Job Discussion Forums

[Roger]

Ihopeyourkids don't get to you the way my typo got to you, mandu, MANDU! Ioftenslip up copying these pseudonyms,can'thelp it, really!

Inever singsongswith anykids, and I am the first to own up to say this is sad; onthe other hand, knowing one's own limitations may help in realising one's potentialmore fully. I certainly do compensate for that oneweakness,you can rest assured.

BUt I seeeno point in purusing a contest, a "competition of ideas" as Vicky-D.icky intended this thread to go because there is no use for that.
I acknowledge there were some useful tips even for me, but the significance of any such idea becomes evidentwhen you are faced with a kindy classroom situation:then, you should be alert and make a quick decision; knowing so and so many different games won't be helpful - knowing WHT under the concrete circumstances gets good results is what matters.

Thus, no one has talked about their briefs, their course descriptions or curricula.So long as we do not know what the end product is supposed to be, and how much time we are given there is no use for so many different new games and activities.

You have to be flexible, not ideologically overloaded!

Also, I wonder how good that book of yours, Mandu, is? Do your kids have a copy? HOw do you use it? Just throwing the fact that you are made to use a book at us isn't much of information. There are books, and there are other books; there are even useful books - though I doubt the Bible or a Harry Potter would be useful in a kindy!

I used to purchase draftsbooks for my kids so they could colour pictures.

[vikdk]

[mmm... pancakes]

[vikdk]

Ohh pancakes don�t be such a spoil sport and a wet rag � it�s our childish immature antics that have been the catalyst of this thread. If we had said nice things to each other and decided to agree we would have shut up long ago � and all in sure you�ll find a lot of the useful stuff is mixed in our pizz. Your contribution is actually more condescending than anybodies � Roger knows what he�s doing with his play on names � he certainly isn�t going to stop because of your little slap on the wrist � and you know what by drawing attention to it you have you have given that little game double effect � most people just ignore it � when we do go after each here its usually based on some professional point � not name calling!!!

By the way� I used some of Rogers info today!! I had a parents class this evening and one of things I talked about was Lego building blocks � hope those % figures were correct!!!

[mmm... pancakes]

[vikdk]

Quite strange how so many people have actually chosen to sift through this piz � must be something to do with the entertainment value.

Anyways the major part of my lecture tonight concerned routine, which is something of vital importance both for the small child and for those entering new employment.

As a newbie in any work that first month or two can be a bit of a crippler� here in China as a kindergarten worker it can be a killer. Yes boys and girls this is the time where you find out if you like being the classroom monkey or not � like it and do your stuff for the 4000 or so bananas or so a month � but don�t like you have too alternatives.
1. quit
2. become serious about your teaching and try to achieve something.

For the people who want to achieve state number 2 - the first thing you have to manufacture is a routine � a set way in which you carry out your activities. This will benefit you in activity timing and preparation of content � to smoothly go from one element of the activity to another. It will also aid your kids � constant change stresses small kids, but presenting new knowledge in a routine way dampens this stress and enhances the learning process.

Presenting new knowledge in a routine way � what bull is that? Well actually it�s as simple as dividing the lesson up into sections � I normally divide into..
1. warm up
2. greetings
3. recap
4. new lesson content
5. story/game
6. good byes

I always start with warm up because before saying hello � cause it gets my kids on there toes � and encourages real conversation rather than language regurgitation.

Warm up can be songs which have already been learnt � they work good � and cause the kids already know them � to make sure the kids understand what they are singing you can throw in a fake line or if you illustrate the song with flashies a dud picture.

A good warm up I used to use for small kids � was just to lie down on the floor and pretend to fall asleep � soon start to get kids shouting wake up � you can answer no I want to sleep � kids soon start to see funny side of situation and protest � language is easily build in this kind of situation.

A similar one is to sit with your back to the kids � get em to shout turn around.

