Job Discussion Forums

[Berek Halfhand]

The one thing we don't see enough of in this forum yet I feel is the day-by-day teaching programs you've come up with. What do you do each day, how long does it take to prepare lesson plans and what are those lesson plans, what works and what doesn't, etc.?

Below is a brief outline of questions that I think readers would feel of value if given a forum list of common responses to view.

{
What city and what kind of school do you teach at?

How large is your class size?

How many classroom hours do you teach each week?

What else are you expected to do at school besides actual classroom hours? Are you able to leave when you want to as long as you do the classroom hours, or are you expected to be there 9 hours a day for various reasons?

How long does it typically take you to make a lesson plan for a specific day? Do you make a plan the same for each class for that day or even per week, or different for each?

What do your lesson plans consist of, in detail? How do you "fill up" the classroom hour on a daily basis?

Describe both a great day teaching, a typical day, and a bad day...

What would you recommend to those reading this that are yet to go over to China to teach, specific to how to teach and how to prepare for classes.

If there were a few things you could think of that you wanted to say to new teachers NOT to do, what would they be?

Any other comments?
}

Hope some of you will be gracious enough to participate and get a pool of experiences going in one thread here that newcomers (such as myself) can learn from. This will help us to know what you actually do in teaching a class day by day and what it takes... Thanks!

[nickpellatt]

I teach at the Hainan Foreign Languages Vocational College, grade one students, mostly girls between 16 and 18. Its in a smallish town called wenchang on the east coast of the island.

Every weekday I have two 45 min lessons - one at 9.50am then next at 10.45am, and they end at 11.30.

Monday and Friday I have an additional two lessons, both after the long lunch 3 hour lunch break, starting at 14.30 and ending at 16.10.

Thats its for me, 14 x 45 min lessons, no other duties required. It is expected that we have open house times for students to visit, but this is as flexible as we want it.

I see each of my classes once a week, so I only need to plan one lesson a week really. To stop me getting so bored I have a few lessons plans and rotate em, so I dont do the same lesson 14 times a week.

Mostly, I put together a plan from the textbook.

This may include a dialogue, a reading section, some pair work to discuss comprehension, and some brainstorming where they can shout out answers, or answer individually. Depending on the text or subject, we may have a few minutes to go over key words and phrases, vocabulary etc.

If there is time, we sometimes play a simle game, we discuss next weeks lesson so they can prepare, and we may recap last weeks lesson.

best advice I can give...leave all your prejudices and expectations at home, and travel with an open mind and willing heart. Things will often disapoint and frustrate you....but some of the kids make up for it

[jammish]

What city and what kind of school do you teach at?

Dalian, at a Primary School

How large is your class size?

Approximately 20 students per class.

How many classroom hours do you teach each week?

18 x 35 minute classes, and 1 'activity class'

What else are you expected to do at school besides actual classroom hours? Are you able to leave when you want to as long as you do the classroom hours, or are you expected to be there 9 hours a day for various reasons?

No office bollocks. We do have a 'Morning reading' which each FT does once a week (addressing the whole school and getting them to repeat sentences)

How long does it typically take you to make a lesson plan for a specific day? Do you make a plan the same for each class for that day or even per week, or different for each?

Well, I have three different Grade 3 classes, and 3 different grade one classes. I try to use the same plans for each class, although it can take more/less time according to class, as some classes are much much stronger than others.

What do your lesson plans consist of, in detail? How do you "fill up" the classroom hour on a daily basis?

Introduction - game/warmup, then some new material/vocab, then another game to practice the vocab, then some new phrases/sentences, then perhaps some writing practice.

Describe both a great day teaching, a typical day, and a bad day...

It tends to be good and bad classes rather than good and bad days. Good classes are the ones where you feel you have kept their attention for the entire class, where not even one student has failed to participate, etc. Bad ones are the precise opposite!

What would you recommend to those reading this that are yet to go over to China to teach, specific to how to teach and how to prepare for classes.

I would say, well this is especially with regards to primary teaching: KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!! Primary students here need everything about half as difficult as you might expect!!! And for Uni students, on my relatively limited experience of them: expect a fair number of apathetic types who make the average UK stoner dropout look like Albert Einstein.

If there were a few things you could think of that you wanted to say to new teachers NOT to do, what would they be?

