One of the best things at Happy Marian is that a teacher gets to spend a lot of time with the same class. Teachers and students have the opportunity to get to know each other and build relationships, and the quality of teacher–student relationships is the foundation for all other aspects of classroom management. In a classroom where there is good discipline and control, a teacher has more time to teach and students have more time to learn.

I’ve found that the Happy Marian approach of learning by doing, using positive reinforcement to develop acceptable behavior, and setting realistic classroom rules, give me the best results in both J and P classes.

My goal is to create peaceful classrooms full of orderly fun. Humor and games are used to increase the number of times students repeat material and practice basic skills. Classes are disciplined and organized because students have more fun following the rules, than ignoring them.

Below I have summarized some instructional techniques I’ve been using in my classroom.

The first technique is the Class-Yes, a very effective way of getting the students’ attention. To get my classes’ attention I say ‘Class!’ and then they reply ‘Yes!’ Next is the part that makes this fun for the children. When I say ‘Class!’ and they say ‘Yes!’ they have to say it the way I said it. If I say ‘Classity-class-class!’ they have to say ‘Yessity-yes-yes!’ If I say it loudly, they have to respond loudly. If I whisper, they respond in a whisper. They have to match my tone and intensity.
Then I have 5 basic classroom rules. It’s not enough to just post them on the wall though. Students have to know the rules for them to be effective, so the classroom rules are reviewed regularly.
Teach-OK is a very useful technique too. The class is divided into teams of two. One student is a “One”, the other is a “Two”. After teaching a section of work, the teacher claps twice and says “Teach!” The students clap twice and respond “OK!” This technique allows teachers to simultaneously engage their students in all four learning modes -- seeing, saying, hearing and doing.
Another technique I use is to have a scoreboard where students are rewarded for performing tasks well. We regularly change the way the scoreboard works so that the class doesn’t get board with it. One that my students love is the Students vs. Teacher scoreboard. A point is given to students when they do well, alternatively one goes to me when they don’t.
Then there’s “Hands and Eyes”, whenever I want my students to pay close attention to an important point, I say "Hands and eyes!"  My students respond with, "hands and eyes!" fold their hands and stare at me intensely.
Mirror is another powerful technique.  You say “mirror” and your students respond, “mirror.” They then pick up their hands ready to imitate your gestures.
In closing, Ben Franklin (and an ancient Chinese proverb) said “Tell me and I will forget, teach me and I will remember, involve me and I will learn.”

 

J3 Teacher Steven
Nan Hai Happy Marian