Job Discussion Forums

mcloo7 · Joined: 18 Aug 2009 Posts: 434 Location: Hangzhou

Non Sequitur-- I was told this class is a little slower than the others.

Banner41 · Joined: 04 Jan 2011 Posts: 656 Location: Shanghai

Banner41 · Joined: 04 Jan 2011 Posts: 656 Location: Shanghai

roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

Timer · Joined: 24 Oct 2010 Posts: 173 Location: China

I always do the same class for any university classes I teach for the first time.

1st. I give my contact details (email and qq is enough) so the students can contact me outside of class. I require the monitors of each class add me to qq.

2nd. Give the monitors two tasks - prepare a class list and a photo page. I have been given a class list once, despite working in 4 different universities. That class list was also in Chinese. Useless.

3rd. Introduce myself. I try not to talk too much about myself as it doesn't teach the students much. I also play a game with 5 numbers and the students need to guess what the numbers mean.

4th. Students do their own numbers and guess in pairs.

5th. Rules, assessment, and requirements.

6th. Discussion questions mainly about their major and their hopes and dreams for the future. We also discuss how to improve English outside the classroom.

This class lasts well over the 2x45 minute periods and covers administrative stuff the school can't be bothered to do, lets me get an idea of the English level of the class, lets the students know a bit about me in a relaxed way, and gets the students talking English again after quite some time of inactivity.

Another thing to note is that if there is a textbook for the course, the students probably won't have it (or even know which one it is) during the first week, so a class like this is a good start.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

I agree with Timer.
In the autumn semester the students have likely been out of any kind of English-speaking activity for several months. The entrance exam included English but not oral.
Another factor I try to introduce in that first class is that this teacher is going to be different, inclusive and orientated to successful outcomes.
There will be students who barely scraped through at High School and who see university as a chance to make a new beginning.
I want to reach out to that group.

teachingld2004 · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 389

I can't believe it, I was just about to ask if mcloo has ever had a teaching job.

I do not want to sound nasty, really I do not, but this question sounds like it comes from a person who has never set foot in a class room.

We all have questions, and we all give answers, but to give exact detains on what to do in a first class is a question only a person who has never taught would ask.

Again, I do not want to seem rude, but this question shows complete lack of experience.

First of all, when a teacher enters the classroom, he/she must be comfortable. Please do not acted a bit scared.

You can observe a whole slew of teachers for a day, but when it's you standing there you can not do what the other teacher has done.

In China universities require 2 years of teaching experience. If you have that, then you sure must know what to do on the first day of class.

I must say here, that I have asked for advice, and I have given advice a number of times.. But to ask for exact advice on a first day is like asking some one to hold your hand.'

Mcloo you have time before you start to read every book you can get your hands on. Start now, and good luck.

ippollite · Joined: 13 Mar 2013 Posts: 31

Do a warm up, plenty on the net, something simple that's age appropriate (for elementary I use tpr, for middle school just ask easy English questions and let the people that answer sit down - yes, it's that easy!) then introduce yourself. If elementary keep it short, the higher the grade the more you can add. Then get them to tell you something about themselves or better yet, if their chairs are in rows put them into 5 or 6 lines and do the alphabet drawing on the back game... (Ideally you want 6 people per column/group). It's just a telephone style game, you pull the students at the back to you, give them a letter and they pass it down their line by drawing on the back of the student in front of them. The person at the front races to the board, and the first te to get it right scores a point.
All you have to do now is rotate the students and find ways to ramp up the difficulty to keep it interesting Smile

mw182006 · Joined: 10 Dec 2012 Posts: 310

teachingld2004 · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 389

Sorry if I came up rude. Didn't mean to. I said be comfortable and not scared. I said read as much as possible and to start now.
Teaching in a university is the wrong place for a beginner. Really it is. The students need more. They need you to teach them, not for you to start to learn.
Remember when you were a student . You have to look up to the teacher.
You must be firm, but not. Do not be their friend, and do not be their parent .

Yes, be friendly, but not very, or they will not respect you.

Lay down the rules on the first day if class and stick to them.

Hand them out. Do not give them 100 rules.

Here are mine. ( they have changed from last year)

Be on time.
If you are absent bring in a written reason. I may accept it or I may not.
Look at me when I speak.
Do not do any other class work in this room.
Respect everyone.
Ask questions if you do not understand. If you have a question Chaco
Necessary are other people have the same question.

I do not write down the obvious ones like no cell phones in class.

The op did not ask for general advice. He/she asked for a script.

I have helped lots of people and lots of people have helped me. But to ask for detailed advice is a bit much.

When a person starts out the place not to start is in a university.

Sure, teaching in Asia can be a joke at times, but a teacher has to know what they are doing, and a university is not the place to learn.

I did say good luck, and I meant it

Denim-Maniac · Joined: 31 Jan 2012 Posts: 1238

MozartFloyd · Joined: 12 Jul 2013 Posts: 66 Location: Guangdong, China

teachingld2004 · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 389

Be friendly, but not their friends.

I have seen way too many teachers get into trouble that way.

You have to grade them and if they are your friends, how can you do that?
One male teacher I knew was friendly with all the girls, and one of the boys complained. The girls always got higher grades. Maybe they deserved them, but by the teacher having all these " girlfriends" made the guys uncomfortable with the teacher.

I knew another teacher who would go drinking with the students. These were not adults, they university students.

Your place is their teacher, not their friend. They expect higher grades. They have to look at you as a teacher.

Yes, students became my friends, but they became my friends after their grades were in.

A good teacher has to think fast. Always over prepare. Always be able to "pull a lesson out of your hat"

Develop your own style.

The most important thing to remember is that you are the teacher, and you Re in charge. Never let them walk over you

Javelin of Radiance · Joined: 01 Jul 2009 Posts: 1187 Location: The West

Why are you projecting a western teacher-student relationship philosophy here? The reality of life at most universities here is that your students are going to be the ones helping you navigate your way through life in China, and it's inevitable that you'll start friendships with these people. Maybe you can't deal with being a teacher and a friend, but not everyone has difficulty with it.