Go outside the door � knock- get them all to shout come in � but then come in as a wolf (sorry wolves I know you are good animals) � get them to shout go away � come in as a good person they will still shout go away � so then you mime sad/crying and build up a simple conversation.

To get these warm up routines to work really well you have to do them several times � and that�s their beauty you can repeat them and slowly make em more complicated � as the kids become more competent to handle English you can make them very complicated � I make a house at the start of every lesson now out of a window and door flashcard � I have dogs chasing me into the house, postmen with letters, different weather situations � and a girl comes to visit me, but we only get to play ball � sucks.

So that was my ideas about warm ups and routine � ill go off now and try and think some nasty piz to write tomorrow for those who were disappointed with the conventional nature of this post.

[Roger]

I have gone through this thread once again, and I have come to realise that it was me that gave it a personal twist. My apologies to third parties.
But the reason why it developed this way is that I and vikdk have an ancient axe to grind, one that he used on me first.

I hope that for the many newbies out there there was still some philosophical underbrush to discover.

[vikdk]

Don�t apologise � if you�re passionate about your teaching � be passionate in your posts. Far too many wishy washy, anemic lets go and watch a Disney cartoon type efforts at daves. As long as the post keeps professional argument alive so show yur teeth � anyways some us would far better watch a good fight � than a soppy game of ring a ring a roses. Think of this place as pressure valve � aint to good an idea bursting that at work � but if you direct that pressure-passion into some well directed prose � maybe even a bit on the vitriolic side � then I believe it�s ok to let some of that pent up energy seep out here. An you never know your outbursts may also contain a bit of seeping wisdom.

The other thing the style of this thread attacks is the stereotyping of us kindy workers.

Just look at what pancakes wrote �

[vikdk]

In an earlier post I gave a list of criteria around which I believed a lesson should be based � these being social relationship/cooperation, communication, responsibility and creativity. These criteria are basic flagstones for the construction of lessons for any age group � so to make a lesson suitable for kindy kids we need an extra criteria � that of lesson suitability for a specific age/level of development.

Now psychology has given us lots of work analyzing human development from birth to death. Yes folks we develop in one way or other all the way to the grave. Freud started this game off with his analphases and so on and so on � but there is one guy who really gave us insight into how we can plan a lesson for kindy kids � and he was called Erik Erikson.

As kindy workers we should take a peek at what he said about the development of kids in the 3-6 year age group. He calls this period � the initiative versus guilt stage � a stage where the child starts to emerge from the shell of motherly (parent/adult) protection to start forming its own independence and decision making capability. As such the child is supposed to feel a sense of guilt when exploring that new world which is suddenly full of temptations, but with the feeling being gradually overcome by the child�s natural desire to develop initiative and taste independence.

So kindy workers if we devise activities that could encourage the independent brave spirit then we really would doing something that goes hand in hand with healthy early development.

So enough of the bull � how do I go about doing this?

Well lessons where you encourage kids to do something bad are not a bad start. I often present a piece of junk paper such as old newspaper to my kids � and rip it up before their noses throwing the bits on the floor. You soon get em shouting no/stop/bad � and, if they don�t already know it, you can introduce � in the bin (trashcan). To add a greater effect of naughtiness you can also run away from the scene of the crime � with them shouting � come back Second step is to get one of the kids to do it � being a naughty paper ripping kid � which for some can be a difficult thing to do in front of others � but don�t they just love it even if they know they�re not going to get away with it � however to carry out this task they have to overcome and be independent of their feelings of guilt � but being told at the same time what they�re doing is just plain wrong � get that paper in the bin!!!

Another way of encouraging initiative is by bringing a guard dog into the classroom � in the form of a flashcard (make the dog look sweet so as not terrify) and a barking teacher. Place a ball (or anything) by the dog and ask a kid to fetch it � of course you growl and bark a bit as the kid approaches. Most kids then back off � so they have to get a strategy � it�s so funny to hear the other kids telling them what to do � we try quietly, slowly and quickly � maybe they need to give the dog a bone � but in the end they get that ball � and the children get another small lesson which both aids English learning and more importantly there natural positive development in the direction of healthy independence and initiative.

