Job Discussion Forums

beck's · Joined: 06 Apr 2003 Posts: 426

I need your advice on this pain in the a-- request/command by the English department at the uni where I am teaching. They want yearly and weekly lesson plans submitted on flimsy forms before I start teaching in early October (the kids are now marching and singing). Is anyone else out there familiar with this request.

I have told them that I develop my plans as I go along. These plans depend on the abilities and interests of my students and on any new things that I discover. I keep these plans in notebooks that I can refer to while teaching. I have told them that they can photocopy my plans if they want.

I want to avoid the useless exercise of filling out these ridiculous forms. So far, I have just ignored it hoping that it would go away. There are many things I can learn from the Chinese teachers but curriculum development and teaching English aren't two of them. Any advice?

lostinasia · Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 466

Advice ?

Yes ...

Actually do the work!

Why is there a problem with being prepared and doing work in advance? "As I go along" is a catch-phrase for the lack of professionalism in work preparation, planning, and the like. Lesson plans and planning itself are necessary for professional work, in this case, teaching.

Try to do this job in the U.S. and you'd be required to submit proof of planning and goals or you'd be fired.

Tsk tsk tsk

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

The difference between here and back home - is that if you were a new teacher back home, you'd at least be offered help from other staff members who had experience with the students/or type of students that you were going to be teaching.
But here - what a comedy Laughing

Remember Newbies - you may be employed by a big uni - but feeling part of the team - well the lack of that sometimes causes increased levels of stress!!!

Lobster · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:04 am Post subject:

Tell them, "I'll get right on it!" Do nothing. Next time they ask, say, "I'm working on it every day!" Then it's time for your computer to crash, wiping out all your hard work. After that, it's a bad case of Beaver Fever. Now, at this point they'll either give up or press you. If you're pressed, create a lesson plan thusly.

Mock up the form using MSWord. Create as many pages as there are course weeks. On every page, the same information will appear, so after you create the page with this info, choose select all, copy and paste:

Instructor Name: Beck
Subject: English
Level: per observation
Topics: How to use English Correctly Part I, II, III, etc. (if your conscience nags, choose things like travel, food, interviews, etc. By this time you'll be teaching, so you can also enter the info retroactively.)
Objectives: To help the students learn English
Approach: Beckish Interactive
Materials: as provided
Assignments: as required

Now just enter the relevant weeks of instruction and voila! It's more of a plan than anything these 1/2 butted "universities" could ever cook up. You'll be done in less than 2 hours.

You're welcome!

Please send my cheque to:
Mr. R. Lobster
1321 Octopus Garden Lane, Reefhole 3
Digby, Nova Scotia
Canada, Eh?

This isn't the fine US of A, lostinasia. We're in another country, called China. You should check it out some time. It's a place when they can't even tell you when New Year's is or what room you'll use tomorrow. Where they call about 6:30 to see if you want to have dinner tonight at 7. Where you find out your class has been cancelled after you've spent 15 minutes in an empty classroom.

Ah planning! I remember being asked to teach a class of upper primary Chinese kids. OK, Peter Rabbit sounded good. Then my class turned out to be a group of twelve-year-old native speakers from the international division. My course on "The History of Warfare", designed for an announced class of sixteen to seventeen-year-old boys, was well received by the ten-year-old girls who were actually my class that term.

RED

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

LOL..... good answers here.

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

A year-long lesson plan? Well, the objective is to get the kids to hopefully do the following:

1. Learn and increase English vocabulary
2. Learn how to use said vocabulary properly in sentences (either written or spoken)
3. Learn how to pronounce and enunciate correctly - - at least to a level where they would be understood by a native English speaker.
4. Learn and remember and use some basic English grammar points.
5. Practice English, pratice English, and practice English some more.

How are you going to accomplish those goals?

1. Follow the step-by-step exercises in the student books (if they have them)
2. Allow students to ask and answer questions every class
3. Have students perform various spoken tasks such as skits and short plays, monologues, class conversations, listening and determining song lyrics, learn tongue twisters and other play other English-based games, watch DVDs from time to time and talk about the movie afterwards, etc.
4. If the class size is 50 to 100 students, rote repitition and memorization!! Rolling Eyes

Every year I get asked what my goals are for the various subjects I teach and I basically copy what is in my textbooks and hand that in to them. They seem satisfied with it!

lostinasia · Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 466

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

Schools have legitimate reasons to ask for lesson outlines. I don't agree that stonewalling them would be appropriate. If they need these in a particular format, I would ask for an electronic template so that I could copy them from whatever outline I have for my own use onto theirs. Search and replace can do wonders for translating even the most abbreviated format into something a little more intelligible to outsiders. Of course, day-to-day realities will cause me to modify this in practice - or even scrap parts of it, if required. Remember, there may be no one who actually reads these things at some universities, so I wouldn't want to get too worked up over it. But I do agree with those who suggest that any job worth doing is worth doing well.

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

YankeeDoodleDandy · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:29 pm Post subject:

"Get Over It or , " Get used to It " If you have been in China for a few years, this is how things get done. No planning or very little planning. Everything is done at the last moment. Irritating , HELL YES. This is just one of the problems that we have to deal with on a daily basis. Do I like it NO. I have to acculurate myself myself to the fact that I am living in China and I have to adjust. As Donavan might have said " GO WITH THE FLOW. Hats off to ENGLISHGIBSON and all of the other hard working teachers in China and whereever they are. David

Lobster · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:49 pm Post subject:

Well, after a couple of decades of teaching, you'll find that you don't really need lesson plans anymore. I agree that it's a good tool for teachers who are just starting out. Admin types are fond of them too. I'll add you to my list of people who can't understand satire. You're all doing a great job. Keep up the good work.

RED

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Another thought: You could tell them that as soon as you get the year-long school schedule (holidays and all) that you'll give them your year-long lesson plans! That'll confuse 'em! Evil or Very Mad

YankeeDoodleDandy · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:22 pm Post subject:

Kevin, That was BRILLIANT. If any trolls get ahold of your comments, you are off to the PSB. Great insight and wisdom.