Have you ever thought something like “I’ve got a kid that’s so awful. They’re ruining my class! Either they go or I’m out.” Well, over the years I’ve heard a fair number of EFL teachers make statements like that. I’ll admit to having had similar feelings years ago, too. Back then there seemed to be no way to improve my students’ behavior.
It’s tremendously frustrating to have a challenging student, or students, who make teaching impossible. Just the thought of walking into their classroom is enough to ruin your day. You feel trapped in the knowledge that you’ll be stuck with a bunch of monsters for months.
The good news, though, is it doesn’t have to be that way. Most likely, you can help your students improve their behavior and all it takes is a little CBG.
Catch Them Being Good (CBG) is a great concept that I first learned from Carol Read on her website. It means that, instead of focusing on catching your students being bad, you should identify what your students are doing well.
For More Detail: ESL Classroom Management – Catch Them Being Good!
In this video, I explain why focusing on bad behavior is a dead end that many new teachers travel down. I also explain why it will often turn you into a bad class cop and damage your relationships with your preschool and primary students.
The video also covers why CBG works by building positive relationships.
I then give tips for how to effectively use it with students in big classes. The last one, “Be Proactive, Not Reactive” really turned things around for me in my classes.
Related Post: Why ESL Students Misbehave: They Need Love and Belonging
You can help your students improve their behavior. Give CBG a try and you should notice positive changes in a short while.
Are you looking to upgrade your classroom management skills?
Then check out Star Teacher Training’s full course on Udemy! “EFL-ESL Classroom Management for Ages 6-11” has got more than 6 hours of comprehensive videos on how you can transform your classroom management to get great behavior from your students in a positive, productive way.
