As some of my colleagues have said, it all depends on the context / country / culture you are working / teaching in. In Australia it is not admissible to shout at students and I believe that is the case in most of the western countries. As for sitting on the floor, I would only do that if working with (very) young learners or helping teenager / adult learners with a specific project that required different classroom arrangements. Personally, I like to wander around the classroom and get physically closer to my students while I teach. This also helps with monitoring students while they are working in pairs / groups. I would stand at the front of the room especially if I was using the board / OHP or other media or if I needed to look at various books or notes I had on my desk. In my opinion, there are no rules as to standing at the back of the class, but during exams that can come in quite handy.

Lakshmi, India
A teacher may sit on the floor depending on the culture and cultural acceptability.  In India, where there is a lot of ground level seating in teaching situations, this is quite common.  We do it quite often in the Pre-Primary (Nursery to  KG -2) classes where it brings us on eye-level with the children and creates an intimacy.  Also, sotry telling, circle time come alive when all the participants are at ground level.

Shouting ? - NEVER.  It is a sign of helplessness and frustration and only ends up in more shouting and slanging matches.  As an old ad goes 'When you want someone's attention, whisper."  Please remember that imitation is an important aspect of classroom behaviour and on occasions when you want to shout and scream, the best thing to do is to FREEZE !

Standing at the back of the classroom is generally during writing tasks when you get a better view of heads bent over books !

Angela, China
I teach large classes (45 - 53)and find it really helps to walk around the classroom at times to see how students are participating in activities. In a large room it is also important to check whether students can see the board. I wouldn't sit on the floor (and students wouldn't let me) but have occasionally rearranged furniture for specific activities. Hovever lack of space can make this difficult if you have a big class.

Lynda Deckard Ramos, Mexico
Teachers need to do whatever it takes to engage the students and to get their attention.  Sometimes when my classes are very noisy and they can't seem to settle down, if I sit on the floor, or even lay down on the floor, I have their complete attention.  They are going to stop what they are doing just to see what kind of crazy thing I am going to do next.  A good teacher can teach standing on his or her head, if need be!

Dr.S.Fiayaz Ahmed, India
This question assumes significance for all teachers. Teachers while teaching in the classroom will have different position. Some teachers stand and teach and they feel happy and satisfied with this standing position because they can have better view of all the learners in the classroom. Some teachers sit in a chair and teach and they also have different mechanisms to check the progress of their learners. Some teachers wander in the classroom on the dais and distract the attention of the learners. The question about sitting on the floor also depends on the nature of teaching activity that is being carried out. Secondly, it is better that the teachers do not shout in the classroom for it is an authoritative type of discipline. They can make all learners come into their fold by employing permissiveness and love in the classroom.

Orlanda, Portugal
I can't be sure if something should or should not be done in class because there are several reasons that must be considered when we are planning our lessons. Small children love to have teachers sitting next to them because they become more confidant and feel us-teachers like someone who is a part of their group. For elder pupils, most of the time depends on the topics we're working. Anyway, I try to sit as close to pupils as I can because that makes them and me more comfortable. They love to sit on their chair, in a circle with me sitting on a chair the same size as them. I love it too so most of the time this is the way I choose to give my English lessons.

David, UK
If the school says you can't sit on the floor, then don't. If the physical environment of the classroom would make it awkward to do so, then don't. If it would be culturally inappropriate to do it, then don't. However, I have often sat on the floor, sat on my desk, on windowsills, stood to the side of the room, sat amongst the students, stood at the back of the class - it depended on what was appropriate for that situation. I find it helps establish rapport. As for shouting at students - never. If you need to shout at your students, then you need better classroom management techniques.

Poonam Mahadev Thapa, Kenya
I like sitting on the mat on the floor when I am doing hands on activities with the children and need their total attention. We make a circle around the mat and take turns. Shouting generally is not right as it scares the children, but if there is too much noise by the children at extra work time in class or playing indoors it becomes a necessity. I prefer arranging the desks in my class in a manner that there is no back of the class, but it is only possible in limited students class where we have only 20.

Mohammed Abul Kashem, Bangladesh
Every teacher have their individual teaching style. Nobody can have a situational style of delivery oneself when he or she presents at classroom. It is very essential to understand the profile of each student in terms of the background they come from. A combination of various perspective methods can be used to get the students involved. The vital point is to ensure that your students do not tune off.

Maria Jose Boga, Argentina
I think a teacher can sit on the floor if the culture allows that, of course, and it can help to establish rapport with the students, especially if they are children or teenagers. How about sitting on the floor to tell them a story or to do some visualisation activity or play a game? About shouting, personally I believe shouting is not a good idea. From my own experience, shouting when the students are misbehaving, for instance, does not work, as the situation will probably get worse and students may perceive you to have lost control of the situation.

