Job Discussion Forums

[cabbagehead]

[ChinaLady]

could we talk about class size?
I have 183 students. 6 classes of 22-24, and one class (listening) of 47 students. I have computers, overhead, Power Point, and a regular old board. I see them once a week for 2 class periods (which is just under 2 hours). and I eat with them, sit on campus with them, and we use English as much as possible.
this is not enough time, I would rather see them twice a week 2 periods each time but the school doesnot want to pay me the extra yuan (surprise??) that would require.
I do oral mid-terms (in groups) and oral finals (individual).
how do you grade 800 students? this sounds like a "mill?"
not much pay (only 14 hours) but my classes are manageable and I do see improvement at the end of the semesters for a majority of the students.
the most students I've had was 224, including grad students. how, how, how do you manage 600, 800, 1000?
how large are the classes?

[Steiner]

I teach 13 hours a week, 62-68 in each class. Since I am a "supplemental teacher" I don't grade or evaluate them. When you teach the same lesson 13 times in a row it gives you time to think of the next week's lesson, but 45 minutes a week with each class of 65 students means there ain't much learnin' goin' on, even when I teach a fantastic lesson.

My B.A. in TESOL also never addressed the issue of large classes.

Chinasyndrome and shmooj/cabbagehead have it great. My wife and I are going to start up an English Club after the Oct. 1 break. Twelve students in a class, once a week, four classes a week. That way we can feel like teachers.

Interestingly enough, our school doesn't use us for publicity at all. We are not expected to meet visitors and have never had anyone so much as photograph us in the classroom. Sometimes the regular English teachers sit in on our lessons, but that's it. It's pretty nice not to be treated like a full-blown dancing monkey.

[catweasle]

I teach two classes of Business English College students (2 x 30 students, for 2 double lessons each class = 8 sessions of 'comprehensive English'), and a small IELTS group (1 x 12 students, for 3 double lessons = 6 sessions). It's working OK because everyone has a set of books (well...apart from the IELTS...that's another story...). Last semester the BE students didn't have any and getting the materials together for each class was an absolute pest...
I invite them to my apartment from 4pm - 6pm every afternoon (M - F) to chat...usually 4 or 6 turn up and we talk about the state of world... fashion...what we had for breakfast...etc.
I can't imagine trying to teach language classes of over 35 students.... too crazy! Good luck to all of you who are doing it... and much strength!

[Sandgropers]

My wife and I each teach 7 X 90 minute classes of college students per week made up of approx. 40 students per class. The college 'looks good' on the outside but once you walk into the classroom you are back in history to the early 1900's; old delapidated blackboards ( we haven't used them for ages back in Oz) and chalk that disintegrates as soon as you try to use it! What IS the problem with chalk in China?
However..........these college students are fantastic; friendly, helpful and most of them are very keen to improve their English skills. To help them we take part in as many activities with them as we can eg going into town, walks through the parks, going to the movies etc whereby they can practise their English with us and with each other. The keen students seem to appreciate this extra effort. We get a buzz out of it too as we can see their English language improve AND we get to go places!

Cheers

[cheekygal]

I guess the amount of students depends on the amount of places you teach at. I teach in 4 kindergartens and one primary school, plus I have weekend classes with elder students. The duration of each class is 30-45 mins, 3 times a week for k/g and ES[We don't do the written exercises in our classes. We teach the kids though how to read.], for weekend classes each class is 1 hour 50 mins [sat and sun].

The teaching system could also be different: some foreign teachers just assist the chinese teachers once a week to give students speaking practice. And those classes are usually HUGE [up to 50-60 students].
The biggest class I ever taught - 120 students O.o [at once]

-cheekybabe

[china_gurl]

I've got about 600 students. 9 different classes of no less than 52 and no more than 75 students whom I see twice a week for 45 minutes.

[Roger]

ah yes, the anomalies of Chinese school life:
If you haven't got 50 students in your class, then it is not a class. If it's less than 50, you may very well be graded as a loser - one who can't handle your own learners.
Once I had to deal with 96 vocational college students in one auditorium. At the beginning it was 70, and they promised me to halve it within a couple of weeks. Il n'en etair rien! Pipe dream - but at least we fared quite well with each other, the 70 to 96 students and myself!
Then there was that kindergarten where one of my classes one day was unexpectedly cancelled - the kids frolicking in the sandpit behind the school. We were in fact entertaining official visitors from the Education Bureau.
The class in question was "illegal" because it did not number the requisite minimum of 25 kids!

Currently, I teach 7 classes of college-age girls, down from 12. some of my classes were given to a newcomer teacher.
I teach them for two periods at a time. On Thursday I have 4 double periods, and on Friday 3. Before that it was 3 days of 4 double periods each.

Number of students? 45 in each class, except one that only has 35.

I do not know if the all-female composition of my classes helps improve discipline! Boys tend to be a lot more trouble-makers! I have no problems at all now! Today, I collected the last 3 badges of homework. I had only told them once to write homework - and voila! They obeyed!