By the way people like Erikson really did pave the way for modern teaching methods � since the understanding of development stages enables us to follow our kids instead of making them blindly follow us in unsuitable activities, which in the end can harm development. And in my humble opinion the only way we�ll see a positive change in Chinese classrooms � are if the messages of the real educational heroes, like Erikson, are finally listened to and followed.

[level]

Well I didn't realise this thread was still going!

Thanks to all of you with useful tips. I have realised that the best approach is to be totally flexible. What I do now depends on the mood if the class. I've also realised that most games and quite a few songs are too complicated for the small ones so I have really taken it back to basics.

Some of the ones I made up included lining up the flashcards, I say one of them (eg 'cat') and they have to point to the right card. When teaching a new word I get a flashcard, or an object, and give it to one of the kids to hide behind their back. Another kid is standing at the front covering their eyes. All the kids put their hands behind their backs then the 'it' kid has to go round and ask 'Do you have the x', until s/he finds it. The kid with the x has to say, 'Yes, I have the x'. Pretty simple but they seem to like it. Also very good is 'apple, pear' which I changed from duck goose because I'm teaching fruit at the moment. The kids sit in a circle and the 'it' kid walks around touching the other kids on their heads and saying apple.. apple... apple etc until they say pear. When they say pear the kid they just touched has to chase round the circle after them and try and catch the it kid before s/he get back to the touched kids place. If the it kid is caught s/he is it again. I change the vocab depending on what I'm teaching them. The kids love this game and it's a great way to get even the ones who don't like speaking to speak.

Finally, having a warm up song and a finishing song (ABC and twinkle twinkle at the moment) is a great idea.. the kids know where they are and it gets them in the mood for the lesson or calms them down if I've been playing rowdy games.

[mandu]

i always try to encourage the children to think for themselves,and to do things on there own and to be creative.
but its the chinese teachers that will not let the children be like that.

[vikdk]

Environment is of course an important factor for education � where an efficient educational environment should be finely adjusted to function the specific requirements of the pupils found within it.

Ahh haa � pretty basic stuff � lecture theaters for senior students and play areas for kindy kids � not too many brain cells required there! But hang on a min � when I go to teach at the kindy the rooms are all decked out with chairs and desks in neat rows � there aint many play things, and what�s there are put out of arms length � they�ve even got whiteboards here � look at all the drawings on the wall, they were made by the teachers � and that goes rest of the decorations as well � shiit am I really going to teach under fives here, cause this place looks more set up for a group of extremely small post graduate students!

Although I�d like to write the above is just an exaggeration, those conditions are only too common, and I believe they reflect an example of how some of our Chinese kindergarten friends rather spurn the wisdom of basic educational principles � to replace them with the their own inscrutable logic concerning the market place � �if we make our supposed child care center look more like a toddler university, silly mommy and daddy will pay us more money � hahahaha�.
Trouble is - for us teachers trying to make a serious go of this job, although our masters may be successful in their little marketing ploy, as far as our work is concerned �their callous attitudes rather act as a nasty slap in the face towards our professional intentions.

So what can we do about it � how does the kindy FT empire strike back at Darth Money grabber.

First of all we can look at a kindergarten through a hardware/software filter.
Now the hard is all the stuff like furniture, bricks and mortar, even toys and books � you know the stuff. The kind of stuff we have nearly zero influence with (maybe once in a while we can persuade them to buy a teaching aid or two).
The soft is teaching ideas, teaching methods, child development friendly educational philosophies (ad infinitum) � you know the day to day practical stuff, that, for the serious player of this game, are mixed together with a few wishy washy ideas.
Secondly we can then apply a very simple to understand kindy principle to our hard/soft pic - if your teaching kids under 6 years of age then now and again it pays off to try and think under 6.

So what can we achieve from this?

