pretending. Be aware
and plan for these learning preferences.
Think about your own preferred learning style:
• What sort of language activities did you enjoy most at school?
• How do you learn new words?
• Are you better at writing or speaking your languages? Have you got an ear
for accents?
• Do you like to work alone, in a pair or in a large group?
• Do you need to take notes? Do you like making tables and diagrams to
help you study?

Establishing a rapport with your students

The first time in front of a class by yourself can be nerve-wracking. They
may well know that you are not a qualified teacher and, particularly with
adolescents, you will have to earn their trust and respect. Your main wish
might be to be friendly and liked by these students but this will come with
time. First you need to establish yourself as the leader of the class. Once
you have control of the group and they are working well together with you
and each other then there will be time for jokes and friendly banter. This is
particularly important with large groups of teenagers who are excited to have
a new face but also ready to trip you up if you seem unsure.

• Appear confident.
if you are very nervous it will bother them and some will take advantage. Remember the trainee teachers you had at secondary school?

• Establish a professional and not a personal relationship.
Be welcoming and make a real effort to learn their names and use them. Make a seating plan and get them to make name cards for their desks if this helps you.

The assistant as
speech model

• Be well prepared.

Set the agenda and have a plan which you all follow.
Don’t ask them what they would like to do or what they want to talk
about. They need to see you as responsible and reliable. Later in the year
with older learners there may be times when you can choose discussion
topics together, but not in the initial stages.
• Impose your presence.

This does not mean that you take centre stage and do all the talking. Your speaking style (clear and loud enough for all) and your physical presence in a large class help to manage the room. Avoid sitting behind a desk or standing in a corner. Move around, interact with all pupils at the questioning stages, scan the room and make eye contact as if in the theatre. Looking as if you are the teacher reassures learners, and being lively will show that you are enthusiastic about teaching and learning.

• Listen to the students.

Show interest and listen to their replies to your questions. Be patient if they take time to reply. Wait a bit longer for students to reply as they need to get used to your voice and think about your questions.
• Pay attention to your own voice and speech.

Modify your speed without distorting sounds or putting in artificial pauses mid-sentence. Pause after each sentence a bit longer than you would for a native speaker.
One disadvantage of working with adolescents is that they are not always
enthusiastic when you suggest an activity, but once they get involved in it
any objections disappear.
‘At first I was very put off by my pupils whinging when I told them what we
were going to do. You have to expect this! Basically, don’t take anything
personally. Get them on your side and you’ll all have fun’. Susan Young, Loire
region, France. Assistant in a secondary and a primary school.

*Motivating learners to use English
*Eliciting from visuals,
*Key words and headlines
*Personalising tasks.


Getting students used to an English-only classroom

After observation, you may note that a good deal of the mother tongue is
used during the lesson or that some is used for instructions. Talk this over
with teachers if it becomes an issue, but it is advisable for you to start in
English and continue. For classes unused to an English-only environment you
will need to teach classroom language through gesture, mime, flashcards or
a chart. This will take time, especially with beginners. Simple instructions
like ‘listen’, ‘open your books’, ‘ask your partner’, etc. can be gradually built
up over the first few days. Make your own comments as simple and as
natural as possible: ‘Really?’, ‘That’s a good idea Sylvie’, ‘What do you think
Lorenzo?’, ‘I enjoyed your dialogues. Now let’s look at ...’, ‘Who’s next?’ Try
to establish a limited but realistic range for all groups to cope with. They will
soon start imitating you.

Ideas for the first lessons alone with the class

You can plan your first lessons (see suggestions below) before you arrive, as
many activities can be adapted depending on the level of students. These
are open-ended activities which generate language at all levels. They will
also help you see how much language the classes can use. Your expectations
in terms of question types will differ from controlled beginner level. For
example, from ‘Is that your brother/boyfriend?’ ‘Is that your home town?’ to
far more complex questioning for intermediate teenage learners. Give
students headings as prompts to the topic area they are asking about, e.g.
home life, family life, spare time.

Photographs

Take a collection of personal photos (your family, your friends, your home
town, your university town, pets, etc.) and encourage the students to ask
you about the pictures. Build questions on the board and ask students
about themselves using the same questions. This is also a quick way to
gauge their level of English. It can be followed up with photos or pictures
of students’ families and backgrounds in the next lesson.

Personalising games
What’s in your school bag?

Take out of your bag a series of objects and explain each object one by one.
Students can ask questions. You can prompt answers and involvement from
them. ‘Have you got a book in your bag Louis?’ ‘What’s the title?’ ‘Do you
like maths?’ ‘Is maths your favourite subject?’
Examples:
‘This is my lucky key ring. I bought it on holiday.’ ‘Where did you go?’
‘Where is it from?’
‘I’ve got a picture of my favourite pop star here and this is a magazine I like
reading.’
‘Who is your favourite pop star?’ ‘Do you like reading?’ ‘What do you like
reading?’

