5.

Classroom Dynamics
5.1 Creating a Productive Classroom Environment
It’s important that you strive to create a productive and inclusive classroom environment: one
where everyone (including you) is working together to achieve the same goals. So how do you do
this?

1. Clearly, the key elements need to be in place to start with:

 You need to know where you are taking them on their learning journey and you need to
ensure they are fully aware of all of this; that is, the aims and objectives are crystal clear for
everyone
 Your lessons need to be well-planned, related to their backgrounds and experiences, and
carried out at a brisk pace
 Effective classroom routines and behaviour management practices need to be set in stone
and agreed and accepted by all
 You need to be cognizant of how you will motivate your students to achieve the learning
goals
 You recognise that praise is a key element for driving motivation

With all of these elements in place, a strong foundation is laid and you can focus on ensuring the
creation and maintenance of an inclusive and productive classroom environment.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Adhere to all the elements in YOUR Code of Practice, particularly the underlying principles of
fairness and equal opportunity for all. Reflect on these principles before the start of every lesson.

2. Through adhering to YOUR Code, you will ensure there is an inclusive climate free of any
prejudices and bias.

Sometimes bias can creep in unintentionally. You may, inadvertently, favour certain types of
students, e.g. those who are always eager to answer questions, those who can use ‘flowery’ or
complex language, those who are always (seemingly) listening to your every word, those who always
laugh at your jokes, etc.

As a result, you may, unwittingly, give much more attention and praise to some and not to others.
How do the others feel?

3. An inclusive climate, where there are no barriers and every student is treated equally and feels
equal, drives ownership of the learning and motivation. In this type of environment, students are
very willing to work together at all times to help each other to achieve the shared learning goals.

Again, as with bias, some barriers which may seem small to you can have a detrimental and hurtful
effect on a student’s participation and production. Here are some examples:
a. Some teachers are slow to grasp all the students’ names in their class. They may have quickly
memorised some names which are known to them from their own country background or because
the names are different in some way and are easy to remember. How do other students feel when
they don’t hear their name tagged onto a question or statement, e.g. Can you repeat that? instead
of ‘Can you repeat that, Anurak?, or Well done! instead of Well done, Anurak!

b. Some teachers fail to do enough research and preparation and continue to use the same ‘cultural’
examples in their lessons, over and over again. For example, they may use city life examples which
are irrelevant or of little use to those who live in a village in the countryside, or they may use
examples from a specific culture group or geographical area which do not relate in any way to
several of the students in the classroom. Or, worse still, they may focus entirely on the traditional
family structure of a mother and father when several of the students’ backgrounds do not fit this
model for one reason or another, e.g. a deceased parent, a single parent family, being cared for by
another member of the extended family for financial reasons, etc.

c. Some teachers can emphasise one gender more than another. If the examples given, for example,
are all based on males, female students will definitely feel ‘left out’.

So, ensure, you use lots of examples which cover the genders, lifestyles and cultures in your
classroom. In this way, you will definitely ensure an inclusive and productive classroom.

5.2 Pacing
Pacing is the result of a teacher calculating the time needed in the various lesson stages and the
actual amount of time these stages take place in the real time execution of the lesson.

Here are some common pacing issues:

 Allowing an activity that is working well to take far too much additional time
 Giving too many examples to illustrate a teaching point
 Relying too much on drawings/diagrams on the whiteboard/blackboard, which can slow the
lesson down
 Reviewing homework during class time in a non-selective fashion
 Trying to teach for mastery of each learning point- sometimes a reasonably good grasp of a
point is good enough
 Addressing questions at length, particularly questions that are outside of the topic being
discussed
 Allowing pairs and groups to work without a clearly defined time limit

Pacing can greatly influence the ultimate productivity of a class or lesson. For example, a class that
moves too quickly or chugs along too slowly can disengage learners. How then can we make sure we
are pacing the lesson effectively?

Here are some practical guidelines:

During her lesson planning, a teacher needs to determine how long each task and activity should
last.
Once a lesson begins, a teacher will then use experience, intuition, and gut feeling to make
decisions, e.g. because the students are having difficulty with a structure.