Don't lose your rag with the students. I think that is teh most important. And don't take the stuff you learn on your CELTA/TEFL course too much as reflecting what you will face in China. There's a huge difference between groups of ten keen european/south american adults, and 40 Chinese kids.

[tw]

[Sonnet]

What city and what kind of school do you teach at?
Private school in a small city

How large is your class size?
6-16

How many classroom hours do you teach each week?
15ach; 10 'real' hours

What else are you expected to do at school besides actual classroom hours?
Haha... I'm a DoS, so quite a lot! A "normal" teacher's duties here don't extend beyond planning, teaching, marking & "English Corner"-style classes, but those count as classroom hours anyway.

How long does it typically take you to make a lesson plan for a specific day? Do you make a plan the same for each class for that day or even per week, or different for each?
Well, we have a wide range of classes of different ages & abilities, so you can't really re-use a plan verbatim between two different courses; recycling ideas/activities is quick, though.
I've been doing this for a while, and planning gets a lot quicker with experience; even new teachers shoud never sweat CELTA-style over hour-long planning nightmares, though. The coursebooks are pretty helpful with that.

What do your lesson plans consist of, in detail?
That's a pretty broad question!

How do you "fill up" the classroom hour on a daily basis?
There's no need to "fill" time; if anything, I wish I had more time in class.

Describe both a great day teaching, a typical day, and a bad day...
Jammish was pretty spot on about looking at individual lessons rather than days; teaching's a fairly emotionally-involved job sometimes, but you can't really tell if a class was good/bad until the next time you see the students & see any progress they made from the last lesson.

What would you recommend to those reading this that are yet to go over to China to teach, specific to how to teach and how to prepare for classes.
Depends on the age/level they're teaching. Remember that working as a teacher can bear little relation to much of your CELTA/TESOL course.
For young learners; be prepared for them to be more immature than Western students of the same age, and never, ever forget the settler-stirrer (or heads up - heads down, if you wish) cycle.
For adults; don't expect group discussions to magically take off without suitable prep work. Exploit pair- & group-work, and be prepared to have to work a fair bit on listening skills.

If there were a few things you could think of that you wanted to say to new teachers NOT to do, what would they be?
- Transcribe seven-page long CELTA-style lesson plans
- Follow lesson plans slavishly in class
- Expect all of your students to be interested in what you feel are deep, important or interesting topics
- Sleep with students
- Consider your Western morals/philosophy inherently superior to whatever you meet in Asia

Any other comments?
Relax, enjoy yourself, and if you find that you're not enjoying yourself... it's a big wide world with a lot of jobs in it. Don't get stuck as an EFL teacher in China if it's not making you happy.

[Lobster]

Sorry, need to remove this post now.

RED

[Yu]

What city and what kind of school do you teach at?

Teach at University in Shanghai

How large is your class size?

largest is 32. smallest is around 15.

How many classroom hours do you teach each week?

I was teaching 16; but seniors graduate, so for the rest of the semester I have 8.

What else are you expected to do at school besides actual classroom hours? Are you able to leave when you want to as long as you do the classroom hours, or are you expected to be there 9 hours a day for various reasons?

There are not really any other expectations of me.

How long does it typically take you to make a lesson plan for a specific day? Do you make a plan the same for each class for that day or even per week, or different for each?

I have all different classes right now. For oral English, I mostly follow the textbook. I dont spend much time to prepare for those classes.... because I also had a writing class, and it ate lots of time. I planned the same class for my writing. Also, I have an Intercultural Communication class, and as it is something I enjoy preparting for I take time and make power point presentations, and give students homework which I grade.

What do your lesson plans consist of, in detail? How do you "fill up" the classroom hour on a daily basis?

Every class is different. But for the oral I usually give some useful vocabulary, and sketch of a dialogue, and then some activity to further practice. I have began to assign speeches for my advanced students.

Describe both a great day teaching, a typical day, and a bad day...

A good day is when it seems all the students enjoyed the lesson and it went as I planned. A bad day is when everything goes wrong. I find the more I plan the better my lessons generally are.

What would you recommend to those reading this that are yet to go over to China to teach, specific to how to teach and how to prepare for classes.

I dont have any specefic recommendations.


If there were a few things you could think of that you wanted to say to new teachers NOT to do, what would they be?

You will need to find some way to adjust your methods. You cannot expect what works in a western classroom to also work in a chinese classroom. More structure is better.

Any other comments?

Good Luck.

[james s]

...