Well first of all you can go and congratulate your bosses on picking the right size furniture, because, for most of them, that�s the only thing they�ve done right.
Then you can go and think about your own work � and just place yourselves in the shoes of your kids � and think � would I enjoy that krap, could I endure that krap, could I learn anything from that krap apart from its more fun to play up or totally switch off. This kind of thinking hopefully sparks off - why should I teach material that is not suitable for this age group, type logic.

Teaching kids requires thinking their ages. For example when you teach 2 year olds here � think 2 and think about what any 2 year old back home like to do (Dem der kids like jus the same ol� stuff as ours!) � roll a ball, play peek-a-boo � standing up/down games � clapping games � building blocks � funny noise games � very simple follow my leader type games. I once told someone here to roll a ball with very small kids � they replied that didn�t think the Chinese teachers would be impressed. Well hopefully in our hearts we don�t work for them � we may have ulterior motives to make �em happy (like our wages) � but come on you know who we really work for.

As a new kindy teacher pleasing your Chinese colleges is of course a very important thing � and that factor has also had a big influence on my work � which means the way I teach was very different at the beginning to how it is now. For example � at the start I was always encouraged to teach sentences. As someone who knows it can be bad to bite the hand that feeds � I of course succumbed � but soon realized that these sentences were dead language � just as easily forgotten as they were learnt. But as time goes bye and mutual confidence builds up between you and your employer then you find out that you have a free hand in what you do � an that you really can build and use method that is focused on the under 6 group.

A perfect example of an activity I do now � which my experience now indicates is a way of fighting back at the bad educational environment while respecting the development norms of or kids� is hide and seek flashcards. Here you create an environment � if you can�t change the hardware, bring your own, in the form of flashcards � put them round the classroom � and get kids to play at hiding behind them. Now anyone can see that the 4 year old crouching behind the chair with a tree flashcard isn�t really hiding � but in the imagination of a 4 year old mind - aided by a teacher who seeks the hiding kid in just about every other place than that darn chair � he is. This is the stuff that 4 year old really enjoys � the stuff that gives him a positive vibe when he shouts in answer to the question �where� � �in (behind) the tree� � a vibe that�s tuned into his 4 year old life � a vibe that makes him want to come back to our classes � a vibe that makes him want to learn English.

Now as we play our game many of the old empresses of the classroom � you know who I mean � will be raising eyebrows, Ohh deary me rowdy classrooms � children rising from chairs � children speaking out of turn � spontaneous enjoyment � no sentences - �what has happened to our precious empire�!!!
But if you take a hard look, as time goes on, the brave new generation of Chinese teacher will be start to smile. Perceiver more and they�ll even join in (usually always begins with the cleaner/child care girl) � and who knows if they do decide to carry on in this vain, eventually we might actually see some kids pictures up on the wall and some toys on the floor � and be able to work in a workplace that respects children for their abilities with regard to positive personal development rather that their potential in drumming up cash.

FT�s strike back!!!!

[Roger]

In Chinese kindergartens the PARENTS are the kings and queens, neither the little emperor nor the principal. The parents enrol their little darling in the mistaken belief they are giving him a head start over those kids who start the education process at primary school grade 1.

The Chinese parents are unbelievably dumb in that they won't listen to any advice; their child is always another Albert Einstein and your job is to drill and train him until he knows the Encyclopedia Britannica by heart, backward and forward.
Typically, they will insist "my child must learn this here book..." This here book? Their child cannot read, write or understand abstract concepts; still he must be subjected to mental torture by dint of CAMBRIDGE NEW ENGLISH LEARNER'S, a series with uninspiring illustrations, puerile language and faulty English.

What really is required is not so much "hardware" and "software" but a new concept of partnership between parents, principals and instructors.
Parents ought to submit to the professional wisdom of teachers and pedagogues, principals ought to defend their teachers and teachers ought to resist those who want to turn a kindy into a bootcamp.

