Job Discussion Forums

[englishgibson]

Today, I have come to my class as scheduled, and on time (as always) to only find the seats empty. My 9 students that we recruited at 5 to 12 a month and a half ago (would've closed otherwise), were not in the class. I waited for 10 minutes to see one student walking in and out again. So, I left for my office where I made my decision to speak to the school manager. I told her that my students were often late and that they did not respect either the academic program or me. Not surprisingly, she �encouraged me� to ease up, follow up on students� requests and be more patient as well as less strict. As I insisted, we have agreed to speak to our students together, although we have not completely agreed on what to tell them yet. I think that tomorrow is the day.

What might have resulted in this mini revolution is that after a month and a half of mild reminders, I confronted my students on their poor discipline yesterday. The response from my class monitor was that they didn�t expect some strict rules and regulations like they had in their high schools. What seems to be strict here is that they are expected to come on time, speak only English and then pay attention through out the class sessions rather than come late and do their own thing.

Having followed up on my classroom monitor�s remarks/expectations of our international school�s courses, I suspect my manager has given a rather inadequate intro, if any. My job�s on the line as it�s easier to blame the teacher than the few students our school has. Also, it�s a difficult task as they are the spoiled kids of rich parents that can not only buy their way to some western unis but also the way through a Chinese legal system in case we kick them out. However, there�s some hope tomorrow that we will come across to our students as my manager�s shaky voice has suggested she will take a strong stand in the classroom and support me on the issues of tardiness, disrespect, poor in class attention etc. In any case, my manager is a fine Chinese graduate with MA from an American uni and she must understand the students better than I do. Yes, I am worried more issues against me might come up as retaliation from some students. Say for example, I should keep a relaxing in class atmosphere (I am not Chinese), or I should be �more helpful� and �say good things� about them more often (I am not Chinese). The truth is that half of them are completely incapable to cope with any western unis, although I haven�t shown any of that attitude yet. I even passed 6 out of 9 students on our first assessment�doesn�t look like they care much and that is probably the core of this problem.

Cheers and beers to my tomorrow as well as to all fts that�ve to cope with such classes/students and working environment way beyond our expectations

[Sinobear]

Have you tried giving them a lecture on just how western unis operate? I give a 20-slide PPt lecture and a lot of my students have their eyes cranked wide open at the enlightenment.

As for classroom decorum, if attendance and punctuality are not part of their course mark, don't worry about it. If A&P is part of their mark, announce what deduction (don't call it a penalty) they will receive for each late arrival/early departure and/or absence. When they are late, don't make a fuss about it, just mark them late and soldier on.

Identify the true power player in the class (not always the class monitor). Ask him/her directly what he/she thinks should be the 'way'. Usually, the person is disarmed and sulks because they cannot offer any constructive ideas (in English or Chinese) and thus their ego as a leader is quickly deflated.

Sometimes, you just can't win no matter what and it's better to devote your energy into finding something else somewhere else.

Cheers and beers to raising silkworms in order to make our own parachutes.

[norwalkesl]

[Mister Al]

Oh dear, EG. Trouble at the mill, as they say.

You're in a sticky position, so empowerment could be the way forward here. At present you have a 'negative' classroom culture and you (with the help of the management) need to create a 'positive' one. My advice is that you get the students to set their own objectives. Of course you need to let them know what they have to do to pass the module(s) and that their parents expect and hope that they are successful, but let the students themselves decide how they are going to achieve that. Inform them that your job is to help and guide them (and engage them in the lessons) but only they can pass and impress on them that they have the ability to do so (even if you don't quite believe that to be true in some cases). During the discussion tomorrow try to get the students to decide what rules, classwork, homework they think is needed and are happy with, but subtly guide them towards what you think is necessary and would like them to do in order for them to pass. But the most important thing is that the students make the final decision(s) (and that you are fairly happy with them, whatever those decisions are). Take the heat away from yourself in regards discipline and encourage self-discipline. If you get a positive reaction from the students and they actually take some responsibility then of course praise them and encourage and motivate them to do more. If they become negative you can always remind them that it was their decisions, not yours, but that you are always there to help them achieve that success.

Anyway, good luck.

[TexasHighway]

englishgibson wrote:

[killian]

only one fix: pizza party last friday of each month. keeps them happy come bill paying time as well.

[Neilhrd]

The fundamental contradiction in the GAC programme comes to light again here.

Rich kids, faced with the brutal reality that they have been lied to for years about their English level and are a million miles from ready to study in the west have two choices. One is to buckle down and work, work, work. We saw when I was at the Nanning GAC Centre that a few will do this and can achieve spectacular results with dedicated teaching.

But most will look for an alternative and GAC gives them one. The truth is they don't have to pass the GAC course for their applications to US univesities to be processed and faked if necessary. They soon realise that and take the easy option. Most of them see no harm in this because they don't believe what we tell them about standards in the west. Some don't care because they have no intention of studying anyway. Just getting to the west for other purposes is enough. Others are convinced that daddy's money and influence will buy them a degree in the USA the same as it will in China.

