Job Discussion Forums

audchiang · Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 33 Location: Shanghai

I am going to be teaching at a Kindergarten this fall - my class will actually be a pre-school class of 18-24 month olds. I know most of my class time will involve songs, activities, games, etc and not necessarily formal instruction. I am a parent of an 18-month old and am familiar with this stage of development, but I have no formal education training. Does anyone have any recommended/favorite books, websites, resources for developing curriculum and teaching a bilingual classroom at this age? Even any advice on what has worked for others would be helpful - I was thinking of just hijacking curriculum from Gymboree or something similar.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

If you are going to0 work at a CHINESE KG I sort of pity you! THis is NOT an age group you can instruct English as a second tongue, particularly in China.

BUt if you do accept your job, consider talking to teachers at a KG in your current place of domicile.

In China you won't be given useful materials. In fact, I suspect you will be used merely as a human tape-machine with a Chinese assistant acting as your "intepreter" using Chinese (which will defeat the purpose of early English instruction in a Chinese classroom!).

Before I accepted a KG position here (and I taught kids aged 3 and older who already had working Chinese as their means of communication), I browsed through a pile of western teaching mayterials compiled by teachers themselves; they normally used resource books rather than text books. Their resource books contained ideas of how to keep your charges busy.

Your classes will last from 20 minutes to half an hour, and if that KG is money-orientated they will arrange back-to-back classes all mo9rning or/and afternoon. The first two lessons will be a breeze, but from then on it is likely to wear you down!

lostinshanghai · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 6 Location: Earth

I thought kindergarten was a blast. I don't have a teaching background before coming to China. The first day I went in I was scared. Really scared. There were 20 students, so the size wasn't too bad. My teaching assistant was really nice. It was great.

Songs are a wonderful way to teach. I managed to find a Chinese and English VCD for children. We did that for the first few classes. It's all songs in half Chinese, half English.

By the third week, we didn't really have much need for Chinese related materials. Even the TA stopped speaking Chinese in class.

I have a some internet resources that I will put down below. Also, if you're in your home country now, pick up some pre-school materials there. There's a lot more to choose from in a foreign country.

Letter blocks, posters, balls, large pieces of paper and crayons will all come in handy.

Let me know how it goes. I don't know about others, but the number one thing for teaching children is loving children.

http://tell.fll.purdue.edu/JapanProj/FLClipart/ - this is a clipart site that has tons of pictures you can use in class

http://teachers.net/mentors/early_childhood/ - this is a good forum for teachers at this agegroup. Lots of nice people, good ideas and experiences.

http://www.djinkers.com/home.php - this will actually cost you some money, but I was lucky enough to have a mother at home who bought them on the net and sent them to me. The clipart CD was great.

http://www.mrsbonthuisclass.com/Book%20Units.htm - has some ideas too.

There's a lot more, but I'm not teaching kindergarten right now Sad

I hope what I gave you helps tho! And hope you have a great class of loving students!

audchiang · Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 33 Location: Shanghai

Thanks for the input so far. I should give you some additional information. I will have a smallish class - 8-15 students (hopefully more along the smaller end), and will have a Chinese co-teacher. I understand that part of the classes will be taught in Chinese by my co-teacher, and I will teach some of the classes myself. This is a Chinese run bilingual school. I am trying to get the skinny on what materials are available. I am in the US now, and do want to stock up and read up on resources, activity guides, etc. now before I go. So any additional websites or suggestisons for books would be greatly appreciated.

Sekhmet · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Alexandria, Egypt

I've been drafted as a music teacher for pre-school and KG. I'm expected to sing songs with my classes for half an hour, 3 times a week. Now that's not a problem, but coming up with suitable songs to last through the entire 2 months of the program is. Does anyone have any suggestions for good songs that would work with these age groups?? I've got all the normal ones (ABC song, Old MacDonald, etc.), but I'm running short of ideas!!
Thanks

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

Muppet songs and Sesame Street songs?

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I think songs are excellent but they are like the icing on the cake; the pupils (no "students", really!) need something more nourishing intellectually.

Drawing letters, then animals, then other objects is GREAT. In addition you must think of more ACTION; do seriously consider doing physical exercises or at least moving around and using avrious body parts in various functions that you have to demonstrate and the kids have to emulate.

I used an escellent VCD titled "English Wonderland" in 5 parts, all in English only, with short sequels in which the main character, a monkey, is introduced with his various family members and friends and their daily routines. The kids immediately took to these dialogues and almost spontaneously imitated them.
The VCD comes with textbooks, so you have a transcript and you can rehearse the dialogues again.

mandu · Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 794 Location: china

I work in a kindergarten
I also have a childcare certificate

playdough is good to use in class-tell the children what to make.you could do walk run jump fly stuff like that.

spot books are good to use but you have to go to HK to buy them,open the flap and there are pictures behind it.

if you do decide to teach at the kindergarten,i feel you not only have to be a teacher but also but also a brother,father,mother,friend,role model.

some books i have used have been welcome to English,welcome to oral English

Dr Bird,English course for k1-k3.also if you have good chinese teachers in the class most of the time classes will be good.

if you need some pictures for flash cards or help let me know.i have been teaching in kindergartens in China for 5years.

wok · Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Posts: 6

Thanks for all the input! I have just accepted a job at a kindergarten. Apparently it's 10 hours a week teaching English (lecture) and another 10 hours (non lecture). I'm guessing the non lecture hour will involve various games and activities? From all that I have read it seems most schools are lacking in books and teaching materials so is it fair to assume that there art and craft stocks are limited or non existent?

Thanks again

Steve

randerso · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 2:57 pm Post subject:

Heya kindy teachers:

The only really good suggestion I have resource wise is the Tiny Talk Series. There are 6 books in three levels (1A/B, 2A/B, 3A/B) that are very low level and colourful. Amazing flashcards come with the set as well as the ever helpful tapes. Many songs, great colour-able workbooks and kick-butt flashcards made a year's worth of kindy very bearable. I'd stay away from the Balloons series; without any real targets or even words, I find it not only hard to teach but rather abstract for the students.