Pappuhrao, India
I worked as a teacher in government run schools where the students had to sit on the floor, there were no benches even for the teacher. A chair is a luxury. So I had to stand and teach them. So when I feel that the students should feel an atmosphere of‘Home’, the teacher has to sit. When there was some disturbance and students started talking among themselves I had to shout and when there was an emotional scene I used to shout. Normally I used to stand behind the students when they were asked to write or when they were asked to do silent reading

Kristi, Portugal
Different cultures have different standards as regards body language, etc. What's ok in Portugal is no doubt different in China. You have to know something about the culture. During a class, changing your physical position can be used effectively, to keep the students' interest, or to signal the beginning or end of an activity. Now stand here, now stand there, squat, and move to the back...

Cecilia Martinez, Mexico
When we want to adopt a new style in teaching we can sit down on the floor if the conditions of the classroom let us to do that and the age of the Sts is not a problem. Sometimes this new style could change the everyday routine inside the classroom. Shouting in the classroom has never been a tool of control in my class I think that different tones of speaking is better than shouting. Standing at the back of the class is a good idea why? Let me give you some points about that. 1.- In large classes the Sts at the back feel better. Teachers can take a look of the situation at the back, and Sts are more confident and they will participate. 2.- Teachers standing at the back when Sts are presenting something or working with a role give them release to perform. 3.- If Sts are working on their desks for a little while. The teacher can stand at the back and take notes how Sts work and how the distribution of the information on the white board has been presented and teachers can check and improve their style in working on the board.

Francis Boima, Russian Federation
I must start with the understanding premise that the sitting position of any teacher will definitely depend on the type of teaching atmosphere existing in the classroom. By this I mean that if the situation is the traditional structure in which you have the children sitting in front of you, then obviously you might have to take the front seat and not the floor because it is even going to be difficult for the pupils communicating with you. On the other hand, if it is a situation where you have the more modern semi-circle structure, the teacher could either be in front sitting at table or perhaps somewhere in the middle. I think that sitting on the floor could only be adopted in teaching little children who are themselves sitting on the floor and of course, in a well-carpeted one for that matter. As regards shouting at your pupils, it is my belief that once the children get used to your shouting it becomes a way of achieving comic relief for them and so get your voice trained for further shouting sessions. I therefore suggest you try all your best to avoid this and if possible do not do this at all in the classroom save for the one or two instances when your human instincts might let you down. I have been teaching for quite a long time now and one thing I have come to realise is the fact that I am always moving around in the classroom, one moment in front another, at the back and sometimes very close to my pupils, so therefore, I think standing at the back of the classroom is quite normal and even sometimes gives the pupils the assurance that you are with them and part of them as well as establishing the camaraderie that can only help in enhancing the learning situation.

Rosella Sabado-Storz, Germany
Teachers should never shout inside the classroom. When a teacher shouts, it shows that she/he has no self-control. Also, the students will loss respect for the teacher. The only situation a teacher can shout when she/he is playing a role in a play or theatre wherein she/he has to shout. You can sit on the floor when you have a class activity which requires you and the students to sit on the floor. You can stand at the back when you are supervising an exam and when your students are performing a play.

Ralph Kraft, Canada
It seems to me that in these three questions you're addressing the issue making a bond or psychological connection with your students. What you do has to appear comfortable and natural to your students. Having said this, I've never taught children and so may be out of my element with my suggestions. I have never found it appropriate to sit on the floor but if eliminating the appearance of dominating the environment and putting yourself on the same level as your students requires it...by all means sit. I hate planting myself at the front of the classroom where there's a mental if not physical distance between me and my students so I walk around. Being in the midst of 'them' helps me break the mental barrier between teacher and students and makes question asking and supportive personal attention easier. I present grammar points from the front when I need the white board but reading and writing classes I try to teach from the centre. When students were presenting something, I'd sit at the back so the presenter had centre 'stage' and I could control the riff raff. So you've made your connection with your students. Why shout? Shouting tells me you've lost control of the room. There is an axiom that says, "The rabble that ignores a person's shouting will struggle to hear him(her) whisper." When I taught teenagers in China and lost control of the room, I'd call once or twice in a normal voice. Some would notice me and become attentive while the troublemakers would carry on. I'd stand at the front of the room not saying anything and stare intently into the eyes of the noisy ones. The attentive students would figure out what I wanted and do some shushing of the others and eventually they'd quieten and sit. The first time a class encountered me doing this it could take a few minutes for things to quieten. After that though, it worked like a charm. I doubt this would work with preteens. There is one time I would shout. If a class was in groups working on some kind of project or presentation and I needed to give a new instruction or something to all the groups, I would raise my voice only enough to get the attention of some then use silence to get the attention of the rest. Because I spent so little time teaching from the front of the room, when I was at the front my students knew I had something to say to all of them.