Until GAC, and other similar university prep programmes, make completion of course work, attendence etc a pre condition of help with their applications, visas etc and stop lying in their recruitment advertising then nothing is going to change.

It won't happen because the Chinese staff don't have the guts to stand up to the parents and the owners won't back them because they make their money from application and visa processing and neither know nor care whether the students can actually cope in western universities.

So sooner or later the US and British governments will step in and cut off the supply of study visas from China.

In the meantime I don't think it makes much difference what eg does in the classroom. He and I used to work together and our teaching styles are like chalk and cheese but the same thing happened to both of us. I am told that since we left new teachers in Nanning, with a third different approach,and on a different campus have had the same experience. The problem is bigger than any one teacher can fix.

This is why I left the GAC programme in July and I don't regret doing so even though I haven't found another job yet and money is getting tight because of family issues.

[brsmith15]

I used to make attendance 10% of their grade and used a sliding (and regressive) scale. Moer than 5 minutes late counted as an absence.

[Mister Al]

Let us know what happened today, EG

[Neilhrd]

In theory GAC has an element for "class participation" in each module. This includes attendence, time keeping, doing assignments etc as well as being active in class.

However they provide no rubric for marking this and it was made very clear to me that my efforts to create one and enforce standards were unwelcome. As far as the Chinese are concerend the vaguer and less defined something is the better. In practice the marks were inflated in order to raise students overall score in the module and some FTs refused to keep records at all as a result.

In theory GAC clamped down on that about a year ago by changing the rules so that students had to pass all assessments in each module individually, including class participation, before they could proceed to the next level. In practice however they refused to enforce this and expel non performing students. Franchisees are allowed to enter students into the next level regardless of failure or non attendence. The reason for doing so is simply to keep them registered for long enough to collect fees from their parents for university application and visa processing.

In Nanning it was common for students who hadn't been to class for months and had been formally failed by the DOS to remain registered as "pending" and reappear in the office to collect offers from American Universities based on applications prepared entirely by the Chinese staff with little or no input from the students themselves or teachers. They would also be given preparation for US visa interviews.

This, of course, did nothing for teacher morale as well as being grossly unfair to those students who were working hard. Repeated attempts to explain the folly of this approach to the Chinese owners and administrators got nowhere.

I came to the conclusion that GAC, and others such as EF, will never be able to enforce consistent, honest academic standards in China until the franchise system is ended. However the govt is unwilling to allow wholly foeign funded schools with centralised control to operate. In practice they require Chinese franchisees as partners. Unless they are willing to set and enforce standards of educational experience and competence among these people then nothing will improve.

They get away with it because the American and Australian universities increasingly ignore test results from China, including IELTS in some cases, and give their own tests to students on arrival. Several students from Nanning who didn't attend class last year found that their English had deteriorated. They are now being required to take extensive remedial classes in the USA before being admitted to their degree courses. This is lucrative for the universities but expensive for the parents. In some cases if the centre, and GAC in Shanghai, had enforced academic discipline and the students had received full benefit from the GAC course such remedial classes would have been unnecessary.

But I stick to my point that the issue is bigger than any one teacher can fix and that there is little eg can do in the classroom to change things.

[vikuk]

[Mister Al]

vikuk and neilhrd both make valid points but all you are saying to EG is just don't give a toss because you can't change anything in the great scheme of things. None of us can really. But this is his job on the line. If his centre has no students he has no job. He has a right to to try to save his job and try to get some job satisfaction in the process. There is no point in telling him to give up and find another job. He has a family and has only recently moved to take up this position. His best bet then is to try to turn around the position at his centre and if successful maybe the centre can survive and therefore give him some stability. I think that at least giving him some ideas and suggestions on how he might achieve this is more important than telling him he is wasting his time. Most of us here are aware that in the main there are lots of scamming and little attention paid to academic standards and this in the long run usually cost parents money. The schools generally don't care about that, we know that, but EG's immediate problem is to attempt to balance his own values and beliefs with the corrupt approach of employers and try to get the students to respond in a positive manner. There is a chance to do that and that is empowering the students as I mentioned in my previous post. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't, but it's probably either that or lay down the law, and that might result in further student revolt. Another option might be to get the school to have a meeting with the parents. The problem with that is the school will have to admit they don't know what they are doing and hence damage their 'reputation'. So that's probably a big no-no. There are no easy solutions here but we should at least try to offer some, rather than say "give up, mate".

[Dan The Chainsawman]

I give each of my classes a quiz as soon as I walk through the door. If they are late, they don't get credit for that quiz, and if they miss enough of them they don't pass.

On the rare occasion I'll give the student the quiz during the hour break if they were detained by events not in their control. Most of the time though when they whine about the bus being late I tell them to get on an earlier bus.

Really drives some of them nuts, but I can't be forced to worry about it. Sad fact is the school wouldn't allow me to flunk any of them anyway so I just smile at the gripers and moaners and don't bother giving a toot.

Odd though that my coteachers think we should start each class with giving them five minutes to prepare. I always thought you were supposed to study for quizzes at home.

[Mister Al]

So, EG. Are the students still revolting?

[brsmith15]

Revolting, they're disgusting.