The slides from a webinar I did for the British Council on 12th December 2012.

1. Classroom Management
with Young Learners
David Dodgson
TED Ankara College
Image by lrargerich

2. What teachers want...

3. What teachers fear...

4. What is ‘classroom management’?

5. What is ‘classroom management’?
For me, it’s about:
 Involving learners in
important decisions
 Ensuring good discipline
 Establishing rapport with
students
 Creating a positive
atmosphere for learning

6. Some tips before we start...
 There is no ‘right answer’!
 Be responsive and adapt to
each class
 Be consistent and follow
through
 Establish regular routines
 Accept that there are some
things you can’t change
Image by laughlin

7. Establishing ‘ground rules’

8. Establishing ‘ground rules’
Some of my ideas:
 ‘Class Contract’
 Rules for the teacher!
 Discussing & negotiating
rules
 Involve the students & let
their opinions be heard!
Image by Scott Thornbury via eltpics
See also my blog post on this topic:
http://www.davedodgson.com/2011/09/democracy-in-action-in-primary-school.html

9. The students will....
 ...be ready at the start of the lesson.
 ...listen when someone is talking.
 ...always be polite, patient and helpful.
 ...wait for Mr. David to say the lesson is
finished.

10. Mr. Dodgson will....
 ...not give homework on Fridays.
 ...let us drink water in the lesson.
 ...let us eat snacks in the lesson.

11. Enforcing ‘ground rules’

12. Enforcing ‘ground rules’
Some ideas:
 Class Captains
 Highlight examples of good
behaviour
 Plenty of praise (individual
students and the class!)
 Make sure you follow
through on any
promises/detterents.

13. Gamification
 What is ‘gamificaiton’?
 How can it help with
classroom management?
Image by @acliltoclimb via eltpics

14. Gamification
 What is ‘gamificaiton’?
 Applying concepts and
theories from the world of
gaming to the classroom.
 How can it help with
classroom management?
 Easy for kids to relate to.
Image by @acliltoclimb via eltpics
 Adds a sense of ‘fun’ to
proceedings.
See also the Digital Play blog by Graham Stanley and Kyle Mawer:
http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/

15. Gamified Classroom Management
Example – Class Achievments
 Reward following class rules
with a ‘level up’
 After 5 level ups, the class
chooses a ‘reward’
 The reward could be a
game, a video, free time, or
even no homework!
 Rewards are ‘just for fun’ Image by @oyajimbo via eltpics
See also my blog post on this topic:
http://www.davedodgson.com/2012/09/taking-classroom-management-to-next.html

16. Gamified Classroom Management
Example – Class Dojo
 Set up class accounts on
www.classdojo.com
 Award points for ‘positive’
behaviour (and ‘negative’ if
you wish)
 Connect with students &
their families

17. Establishing rapport

18. Establishing rapport
 Be friendly & approachable
 Be flexibile (and be willing
to ‘bend the rules’!)
 Focus on the kids’ own
interests
 Personalise the lessons as
much as possible
Image by lighttruth
 Involve the students and
give them choices
See also this post I wrote for Shelly Terrell’s blog:
http://shellyterrell.com/2011/05/09/tips-for-connecting-with-young-learners-by-dave-
dodgson/

19. Getting the students involved

20. Getting the students involved
 Class rules Image by ToGa Wanderings
 Personalising lessons &
offering choices
 Use student-created
content in class
 Get students to create
tasks and quizzes.

21. Getting the students involved
Example: ‘Video of the Week’ Image by ToGa Wanderings
 Allow one student each
week to select a video
 Student writes questions
about it
 Video and questions are
posted on the class blog
 ‘Secret homework’ 
See also this blog post by David Mearns:
http://www.davidmearns.blogspot.com/2011/10/idea-of-getting-students-to-write.html

22. dave.dodgson@gmail.com
www.davedodgson.com
@DaveDodgson