The following strategies are paramount in creating a conducive environment in which learner disciplinary problems are reduced (Figure 2.8).
Figure 2.8: Creating a favourable teaching and learning environment
• Seating Arrangements: Learners should be seated in such a way that they will be able to see and hear all that goes on in the classroom. They should be able to see the teacher speaking, moving, demonstrating and giving examples. Similarly, the teacher should be able to see all the learners in the classroom. That will help them keep track of every learner’s activities and correct misdemeanours (minor bad conduct) as early as possible. Short learners should sit in front and tall ones behind them. Usually it is good for every learner to have a permanent place to sit. This will save a lot of time and curb indiscipline. Learners with disabilities such as the partially deaf and poorly sighted children should also be considered in the class. They should be seated in front, near the chalkboard so that they can benefit as much as possible. The seating arrangements depend on various factors; for example, the method the teacher is using. But what is important is that children should be seated in such a way that they can see and hear properly
Favourable teaching and learning environments Seating arrangements Psychological aspects Professional aspects Marking Use polite language
and communicate easily. In this regard, the teacher must see to it that learners are reasonably spread out so that they do not bump each other. Some suggested seating arrangements are as follows:
o To place children so that they can see, hear and communicate, it is a good idea to have them arranged in a U-Shape or in different groups.
o When the teacher demonstrates something, desks can be moved to the back of the class and chairs can be arranged in a semi-circle in front of the class (Lilemba, 2015).
• Psychological aspects: These refer to interpersonal relationships between the teachers and the learners and among the learners themselves. Dean (2018) affirms that it is important that the relationship between a teacher and a learner should be good and friendly. Dean (2018) further states that every learner should feel accepted and that the teacher should show interest in each learner’s progress. The relationship among learners should also be healthy. A learner who is often mocked or beaten, lives in fear and loses concentration on lessons. Teachers should encourage and foster friendliness among the learners. Smith (2019) advises that teachers should be aware that they are working with learners with individual differences which influence their classroom performance. Teachers should treat and provide for every child in the classroom accordingly. • Use polite language. This is useful in creating a favourable climate for teaching
and learning. Learners are human beings with their own likes, dislikes, interests and feelings. Some of them are fast at grasping concepts while others are slow learners. All this should be taken into account when working with learners. Jackson (2012) argues that many teachers forget that when learners get everything wrong, the teacher, not the learners, is to blame. If the learner has not learned, it means the teacher has not taught.
• Professional aspects: These refer to the teacher’s ability to help learners to learn and monitor their progress. Antonio (2017) states that the learners’ learning needs the teacher to monitor and ensure that they are making progress. One way to do this is to give a chance to learners to speak or read while the teacher listens carefully. The teacher can then correct the learner. Another way of monitoring the learners’ progress is to give them exercises which they must do in exercise books. The teacher monitors the progress by marking the work and gives appropriate help in the form of feedback (Mushaandja, 2016).
• Marking: Marking is another area that needs to be considered seriously if the teacher is to create a favourable environment for teaching and learning. The marking system should be meaningful. It does not help a learner if teacher simply cross out whole written exercises. Teacher should indicate with symbols, such as underlining, circling or highlighting where the mistake lies, and then providing a helpful comment. An indication of the cross (x) sign in the learner work does not help the learner in learning, this will discourage the learner. Therefore, a teacher should go through the work and find out where the mistakes are and bring them to the attention of learners for improvement. The following are some tips that may be helpful in teacher’s marking:
o Learners should not line up at the teacher’s desk for marking; as the learner write the exercise in the class, the teacher should go round giving individual help and mark the work that has been finished
o Teachers should not confine themselves to one section of the class but should set more work for the learners who finish writing before time is up. o Teachers should understand the learners’ thinking through their work and
find ways of helping them;
o If marking cannot be completed during the period, the learners’ exercise books should be collected and marked during free time;
o Work that most of the learners have got wrong should be corrected on the chalk board, and the learners who got the work wrong should be asked to do the same corrections in their exercise books;
o After marking each exercise, homework, assignment or test, the marks should be recorded in the progress chart. The record helps teachers to determine whether each learner is making steady progress, is static or retrogressing in performance. This helps teachers to single out the learners who need encouragement and counselling. The record also helps the teacher to find out if teaching was effective and to change the method of teaching if the results are not satisfactory (Brunette, 2017).
2.19 SOME GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND METHODS FOR HELPING LEARNERS