Job Discussion Forums

[loboman]

I agreed to teach several business related classes for this upcoming semester and was just informed that none of my classes will have a text book because the school didn't want to pay for them.

So I am a little puzzled how to do this.

In the past I had a book and so did the students but now, how should I be expected to teach effectively when they have no books?

I was told that the classes will have multimedia and i should teach from powerpoints that can be downloaded, left from former teachers, or create my own.

I really don't want to make my own. Have not seen what was left from former teachers, and have not seen the book yet. They said they will give me the book in a few weeks.

What should I expect from my students if they don't have a book because the school was too cheap to buy them...?

Who has had this issue before that can give me insight.

[Seska]

You could take it out of your own salary, I guess. It might be good to specify a monthly classroom allowance in your contract. Even if you don't get anything, you can always wave it in their face. 200 RMBs a month is very little, but it sounds like something they'd agree to.

You could always have the students sit side by side and share one textbook.

Don't listen to me though, I'm a newbie. Just offering some suggestions.

[jwbhomer]

At the first university I taught at, if you wanted the students to use a textbook, you could specify the book and tell the students to buy it themselves. Some would, some wouldn't. If you asked the university to stock the book in the campus bookstore, they might...or they might not.

At the second (better organized) university, the English Department specified the book and the students had to buy it. The class monitor collected money for the books and the university gave them out to the students.

I wouldn't rely on old PowerPoint presentations or handouts.

[Anda]

I always prepare my own material as I can add more interest into my lessons that way.

It would seem that you don't want to spend the time necessary to prepare your own material so you can either photo copy stuff off the Net of photocopy lessons out of books. Most places that teach business English will have a photocopy machine. If the equipment is good you can get CDs on business English and teach part of your lessons that way.

I have my own photocopy machine, printer, computer, scanner at home plus add my own equipment like TVs and DVD players where I teach part time so no problem!

[randyj]

You didn't hear this from me, but if the class monitor obtained the book for a day or two, perhaps copies could be made, unknown to you. I certainly do not advocate violating IPR in China, but these things happen.

Chinese students tend to take a course much more seriously if there is a textbook for the course.

[Lorean]

This is just another example of how 'serious' we are taken as teachers.

In my various jobs teaching university English and high-school maths textbooks were seldomly provided and never applicable.

[China.Pete]

"...I should teach from PowerPoints that can be downloaded, left from former teachers, or create my own." -- Loboman

Why not just ask the students to download their degrees so they can skip the cost of textbooks and an education entirely? But seriously, getting the students to buy a set text is a good idea. The difficulty is that you'll be teaching business, and the selection of such books published in English in China is fairly limited -- many will be graduate level or otherwise inappropriate for your students. I'd recommend spending some time during your summer travels in a few of the largest bookstores you can find to see what's co-published here. Work with your campus bookstore or local, privately-owned test bookshop to see if they will stock them for you. In future, don't agree to teach any course without a textbook -- it's really just a measure of those who are running schools' ignorance of education in general and contempt for foreign teachers in particular.

[lf_aristotle69]

When you say "business related classes" do you mean formal Economics, Marketing and Accounting theory (etc.). Or do you mean vocabulary and situational business e.g. writing a business email, phone calls to a client/company, dealing with complaints, intercultural workplace issues, meeting scenarios, negotiation, basic marketing, etc., etc.?

If the latter, then the following text is very usable:

Jones, Leo (2004 - China edition) Cambridge Professional English: Working in English-Student's Book; Posts and Telecom Press; BeiJing

It might give you 50-100 hours of content, depending on how you use it. It's printed in China and costs 45rmb for a single original copy. If they ordered a class set they might get a discount...? So, it's not much more than photocopying it. It also has a free VCD of authentic business situations.

There's a sepa