Maintaining flexibility is key.

Planning decisions relating to pacing can be determined by the teacher considering the following
questions:

What do I hope to achieve in a specific lesson or unit of work in the time that I have?

How many different tasks or activities can I reasonably expect to complete in the time available?

If I am using the primary textbook, does the teacher's guide give suggestions on pacing?

If so, are these guidelines realistic or practical for my particular class dynamic?

If I have varying levels of ability subgroups within the class, should I try and pace activities differently
for different subgroups within the class?

Remember this:

 Pacing is an elusive skill for some teachers, which explains why intuition is so important in
making decisions.
 Predetermined rules for deciding how long to prolong an activity often do not work.
 The ability to pace a lesson is one of the key factors distinguishing experienced teachers
from those who are not as experienced.
 Experienced teachers are able to pick up cues from students that indicate their levels of
interest or boredom and evaluate these cues against the aim of the lesson.
 Always keep alert for tell-tale signs of student boredom, disengagement, or confusion and
frustration.

5.3 Cross-Cultural Aspects in the Classroom

An awareness of cross-cultural aspects in the classroom is vital, but this area of study is almost
always omitted from training courses. But we haven’t omitted it.

Here are some practical guidelines to ensure you get it right:

Cross-cultural aspects play a key part in the classroom dynamics. Handle these aspects right and the
class will be on fire. Get any important cross-cultural aspect wrong and the class may fizzle out.

You will need to be sensitive to cultural differences and cultural elements, particularly as they
pertain to the host culture, since they can have an effect on overall student learning behaviour.

It is important that you are aware of the environment in which you are working and don’t judge the
students on the basis of your own cultural background.
If you are not aware of cultural nuances, it can prove to be detrimental to your success.

You cannot assume that your expectations of the classroom will be the same as the learners'
expectations.

Remember: The comments below are general comments – every single student from a particular
culture won’t necessarily display the same behaviours.

Examples of cultural differences

Here are some cultural differences that can come up in class. It will all depend where you are
teaching and the cultural background of your students. This information will serve you well on your
TEFL journey.

Learners’ expectations

Learners from more traditional educational systems may expect teachers to behave in a more formal
and authoritarian fashion during classes.

They may also want their teacher to engage in extensive correction of grammatical form or
pronunciation during all activities rather than at specified points in a lesson, or not at all.

In some cultures, e.g. Brazil, Norway and Spain, students are expected to be vocal and pro-active in
the learning process; in other cultures, such as Japan and Korea, learners are expected to be silent,
passive recipients of knowledge.

In some cultures, silence is taken as a sign of respect and a willingness to learn; in other cultures it is
seen as boredom and a refusal to participate.

In some cultures, asking a question is seen as disrespectful, challenging and inappropriate; in others,
asking a question is seen as an important sign of students taking responsibility for their own
learning, and something to be welcomed.

Teachers’ expectations

Similarly, teachers bring to the classroom their own expectations regarding teacher behaviour. This
includes their views on appropriate adult behaviour within their culture in general, as well as in the
classroom.

These teachers may also unconsciously attribute these same expectations to their students, which
can heighten the potential for conflicting expectations and evaluations of behaviour between
teachers and learners.

Gender, age and status-related issues

Teachers need to find out whether learners have ever experienced mixed educational groupings;
whether they expect male and female teachers to behave differently; and how different classroom
activities, including various group configurations or activity types, such as role plays, might affect
learners due to native cultural constraints. Research this before starting off.

EFL teachers may encounter reluctance from both men and women from cultures in which women
have historically been constrained by social roles that do not promote active participation in mixed-
sex settings, e.g. Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia

In some cultures, if some students think that women (especially younger or other lower status
women) are lower in the ranking, that will exaggerate any negative reactions they have to being
interrupted, corrected, told to do things in the classroom that are unfamiliar etc.

Some students might feel they cannot interrupt or correct people who are older, in a high status job,
are male etc. or may be shocked when the teacher or another student does not pay attention to
such distinctions.