[californian]

ok
M-F....no classes.

Saturday. 8am--1:30PM at a primary school, then two hours at a training center for kiddies from 6:30 to 8:30

Sunday. 1:30PM to 3:00 then 400 to 5:30 at the same training center.

So a total of around 10 real hours.

I usually plan a lesson ten minutes before I start a class. And they're pretty easy to plan, too. Just play some games and sing songs.

These are just part time gigs, so they don't require any office time. So I live a pretty relaxed life in Shanghai. Too bad I'm not staying.

[Sinobear]

What city and what kind of school do you teach at?

Guangzhou. Third tier (or tear?) college - vocational

How large is your class size?

Average 25.

How many classroom hours do you teach each week?

24. A normal teacher will have 18.

What else are you expected to do at school besides actual classroom hours? Are you able to leave when you want to as long as you do the classroom hours, or are you expected to be there 9 hours a day for various reasons?

I'm the coodinator- so I have more duties. Teachers are only responsible for their lessons - nothing extra.

How long does it typically take you to make a lesson plan for a specific day? Do you make a plan the same for each class for that day or even per week, or different for each?

Five minute prep (experience pays!) I make bi-weekly schedules. I have three sessions each week with each class. First lesson is 'by the book': grammar and vocabulary. Second lesson is a two-minute talk and written assignment. Third class is general interest/life skills/open discussion.

What do your lesson plans consist of, in detail? How do you "fill up" the classroom hour on a daily basis?

My lesson plans are timed, precise and strict. In detail? Impossible to say without being verbose. I don't "fill" time, I teach.

Describe both a great day teaching, a typical day, and a bad day...

You ask for three conditions - hence, "both" is an inapropriate choice of words. However, a great day is when no one dies. A typical day has limited (but acceptable) casualties. A bad day involves SWAT teams, CPR (for me) and UN intervention.

What would you recommend to those reading this that are yet to go over to China to teach, specific to how to teach and how to prepare for classes.

Don't believe the hype. Stay for one year...no more. You can fake an orgasm, you can't fake teaching.

If there were a few things you could think of that you wanted to say to new teachers NOT to do, what would they be?

Don't try to be their friend.

Any other comments?

Anal sex is fun if you're the doer. if it doesn't feel right, pull up your pants and get the heck out! Some people just don't belong in China, or in teaching.

Cheers!

[Tomato_Can]

What city and what kind of school do you teach at?

Suzhou - Private school. I teach Primary.

How large is your class size?

25ish

How many classroom hours do you teach each week?

22

What else are you expected to do at school besides actual classroom hours?

Film crews come in and film the FT's here a lot - I guess for advertising. A lot of posing for pictures (brochures), too.

Are you able to leave when you want to as long as you do the classroom hours, or are you expected to be there 9 hours a day for various reasons?

8am - 11am is the only time I have to be in my office or in a class. I have one or two classes in the afternoon, but I go back to my apartment when I'm not teaching them.

How long does it typically take you to make a lesson plan for a specific day?

It varies... sometimes as little as five minutes, sometimes 4-5 hours. Usually about a half hour.

Do you make a plan the same for each class for that day or even per week, or different for each?

The same plan for each grade. I teach 3 kindergarten, 2 first, 2 second and 2 third grade classes. But, one of my first grade classes is slightly more advanced than the other 1st grade class... so I have to change that one a little.

What do your lesson plans consist of, in detail? How do you "fill up" the classroom hour on a daily basis?

The first part of class is review... the second part is introducing new material... and usually the final part of the class we play a game (a learning game, of course)

Describe both a great day teaching, a typical day, and a bad day...

There have been days when I created a lesson plan that was a little too advanced - those have been bad days (but I blame myself). Most of my days have been great.


What would you recommend to those reading this that are yet to go over to China to teach, specific to how to teach and how to prepare for classes.

Be flexible. Be prepared always... for anything.

If there were a few things you could think of that you wanted to say to new teachers NOT to do, what would they be?

I can tell you what TO do: sit in on a few Chinese English teacher's classes one day... then do the opposite. Make it fun for the kids - let them express themselves and make learning English enjoyable. Take your job seriously - and take pride in your work.

Any other comments?

I never wanted to teach primary - being in a room with 20 six year olds frightened me... but this position fell into my lap, so I took it. It's been the most rewarding experience of my life. And now, I would never want to teach anything other than primary.[/b]