


Examples of classroom contract points Food in class It is a tick list where we agree to certain limits that all students should follow so as to be fair. With my students we always start with the classroom contract, this is a document signed by all members of the class and agreed by voting. It is essential that you appear to be organised and in control of the class, students will pick up on the fact that you don’t have a plan very quickly and it can be a costly error.

In ESL many classes are sporadic or the teacher is only with each class for a couple of hours a week.
Dave moran tidy up song how to#
If students see inequality in the classroom, and I mean ´one rule for some and a different one of others´, they will also have difficulty in keeping track of how to behave, it is important to be consistent and to keep your promises. Teachers need to make sure that rules are fair and achievable. a point on the house point chart) and if they do not their is a consequence.Īnd lastly, I want to talk about FAIRNESS and equality in the classroom. With younger learners it needs to be visual, I generally have the student’s name on the board and when they comply with a give instruction I reward them in some way, shape or form (e.g. Students will generally fo for the minimum but that is what I wanted anyway. I usually set out a classroom contract with my students in the first class with older students (8-16) where we agree the rules, in the process I give the class options and we vote, for example, how often the teacher will set homework, once of twice a week. Secondly, we need to ensure that the RULES ARE AGREED by all the parties involved, for example, if the teacher decides to give two hours of homework a day and the students do not agree with the reasoning behind this, they are far less likely to comply. A good ay to do this is with music, a great song available on youtube is ´the tidy up song – Dave Moran Youtube song as it give the students a time limit and tells them exactly what they should be doing, later the children will associate the song to the action. The teacher needs to organise the class well so that students know what they need to do and where they need to be. Rewards do not always need to be material but can come in the form of privileges, praise or options (which game we can play on the last day). I always say that you need to make it ´cool to behave´. Use other students as examples and reward their efforts, the rest of the class will generally follow suit. It is better to be positive and focus on the things that the students are doing well than to focus on what they are not doing well.

Students generally understand limits well if they understand the consequences of their actions, set them out early on and it will stand you in good stead throughout the year. I use the first class as an icebreaker, all the activities should be focussed on showing how you wish to organize the class and what you expect of the students, be firm but fair and know when to be flexible (though this may come at a later date and is a difficult thing to judge). We also need to think about how to give this very important message, should we be giving it in the student’s first language? If the classroom rules are not understood fully we cannot really blame our students for breaking them. The teacher needs to first COMMUNICATE THE CLASS RULES to their students, but we need to make sure that they are understood. This is to be sure that everyone works together as a unit and the class can go on as planned. This song is rich in action verbs and is great for developing vocabulary and parts of speech.As teachers we need to set limits (or rules if you prefer) in the classroom. Tell your kids that when the song is finished, they can stop tidying and go out to play. This cute song by the Singing Walrus is also best played in the background while kids are tidying up. Girls and boys have put away the toys (clap, clap) We had a lot of fun and now that we’re done (clap, clap) It’s easy to learn and is a fun, new alternative to teach your kids if you’re getting tired of just singing the usual clean-up songs. This song by the Kiboomers is a really fun version that involves clapping. There are longer versions of this song available, but for young kids, 3 minutes is just long enough to keep their attention. A countdown clock can be great motivation and will get the job done quickly. If you can, project the timer onto a screen or show your child the video playing on your mobile while tidying. This tidy-up song by Plexkits is best for playing in the background at home or in the classroom.
