This document discusses common difficulties that teachers encounter and provides strategies to address them. It addresses large class sizes, discipline problems, mixed-level classes, homework issues, teaching exam classes, and professional development. For each topic, it outlines specific challenges and provides activities and techniques teachers can use to engage students, manage behavior, differentiate instruction, make homework meaningful, reduce test anxiety, and avoid isolation through collaboration. The overall message is that while "bread-and-butter issues are rarely mentioned," addressing these practical difficulties is important for both teacher and student motivation.

1. Dealing with Difficulties
by Luke Prodromou and Lindsay Clanfield
Common difficulties that
we encounter
Marija Ćavar, Prof

2. New teaching strategies, latest research into language
learning….but….
 Bread-and-butter issues are rarely mentioned
 Teachers and students both lack motivation

3. What are These………
1. Large Classes and
Classroom Management
2. Discipline Problems
3. Mixed-level Classes
4. Homework
5. Teaching Exam Classes
6. Professional Development

4. 1
Large Classes
1.1 Managing Big Numbers
1.2 Starting Right
1.3 Handling Latecomers
1.4 Engaging Students with the Materials
1.5 Moving Students Around
1.6 Drilling
1.7 Speaking
1.8 Finishing Right

5. 1.1 Managing Big Numbers
 Knowing, and using, student’s
names
 Using the space to your
advantage
 Checking and cross-checking
 Making eye contact
 Using the board effectively
 Being organized and prepared
 Having routines
 Activities:
The Attention getter
Group Leaders
The board plan
Which answers are different?
Think, Pair, Share
Check, Cross-check
Listen and Stand

6. 1.2 Starting Right
Starting a lesson is a
crucial phase of any
lesson.
Rapport is the positive
relationship we try to
build and without which
little can happen
 Activities:
Entry Music
Who’s Here?
Split Jokes
Name Circle
Back-to-back
Face-to-face

7. 1.3 Handling Latecomers
 Make a declaration on
lateness
 First five minute
Incentives
 The late seats
 How good is the excuse
 Feedback

8. 1.4 Engaging Students with the
Materials
 Try to engage students’
interests before they
open their books
 Activities:
Authentic anecdote
Quote
Anagram
Questions, Questions
Word Race

9. 1.5 Moving Students Around
 Moving students and setting up pairs and groups can
itself be an opportunity for language practice
 Activities: ABC Order, Changing Place If…, In the
Cards, In the picture, The Odd Number 1, 2

10. 1.6 Drilling
 “Solo performances” riddled with errors of grammar,
vocabulary and pronunciation are not everyone’s cup
of tea.
 Activities: Jazz Chants and Rhymes, True for You,
Personal Transformation, Drill Duels

11. 1.7 Speaking
 Speaking activities are
fluency-based, which
means that you may
want to save the
correction of any
spoken errors until after
the activity is finished, if
you correct at all.
ACTIVITIES
 Anchors
 Who Am I?
 Make Your Own Questionnaire
 Thirty students, Thirty
Questions
 Tongue-tied
 Backs Turned
 The Best Memory
 Ping pong speaking
 Half a Minute
 Why?

12. 1.8 Finishing Right
 Ending on a good note will,
hopefully, make your
students more enthusiastic
about coming back the next
time.
 Activities: What Did We Do
Today?, Future Test
Questions, Word of the Day,
Don’t Smile, Body Dictation,
Exit Music

13. 2
Discipline Problems (Overt or Covert)
2.1.Diffusing Discipline
2.2 Rules and Regulations
2.3 Raising Awareness
2.4 Building Good Behavior
2.4 Discipline Friendly Tasks
2.5 An Element of Surprise

14. Both forms of indiscipline
 Overt:
 shouting
 asking to leave the room repeatedly
 rude remarks, swearing
 chewing gum
 refusing to do homework or set
work
 fighting others
 scribbling on books
 questioning the usefulness of task
or the tteacher’s competence
 Covert:
 not paying attention
 arriving late
 missing lessons
 talking when meant to be writing
 clicking pens or dropping things
 sighing noisily
 leaning back in/rocking chairs
 looking out of the window or across
the room
 packing up early as if to leave
 keeping books closed
 asking to change the activity , for
example to song

15. 2.1 Diffusing Discipline
The best attention getter is the sheer force of your
personality, your presence.
The First Encounter (scan, wait, prepare)
Further Encounter
Feeling Good, Working Better
A Rewarding System
Sanctions
***Always use WE instead of I

16. 2.2 Rules and Regulations
 Let’s Make a Contract
 Brainstorm
Some of the activities that
help. If students feel
they ”own” the rules,
they are more likely to
uphold them and resent
those who violate them.

17. 2.3 Raising Awareness
 Many students will have
their own feelings about
discipline and how to deal
with it. Even very young
students have a very clear
idea of what is fair and what
is unfair (Bad teacher, Good
Teacher, Act It Out, Surprise
Tactics)

18. 2.4 Building Good Behaviour
 Maslow’s scheme (students
need to feel safe, comfortable
with a feeling they belong to a
group)
 Activities:
 Class Helpers (The
Timekeeper, The Boardkeeper,
The Messenger, The
Attendance Taker)
 A Suitable Model
 A Quiet Word After Class
 Invisible Body

19. 2.5 An Element of Surprise
 Qualities of a good teacher:
1.Friendly
2. Explains well
3. Has a sense of humour
4. Is patient
5. Is kind
6. Knows the subject
7. Believes in students
8. Is interesting
9. Talks about other things
10.Is enthusiastic
BAD STUDENT-GOOD
TEACHER
 ACTIVITES.
 Catch Them Being Bad
 What Happened in the Class
 Be My Guest
 Team Teaching