Inappropriate topics for discussion in various countries - general

 Religion
 Politics
 Dating, sexual relations
 Gender roles
 Civil strife (where the students are refugees from this strife)
 Immigration (where students are in the process of this and may be unsettled by questions
about their personal details)
 Freedom and democracy
 Human rights issues
 Conflicts with other countries
 Discussing opinions and beliefs

There are some cultures in which the reaching of a group consensus is more highly valued than the
statement of personal opinion, so discussion-type tasks should be used with care. The cultural make-
up of your class will determine your approach; when well used, of course, these activities can be
very successful.

Gestures (as discussed previously)

The main point to note with gestures is that people do not stop finding a gesture offensive just
because they understand that it means something else in other countries.

Impulsiveness v reflection

In some cultures, such as most of the USA, children are encouraged to give an answer to any
question quickly, while in other cultures, e.g. Japan, reflection is encouraged before answering.

Proxemics

The study of how close or far away people stand from each other when interacting is called
proxemics. Each culture has its own norms for the distance between two people standing and
conversing, and these norms may also differ for teachers and students, and for sitting, standing, etc.
Eye contact

In some cultures, respect is shown by avoiding eye contact, or shortening the length of contact,
while in others making eye contact is evidence of honesty and respectfulness. One frequently
misunderstood example is that East Asian students often close their eyes when concentrating.
Failure to make eye contact with students could be interpreted by some students as a lack of
confidence within the teacher.

Active participation

Verbally expressing ideas and asking questions during class can prove difficult for students
unaccustomed to this form of active participation.

Communication styles

You must become aware of the cultural differences in reasoning and communication. There are
patterns of expression and rules of interaction that reflect the norms and values of a culture. A lack
of understanding of these communication styles could lead to confusion, anxiety and conflict. Two
key communication styles are Direct v Indirect and Attached v Detached.

Direct: straightforward, no beating about the bush, avoiding ambiguity v Indirect: meaning conveyed
by subtle means, stories, implication, frequent use of implication.

Attached: communicating with feeling and emotion, subjectivity is valued, sharing one’s values and
feelings about issues is desirable v Detached: communication should be calm and impersonal,
objectivity is valued, emotional, expressive communication is seen as immature or biased.

Motivation and memorisation

You will already be thinking of many different ways to motivate students which, in the main, will
work. Be aware that in many schools in China and Taiwan, there are numerous learning strategies
based entirely on memorisation - the greatest motivator is success in exams and is based on how
much students can remember.

Writing

In many cultures, students are not encouraged to express their opinions. They may have little
experience with creative writing to bring from their native language.

Interrupting

In some cultures several students talking over each other is normal, whereas others will wait until
there is complete silence before making their contribution.

Autonomy

We tell students that they should take charge of their learning, that the teacher is a helper and guide
rather than the source of knowledge and authority. Yet all of these wishes may not fit with
educational traditions from different cultures.
Movement in class

If you are accustomed to walking about the room to monitor your students’ performance and crouch
down to help a student, and if you are teaching in a culture that views this as somehow offensive, it
will be your responsibility to modify your technique to conform to the expectations of your students.

Summary

 Be aware
 Increase your learning of culture in the classroom
 If ever asked about any subject we have suggested as taboo, simply reply: I’m sorry. I’m a
guest here in your country and I don’t think I’m in any position to comment.

5.4 Handling Any Cultural Issues in the Classroom

If any cultural issues come up in class, then go into your memory bank and decide if it’s any of those
areas mentioned above: e.g. religion, politics and democracy

If it is, it’s closing time and you need to close down the conversation or debate straight away.

1. Do it courteously

2 Empathise with the party or parties involved (that it’s important, worrying, concerning (whatever
emotion is stated by the speaker)

3. However, state that we need to move on. Something like this: I’m sorry everybody, we’ll need to
move on. We’ve got lots to cover. I suggest the two of you continue the discussion outside the
classroom. Right, where were we?

Of course, if it’s a general discussion about superstitions or what foods are eaten in different
countries and gentle areas like that, then you may choose to let it run for a bit as real
communication is taking place.

Remember! Keep your eyes and ears open all of the time for any inappropriate discussion topics
starting and head them off at the pass quickly!