Job Discussion Forums

[robot]

Hello everyone,
I'm currently mulling over a couple of job offers in China, the better positions are at Universities.
I have a couple of concerns about this, as previously I've largely taught to children or basic English classes, also I'm fairly young to be teaching at a University (24).

Was wondering what your thoughts on the matter are?
What is a typical class like?
Also any tips?

[Ms Bean]

Do some reading in previous threads. What you are asking is more than anyone can be expected to answer.

Except the clothes:

Most FTs that I have seen (myself included) wear casual clothes as in blue jeans, T shirt/blouse/sweater/coat.

In the summer, you will need to convert to tropical dress such as very light cotton pants and shirt.

The better you dress, the better you will be regarded by fellow faculty members (if you care about such things).

[robot]

Ms Bean, thanks for the reply.

Will have to get my tux dry cleaned ,

realize the questions are vague. I'm not very good on the internet, either come across as an idiot or a grandma.

what i would find useful would be for someone to very briefly describe their typical university lesson.

or recommend some textbooks or websites that help them.

still too much? i would read previous threads if i could find them, the search isn't wonderful and nearly all the links on Dave's are for teaching High school or younger.

Regards
Tom

[sui jin]

A lot depends on your confidence level. Several teachers in my college have been a similar age to you, and they seem to do fine, get on with the students and are well-regarded by the chinese faculty. Provided you show up to class on time, prepare interesting and useful activities for the students and engage with them in class, you will be praised and cherished!

(BTW, starting and finishing classes on time seems to be very important here in China. Students sometimes complain if classes finish early!)

Of course if your background is in English or a related discipline, all the better, but I would say in general foreign teachers here are not expected to show 'technical expertise'(!). Shocking , I know......
Lessons with the foreign teachers are often more about applying or practicing what the students have learnt in the regular classes with Chinese teachers. Also interacting with the FTs, students get some rare and valuable exposure to different ways of thinking and speaking.

A typical class in oral English might be to divide the class into groups for a role play or team building exercise, or to have students interview each other about a topic. The aim, with a class of 30 or 40, is to maximize the time they spend talking. My role is to set up the activity, teach any new vocab etc., listen as they do the activity, maybe model a conversation pattern, and correct common errors. I sometimes use 1 or 2 students as roving language monitors to prevent the kids lapsing into Chinese.

[surrealia]

I've taught university classes in Taiwan and Hong Kong, so perhaps I can offer some advice here.

I wouldn't worry about your age, in fact, I think it will be an advantage, as you will be able to relate to your students better.

For my university lessons, I use the coursebook for part of the lesson, but also add several other activities, that give students a chance to work on fluency. I also add a review session every few lessons to help students consolidate what they have learned.

University jobs can vary, so when you get a job offer, you might try to contact some of the foreign staff working there for more information. Here are a few books that I would recommend:

Humanising Your Coursebook by Mario Rinvolucri

Teaching Large Multilevel Classes by Natalie Hess

Dealing With Difficulties by Luke Prodromou and Lindsay Clandfield

Doing Task-based Teaching by Dave Willis and Jane Willis

Also, I highly recommend you read over some of the practical articles at www.onestopenglish.com and www.teachingenglish.org.uk.

[sui jin]

I also highly recommend onestopenglish.
Check out Alex Case's stuff at Tefltastic (games, worksheets , plans), and North Carolina's Curriculum guide for basic esl lesson plans and activities. There are some business role plays in Dave's Ideas cookbook (eg the one called 'Build a Building' or something like it)

[eddy-cool]

Just to give the OP some pointers:

Don't expect your university students to be high achievers! SOmetimes school life has dumbed them down so much they have less English proficiency than junior high school students have. It also greatly depends on whether you are teaching English majors or others. At university level their English has to meet certain criteria tested in the CET 4 exam, one of which is mastery of 4'500 English words. Imagine: 4500 words... after 7 to 9 years of English classes... (To me this proves that students' memory isn't that great although it might be better than their overall performance in the subject).

Another thing to consider: Many of your students will likely be very opportunistic: they want the mark but won't make the effort. In universities students are not really given the freedom to be absent from classes but they perceive laowai teachers as extremely soft; you will therefore encounter the anomaly of a student asking you at the end of the term 'can I take the exam now?' - only to find that you have never seen this particular face before...

[therock]

Just take your guitar and wear your clown suit and you will be fine.

[robot]

Thanks everyone, much help.

Clown suit & Guitar, personally i don't believe that (often stated) idea. Is that what you do?





Tom

[Sugar Magnolia]

I recommend that you take a few different approaches to the class, which will probably only meet once a week. Depending on the university, the typical class will have between 30 and 50 students enrolled, most likely 40 or so. But, expect at least 10 to 15 to never come to class. As stated above, they will probably show up at the end of the semester.

Grades have been discussed here before; I personally do not fail anyone but give them a low grade, perhaps 69, with 70 being passing in my mind. Generally, I grade with a 10 point curve. If a student comes to class regularly but their English is terrible, they will probably receive a 81. If they rarely come, but I recognize them, and their English is terrible = 71. In the end, the grade you give really doesn't matter.

