1. “PROBLEM
BEHAVIOUR
AND WHAT TO
DO ABOUT IT”
J. Harmer- Chapter 9
By Andrea Pichilef -
Agustin Caldentey

2. EXAMPLES OF PROBLEM
BEHAVIOUR:
 Disruptive talking.
 Inaudible responses.
 Sleeping in class.
 Tiredness and poor attendance
 Failure to do homework.
 Cheating in tests and unwillingness to speak in the target
language.
Other contexts:
 Insolence to the teacher.
 Insulting or bullying other students.
 Damaging school property.
 Refusing to accept sanctions or punishments.

3. WHY PROBLEMS OCCUR?
 The family
 Education
 Self-steem
 Boredom
 External factors
 What the teacher does

4. PREVENTING PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR
 Creating a code of conduct:
Effective classroom management has to do with establishing
a code of conduct, specially with younger learners. This is
a useful tool to let students “know where they stand” .
 Include the student’s own opinions in the code of conduct.
When a code has been democratically arrived at, is has
considerable power.

5. TEACHERS AND
STUDENTS
The way we teach may be a cause for disruptive events.
 Interest and enthusiasm.
 Professionalism.
 Rapport between teachers and students.

6. REACTING TO PROBLEM
BEHAVIOUR
Problems should not be ignored. How a teacher reacts to it
depends on the type of disruption and the person
exhibiting it.
 Act immediately.
 Focus on the behaviour not the pupil.
 Take things forward.
 Reprimand private.
 Keep calm.
 Use colleagues and the institution.

7. PLEASE SPEAK
ENGLISH!
If students are not using English
everyone is wasting their time.
Nevertheless, there are many
reasons why students revert to
their L1 in certain activities.

8. WHY STUDENTS USE THE L1 IN
CLASS?
 Language required by the activity. Students
cannot be blamed for using the L1 in such
case.
 It is an natural thing to do. Students try to
make sense of a new linguistic and conceptual
world through the world they are already
familiar with.
 L1 might be used when performing
pedagogical tasks.
 Teacher’s use of L1.

9. ATTITUDES TO L1 USE IN THE
CLASSROOM.
 Students will use their L1 in class. The question is whether
we should try and stop it.
 Speak English as much as possible in the class, especially
since if we do not, students will not see the need to speak
too much English either.

10. WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
 Set clear guidelines.
 Choose appropriate tasks.
 Create an English atmosphere.
 Use persuasion and other inducements.
“The art of persuading students to have a go in English
depends on the guidelines that were set, the
agreement we made with them, and the friendly
encouragement and persuasion we use while activities
are taking place.”