Classroom management (groups and large classes)
Changes of pace

All of the best laid plans can go wrong. Perhaps the students find the text
you chose unexpectedly difficult. You planned a listening task but the
cassette recorder won’t work. Students are losing interest and the amount
of chattering is increasing. Students have enjoyed the game so much that
they have become over-excited and need calming down. This calls for a
change of pace, a slower more reflective activity or a livelier task.
You will also need to add variety to your weekly lesson routine or you and
the pupils will lose interest.
‘I found it really good to vary the lessons – one week text, one week a game,
one week a song and text work, etc.’ Vanessa Garfield, Valence, France.
Assistant in a collège and a lycée.

*Creative uses of dictation
*Revision games
*Finding suitable texts
*Using pictures
*Card games
*Using newspaper features
*Activating students with video


Dealing with the unexpected
• Abandon something that isn’t really working rather than flog a dead horse,
but have a filler activity to use as back-up.
• Always have a contingency plan if you are relying on equipment that might
go wrong.
• Keep some fillers in your bag which correspond to the month’s work.
These can be ten-minute activities which liven up a dull, uninterested
room (usually speaking/listening game or contest) or calm down an unruly
lot (usually reading or writing based).
• Collect a battery of multi-purpose texts for use in emergencies.
• Keep a small collection of large detailed pictures and/or photos on a theme
or topic related to the term’s work. You can cut a collection of photos from
newspapers (even local foreign ones) and magazine supplements to use
with higher levels. Update and check photos regularly. For example:
– give out two or three photos to small groups or pairs or whole class
– students write words associated with the person or event
– students invent a headline or match a headline you give on the board to
the photo
– students prepare short oral description of photo – what it shows, which
event it represents, etc.
Case study: ‘Drilling drowned out my lesson plan’
An assistant who had a perfectly usable video recorder found that there
was so much building work and drilling going on outside that students
couldn’t hear. Thinking on her feet, without any back-up plans, she
decided to generate language anyway. She used the video as a silent
movie for brainstorming vocabulary. Then in pairs students watched the
video again and tried to retell the story with the vocabulary written on
the board. Finally, they looked at one or two small exchanges of
dialogue with no sound and imagined what the speakers were saying,
then acted out their dialogues. A full lesson with no sound.

Student-generated revision
Building resources
Pooling task types
Revision games
Getting the listening level right

‘Something which has helped me and saved my skin several times has been
to have three or four varied lessons prepared in my bag at all times ... you
never know when a teacher will suddenly say “Oh, can you do next lesson
instead of the eight o’clock on Monday” – and you really want to be able to
say “Yes” to that!’ Richard Hewitt, Eisenstadt, Austria. Assistant in a
secondary school and Further Education college.
‘Be flexible. If the teacher gives you some material with one class, exploit it and
use it with others.’ Alexis Hughes, Chambéry, France. Assistant in a lycée.

Dealing with large classes of mixed ability

Mixed classes usually comprise students who have arrived at varying levels of
achievement. This does not mean that the weakest at speaking are not as
capable at language learning. Some may have had no English at primary school
while others may have had three years. In a secondary school some may be
very good at reading a poem and understanding it, but not accustomed to
discussing the meaning in English and lack the vocabulary to do so.
Producing tasks which all students Use mainly open-ended tasks
can complete. where learners brainstorm and contribute what they know.
Some able students finish first Give tasks which have a core
and get bored and disruptive. part that everyone has to finish
and optional extra questions too.
There is a wide range of levels Try mainly collaborative tasks
and you risk teaching three with small groups of mixed
different lessons. ability so they help each other
and pool ideas/skills.
Some need revision and the Make revision into a team/pair
others don’t. game.
Some texts and listenings are Choose content/topics very
too easy for some. interesting for the age range so
the ideas hold their interest.