Instead of monitoring their child's homework assignments and his progress, parents should take turns watching kindergarten classes in progress and discuss with teachers and other parents. They should be roped in like in some Western countries where they become mandatory members of a Parent-Teacher Association. Such associations should become fact here in China, with FTs giving their feedback to parents.

As it is, parents believe in the purchasing power of their tuition fees: my money buys so and so many English words per term!

[vikdk]

Of course parents rule the roost � but by playing the game hard from our end we actually ruffle (hopefully in a nice way) a few of their feathers as well. In 2 of my kindergartens I�m allowed to give parent lectures � and parents are encouraged to come and look at my alternative methods by the kindergarten management � shiit if they think it can sell they don�t care! Kind of works out ok � cause it allows me to do the stuff I care about � combining English learning with social education.

Whenever I write about FT�s not only being English teachers but also social educators I can almost hear the howls of derision, the hoots of laughter and the calls of get of your high horse you antagonizing idiot.

So the first part of this post is aimed directly at my doubters � most of these people will probably want to say that they run well-disciplined classes � but when they teach their students the class rules, so as to establish and maintain discipline, is that part of their English curricula? No of course not � that is part of an unavoidable social agenda � and even if we deny that being a social educator isn�t anything to do with our job � well sorry I�ve got bad news � you can�t get away from it � it comes with the profession. We may not be social workers � but unless our classes are social vacuums, like the language labs � we cannot avoid being social educators.

In theory teachers are in fact very important social educators, since we are one of those traditional social role models who many children in many societies have been programmed to look up to and respect. If fact actually follows theory is left is very much open for discussion � but I believe it�s this social aspect of our work that really does pile the responsibility on our profession.

Of course social responsibility for our students is somewhat relative to the ages of those students � and our social responsibilities must be greater when we are working with young vulnerable, easily led groups. Therefore any new kindergarten worker must be able to have some type of ability to reflect on the social impact they are having on their classes � and believe me � with the age range of our kids - you can have a lot!

I believe a good way to go about this important reflection is to create an imaginary social barometer � which relies on a simple rule of thumb - happy well-behaved pupils can indicate pupils with positive social values. Now I know this is a lot of wishy washy tripe, and so-called happiness and good behavior are in no way true measures of a social values � shiit we can simply bribe the kids to be happy and well behaved (and of course we do) � but I�m afraid they are about the best indicators we have, and I�m afraid this part of our work relies on something very unscientific - personal gut feeling. So if you�re a normal type person (I think that already excludes me), who has, what could normally be considered, a good sense of good an bad � well that�s your barometer. If you are a serious kindergarten worker and care for your kids � then you act when your gut indicates a low! I know an extra argument could be added here that says culture differences are reflected in alternative views in what is perceived as being good or bad � but take it from me act on the premise � what is good and bad for an under 6 back home is also good and bad for them here. I know we are getting kids ready for Chinese schools and society, but shiit I�m talking about the nasty stuff that goes on here � disgusting methods used to discipline kids, long periods of inactivity, inappropriate teaching methods, bad care levels and so on and so on.

Which brings me on to the next point � here at Daves I read about teachers sending kids out, making them stand in corners (making a spectacle of the individual) � thank god the cane is illegal! We all have discipline problems, but remember creating discipline using methods of psychological violence are potentially just as damaging as physical violence itself. This again is wishy washy stuff when faced with a Toddler riot or one or two particularly disruptive kids � but try and make the whole class responsible for keeping the class well behaved � even if they don�t realize it. Bribe �em � yes give �em a bribe � but make bribery work in your favor by making it a child development friendly bribe. I bribe along these lines � good funny lessons for good classes � if the class is very good a story. Now the only way you get this message through is routine � creating a well behaved class takes its time � especially for young kids who have to learn the rules � and the help of an AT who understands what your trying to do. By the way a f***ing important tip � kids usually act up more during full moon periods � maybe they don�t sleep so good or are weirwolves??? So stories and other goodies can be useful to use during these periods.

