Job Discussion Forums

Malsol · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1976 Location: Lanzhou

It is called "The White Monkey" routine.

TravellingAround · Joined: 12 Nov 2006 Posts: 423

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

NathanRahl · Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 509

Though I am loath to say this, a realistic possibility could be that you just are not a very good teacher. *Shrug*

Bayden · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 988

xiao_qing · Joined: 01 Nov 2005 Posts: 7

Long ai gu · Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 135

#1-Get their attention when you start the class. I do this with humour and the fact that I'm loud, clear, understandable and visual when I speak. You have to give them something to look at also, not just listen to. Once you have their attention and they think you're not such a bad lao wai, weave into the lesson plan. I do think being loud is important and if they can't understand your English the heads will start hitting the desks. Speak slow enough to separate your words and write some of the more difficult words and phrases on the board, their reading skills are better then their listening skills. I want my students to understand EVERYTHING I say. If they don't, it's like reading a book where every page there's a couple of sentences or paragraphs missing. You wouldn't be reading the book very long, it would be hurled across the room in frustration. This is like the frustration that your students may be going through when they don't understand you.

I tell my students that I am 50% teacher, 50% entertainer. The entertainment helps keep their attention, if you don't have their attention you can't teach. I have taught at many schools from primary to university and I always get good reports from my students.

Do you remember when you went to school and there was the boring teacher and the cool teacher? The cool teacher was the entertainer. The boring teacher was the one you didn't pay attention to. We are dealing with the human attention span here which can be very short. You have to be able to read your class and know when you're losing them.

I do believe that the Chinese student has a little too much control over who gets fired etc., but remember they are the customer and you are the employee. As someone said in this thread, don't take teaching in China too seriously. When you do, things tend to backfire and that's when the big problems start. #1-Make yourself feel good and have fun. If you can't, I suggest you move on to something else that does.

China.Pete · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 547

"I don't think it's (entertainment) the only aspect to being a good teacher. I think it's a tool." - Xiao Qing

You seem to have a reasonably balanced attitude toward teaching. This reinforces my view that you are largely running up against the Chinese students' perception of what you should be, rather than what YOU know you should try to be. The "white monkey" routine that others have referred to here is just a parody of what the students who have never experienced proper English teaching (at least from a Western point of view) have come to expect from us. It is as much a stereotype as the "black-faced minstrel" acts of 19th-Century America. Few self-respecting FTs will be satisfied long-term by simply feeding it, even though there is clearly a market for it.

Shan-Shan · Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 1074 Location: electric pastures

The FT grinding mill is a very inconsistent contraption. My factory still employs a Canadian who just two nights ago talked at eight adult women about hockey and part time jobs for one hour. There was just the one nasally voice continuously seeping out from under the door, squealing on and on about "Canadian" culture and "Canadian" jobs.

The women did not utter a word for over an hour in their "oral" English class. I am amazed that this "teacher" remains employed when his students do nothing but get sore elbows from propping up their heads for hours on end listening to the rants of a nobody from Canada.

Yet still the guy is paid and given classes. There are also a couple of women with whom he's shared a shag. A niche definitely exists for fat, greasy sixty year old men looking for fun with ladies over thirty years their younger in China.

TESL is an absurdity.

Steppenwolf · Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 1769

NathanRahl · Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 509

Umm, self deprication is a shield then against reality? Hmm, actually sometimes it is that indeed I suppose.

And sometimes, though it is not something you wish to say, hence being loath to, necessity sometimes dictates the reality of the choices we must make.

Thanking everyone else but not thanking me simply for pointing out an obvious posibility which you were clearly shielding yourself from, is not right at al, and shows clearly you were looking for more of an ego boost then a realistic answer which might in the long run prove more helpful.

If you don't want to hear the answer, first thing you should do is not ask the question.

Take care all.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

please try and understand the word performance in a positive light when its used together with the word education - after all we all have to perform - day in day out regardless of mood and humor - that is unless you are always consciously trying to teach to those in your local environment - the non-stop teacher.
No performance doesn't just have to be something to do with making yourself the focus of classroom attention - and what a help that can be - because then you would only have to be a monkey - no its about generating interest, curiosity - and most importantly the building of desire - desire to copy the teacher (as in using the teacher as a type of role-model figure) - desire to learn their language - English. This is the crux of developing student motivation for wanting to learn your lesson - edutainment - not a new fangled concept - but one originated � well before WW2 - by one of the founding fathers of progressive American education - John Dewey.

Fiskadoro · Joined: 26 Nov 2004 Posts: 17 Location: China

My first two schools in China declined to re-new my contract, and I took it very personally. There was a lot of soul-searching and wondering if I should stay in China or even in teaching. However, I have now found a school that has very clear expectations of me, and it makes life a lot easier. They also pay a lot better than my previous two jobs. Cool

Although I have some problems with it, I think a lot of FTs in China will be able to relate to the article in this link:

http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/goodpractice.aspx?resourceid=2576

jwbhomer · Joined: 14 Dec 2003 Posts: 876 Location: CANADA

OP, it sounds as if you are conscientious and keen to improve. There's a lot of good advice from other posters which I won't repeat. Follow it and you'll be OK. As for the troll, just ignore him. He can't spell or write English properly and, by his own count, has already been through a couple of jobs in his four months in China. He's now trying his hand at modelling, if you can believe him, so he probably isn't terribly well qualified to advise on teaching methodology. Good luck to you, OP!