Martini Giuliano, Italy
During my English refreshing courses in Britain, I often noticed teachers and students sit on the floor performing informal activities like games or discussions etc. and I think that may be of some help in creating an easy and friendly atmosphere. However such a method can't be exported in countries like Italy for example, where we have tiled floors. If we had fitted carpets in our classrooms, I think that sitting on the floor for certain activities could even be advisable.

Tamas Kiss, Hungary
I don’t believe in ‘must’ when it comes to teaching. Some things tend to work in certain classrooms and certain situations, while others don’t. If you never go to the back of the classroom, try it and see what happens. If you usually do not sit on the floor, you may have a go and see how the learners react to it. With sitting down you actually become part of the learner group, rather than be their director. Finally, shouting may have both negative and positive impacts. Don’t forget, it has an element of surprise (if it is not practised very often), thus it may ‘wake up’ the learners. However, if it is done on a regular basis it can very easily undermine the learners’ self-esteem and confidence. I think the task of a teacher is to find and create harmony in the classroom because that supports learning. It is you who needs to discover what works or what doesn’t, where you need to stand or which spots you should avoid, whether to sit at the teacher’s desk or on the floor. If you do that, you do everything to create harmony, not only for the learners, but for yourself!

Mangalaprathaban, India
I believe, every teacher uses unique strategies to promote learner-friendliness. It is quite obvious that the teacher has to facilitate the language learning through activities or games. I think, a teacher sitting on the floor to interact with learners will certainly make them quite comfortable. The teacher has to be a participant in order to create a stress free learning environment. There is no need for the teacher to shout except while dramatising the lessons. The teacher may stand to monitor the active participation of the learners in the pair or group work.

Nidia Cecchetto Reuter, Argentina
When I tell and read stories aloud, my students sit on the floor and so do I. In my opinion, children need to feel comfortable while learning. I usually ask them to close their eyes and sit on the floor so that they can imagine the story. Sitting on the floor helps students to create a positive atmosphere to enjoy learning. As regards shouting, I think teachers should not shout. Human voice includes: pitch, volume, rhythm, softness, harshness, pace, and pause. As teachers, we should learn to use our voice, without shouting, to achieve our goals. It is a good idea to walk around the classroom and to stand at the back of the class in order to monitor and help students.

Pedrina, Brazil
Sitting on the floor is OK in Brazil and I do that when there is a specific activity like putting pieces of a song together. As for shouting, you should never do that. It does not work and you will lose your students confidence. Standing in the back of the class is good when you want the attention concentrated on students, especially when they are giving a presentation.

Sanae, Morocco
Any teacher can site on the floor, but for a specific goal; to explain vocabulary without using his or her mother language, to illustrate a game, or something like that but just for a short moment in order to keep controlling your class. However shouting I think is better to try to avoid it as much as possible especially with young student

Na L’cia Wacla, Brazil
I’m an English teacher in a Military School in my town and I have never seen or heard any of the teachers sitting on the floor with his/her students. Although I did it in the past with students from another school, but it was a complete different situation, and then, there we used different approaches to deal with that kind of students. I, myself, would be comfortable in siting with my students, it all depends in what kind of environment I would be teaching and what were the purposes of my doing so.

Payman, Iraq
According to Islamic countries .. I think it's not so acceptable to sit on the floor, if the teacher is a female and usually this technique is rare .. I was in England in a 40 days course and I saw that kind of modern style in teaching and I liked it so much ..

Evelio, Mexico
That depends on the idea that you want to convey to the students. There are schools where you can't sit on the floor because it is against the school regulations but for a general game, everybody might be on the floor for a few minutes. About shouting in class, avoid it. It destroys the student's confidence.

Girish Seshamani, India
All teachers have their own individual teaching style. No one can have a situational style of delivery. It is essential to understand the profile of students in terms of the background they come from. A combination of various delivery methods can be used to get the students involved. The vital point is to ensure that your students do not tune off.

Nutan Bist
I have also been teaching for a couple of years and I have observed that a teacher needs to stand at the back of the class when there is a debate going on, or when she expects the children to speak on the dias. On the contrary a she needs to sit on the floor when there are specific activities like yoga or drawing that require her to be on the same platform as the students are.

Mohamed Hassan, Egypt
Indeed it is rare for the teacher to sit on the class floor but he might do that in a situation of acting to present signature or a meaning in a simple way to his students. As for shouting, some teachers use it as a tool of control while missing discipline but I do not recommend it as it reflects a kind of bad temper in the class and discourages some kinds of students from interacting with the teacher, instead, try to be calm and control the situation through your decisive steady tone of speaking. Finally, a teacher can stand at the back of the class while a student or a set of students present something or give a show, so he can give them a kind of release that arouse their creativity.

Nikko, Taiwan
I think it depends. Teachers are in charge of the classroom and should be aware of things that are taking place in the classroom, react to the situations impartially and confidently and thus build a supportive enviornment for students to learn.