*Pair work for lower levels
*Management of games

Setting up a pair work system
Always follow a similar procedure so that once it is familiar, students will
respond automatically and know what is expected.
• Assign roles clearly around the class, pointing to each student in turn.
‘You are A ... you are B ..., etc.’ or use colours, animals, etc. with younger
learners.
• Double-check they know their role with a show of hands.
‘Hands up As ... hands up Bs’ or ‘Who’s red?’ ‘Who’s a tiger?’
• Don’t explain what they have to do, demonstrate.
Take one student, he is A and you are B. Practise the dialogue/exchange.
Double-check with one pair of students who play A and B and act out with
you prompting the pair work. Put prompts on the board if this helps lower
levels or classes unsure about pair work.
Prompts on board student A ‘... from?’
student B ‘I’m ...’
• Use choral repetition to reinforce roles if necessary. All As say their
lines in chorus. Pick on a student B to respond. Repeat with Bs.
• Only let students start when you are sure they are all clear as to
what they are supposed to be doing. Use this technique for all
communication games and it will get faster and more efficient as they get
used to working without you. Never try to set up pair work without
checking that the instructions are clear. Think how you will set it up before
the lesson.
• Quickly circulate when they start in order to see if each of the pairs is
clear and working together. Help individual pairs with prompting. Keep an
eye out for waning interest and don’t let it go on too long. Are they near to
exchanging all the information they needed to exchange? Be ready to call
a halt.
• Change pairs with the minimum of fuss and noise as this can be a big
time-waster in large classes and annoy colleagues in nearby classrooms.
Try not to say ‘Find a new partner ...’ as the whole room could be set in
motion. All students turn round quietly and form a pair with someone
behind or in front or on the other side. Make all As stand up (no scraping
chairs) and on the count of three move two desks down, up or across to
find a new partner.




*Student summaries
*Correcting students
*The school culture

Finishing off
Many assistants find it difficult to judge how long activities will take and find
themselves either running out of time or with fifteen more minutes to go and
nothing to do. This is true for all teachers, but it improves as you get to know
your classes. However, plan ahead and start winding down well before the bell
rings so you can give a summary of the lesson. After a discussion or simple
oral task you may need to go over main problems on the board and must allow
time for this essential feedback. In some schools pupils just pack up and rush
off when the bell rings. Try to avoid this. Insist on a formal conclusion and
goodbye. If you are required to give homework or to ask students to prepare a
task such as something for the role play in the next lesson, do not do it at the
very end. Attention usually wanes by the end, so give forewarning and
instructions earlier and then just a final reminder at the end.
Discipline problems and solutions
Factors leading to discipline problems
• a gap in the lesson (bad planning, an activity loses momentum, a piece of
equipment fails to work)
• unclear instructions (they don’t know what to do, they don’t start and
attention wanders)
• overexcited students arrive from another class in a rowdy mood
• lack of teacher attention (you need constantly to scan the room and keep
your eyes and ears open to what is happening, especially in large groups)
• the assistant concentrates on lengthy explanations to one individual (the
others get bored)
• work is too easy or too challenging (students give up or attention
wanders).
Always discuss discipline procedures with members of staff in your host
school before you start teaching. Each country has different rules and
expectations and this can vary from school to school. One assistant
commented wryly that the discipline methods used on him at school would
get you the sack in his host country. In some teaching cultures a quiet
classroom is considered a disciplined classroom where learning is taking 21
place. This is evidently at odds with your role which is to maximise student
talking opportunities, with reasonable noise levels! Clearly a class that is in
control is not always quiet and a quiet class with a teacher doing all the
talking is not necessarily a good learning environment. You will create
healthy chatter in oral classes but this must not descend into anarchy!
However, bear in mind that teachers on either side of your classroom might
take a different view if your class noise disturbs their lessons. Try not to
assume that the teacher you are working with is traditional or boring
because they do not use the riotous communication games their students
adore doing with you. It could be that these teachers have met with criticism
or opposition from colleagues in the past due to noise generated from their
language classrooms!
Typical problems and some suggested approaches
• One student starts talking to another and keeps on doing it. Ask one
of the students a question as soon as you realise they are becoming
disruptive. Move nearer to them as you move around the room and try to
make eye contact. If eye contact and interruption are not sufficient then
move the students to different seats.
• Students are all talking and no one is listening. Try to establish silence
without raising your voice. Clap loudly, tap a ruler on the board, count
down from ten (some students will join in chorus). When silence is
reached ... hold the silence for a minute or so before resuming. If
disruption is due to lack of interest in the task, go on to something else
(a filler) to change pace.
• A student deliberately refuses to do an activity you have prepared.
Assign a different role if it is an oral task, e.g. this student records the
dialogue on a tape or becomes the group secretary in a discussion by
writing notes on what is said. Explain that any work not completed in class
must be done at home as homework. If it continues, see if the student
can be removed from the group for your lessons.
• A student starts shouting at you. It is difficult not to shout back or lose
your cool but try to remain calm and firm. Wait for the student to calm
down but if this fails and the situation escalates, call for assistance or
send another student for assistance. Try to resolve the situation by
assigning a task to the rest of the class and taking the angry student aside
for a quiet word.
Be wary of the following techniques which might not be used or allowed in
classrooms and which are not always effective:
• threats
• giving lines
• public humiliation by putting them in the corner
• giving written homework
• putting them in the corridor (they could leave the premises!)
• shouting loudly
• punishing the whole class for the behaviour of a few.