Job Discussion Forums

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

God, John! I wish I had known of that song when I had to give my farewell address to the assembled Takamori High miscreants that I had to endure for a year...

But as Pearl Harbour isn't taught in the history books there, it probably would have turned into an "unbelievable" history lesson with the principal and vice-principal sweating bullets...

NCTBA

[scot47]

They do not learn about Pearl Harbour ?

[gaijinalways]

John,

I didn't know you cared that much. I remember bombs falling, and then nothing.


sashadroogie posted

[Sashadroogie]

Talking to myself: I tell the learners that it is the only way I can engage in intelligent conversation, heh heh!

[Justin Trullinger]

I wouldn't worry about this as much as you seem to be, OP.

I've been doing this for a while, all over the place. Here's the thing, I, and most of us who take the profession seriously, wouldn't like being characterized, or treated, as dancing monkeys.

If asked to monkey around, as in your song singing situation, or anything else monkey-ish, by which I mean silly entertainment without educational purpose, I would politely decline. I'd explain privately to whomever that they would benefit more from my credibility than my humiliation in the long run.

If they don't care for that, then I'd be on the job market.

That said- I've taught a lot of kids. I can sing, dance, paint, finger-paint- you name it. In a situation where entertainment feeds education, I'm not shy.

Best,
Justin

[HCV]

I have been teaching for a few years now, and i did find that in general teachers in China were more exposed to "tokenism" than is the case in Indonesia.

However, expect to be stared at a lot, and expect a lot of strange people to want to have conversations with you in the street/shop.

After my first 2 yrs I started replying (in very broken English) that I cannot speak English

[santi84]

To be fair, I think there's a big difference between being a "dancing monkey" and teaching children I'm sure most of us are aware that children learn best through repetition, song, physical responses, etc. and using activities like TPR is one of the best ways to teach them. Teaching children has always been a joy for me. I also like to colour and do crafts, so I can use them as an excuse to make classroom props

A dancing monkey is just that... a baboon putting on a show for the amusement of others rather than any real educational value Whatever happened to that old video that a Chinese university student taped on his cell phone of a true dancing monkey?? It was awful Some poor 20 year old American kid who wouldn't know what an objective or gerund was if it bit him in the behind!

[gaijinalways]

I find sometimes even adults learn better this way too. Just another way to try and reinforce something students have been exposed to.

Then again, teachers in Japan debate about when university students here reach maturity too (or some adults for that matter..when some adults, especially some men still live at home at 40 years of age and their Moms still do their laundry). So activities for kids might work if a lot of life is spent trying to never lreach adulthood.

[Jetgirly]

I've taught kids who didn't want to be there before, and all the dancing and singing in the world wouldn't have made a difference. At the same time I've taught what we call "Level Zero" kids- immigrant children who've arrived in Canada in the past couple of weeks from places with little formal structured education, and the joy on their faces when you do crap like singing and dancing and coloring and throwing around a ball really does make it worthwhile. I spent a significant portion of last year playing games with a fourth-grader who had arrived from Siberia days earlier. Today he's better-spoken than many of his Canadian-born classmates and recently gave a presentation in front of the entire school. For me, I'm willing to be ridiculous if it enhances student learning. If I'm being asked to choreograph a "Canadian" dance routine for the staff to perform at parent night, I will firmly decline (true story).

[helmsman]

Looking around the place where I first taught I quickly noticed that the happy, well-adjusted and popular teachers included a bit of slapstick, singing, games, puzzles, etc into their lessons. Like you seem to be, I considered myself a fairly serious and dignified person, but I went out on a limb and consciously tried some entertaining enhancements that were well-received by students. While I would never stoop to being a �performing monkey� I have found that students in various East Asian and Middle Eastern countries appreciate some light-hearted behavior, perhaps because it is a way of showing that you are a normal human and not just a two-dimensional educator/evil grown-up.

[helmsman]

Fun activities can be rewards or ways to break up a monotonous task. Now I can look back in amusement at the time when I sang a Beatles song. One dose of my off key crooning was enough and I was never asked to sing again. But, it was a great way to get closer to the students so that we could get on to the business at hand. I should , however, also point out that students can intuitively sniff out a fraud, so those teachers that were all fun and games and no substance (that is, the students didn�t learn much) were not highly regarded. I am now in higher education, but have not forgotten the importance of fun.

[gaijinalways]

My students one time noticed I was singing a popular manzai (Japanese comedy duo) song in the background while checking their papers, and noted it in the essay they turned in!

I also have an odd habit of sometimes singing Christmas carols in the summer, but I can carry a tune, so I do all right.

[cormac]

The thing is about Kinder is that you just have to keep your kids having fun, and wanting to return. Every teacher does this in a different way. The female teachers tend to take the dancing and singing in their stride, but i just can't do it. Instead, I laugh with them. Play games. Give them a break from the serious routine of the government schools. The kids themselves will be looking for a chance to have fun, and its your job to help them find the way. Still, TBH, it was high energy work for me and the other male teachers in the kinder. But teaching actual lessons were still a very big part of the classes. Its just that kids learn quicker when they're having fun. But i'll be the first to admit that for the first few classes, i was a bit of a clown, although that would subtly change as a connection was made with the kids.

Oh, I'm not a professional teacher. I have degrees and other qualifications, but i worked mostly in Debt Collection most of my life. Now, I've changed focus, and am settling into teaching. I will get the relevant teaching qualifications in time though simply to get the better paid and better positioned jobs.

[LinguRing]

Often found it to be a matter of the particular school's philosophy, and generally it seems to be left up to the teacher a little more at smaller schools.