As for the different approaches, some classes focus on Culture and entail my doing more talking than normal. For example, in March I will discuss St. Patrick's Day. After telling the students about the origins of the holiday and defining new vocabulary with pictures, such as "shamrock", "leprechuan" etc..I usually have 2 students stand in front of the class and read a short dialogue that I have written. After defining all of the new words, I have the students basically read it to each other in pairs.

The 2nd approach involves everyday situations, such as eating at a restaurant, checking into a hotel, going to the Doctor etc.. You can get a few ideas from a Chinese phrasebook, such as Lonely Planet. Basically, I introduce the topic and elicit the vocabulary. For example, I may ask - who is the 1st person you see at a restaurant? Ideally, someone says the Host, but, usually they say Waiter. I then have 2 students read a dialogue that I have prepared. After defining the new words, I do the same as above and have the students talk in pairs. Then, finally, I ask them to form groups and prepare their own restaurant dialogues. If there is not enough time, I assign that for homework to be done in the next class.

The 3rd approach is my favorite, but may also cause problems, especially if the class isn't the brightest. I treat the class like an English Corner. I introduce the topic and then we free-talk about it for awhile. I then ask the students to form small groups and give them a list of questions to discuss while I walk around the class and chat for a bit with each group.

Of course, some groups will immediately begin to speak Chinese, but I don't give a shit. I can't make them talk; I can only facilitate conversations, hopefully in English. As the saying goes - "You can lead the horse to the water, but you can't make it drink."

Besides the above, the best advice I could give you is to WALK around the room throughout the class, even while introducing the topic. DO NOT just stand in the front of the class behind the podium like their Chinese teachers. If you see someone reading the paper, walk up to him/her and ask them a question, then walk to the other side of the room and ask someone there a question. Writing the words on the board is good also.

Good Luck!

[arioch36]

[Worldly]

[NorthofAmerica]

Maybe it woiuld be good for a new topic but this thread has been pretty useful so let's keep it rollin...


I am just curious, I've been looking into jobs at a university and they seem like a great deal. What time period do they hire for? I am not available in China until the first week of April. Does this rule me out of university jobs?

[run_evan]

Fantastic thread! ..thanks everyone.

I'm about to start my first teaching position, and it will be in a University.

I'd like to ask: What do you do to learn everyone's name?

I've considered lining them up and taking their picture (I had one teacher at my University that did this), but I don't want to weird them out.

Or is it not big deal, because they'll want to use their English names which are easier to remember?

[Sugar Magnolia]

Evan,

Most likely you will not be able to remember everyones name, but, after awhile you should be able to remember a few, especially those who participate in class. Keep in mind that if you are working at a university, you will probably have more than 15 classes with about 40 students in each class. That = around 600 students! Unfortunately, each class only meets once a week, so it will be difficult to remember everyones name.

I generally spend the 1st class introducing what will be covered in the class. I usually begin by asking what is the purpose of this class? Someone will probably answer correctly that the class is for them to practice speaking. I then tell them that that is correct, but that today I will do most of the talking. Instead of then just introducing myself, I explain to the class that their goal should be to speak as much as they can. A lot of what I do is similar to Worldly with the WH question words.

I encourage the students to keep on talking and ask each other questions. For example - I may ask someone, "Have you been to Beijing?" Assuming they have, most likely the student will reply - "Yes." I tell them to use the question words in their response - "Yes, I have been to Beijing". 6 words v. 1 word.

I then encourage them to ask each other WH questions and better yet to anticipate the questions and answer them before they have been asked. For example - When did you go to Beijing? Who did you go with? What did you do? etc.. Ideal answer = "Yes, I've been to BJ. I went to BJ last summer with my parents. We went there on a plane and stayed in a hotel for 3 nights. In BJ we saw the Forbidden City."

Normally, during the 1st class, I have the students ask me questions. They will probably know your name, but that is all. Instead of just answering the questions though, I conduct a boy/girl competition. A girl will ask a question and then I have a boy guess the answer. If they are correct they get a point. I let them guess until someone is correct or pretty close. It is important to use the roster while doing this and ask the student what their name is and then try to associate the face with the name/area on the list. You may not remember someones name, but after awhile you will probably look in the general vicinity on the roster. It is important to note that the 1st thing you should do when the class begins is get the roster from the monitor and pass it around the room while you just make small take and introduce the basics of what will be covered in class - Culture, Daily Topics, Slang, US v. UK English etc....

By the time you are down with the basic introduction of the class, the students should be done and then you can begin having them ask you questions about yourself. I would not take attendance on the 1st day.

I usually assign homework for the 2nd class. I ask the students to form small groups and prepare a dialogue in which they introduce themselves to me and each other. It is important that they use their names in the dialogue. I would also take attendance the 2nd week. You will notice that the students will generally sit in the same spot or area each class, just like you probably did too. Assuming you take attendance each week, you will get to know a lot of their names or at least be able to look on the roster and guess.

As for their Chinese names - forget about remembering them. If they don't have an English name, you can ask them if they want one and then try to give them a normal name that sounds similar to their Chinese name. This could be a wonderful topic!!

Good Luck.