Job Discussion Forums

CJF · Joined: 13 Mar 2007 Posts: 28 Location: Wuxi

Chris; There's an old Chinese proverb that goes something like this

"Never give a sucker an even break" (OK, W.C. Fields then)

Still, there's one born every minute.

If possible, find out how much your contracted employer is getting for your services from the 'sub-contract' school and compare it with your salary.
You may see W.C. was right all along.

Confucus say; "We can always fool the foreigner"

Anda · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2199 Location: Jiangsu Province

"If possible, find out how much your contracted employer is getting for your services from the 'sub-contract' school and compare it with your salary"

Yes salary but includes airfare, holidays, accommodation, health insurance, paid Chinese staff who help you live in China. Chinese school friends that will sit with you 24 hours a day if you are in hospital for something and bring you food. And so on and so on!

If you expect someone to go into business to give you their profits after they have taken all the business risks then you are a fool.

If you want all the profits then marry a local and set your own instutite up.

Do a good job for a fair wage which is much beter than a local English teacher's wage and enjoy yourself!

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

Posters remember that if you want to take part in a discussion concerning education - then a little bit of professional reflection and objective comment will help your case Exclamation

So how should I comment to EG's latest offering regarding my earlier posts Question

Maybe something along the lines of....
Cheers and beers to seemingly illiterate posters Laughing

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

well, cheers and beers to the expert on teaching English to 60 plus kids in a classroom Laughing

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

i am not sure i see your own advice to'em above Confused

speakin' of "epic posts", you don't disappoint, do ya? Laughing

but keep teachin' in your "over populated" classrooms where students are learning (from you) Wink

peace to our views on what teachin' is
and
cheers and beers to educators as well as edutainers Smile

_____________________________________________________________
i don't care what i do for money Laughing

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

clark.w.griswald · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 2056

Looks like this thread had degenerated into the battle of the emoticons! What a shame.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

So why not make a relevant comment - both Gregor and I were debating how to plan lessons in China - here is my old post again -

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

"debating" with you Confused

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

In his last post EG gives us one piece of advice relevant to the thread subject. This being -

Lute451 · Joined: 09 May 2006 Posts: 28 Location: Anshan, China

I know that I can benefit greatly from having ideas posted on lessons for 60+ students. I'm at my wits end on what to do with them. Everything I seem to do is wrong.

If I work from the book, the students complain.

If I do a short reading and find the answer questions, T/F, multiple choice,etc...the students don't do the work.

If I show a film, the teachers complain.

If I try to have a conversation in class with the students, they all talk to each other in Chinese and I can't hear anything. Or they tell me "our English is very poor" and don't say anything else.

Most of my students don't pay attention or participate anyway. The teachers just tell me to stand in front of the class and teach to them anyway. But how do you teach oral English to students who don't particiate or follow your lesson?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm limited to 40 minutes time frame and have 60+ students in each class. Most of the time I don't get a Chinese teacher in the class with me either.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

What you need to do is attempt to find some factor that will - motivate - your students into following your class. Something that will capture the general interest.
Of course this is easier said than done - but it is possible � and with this in mind � at the start don't think so much about teaching English � but about finding a subject matter that appeals the class - and then working English into it.

One way of doing this is by using popular media - music or film - something that always captures the imagination of the young.
We have enough info in another thread about how we can use English language film clips in a Chinese class - and then getting the students to act them out. But another twist on this is by using Chinese film - bits of film the kids are already know very well - and then get them to act the same scenes out in English. This is an Icebreaker type exercise - and can also be very entertaining - and can enable the FT to capture a few more "hearts and minds" which allows for more complicated future projects.

If the teachers complain that you are using film (or other media types rather than the trad text book) - then you have to argue why you are doing it - explaining that you are employed as an English expert - and this is the way an expert may be expected to tackle this situation. Half our battle is convincing the Chinese teachers over the logic of our pedagogical method - whilst they're just concerned with results at any cost Wink

By the way - if you do have a large class, whose members aren�t totally interested in the subject at hand, and only hold limited English skills - then trying to enforce an English only environment is often doomed to disaster right at the start. In these types of classes some knowledge of the L1 or at least some Chinese language assistance is essential (using a good TA)!!!!!

By the way there are some posters here who swear by the English only class environment - Steppenwolf, Clark, EG - a bit of practical advice from them as a counter ballance to my ideas would be interesting.

lychee · Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 109

I am assuming that you will be teaching at a Middle school, so they will have an English textbook, look at the unit that they are studying, for example could be food and prepare your lesson plan around the unit they are learning.
I have been teaching classes of this size for over 3 years and I refuse to be the dancing monkey, I only have them once a week but they will learn something from me and they respect that. Don't ever lower yourself to the monkey.
Grab their attention, get their respect and have a solid lesson plan. Of course there will be different levels of English in the class, I aim for the middle and have a few words to the slower learners and I find that they are encouraged and do try harder.
My lessons are basically reviews of what their Chinese teacher has taught them.
I encourage them to use their dictionaries and if I have trouble with a translation I get the brightest and loudest to stand up and translate in Chinese.
Sometimes I get a student to take over the class and be the teacher and I sit down and be the student, it is hilarious, they start shouting at the teacher in English and are very relaxed. I see it from the student's stance.
Teaching can be so rewarding