NQT Special Edition: Developing your presence in the classroom

As a new teacher in a new school you will need to establish a sense of presence and authority. One way to do this is by “owning your classroom space” which can be achieved by means of body language, eye contact and tone of voice...

Not dissimilar to the cat who, when under threat, arches its back to make itself appear bigger than it is, you too can increase your presence by striking an authoritative pose and standing in a grounded way.

This might involve the use of gestures to punctuate what you say, as well as moving around the classroom, perhaps teaching from the back of the room occasionally or standing close to an inattentive or misbehaving pupil, in order to create a bigger presence as well as to signal to pupils that you are attuned to what’s happening in your room and intend to control matters in an unobtrusive way.