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easyasabc



Joined: 13 Jul 2003
Posts: 179
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 6:16 am    Post subject: Re: reply Reply with quote

Sweetsee wrote:
Look at me, more than a decade in classrooms in this country and I'm scanning the internet for methods and tidbits.
Please don't think the following is an attack on you - it's a serious question.

How have you spent 12 years in classrooms here when you don't know how to control the class?

Is it because you've just been an ALT and not had to worry about classroom management?
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Brooks



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1369
Location: Sagamihara

PostPosted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 6:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

where I work, it seems that the boys are harder to teach.

In regard to lateness: at my school, if a student is late to class three times, that counts as one full absence. If a student misses a third of the classes for a semester, the student fails.

I find that classes go better when I get to know my students and do activities that are student-centered.
I try to do a variety of activities, and try not to let them drag on for too long. Sometimes the students have short-attention spans.

Also, I consult with Japanese teachers and let them know about the behavior of their students. I also talk to the teachers who are in charge of the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.

I also try to put myself in their shoes: some live far away and spend more than two hours on a train daily. Some are in clubs that take up a lot of their time.
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Sweetsee



Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 2302
Location: ) is everything

PostPosted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 6:25 am    Post subject: reply Reply with quote

Easyasabc,



Why do you say that? What did I say to make you think I can't manage a class?

Just thought I might glean precious information by hearing about what others do. And by discussing the topic I hoped to become more inspired to make a difference.

True, I have spent a great deal of time as an ALT. I never took it upon myself to discipline anyone. Also, I never spent any time away from work thinking about teaching, trying to learn about how to deal with these kids.

Now, I am very interested in classroom management. I have a fulltime position, I share a homeroom and I would like to become more efficient. I am updating, as it were.



Cheers,
S
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easyasabc



Joined: 13 Jul 2003
Posts: 179
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:28 pm    Post subject: Re: reply Reply with quote

Sweetsee wrote:
Easyasabc,
Why do you say that? What did I say to make you think I can't manage a class?

Just the fact that you are asking questions about what seem some very basic classroom management issues. And the fact that the class is as you described in your original post.

I got my original undergrad degree in teaching 15 years ago (man I'm old Sad ) and none of the people I know who have been teaching for 10+ years would need to ask how to control a class. If you've only been an ALT and not the actual teacher having to discipline anyone then that would explain the situation.
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Sweetsee



Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 2302
Location: ) is everything

PostPosted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 9:19 pm    Post subject: reply Reply with quote

Easyasabc,

Firstly,yes I have been an ALT and have not had to discipline anyone.

Secondly, I am curious how others handle situations.

For example, a carpenter that has 15 years experience may know everything there is to know about building a house but he is always on the lookout for ways to make his job easier.

Finally, I am new to this platform and had to come up with something to say. Just because I mention a scenario doesn't necessarily imply I don't have my own solutions.

Afterall, there are only so many classroom issues and I'm sure you have seen them all. Yet, every one's way of dealing with them are different.





Cheers,
S
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TokyoLiz



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I should hope that we can share classroom management ideas here...

One of my favorites is to create an a/b pair dialogue based on the dialogue from, say, Fifty Fifty books, pair the students up boy-girl, and have them listen carefully to one another - no peeking! - and pair dictate the dialogue lines to one another. I've never had such a peaceful, focused class. They're junior high second year.
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I've never had such a peaceful, focused class. They're junior high second year.


ah, the joys of JHS. I work in a JHS/HS. The teachers in the JHS have very well-mannered, inquisitive, lively students. Once they reach high school, however, their lives and attitudes change drastically.

First year is a bit of a shock to them with extra club activities and with a stricter, more difficult layout to the English program in which they are expected to think for themselves much more.

Second year, they are inundated with so many activities and with pre-college planning that their motivation hits rock bottom. They are also so dead tired that it is astounding.

Third year is short because they finish classes in December, which means they lack any motivation after summer break. Since we have a huge school festival just before summer break, preparations for that consume them as well, so from July to December we can't really count on students doing anything with any enthusiasm or interest.
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Tonester



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 145
Location: Ojiya, Niigata Pref

PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glenski,

I can see that you are a veteran of the SHS system and I'd like your opinion on a situation that I may be getting into. I'm a 1st year JET JHS ALT and the Private SHS where I did my exchange 5 years ago is thinking of employing me after my JET tenure has finished as a fully fledged teacher with the possibility of tenure after 2 years.

Can you see any pitfalls in the Private SHS field besides students' lack of motivation ? Is there anything I need to make sure of first?

This is a couple of years away but I thought I'd start doing my homework now.......
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Sweetsee



Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 2302
Location: ) is everything

PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2004 1:43 am    Post subject: reply Reply with quote

Tokyoliz,


Like a breath of fresh air on this beautiful summer day.

That's what I'm talking about! People sharing good ideas they use in the classroom.

I can see that working very well for you. Isn't it a wonderful time when you have a lesson where everyone is busy learning, practicing speaking and enjoying themselves.

