Job Discussion Forums

[7969]

i often use handouts in class, something i've written up or soemthing i've cut and pasted from a website to provide further information on some topics we discuss in class. in one text i'm using there's a case study on the toyota motor company. so i provided a handout discussing the toyota production system.

as i have many students i make a minimum number of copies and reuse them in each class. i just finished sorting them out, and noticed that some students in one class took to writing "i hate japan" on the small photo of taiichi ohno (main man in implementing the toyota production system) that i pasted onto the sheet.

childish, but i guess i should have expected it.

i try to prevent them from writing on these things, as i sometimes include questions and i dont want the next class to see the answers written by the previous group, plus i want them to try take a few notes in their notebook. i've taken to writing "do not write on this paper" on the actual paper, followed up by a verbal notice to not write on the paper, and in some cases, asking the class leader to announce the same thing in chinese. some students have caught on, but the majority havent. if anyone else has this problem, have you sorted it out, and if so, how?

7969

[Yu]

I think making handouts is really good. But I would make sure each student can keep a copy. They are going to write on them if you hand them out. You have no idea who is doing the writing.
I would charge them 10 RMB at the beginning of the semester for your copy budget. Then the money isnt coming out of your pocket.

[7969]

thanks for the tip.... good advice. i have 700 students total, and not all of them read the same handouts, about 2/3 of them are in a human resources management program, the other 1/3 are just my basic oral english students. however, the numbers are too high for me to give one to each (my briefcase bulges out as it is) but i may try to make enough so that i can at least leave a certain number of each handout in each class after we're done. for reference purposes.

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[acwilliams]

Do you have a laminator? Laminating the handouts gives them a longer life expectancy and makes it more difficult for the students to scribble on them/roll them up/make paper planes with them. If that's not an option, try stapling the handouts into plastic pockets. The students can still read through the plastic, but it's just that bit harder to get the paper out and mess about with it.

[kev7161]

Do you have a numbering system? Say you have 50 students in each class (give or take). Assign each student his own number. You make 50 copies, number each copy 1 to 50 and give each student his/her appropriate numbered copy. When you get them back and you find writing, you'll know exactly who did the writing and you can dole out appropriate punishment.

Not too hard to do if your students sit in the same seat every class. If numbers 1-10 sit in the first row, just hand copies numbered 1-10 to the first person in the row and he/she can make sure each student gets their appropriate copy.

[Chris_Crossley]

If you are going to make handouts, it should be with the intention of letting (or even expecting) the students to retain them for future reference. I always have done and never expect students to give them back. The vast majority of my students are usually good at retaining their handouts, and some of them, I discover, are covered with Chinese translations of vocabulary by the next class - a pretty good thing to do, as it clearly indicates interaction with the handouts!

Doing otherwise (such as a numbering system or laminating them or putting them in plastic cover sheets, which you then staple or stick together with clear tape) is far too involved, time-consuming and ultimately time-wasting.

If you are on a tight budget, you need to plan carefully what you are going to photocopy, so I understand that you have to be selective. I guess that I am lucky enough to work somewhere where there is no limit as to the number of photocopies one can make. Having said that, though, I only make one copy for each member of the class; if they lose it and request another, tough, they don't get another. Fortunately, this situation hardly ever happens.

[KarenB]

Like the poster above, usually my experience has been positive when re-using handouts. If the students do write on them, it's a translation of an unfamiliar word (which is helpful for the next student to get it).

However "graffiti" -- such as "I hate Japan" is unacceptable if the same paper will be used by others. If you are currently paying for the copies, then I think you should discuss this problem with the students, and tell them that if it continues, you will no longer pay for the copies, but instead charge it to the class, and then each person will keep their own copy.

When I taught at a university, it was the policy there that each class paid for handouts. What I did was give the handout original to the monitor the week before, had him or her make the copies and pass to the students. So that saved me the trouble of trekking to the copy room, trying to catch it open, and hauling all the copies all over campus.

Suggestions such as laminating are impractical, time-consuming, and expensive! [/u]

[Voldermort]

Shame on you if you are paying for these out of your own pocket.

I can understand the logic with keeping them for future classes, but experience has taght me not to. My school has a printer for each grade, anytime I need copies, I write on the back of the origional how many for each class. The printer will then divide them up as he prints them off.

It's then a simple matter of sending a student to the printer before class. I often use handouts for reading and topic additions. Most of the time the students will translate any unknown words, insert phonetics or answer questions, they will then paste the handout into their workbook.

When I need a handout but don't want the students to keep it, maybe when showing pictures or something similar. I make use of the OHP, again the students get this and set it up before class. Other methods I have used is to create a Photo VCD, dictation and tape players.

[7969]

thanks for the posts.

the reason i limited my number of handouts is this: i have a lot of students. to make a handout for each one, was in my opinion, a waste of paper. a lot of the students, in my experience didnt pay attention to the handout after class was over. further, in making that many copies, if i had more than one handout, my briefcase just isnt big enough to cart them around. i try to double side paper when i can, but the pile is still big. and i dont live on campus so i need to lug them around till i get home.

i dont pay for them either (never mentioned that). a few posters have alluded to that issue, and i guess that's because some teachers must have to pay for their copies. if true, i think thats terrible. so i can make as many as i like. but see my reasons up above for not doing so.

no OHPs here, no projectors in class where i can do a powerpoint presentation on my laptop, altho there are audio visual classes but they're usually fully booked by other teachers, and the times they're free dont coincide with my classes.

my compromise idea is to just make a copy for every second student in class. they can share them as we discuss them and then they can keep them, and do what they like with them.

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[kev7161]

Actually, your last statement's not a bad idea. Team up your students into pairs. It's their job to do whatever translations they feel is necessary, answer questions you may have at the end of a text (reading comprehension) and have them return the next class. They get points for their accuracy in English, naturally, and lose points for such things as "I hate Japan."

Of course, you could stir up a hornet's nest, but if you see such comments as this, you could make them explain exactly why they hate Japan . . . IN ENGLISH ONLY. They should have to talk about it for, what, 10 minutes? 30 minutes? Eventually, these kind of comments will probably dry up - - at least English versions of them!

[grwit]

When I give handouts I reuse them for every class.
I also have about 600 students and giving each student a handout for them to just throw away after class is just not practical.
What I do is make about 60 copies (i have about 50 students in each class) and at the end of each class I give 1 copy to the class monitor and explain that if anyone wants a copy then see the monitor and arange to copy it themselves.

As for writing answers on the copies: collect the copies back then write the questions on the board and ask them to write the answers in their books.

If any student writes stuff on the copies i collect back then I just make apologies to the next class. "sorry some students in the last class decided to write on the paper after I had told them not to"

As mentioned in other posts I think it is good if the students make some translations on the copies for the next students to read.