What advice would you give to a new teacher who is about to start teaching a group of 14 year olds?

Ask the students to pretend they are the teacher and in pairs establish a code of conduct from the first day, and to make some consequences if they don’t follow the rules. As it is the students who are making the rules, they may feel more obliged to follow them. Remember that you must be consistent about sticking with those rues.

Never lose your cool and shout or get angry if problems arise. Instead, refer back to the code and carry out the consequence.

Be friendly and warm from the start, but remain distant and in control. Trying to be their friend often doesn’t work. If someone acts up, respond immediately in a calm fashion. Students need to see where the limits are from the start.

A good idea could be to have a seating chart, so that friends don’t group together from the start. This will prevent shyer and quieter students from feeling left out and will encourage everyone to work together.

Put sts into groups. Give points for good work/behaviour and take away points for bad behaviour. So if one naughty sts in a group misbehaves, then the whole group lose a point. The other will soon help to control that sts in future. Remember always give sts the opportunity to win points back again.

Work to establish a friendly and supportive rapport. Take an interest in the students on an individual basis and try to encourage them to see themselves working together to achieve a common objective. It’s a good idea to have them helping one another on tasks in order to discourage competition.

Be proud of the school you work in, and if you harbour bad feelings or disagree with decisions the administration has made; make an effort not to display this in class. This is unsettling to students and will make them feel unhappy about where they study.