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A classroom should be welcoming. It should
emit a feeling of a "home away from home." There should be something
at the door, beckoning the students in, elements in the room encouraging
them to stay, something intrinsic making them relish being there and encouraging
them to linger.
Of course, the human factor is the most important thing:
how the students feel about themselves, their teacher and their classmates.
But the setting in which the human factors reside to have their English
experience is also paramount.
What effort have YOU made to make your
classroom inviting? Are there posters on the walls to use for warm-ups?
Are there windows allowing sunlight in? Windows are also great resources
to rely on when one wants to ask questions about the weather or the seasons.
All one has to do is look outside! Is there a CD or tape recorder there
so you can play music when the students enter and leave the room? Do you
realize that in doing so, you are subliminally announcing to the students
that this is your English speaking territory and that they are guests
in your room?
Since people usually adapt to the mood of the music, you
can show ownership in a situation by creating a musical atmosphere. Are
there plants by the window or flowers on a desk or table? A touch of beauty
adds softness and warmth to any classroom.
Are the blackboards or white boards clean and in easy view of all students?
Do you have a student blackboard where students can write their names
or answer simple questions? Have you noticed that students love to write
on blackboards or white boards? Take advantage of that enthusiasm!
YOU, the teacher, are the orchestrator
of creating a classroom that will be a pleasant place for students to
visit, a springboard conducive to positive learning experiences and at
the same time a place that reflects the relationship that exists between
you and your students. A classroom should be a friendly place that students
always want to return to.
Helene Jarmol Uchida
Helene Jarmol Uchida is a veteran teacher with teaching, curriculum
development and teacher training experience in the U.S., Greece and Japan.
She is the director of the Fukuoka-based
Little America English Schools
and lectures at Fukuoka Kyoiku Daigaku. She holds the
LATEM seminars every year
in cities throughout Japan and is also the author of 'The Challenge Book',
an interactive English book and CD especially created for Japanese
elementary school students.
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