• Japanese students are reluctant to answer questions in front of their classmates. They seldom initiate discussion, ask questions for clarification, or volunteer answers.
• They seem to respond only if there is a clear cut answer to a question.
• When asked a question, they frequently discuss the answer with surrounding students.
• They often sleep in class.
• They often chatter in Japanese while the teacher is speaking. They show little interest in following the lesson. Some students go as far as to disrupt other motivated students from learning.
• They are reluctant to do pair and group work, especially when they have to cooperate with a member of the opposite gender.

• Group-mindedness: when the child behaves badly, mothers in Japan tend to scold him or her by emphasizing how embarrassing or strange the behavior is and that other people are watching.
• Consensual decision-making
• Ritualized speechmaking: in elementary school, students' responses are often structured like mini-speeches. When called upon by their teachers, students stand up straight, give their answers in formulaic expressions and loud voices, then sit down. Personal responses are not given until after the students have gained confidence in their skill as performers.
• Importance of aizuchi, or responses to utterances. In Japan, the listener will respond several times with nonverbal gestures or verbal aizuchi to each sentence by the speaker. Foreigners, on the other hand, usually respond to entire ideas rather than to each sentence by the speaker. Also, western speakers often signal they are finished speaking by asking for the listener's response (e.g., "How about you?" "What do you think?" "Wouldn't you agree?" etc.).

• Plan your lessons well with activities that are tailored to your students' ability. Sometimes students act out because they feel unchallenged or inadequate to follow the lesson.

Anticipate what your JTE will teach for upcoming lessons

• Build up a good rapport with your JTE, students, and school admin before correcting student behaviour. Get a good grasp of what the school's code of conduct is, how they handle problems, and what the student's situation is. Your co-workers may not have thought it necessary to share with you the issues that these students are facing.
• Don't show your frustration or anger.

Simply lean against the board and look at the students until they quiet down

• Ignore inconsequential behavior and discipline consequential behavior. If you give them your attention for every single little thing they do, they know they have you.
• Establish relationships with your students and take the initiative to get to know them better. Extra-curricular activities and break times are a great opportunity to do this. Best to kill them with kindness.
• Take care not to be overly friendly with your students. You're a teacher first and foremost.
• Develop a reward system through the use of stickers, laminated bookmarks and ALT dollars. It helps students to keep their eye on the prize.

• Put on your genki pants. There is no room for ego in the classroom, so never hesitate to goof off, make silly gestures and modulate the volume of your voice when you have to repeat words for 3-4 times. Your energy will likely rub off on your students.
• Use pop culture references to get their attention. Ask your students the characters they like; observe who is on their pen case and stationery. Also, arm yourself with cute items that display these references--it will be a great conversation starter and help you to break the ice with your students.

• Chances are that they don't understand the lesson. Your JTE rarely has the time to explain individually to the kids who are weak, so spend more time with them to explain the grammar point of the day. Come up close, work them through tasks, see that they understand the task, leave them to it until they make noise and then go ask them if they misunderstood and work them through it again.
• Keep them busy! Have them help you teach, present, or give them responsibilities around the classroom that are routine (passing out papers, etc.). Praise them for this work you give them as students respond to positive reinforcement.
• Design games/activties that naturally split the "troublemakers" up from their group.

• Establish a signal that will inform students when the volume of noise has gone beyond acceptable limits. Turning out the lights is an efficient signal. Whenever the level of noise becomes unacceptable, calmly walk over and turn off the lights. This signals the students to quiet down. Keep the light turned off until the entire class is completely silent.

1. You are teaching a class of quiet and unresponsive elementary school students. You always put on your most upbeat self but unfortunately, your students don't reciprocate likewise. They often stare at you blankly before uttering the vocabulary words in barely audible, dull voices— and this is after persistent cajoling by you and the homeroom teacher! How will you teach in a way that will encourage them to participate actively in your class?
2. You are teaching a class of noisy and boisterous elementary school students. They usually act out and are loud, thinking that your lessons are all about playing games and not about learning and speaking English. This makes it difficult for you and your homeroom teacher to get them to focus. And when you do get them to focus, they look bored. How will you teach in a way that will enable them to focus and learn in your class?
3. You are teaching a class of noisy and rowdy junior high school students. It seems that your JTE has problems controlling the class as some of your students constantly talk to one another (in Japanese!) and do other things such as throwing items around class and walking around for no apparent reason. Others are busy catching up on their beauty sleep. Your JTE normally allows them to do whatever they want. Sometimes s/he'll call their name and tell them to be quiet/wake up. These comments are never taken seriously. How will you teach in a way that will prevent them from acting out?
4. You are teaching a class of quiet and unresponsive junior school students. Your students tend to shun communication with you; they will not respond even if they understand what was asked and can provide the correct answer. You have carried out games with this class but you find that they take a long time to respond to your instructions and get down to task. How will you teach in a way that will encourage them to participare actively in your class?