1Bandar Abdul-Qahhar Muhammed, 2Lana Amanj Mahmood, 3Muhammad Hidayat Ahmad & 4Hawraz Rashad Muhammad
1English Department, College of Education, Salahaddin University -Erbil
2English Department, College of Basic Education University of Raparin, Iraq
3&4Independant Researcher
Abstract
Classroom management is one of the most prominent challenges that teachers in general, particularly novice teachers, face in teaching. Classroom management means having an environment in class that is controlled by the teacher and s/he directs the whole class towards a common goal or activity. Many principles for classroom management are proposed by different people. Classroom management can be attributed to “your attitude, intentions and personality and your relationship with the learners” (Scrivener, 2012, p.54). The main objectives of the research are to identify some techniques and strategies that teachers use to manage their classes effectively and to shed light on the most prominent challenges in classroom management. A mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative is used to obtain experienced teachers’ insights through a questionnaire which is designed and distributed to illustrate how to manage classes successfully. In addition, a semi-structured interview is conducted with novice teachers (who have less than three years of teaching experience). The most prominent findings are: that establishing rapport or healthy relations with students has a positive impact on classroom management, and using reward and punishment techniques for classroom management can set a good standard. It is concluded that for some teachers classroom management means all the students equally participate in and engage with the activities while for others it means all the students sit idly in class.
Keywords: classroom management, motivation, rapport, reward.