Job Discussion Forums

[grizzlies03]

Okay i just had my second lesson yesterday. I had 25 students for my first class, then only 4 come for my second class. For my other class it went from 11 students to 6 students. I'm I doing something wrong? I feel my first class went fine. The students who showed up said maybe the students are studying for a real important writing test coming up April 16th and they are very busy. Is that true? It is a conversation class for university students. Also this class has no mark, could that be a reason for them not showing up? or I'm I really boring Is this normal?

[NorbertRadd]

Many students are taking tests to try to get into "grad" school.
On the first day, you could always try a questionaire and ask the students to give 3 reasons why they want to learn English.
Cheers.

[burnsie]

Rejoice.

You don't want people in the class who don't want to be there as they will constantly interupt you and other students.

[Delicious]

I've had the same problem myself. When I first started my classes 5 months ago I had about 55 students amd after Spring Festival the number dropped to about 30 and have steadily decreased so much that last night I had NONE! I teach at a high school and the classes I teach are "extra" classes and therefore cut into the students study and homework time. I also know that their homework has tripled since last term and they have six major exams each month. I feel the same way you do and I've asked myself the same qeustions. I guess we have to put ourselves in the students postion and think to ourselves that if we were them we probably wouldn't come to class either.

[peggiescott]

grizzles,

It may be the exams, it may not. All of the FTs here teach pass-fail classes and that's not what stops the students from showing up.

How well does your class speak English? Or, perhaps more importantly, how well do they understand spoken English? Do you have an accent they may need to get used to?

If they're abilities are low then here are a few things you might want to try:

Speak slowly. Slower than that. No, really, really, really slow.
Use simple sentences, repeat most of them.
Pause frequently and pause longer between sentences.
Walk up and down through the class while you talk.
As unobtrusively as possible close any open books on the desk, collect any cell phones in use, pick up any notes being written and gently lay your hand on the shoulder of the guy in the back row who's asleep. Don't stop talking while you do this.
Keep your lessons simple and short.
Teach to the average. There will always be students who will tell you your class is too easy. I've always found that their self-evaluation is based on something I'm not teaching (i.e. they know 4000 English words) and they lack what I am teaching (i.e. the ability to use 5 of those words to make a grammatically correct sentence with adequate pronunciation).

Basically you need to let them know they are expected to participate and then you need to make it possible for them.

If your classes have a speaking ability better than, "go shopping" and "I like basketball." then I can't help you. I've never had a class like that.

Good luck,
Peggie

[Roger]

I don't accept "homework" as an excuse for skipping class; if I assign them home work which class are they going to ski8p? Yes - none! So, why do you give them so much liberty???

You can choose between two opposite views: one by a revered psychologically-educated university professor from the U.S.A., and a more prosaic one from a mere English teacher.

The first one holds that Chinese students alone know what they need, and whether your lesson is so boring that they don't really benefit from attending there. This is the attitude the professor acquired back in the merry ol' U.S.A., and now he is practising his wisdom in not-so merry old China.

My view is that they must attend, and I enforce their attendance by taking roll calls. Those who don't appear will be marked as absent; three absences disqualify them from taking a final exam.
I never have so many absences even when I do not apply my teacher's prerogatives as strictly as I currently do. Fact is, however, that these students are not mature enough to choose what's in their own best interest. No one sees them as adults except some do-gooders. Accepting students playing truant is making yourself complicit in their cheating and deceiving. Chinese teachers won't give them the same freedom, and students know they can't get away by saying "we have too many exams ahead!"
I am not in favour of penalties and of monitoring and controlling students; but it is part of their upbringing and their life. They have no privacy while studying, and if you alone give them opportunities to cheat the system you are going to reap the fruit you deserve.
They have little respect for teachers, even less for FTs; however, they want a service from their school, to which they are, to a modest extent, entitled: they may get their various certs if they do what their school expects them to do. One thing is: to pass exams. While these exams are silly and unprofessional enough (I would never expect my students to pass my own exams but those of a national examination board), these students know that they usually get what they want because studying is for the elite only - and the elite are defined in terms of income and social standing, not in terms of hard work and honesty.

[tofuman]

I'd be very happy with 4-6 motivated students in my class. You have a great opportunity to actually teach them something.

[rickinbeijing]

Ruf, ruf!

Really enjoyed Old Dog's post. I wonder if he will make 5000 before Easter?

I also say "Rejoice!" Chances are that their presence would only provide some little needed jiang hua.

Do they take a final exam? If not, Roger's advice is moot as well as soot.

As for my Itinerant acquaintance, Roger, you have entirely too much time on your hands. May I suggest using your feet to walk backward in the fashion of laoren every morning and evening. This exercise would be compatible with your backward thinking.

[NorbertRadd]

Sugar catches more flies than vinegar

[Talkdoc]

Here we go again.

Grizzlies03, the advice offered to you by everyone (barring one) on this thread is sound. You can force physical attendance but not interest or attention. Doing so essentially cheats those who do very much want to learn from you. Devote yourself to those who are motivated and mentally involved in the process and don't worry about the rest. One caveat though: by not forcing attendance, you will deprive yourself of receiving some very entertaining and creative absenteeism excuses, but I'm sure you'll survive it. (Although Sir Roger has, in previous posts, outlined specific methods for cross-validating these excuses, if you are interested.)

Doc

[rickinbeijing]

Yes, I agree with the rather dashing TalkDoc. The only thing you deprive yourself of are those inventive excuses.

Sir Roger, apparently, takes a certain satisfaction out of documenting in dossiers. A-hem.

[brsmith15]

Psych 101. Senient beings don't go where it's uncomfortable.

[kev7161]

Even some of us "lowly" high school teachers have these situations. I just posted a similar topic a few posts down with a "special" English class I had organized. Out of the about 40 original students, I have about 14 to 16 regularly attending class. I was reporting the missing students, but now I just mark them off my class list if I don't see them after a couple of times. They won't get a grade from me and they won't be able to "show up" for tests (not that any of them will).

Luckily, my spring semester has become so much easier than the fall one. I have fewer classes and students that will earn a "real" grade from me. The others get a "Pass" if they attend classes and a "Fail" if they don't. As for what you, the OP, should do - - it's really based on your school policies. I would encourage you to report the missing students to someone in charge. If they care, then you'll see more students tomorrow. If nobody cares, then you won't. Simple as that. I agree with Roger (see that other recently-notorious thread) in that attendance SHOULD be mandatory for a foreign language class, but this is China after all where you may just end up beating your head against a wall ala Charlie Brown.