Job Discussion Forums

[shuanglu pijiu]

i would say the largest part of the problem is that you have no experience. it's a bit of a trial by fire in the beginning as you find what works and what doesn't, but the onus of that is on you, not the students.

i think so many on this forum are so quick to blame the students, say they're lazy, apathetic, "Chinese," or whatever, but Chinese students are no different from any other in the sense that they will respect and respond to teachers who deserve either or both. that respect and enthusiasm is earned, not just automatically granted because you happen to be a teacher (or a person standing in front of the class, as with no experience yet, you're not really a 'teacher.')

i think we can all remember times in our respective countries when we had teachers who basically had no idea what they were doing - and i doubt any of us were chomping at the bit to do their bidding, and i certainly didn't show a lot of them respect or do a lot of what they told me to do. why should Chinese students be any different?

my first semester in China, i had no idea what i was doing, and it showed. i found my classes incredibly hard to control, the students hard to motivate, and it was generally a mess. over time i honed my skills, and learned what worked and what didn't, while honing my own style that worked for me. if you can find the sweet spot between your own personal style and that which will still be valuable for the students, you will find that you can get students of any age or any level excited, and can bring out amazing things in them., regardless of the level of school, etc.

don't get me wrong, i'm no naive pot-of-gold person who thinks it's all roses and candy canes, but i also don't believe in simply blaming "Chinese students," when the first thing you should look at is yourself, and the fact that you're doing a job you essentially have no idea how to do. i'm not trying to put words in your mouth, i'm just addressing the general kinds of responses to posts and frustrations like yours.

Chinese students may act goofy, but they are far from stupid, and they give respect where it's earned. earn it, and you will find your classes come alive.

best of luck... with a little time you'll get it.

[Czaerana]

These are college students. I would never have dreamed of behaving like a lot of them do when I was in college. If you don't even bother to bring your books to class or even paper and a pen,you don't want to learn, IMO.

[mrwslee003]

Cza,
You said it and there lies the difference-you've finished your college and
got your papers and they are still attending college and god knows
how many more years it will take for their papers to come.
Or how much money their parents have to spend for someone to
baby-sit their little darlings until they are weaned from their
imbelical cords.

Its a different world for these kids, young adults. The teacher just has
to understand this and not let it drive him out of his mind.

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[sharpe88]

Discipline is a valid concern, but making each topic relevant and engaging in the first place goes a long way towards getting their attention. For example, a contest of countable and uncountable nouns is not really that interesting, imo.

[xiaolongbaolaoxi]

If you've got it in you/the tech is there, put together the best powerpoint known to man.... childhood pictures, shots of your school(s), pics of you first arriving in China... hopefully sheer curiosity will get them to start talking, even if they ask "Gan ma ? What this ? When this ?" It's a start... Give them something to be interested in, then slowly reel back into a more predictable classroom setting... with some pictures up, write I came to China in ____. My favorite food is ____. (You didn't tell us... good, try a guess)... Assign a short homework assignment. Yes, they will not do it, but collect it the first two minutes of the next class--without telling them you will do so. Then forward on a list of all those who did not do homework to the dean. The dean will not like it, but when you can show that 4 of 40 even bothered to put there name on a piece of paper, there will be a reaction. End your class with five questions they need to answer next class... use this as an opener. Migrate around your class those first few minutes of the next class using these questions. You can be an entertaining teacher without becoming a dancing monkey while instilling the sense that your class does count. Although I personally not approve, some teachers post grades publicly; you can post names and grades... when your class sees that most of them are receiving scores of 10-20%, not good.
For me, the most important thing was paying attention to timeliness... Late is late. If they are going to be late for your class and disrupt it, then you should feel comfortable asking them to tell you why they are late... they must answer in English, and sorry isn't good enough.
From my experience and others, there really wasn't much of a thaw. It was bad then it was good, with nothing in between.

[Kurochan]

To be honest, you will get the same level of apathy and bad behavior if you teach in the United States, even in college. There are some great students, of course, but there are a ton of duds who don't seem to have manners or common sense.