Study On Chinese Novice Teacher’s Practical Knowledge Of Classroom Management

Many Chinese novice teachers find themselves facing the problem of being inadequate for Chinese teaching when they step into a real classroom. The lack of teaching experience and practical knowledge makes them stagger forward. Therefore, conducting studies on Chinese novice teacher’s practical knowledge will help novice teachers with their professional development.In the field of teaching Chinese as a second language, teaching Chinese knowledge is the priority of all tasks in all teaching units. Classroom management is severely concerned with knowledge teaching and it’s the safeguarding of knowledge teaching, which makes the practical knowledge of classroom management very important for the success of Chinese teaching. However, sometimes we find that classroom management is even more difficult than Chinese knowledge teaching. So this thesis tries to find out the problems that Chinese novice teachers may encounter when they are constructing their own practical knowledge system of classroom management.This thesis first conducts a narrative inquiry to find out the classroom management problems that novice teachers may have, using the teaching diaries and teaching recording of four novice teachers as research resources. Then it conducts a questionnaire on Chinese novice teachers, based on the results of the narrative inquiry. The questionnaire aims to find out the commonality, individuality and the causes of the problems, which would help to propose suggestions on the development of novice teachers’ practical knowledge of classroom management.This thesis finds out that problems that happen to most novice teachers teaching at home include teachers’incapability of organizing activities leading to class disorders, teachers’ inappropriate teaching methods resulting in learners’misbehaviors in class, etc. Problems that happen to most novice teachers teaching abroad include over-challenge of the teaching materials leading to classroom disorders, etc. All novice teachers share some problems. The problems that hold a high frequency of occurrence include teachers’ inappropriate teaching and questioning methods leading to learners’misbehaviors in class, teachers being likely to be influenced by learners’ low spirits, etc. Problems that happen to fewer novice teachers include teachers’incapability of establishing an intimate relationship with the learners leading to stuffy classroom atmosphere, etc. The two main factors that influence the development of teachers’ practical knowledge are teachers’ capability of teaching and that of organizing activities.Based on the above analysis, this thesis provides some advices that can help novice teachers develop their practical knowledge of classroom management. For the teachers: foster self-awareness of development and enhance initiative; establish a comprehensive and objective understanding of their own abilities and characteristics; improve the capability of teaching and organizing activities; increase the understanding of the characteristics of Chinese learners; seek for cooperation and help; enhance self-efficacy. For teacher education and training:increase courses on classroom management in colleges; strengthen exchanges between novice teachers and experienced teachers.The author hopes that this thesis will be a reference for Chinese novice teachers during their constructing of practical knowledge system of classroom management.