Today, I told my class to pair up the same as last friday when I put all the men with women. They were practically falling over each other to get to their partners.

Thanks a lot for sharing TokyoLiz, always interested to hear from you.



Cheers,
S


Last edited by Sweetsee on Tue Jun 22, 2004 7:08 am; edited 1 time in total
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2004 5:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Team teaching thread I started.
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/teacher/viewtopic.php?t=1547

Thread to compare teaching responsibilities at public vs. private HS
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/teacher/viewtopic.php?t=1364
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=9678

Other information...

FT non-tenured teachers (jokin) where I work have to attend half a dozen meetings a week, all in Japanese. These include the department and special committee meetings, the gakunen meetings, and the all-staff meetings. On top of that, you have to find time for planning meetings with team teachers to design lessons, and then later find the time to actually build the lessons. At private schools, you are also scheduled to work 2 or 3 Saturdays a month. This doesn't mean classes, but other types of work. Sometimes you are just free to do your own paperwork, but at my school that winds up happening less than half of the time. Saturdays are usually half days, but the majority of staff at my school work at least another full day then.

Jokin are also required to take part in one extracurricular activity (club), which may soak up a lot of your after-school time, including Saturday AND Sunday and long breaks in summer and winter. You don't even have to have any skill in such club, because your chief responsibility is just babysitting for practice sessions or tournaments for the sake of safety.

Jokin usually substitute for homeroom teachers when they are absent.

Jokin may write curricula, even if it's for courses they don't teach (or have ever taught).

At my school, jokin usually stay after school until 7pm or later doing lesson planning, paperwork, or attending meetings.

A FT TENURED teacher (sennin) gets paid more and does more administrative work, but usually teaches the same number of classes (about 15 per week). Sennin are often homeroom teachers, but you wouldn't catch me doing that unless I'm nearly fluent in Japanese and want to spend a LOT more of my time, because it's not just attending HR in the morning and afternoon. HR teachers meet with students and parents and do tons of additional paperwork. Sennin don't have to worry about 3-year contracts, but there is usually a cap on the salary, dependent on age, I think.
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Tonester



Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 145
Location: Ojiya, Niigata Pref

PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 12:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Many thanks for that, Glenski. Pretty much either way FT Tenured or FT Non-tenured I'll end up working like a dog.......

It has given me an insight as to how you feel. I have also heard that Private SHS teaches the standard MEXT curriculum plus other side curricula as well. Is this true?

Having been an exchange student at the SHS I previously mentioned, I know that the school has a Language Lab. Do you use one at your school, Glenski?

Being a HRT sounds like hard work! Of course I'm not afraid of hard work but my only concern there is strange parents who give you a hard time because they don't like the way you are teaching their children even though you know that your way works.

My next question is are you happy with your job despite being so busy?
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I have also heard that Private SHS teaches the standard MEXT curriculum plus other side curricula as well. Is this true?


I'll have to check if it is standard MEXT, but I can tell you this. We provide something for OC (oral communication), much like every other school, I believe. There are also classes in writing and reading (comprehension and speed reading), plus at the third year level, we offer something for TOEFL test taking.

Quote:
Having been an exchange student at the SHS I previously mentioned, I know that the school has a Language Lab. Do you use one at your school, Glenski?


Never heard of one at my school by that name. We have hundreds of computers. Three rooms (called the joho classrooms) contain Internet linked computers which are used for various studies in more than just English classes. Our library has the same kind of computers, and occasionally teachers bring classes there for some kind of work. It also contains computers that are used to view video tapes, probably more for entertainment than anything else. We also have two LL rooms which contain computers NOT linked to the Internet, and which are used for listening programs/tests.

I have a rare class use them for making projects from Internet researched material. Some teachers use them for writing reports without the Internet.

Quote:
Being a HRT sounds like hard work! Of course I'm not afraid of hard work but my only concern there is strange parents who give you a hard time because they don't like the way you are teaching their children even though you know that your way works.


You're going to find "strange parents" everywhere. The thing that concerns me about being a HR teacher is that you practically need to be fluent in Japanese. How else are you going to communicate daily news to the students, special news during events like the major sports days and school festival preparation days, monitor and administer mock exams weekly, etc. as well as hold meetings with parents simply to inform them of their kids' progress? On top of all that, you have to keep track of various administrative paperwork (tons of that, all in Japanese, of course), and be a counselor to the students who have severe social or mental or physical problems.

I would have to guess that most parents want their kids to succeed, but that they simply rely on the school to do that. The only real reason they would take issue with anything is when they hear of physical abuse or if they think their kids are failing. Gotta pass those football jocks, y'know, even if they aren't studying, right????

Quote:
My next question is are you happy with your job despite being so busy?


Generally, yes. Since my school has changed its English curriculum every year since I worked there, I'm in a special situation. And, this year we got a new principal, so some of the teachers have moved up in rank, too. This puts a whole new light on many things, and as a result even many of the Japanese teachers are showing outward signs of rebellion or dislike for the changes.
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