Can we have a discussion about this, please? I'm fed up with telling my year 8 and 9's off in English - using target language just seems to go out of the window with a challlenging class. I'm thinking of intoducing telling off in German - at least that way everyone is learning while I'm having a go!!! I'm seriously thinking of getting them to write in their exercise books the German for 'detention', 'see me after the lesson', 'stand outside the door'....

 You could always swear at them in the target language

Or just increase the number of behaviour management strategies at you disposal, and try to whizz through them fast, instead of focussing how to convey them. When I do my three seconds then you stand thing, for example, if they are STILL talking, I make them sit, stand, sit, stand until it gets on their nerves- to show them I am the boss.

Other strategies I use: (some may sound silly but I use them)

-I whistle very loudly (classes beg me to teach them how to do it and if they are good I show them at the end of the lesson)

-I have a small bell that I ring (! It does sound daft, doesn;t it, but it makes a change from me shouting)

-I shout, 'merci! Merci!' (smiling)

-To start the lesson I shout at them 'bonjour la classe!' as many times as it takes to get them to shout back at me

-I rap on the table/board (I have heard of some people slamming books)

-I change the activity and give them something different- try handing out worksheets/textbooks- that eventually gives them the message they have blown their chances of a fun lesson

-don't be afraid to totally scrap the fun activity you started to do, and lay it on thick we did all this and more with the same year group, different class you had before them

-offer prizes for actitivies or participation- I get 15 rubbers for 99p from my local pound shop

-have a look at your dept reward system- are you using it as much as you can? We give stars for participation/reaching targets, 6 stars make a merit and a sticker, 6 merits make a merit award

-if your dept reward scheme isn't that good, try a new one

-I give out bingo tickets to KS4 classes with a draw for a chocky bar every 5 lessons or so

-one school I used to work at had 'good news notes' and postcards home- you could hold up 4 at the start of the lesson and say, 'I am going to give these out at the end of the lesson to the four most deserving people'- then  at the end of the lesson ask them to suggest who should get them and why

-survey them what their prefered learning styles/activities are and be seen to respond

-give them more choice- say we are going to practise/learn this- how shall we do it? Write a list on the board and then take a vote

-show them two lesson plans- the one you'd like to do and the one we will have to do if they don't co-operate, then  go with which one they show you they are capable of. Be bloody-minded.

Hopefully there are some ideas here you can use.

 Thank you for all your ideas. I'm not sure what to do. Basically, I really need to work on my behaviour management. The class I'm thinking of especially is a boys' grammar school class - the school is very strict, and the expectation is that they will all sit quietly and behave perfectly - but I suppose the temptation for the boys is to act up and get away with whatever they can, especially with someone who is new to the school and doesn't have this kind of 'army-style' approach.The class is very needy - some relatively weak, some ADHD, some high-flyers, some just switched off or enjoy causing a bit of trouble. I've tried the 'if you behave w'll do x' kind of approach, but it never works because there are too many strong characters with their own agendas who can't even see why I'm not happy with their behaviour. Part of my problem is that I can't get them to put their hands down - they've all got their hands up in the air - one needs the toilet, another one's pen is broken, a third one has forgotten his book, a fourth one doesn't understand any of the work (even though I've just explained it and in any case it's probably written on the board), a fifth one wants to know whether he needs to write in full sentences, a sixth one's pencil case has just been knicked etc. 

One improvement I've made this week is that I have the work on the board and then I go individually to pupils who have their hands up and talk to them quietly, in order to remove their audience (I'm sure some of them are just putting up their hands to be silly). 

But my lessons have got less and less fun as the year has gone on, as I have become less and less tolerant of their behaviour, and they have become more antagonistic. 

In any case, if I haven''t put several of them in detention by the end of the lesson for poor behaviour (I usually have that class before break), then I've got them in detention for not completing their homework - another constant battle. I just can't keep on top of it all.

Every lesson it's like that - I ask them to walk in quietly and get ready sensibly, they clown around, I shout and give detentions, then they work better but it's not a nice atmosphere, and not conducive to playing games or talking in the target language. And yes, I do have a 'starter activity' ready - maybe not always the most interesting one, but if I have 5 lessons like tomorrow, how can I plan interesting starter activities for them all? And why should I prepare the best lessons for the worst class? I'd rather plan good lessons for my good classes.