Job Discussion Forums

[Le Creature]

Now I know this is a very broad subject, but I was hoping for people to post any good tips/suggestions for teaching children in Japan. Does anyone have any good, rewarding experiences to share? Or any nightarish horror stories? I'd love to hear as much as possible for I plan to be teaching children in the next few months.

I was a dance and drama teacher for 4 years, and the age of the children ranged from 4 to 12 years old. I was only a teenager while teaching (I'm 18 now) and the classes were relatively small, however I did have to deal with misbehaviour, clingy children, complaints & moaning + insane excitement. Hopefully I can handle it with a bigger (and foreign) class!

Please, any comments would be fantastic. Thanks!

[Doglover]

[markle]

Alot is going to depend on where you are teaching (eikawa, school, kinder)

One thing I learnt (eventually) was to not be afraid of repeating material, even stuff that fell flat the first time.

Try story books especially standard fairy tales, in English, even with young kids with no English ability.

[tokyo376]

It's as important for the children to enjoy their classes as it is for them to learn English. At a young age, many schools want the children to be motivated to continue learning English as they get older. The target material is usually quite simple, and designed to get the children comfortable and confident using basic phrases and vocab ("I'm fine, thank you, and you?").

I've found that the more I enjoy my classes, the more the kids enjoy them. They look to the teacher for guidance, and when they see you smiling and having fun, they will usually follow right along. Even when a few are misbehaving, it's often best to just carry on with a smile on your face. When they see you're unhappy, they will shut right down, and it's hard to get them going again.

I was terrified of my first day teaching kids, but it's not so bad. Most days, it's pretty fun. I get a kick out of the kids coming to the teacher's room to ask if I'll play with them at lunchtime. They're so nervous to ask, but so happy when I say yes.

Good luck and enjoy.

[bornslippy1981]

With your drama background, you probably know a little about improv.

I often mime the actions, or the action of eating whatever foods are the topic, and not only is this good practice for when I go home and start another improv troupe, but also makes it fun for the kids as they guess what I'm doing.

Younger kids seem to be amused when singing the ABCs you say the wrong letter. The first time they look confused, but it also helps them learn when something is wrong you say "no."

With advanced kids, I try to do a snake type game to help their spelling. So, if I say "snake" they have to start a word with "e." Then if they say "egg," I have to start a word with "g." As a previous poster mentioned, they get bored after a few minutes with most things, so variation helps keep them interested, and when they are having fun, you'll have fun too.

I don't have a background in childhood education, but try to come up with new things, as the kids make my day go quicker.

[markle]