Job Discussion Forums

[JimDunlop2]

Ever since I left my crappy Eikaiwa gig (some of you may remember my posts from before) I've been quite happy with my new job teaching JHS through the local BoE. Now, I know JHS is definitely not everyone's cup of tea (didn't think it was mine either) but I'm finding myself really enjoying it -- a lot!

Anyway, recently one of my Japanese colleagues was speaking with the Kocho Sensei, and come September they thought it would be good if the school actually had an English Club for after school... I'm very excited about that -- I think it's great! Unfortunately I have only limited experience with this sort of thing and I would like to enlist the help of some of the JHS/HS veterans on this forum... I have a few ideas, but I don't know exactly what is involved in starting a new club... Any ideas, tips, suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated!

I'm not sure how to focus my energy or where/when I should start with this... All I know is that I have full cooperation of the Japanese staff on this, as it was green-lighted by the kocho... If you wish, you can also PM me, but I think others may benefit from this info too...

Thanks in advance....

JD

[Glenski]

Have the club...

1. collect books/magazines/newspapers/Internet sites in English
2. watch English-only movies
3. serve as helpers for exchange students
4. organize debates/contests/quizes/etc.
5. help the library to get more English materials (esp. graded readers)
6. build the English version of the school's home page
7. hold an English fair
8. collect/perform English songs (hey! Karaoke is BIG here!)
9. start a pen pal relationship with a sister city school
10. identify the local used bookstores in town that sell English books

[sidjameson]

Hi Jim,
Hope you do well with the club. May I ask, are you being paid extra for this task? I'm not asking for any other reason as you seem so positive about teaching that I believe you could be. To be honest I am jealous that you still have such enthusiasm. I like to think that I do a good job at my work but after 6 years I can't help begrudging anything "extra" that I am asked to perform.
Just curious and as I said there is no sarcasm just respect in my post. Great that there are some committed teachers in Japan.

[shmooj]

[markle]

You could try an English 'Newsletter' Doesn't have to be much - a couple pages stapled together. You take on the role of editor - assigning tasks, doing layout, reviewing content, etc but allow for lots of student input. Keep it fun and light hearted but with scope for more serious things like student issues and opinion. One good thing about this type of thing is that it's something concrete that students can show others, even years from now. It's also something that you can show future employers which is a way of offsetting the fact that you could be doing this as an 'extra'. On that subject, although you may not get paid for doing these 'extras' I found that at least its a chance to interact with students outside of a formal classroom setting, which can help with relations in the classroom.

[JimDunlop2]

Thanks for some of those suggestions (Glenski, shmooj and mackle)... I would also like to hear from some of the others -- if you have something to contribute, please do. I'd like to know..

Reply to sidjameson: Althouhg I'm by far the new kid on the block of JHS teaching, I derive my enthusiasm partly from the fact that I enjoy the school where I teach and I am given sufficient autonomy (and encouragement) to undertake such things, as opposed to serving as a "human tape recorder" which recently happened to one of my colleagues, and boy was he pi$$ed... He had it out with the head English teacher quite bluntly (but as polite as possible) and let them know what kind of waste of time it was for him to be doing that...

Anyway, I digress. To answer your question, no I definitely do not get paid more for things such as this... But the way I see it is, I gotta be there for 9 hours a day anyway, whether I'm teaching or not. So I guess I don't see it as "extra" as much as I see it as being "part of the job"... At the Eikaiwa I used to to work at, while you were on company time you were their bi+ch, so even when they couldn't stick you with extra classes here and there, (above and beyond a ridiculously busy schedule) they would have you do stuff that (in my opinion) no one had any business doing: janitorial duties... At least when I get requested to do something like start an English Club at a JHS, it is directly up my alley as a teacher, not as an unskilled, menial labourer.

