A KEY TO CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT: TEACHER REFLECTION

Voices of the novice teachers serve as the evidence that pure theoretical knowledge remains somewhere at the very top, superficial, and it does not always go hand in hand with the reality in the classroom. In the light of this information, this study aims to throw light upon the fact that there might be occasional gaps between the curricula of Language Teacher Education (LTE) programs, and real classroom applications, which can be abridged through constructivist approaches. The participants in this research are fifty novice teachers (twenty took part in further research) currently employed at schools. The majority of the teachers have been engaged in the profession for at least one year, the experience ranging from one to five years; in other words, they are already familiar with the conditions of classroom settings. The study indicates that these teachers sometimes encounter classroom management problems. The books that show how classroom management strategies can be improved may help the teacher to a certain extent; however, in some cases theory remains de-contextualized, for each classroom environment displays a unique feature. Under the circumstances, the teachers should be equipped with some constructivist approaches such as ‘reflection’ to cope with the problems arising in the classroom.