20. 3
Mixed-level Classes
3.1 Different Level, Different Task
3.2 Extending Class
3.3 Catering for Learner Style
3.4 One Teacher, One Class
3.5 One Class, Not Several

21. 3.1 Different Level, Different Task
 Mixed-level classes are also,
and among other things, the
result of:
The different learning styles of
students
The pace at which they each learn
Their level and kind of motivation
Their personal interests
Their background knowledge
Any social problems that they may
be facing
 Activities:
 Truth or lie?
 Mixed ability, Mixed-up
Sentences
 Jigsaw pictures
 Books Open, Books
Closed
 Complete the Story, etc

22. furthermore…
 3.3 Extending Class
“The quick students finish
early and then disrupt
the class because they
are bored”.
Activities: Give Them the
Slip, Choose Two,
Class Mascot
 3.4 Catering for Learner
Styles
Different people learn
things in different ways.
Visual, auditory and
kinesthetic activities
(Timelines,
Spidergrams, Choose
Your words, Draw Your
Picture, Mime Scenes)

23. 3.5 One Teacher, One Class
 Nominating
 Correcting
 Grouping
 Monitoring (by your voice,
position or eye contact)
 Giving Time to Think
 Asking and Listening to
Each Other
 Reviewing and Recycling

24. 4
Homework
4.1 Valuing Homework
(teacher doesn’t value
it)
4.2 Linking Homework to
Classwork
4.3 Correcting Homework
4.4 Following up
Homework (self-correct
and peer-correct)

25. 4.1 Valuing Homework
“I suspect my students don’t do their homework
because they think it’s boring and useless”.
 Homework is seen as a punishment or irrelevant
 …as a mechanical (easy to copy)
 …boring (too difficult or too easy)
 …covered in corrections or just given a mark, both of
which may low student’s self-esteem
 Students don’t have enough time to do it
 Activities (Homework Survey, Homework Log, Check
After, Check Before)

26. 4.2 Linking Homework to Classwork
 This can be done:
1.From class to home-by
starting something in class
and finishing it at home.
2.From home to class-by doing
something at home and
bringing it to class (not just
workbook).
Activities: Finish It at Home,
Memory Tests, Writing to
Each Other, Pictures in My
house, Phone Survey, In the
News)

27. 4.3 Correcting Homework
Positive Comments:
o A lovely piece of work
o I especially like the way you…
o The…was especially good
o You’ve made a lot of progress in
this area
o You’re using the language we’ve
learnt in class very well
In-deed-of Improvement Comments
o -I think you need to work on…
o -There are very few mistakes in this
homework, but the
vocabulary/grammar is very simple.
At your level I think you can use
more complex structures/words.
Responding-to-the-content Comments:
o Is this a true story? Amazing!
o What a frightening/funny/exciting
experience
o What happened at the end?
o I agree/disagree.

28. …correcting code (don’t use correction as a display
of teacher power-let the students have the
power…and the glory)
 Only a sample, the important
thing is to consistent
 ^ =something missing
 #= number or agreement
 WO =word order
 WW wrong order
 VF wrong verb form
 WF= wrong form
 T= tense
 Prep preposition
 Art=article
 ?= what do you mean?
 Sp=spelling
 P=punctuation
 Ǿ=not necessary
 NA=not appropriate in this
context
 [ = start a new paragraph
NB if you insist on accuracy on
all times then you will be
forever trapped in correcting
all deviant language
(accuracy vs. fluency)

29. 5
Teaching Exam Classes
5.1 Making the Most of It
5.2 Teaching Not Testing
5.3 Testing without Tears
We often prize grammar
and vocabulary over
everything else and test
items throughout the
year instead of teaching
skills.

30. Testing vs. Teaching
…is product-oriented
…is failure-oriented
…is stressful
…is individualistic
…is competitive
…works with one right answer
…withdraws support
…is context-less
…is monotonous
…is culture-bound
…uses closed-ended exercises
…is teacher controlled
…is judgmental
…measures success in marks
…is process-oriented
…is success oriented
…is relaxing
…is group-oriented
…is collaborative
…accepts more than one answer
…provides support
…is context-sensitive
…is varied
…is culture-sensitive
…uses open-ended tasks
…allows learner-control
…raises self esteem
…measures success in many ways

31. 5.2 and 5.3 Teaching Not
Testing/Testing without Tears (“My students panic
so much about the test they can’t concentrate”)
 The sudden announcement
of an impending test will
calm the beast in learners
and increase attention and
attendance. Testing at the
right time and in the right
proportion has a valuable
contribution to make in
assessing learners’ progress
and proficiency.
 Activities.
 Your Sentences, My essay,
Heads and Tails, Group
Test, The Joker

32. 6
Professional Development
6.1 You Are Not
Alone
6.2 Read On!

33. 6.1 You Are Not Alone
 Discuss the Problem in the Staffroom
 Arrange a Teacher Meeting
 Set Up a Workshop
 Set Up a Swap Shop
 Organize a Teacher Development Group
 Ask a Colleague to Watch You Teach
 Watch a Colleague Teach
 Exchange Classes
 Get the Management on Your Side
 Get the Parents on Your Side
 Get the School on Your Side

34. 6.2. Read On
 Being more professional and more enthusiastic is
the best remedy for any problem we may encounter
in the class.

35. Closure
Thank You for Your Time!