Prep time is fairly minimal for a JHS environment (only 3 grades). So if I'm going to be there for that amount of time, I've got two choices: I can use my time to benefit the students and the school, or, not. I know a lot of people use their spare time to study Japanese (or even to find a quiet corner and sleep) but I also know a lot of them haven't had their contracts renewed when it was up. They are usually the ones that also say, "yeah, I taught JHS, but it was really boring."

In addition to all of this, so far, the students have been very very receptive and enthusiastic about English. As the year wears on I would like them to retain that as much as possible.

One idea that I hatched on my own, I call it the "JHS English Challenge." It's a school-wide contest that starts on Monday as soon as the Kocho-Sensei approves it. The deal is this: talk to your English teacher anytime outside of class, and say something meaningful in English (other than hello, how are you). Eg. "Hello, Mr. Brown. I saw the Giants on TV last night. They won." Or more simply, "Hi... Did you know, today is my birthday?" At which point I give them a 'ticket' or 'ballot' on which they fill in their name and class number and put into ballot box sitting on my desk. At the end of June, I will draw for a grand prize of some movie tickets, and another (honrable mention) prize (TBA) to the student who entered the most ballots (for having spoken the most English)..... So far, all the Japanese-English staff I've discussed the proposal with think it will work great!

I don't know if you've ever been an actor in a theatre play, but when you perform in front of an audience, it's really them that help determine the success of your performance that night. You launch your energy at the audience, and if they respond to it they will bounce that energy straight back to you... It's then like a "ethereal" tennis game -- you put more enthusiasm into your next line, and they respond more enthusiastically in turn (especially if it's a comedy). Then you've got the audience where you want them -- you are in control -- they laugh at your jokes, follow your every move, and enjoy where you are taking them. The next night's performance may be awful -- not because you goof-up or forget your lines, but as soon as your audience doesn't bounce back that initial energy you throw at them, and they "absorb" it, all of a sudden you have nothing to feed off. The next volley you serve, if met by a similar apathy will cause things to go downhill. They won't laugh where they're supposed to laugh, you can't use audience cues to gauge your performance, and by the end of it all you're completely exhausted!

I think teaching in the right environment is exactly the same way. Find the right audience and your performance will no longer be a chore, but something you enjoy a lot more.... So I hope that if I can maintain the initial momentum that I infused into the first two weeks of school, it will be a great year...

Sorry for the long post!

[Brooks]

When I worked at a junior high, I found drama worked pretty well. For our bunkasei, many students performed their own plays which they wrote. A few students tried magic, and a couple did their own imitation of a TV game quiz show.

I tried using videos. The ones that worked well were Mr. Bean ones and for Wallace and Gromit. There are books based around these videos and they are very thorough.

Sometimes it was just trial and error. We tried to move the club away from just translating and having the students give speeches.

I think books by David Martin would work, especially Talk a Lot and Topic Talk, which are from EFL Press.

It would also be good for you to do a needs assessment of your students.
Maybe some of them want to do better on the Eiken (like the speaking or listening parts) or some intend to go abroad. It will help you to know why they want to improve their understanding of English.

I guess that your students will be first, second and third year students. This will make teaching harder, so you may have to divide the class into groups based on their grades, or by their abilities.
If you could get another teacher or two to help you, things will be easier.

[homersimpson]

1. Have students contribute materials to an English Bulletin Board.
2. Prepare them for a debate.
3. Assist and encourage students to participate in city and prefectural speaking contests.
4. If you have a video camera, film an English "newscast" and/or "drama" written by students.
5. Encourage and research possible homestays/exchanges (not unlike the sister city plan Glenski mentioned).
6. Let students make up stories - rarely, if ever, are Japanese students allowed to freely express themselves in writing. You'd be surprised at what kind of ideas they come up with.
-- It's good that you have a positive attitude, because it will probably be slow-going at first. Just keep your expectations low at first and build up as the year(s) progress. Make English fun! Forget the grammar. Show the kids that English is more than just grammar and examinations. It is an opportunity for them to communicate with English speakers. Good luck with the club!