Reflective writing Nº1: The English classroom
I. Introduction
When I saw that picture the first time I said “Hey, I know that picture! Sure I’ve seen it my whole life….as student, as prospective teacher, and I’m suppose to see it as a teacher then”. It is just the most common student’s behaviour when feeling bored in class. My guide teacher of the thesis says that when students are behaving like this, it is called automatic mood – “los alumnos están en automatico. Hagas lo que hagas ellos van a proseguir igual”. So it is a waste of time asking them to stay quiet, to go back to their seats etc. I think that students behave like this (what the picture shows) because they need attention, it is a way of gain our attention. When students are shouting, jumping and so on in the classroom is a way of saying “Hey, I’m here. I don’t stand you being the protagonist all the time. I can also participate and do good things as you. I want to have more attention, affection, participation”.
II. Reflective writing
As I mentioned before when students behave in “automatic mood”, jumping, shouting, etc without paying attention to what teacher is doing, it is because of 2 reason (from what I have experienced):
- 1) Lack of Attention and Affection: students are always doing things, unconsciously maybe, because they feel a lack of attention. Probably at home they don’t have the attention and affection that they need, so they currently behave like this to gain our attention.
- 2) Showing Disapproval: When students (and people in general) don’t like something or someone, try to make that person or thing end or change. It is a way to protest.
Since students don’t like what teacher is doing, it could be because of two reasons:
- The activity proposed doesn’t satisfy the student’s expectation. It could because of personal opinion, different abilities, different interests, etc.
- The class is falling into routine, and students are demanding a new stimulus to gain their attention.
If you ask me if I have experienced that, the answer obviously is YES. Especially during my professional practicum, I have seen my students behaving that way a lot of times. That is because in 2 weeks (observation and team teaching stage) is impossible to know each student’s learning style, behaviour, expectation, etc. So I try to do my best, but naturally I have lost the class control at least once. And when students start behaving like this I try to change the activity, or I start talking to them about what they are doing or talking about, but recasting it in English. So while they think we are not having classes, they are learning new vocabulary, structures, etc.
What I suggest to deal with “disruptive students” (who choose that concept? In my concern It is derogatory!), is to use the “teoría humanista
Normally, teachers concentrate most in presenting content and making students practise it. But they do not pay attention to the other 2 important phases: hook and practise.
Wow plan suggest giving equal importance to these 4 phases. This way, students are going to have fun first, then they are going to be ready to receive a new content, then they have the opportunity to receive feedbacks on how they are understanding and transferring the new content, and finally they are the STARS and they create everything (what they are asking all the time).
Interesting!!! Share or write about this so it can be published in any of the UPLA magazines.