Express Publishing ELT

By Leah Davies

Shyness is often misunderstood because it is not one emotion, but a mixture of fear, tension, apprehension and/or embarrassment. Shy children seem to lack confidence and are self-conscious especially in new surroundings or when they are the centre of attention. Changes in the environment and school pressures are also factors that affect a child’s demeanour. Symptoms of shyness may include gaze aversion, a soft tone of voice, and/or hesitant or trembling speech     read more >>

The bad behaviour of just one or two individuals in a group can affect the whole classroom atmosphere in a most negative way. Below we’ll have a look at 7 types of bad behaviour, probable causes and what we can best do to deal with such episodes if they arise.     read more >>

On her website Shelley Vernon presents some of the problems many preschool teachers face.

Preschool learners:
* have very short attention spans
* forget things quickly
* may not be fully confident in their first language
* may not be motivated to learn
* may be fearful
* develop at very different rates which leads to mixed ability groups
* can be easily overwhelmed
* need to be taught with effective language learning techniques and not just with time fillers to keep them busy.     read more >>

10 things you shouldn’t say in the classroom.

1. “Shut up!” or even “Be quiet!” The first is rude; the second illogical. Students should be making a noise if they are engaged in pair or group work.
2. “Get out!” Some teachers use the “sin bin” approach to misbehaviour. If a student is so penalized, he (and it is usually a he) is given the attention of the class as he leaves (something he probably wanted), which distracts from the task the rest of the class is working on. What happens if the student refuses to leave?
3. “That’s wrong!” If you ask a question and the student’s reply is wrong, give them the chance to self correct or ask another student to provide the correct answer. Then go back to the original student to give the correct answer. If peer correction doesn’t work, provide the answer yourself, then invite the student to repeat. What’s important is that the student succeeds.     read more >>