One of the lessons we do at the moment that could be viewed as something directly related to social norms is a game with 8 pencils. 4 small and 4 big � 4 different colors makes the lesson more interesting. Anyway you need an AT � let her have 4 big pencils � you have 4 small � you look at the big � you want the big. You go over to the AT � �I want the big pencils (I want the big red pencil)� � she won�t give them you � you try to take them � you can have a funny push pull fight � the kids will soon shout (if they know the words) ��stop/bad�. Then get the AT to put the pencils down, and pretend to sleep. Then you creep up � can practice the words, quiet, slowly, pick it up � the children should then be encouraged to shout to the AT �wake up�. She does, you are stopped, you can finish game either with the word � sorry � or by sharing pencils 2big/2small each. This is just the basic skeleton of this game � there are lots of variations � but it can be really good fun, and small kids are so righteous, they just love to shout in English to get that naughty boy to stop!

[vikdk]

Hey I forgot to say in the last post that another good way of getting a positive contact with the parents/grandparents is by supervising the morning exercises.

Kindy kids always get some form of exercise before they �go to classes� � sometimes the whole kindy together, some class by class. At one of my kindies I give a morning exercise for all the kids together � a session that last roughly 15 minutes � something that I make like a morning assembly. We have a greeting routine � greeting each other by song � then the excercises usually start first very simply � we count �1 raises an arm � 2 second arm � 3 an 4 gets leg movement � and ffffffffffffive a jump. Make the movements as if you are a lone kung fu warrior about to go into battle with a mighty army. Swop the numbers for names � 1,2 arms � 3,4 legs � 5 jjjjjjjjjjjump. These exercises are so simple but amazingly the kids still enjoy going on 2 years!!!!! We then go through a variety of things where kids fly like birds, swim like fish, climb like monkeys � you know the kind of stuff. We also sing at least 2 songs � the song �put your one arm up� I wrote about before is always a favorite.

To make this activity really different from an ordinary exercise session I throw some stuff in from other activities � stuff that reflects where my teaching is going, and something of my (social education/english)teaching style. At the moment were doing very basic stuff on road safety � when a road flash card appears I make traffic noises and dodge imaginary vehicles � this gets the kids to chant - �stop bad! don�t walk on the road�. This flashy is followed by (yes I�ve chosen the Angloyankee) a sidewalk picture � �good go, walk on the sidewalk�. Believe me on-looking adults start to become pretty impressed to find their kids are actually learning something apart from the usual names of fruits and hands on knees!!!!!!!!!!!! The trick to this routine is also just introduce a small amount of something that works very well in the class � it�s a piece of cake � you also start to feel like a mighty dictator with 200 plus kids chanting in unison � gotta teach �em � heil FT� one day

If you can make your exercise session something special there is a possibility you�ll get a big crowds beaming adults � suddenly the kindy gets an advertisment � the kids get a good time (always make sure you work on a kids first rule) � and you get to jump up a 1000 steps on the kindy power ladder. If you start to become a serious selling point (serious means they don�t just take pics of you with the kids but let parents see your lessons) your position is suddenly radically altered � you arrive at a place where you yourself can force a transition from Monkey to serious kindergarten worker. But remember don�t chase that Monkey completely out of your life � if he�s a clever monkey he can be a useful monkey � and he can bring both fun to the kids, extra economic advantage for your bosses and it should create for you both the free space to get down to some of the more serious aspects of our profession, and the added advantage of being able to screw the heat up for a fairer share of the kindergarten profit. Believe me, if the private kindergartens that we work for become very dependent on our services, because through us they start to draw in a bigger customer base, then we deserve our piece of the cake � and when viewed at a general level, our close connection to this aspect of kindy finances means that wage levels in kindies is generally regarded as one of the highest for normal ESL work in China � so don�t get cheated. Also remember to both bring in those customers and that wage you should meet the standards of normal teaching ethics �but if you haven�t got the strength to maintain those standards, then the chances are you�ll also be too weak to be a successful professional here.