Job Discussion Forums

[BigZen]

Hi,

I would like to get some advice from other high school/jr. college teachers. I teach at a technical college so most of my students are in the 17-20 years old range. Since July I was assigning them 10 new vocabulary words a week. They were asked to write down the definition and use the word in a sentence. We meet once a week, so they have 6 days to complete the task. I asked them to buy a separate notebook, in addition to their classroom notebook, to enter this vocabulary HW in so they can hold onto to their classroom notebooks. I took them to the school store to show them an example of the type of vocabulary notebook/journal/nikki I was suggesting they buy- a small notebook which costs no more than 105 yen. It took about three weeks for every student in the classes to buy the book. I emphasized that a notebook, and a three-ring would help keep their work better organized, since I give out a lot of handouts...

Today when I asked for the students' vocabulary HW I got all sorts of excuses. It seems they did not understand that I expected them, in addition to bringing their textbook, dictionary to class every day, to also bring their class notebook and vocabulary notebook/journal/diary. Many of them thought they needed only one book for class and HW. I asked my wife if I had done anything wrong. She said that maybe the students expected you to buy the classroom notebook for them, or that the college would provide them. I had thought that most studenst bring a notebook to other classes like math, science, Japanese...so my request was not that strange. Am I doing something wrong?


BZ

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

(Some, more like almost all) Japanese students almost never do homework. Period. The education system is to get them to pass the next entrance exam. There isn't one of those from the technical college level, and even if there were, homework wouldn't be on it. If you want them to learn something for the next week, you have to make sure they know they'll have a test on it the next week. And even then many may not bother, because many will have learned that they cannot fail a class in Japan even if they get zero on absolutely everything.

Even if they did understand, many students wouldn't buy the book, because by not buying the book they may think that they can get out of actually having to do the work. If you don't have a book, you can't be expected to participate in class. Therefore by not bringing a text to class, they cannot be asked to do any work. It's a system that usually works for students from junior high through to the end of senior high (leading to the extension, "I lost my handout, so I can't do the work" even if you put it on their desk three seconds earlier) so they may have decided that it should work for them now, too.

[BigZen]

Hi GambateBingBangBOOM,

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate your candor, but I now feel even more discouraged about teaching.

BZ

[Inflames]

I agree with GambateBingBangBOOM, you're not doing anything wrong. Are you the only foreign teacher at this school? I've always talked to my coworkers about the students, especially when starting. Every year, there's at least one student I teach that just has no English ability. I was talking to one of the Japanese English teachers (foreigners generally teach conversation and Japanese generally teach grammar) and one of the students had said he hadn't actually passed classes in high school, but because he went to a private high school (they have a reputation to protect, and that means not failing students), he got to graduate.

My experiences from teaching at a senmon gakko (not sure if that's what you mean by "technical school," but that's where most of my experience is) is that the student level is, generally, terrible. Mixed ability classes with students who really don't care. The ones that like English are OK, but they're only around 2-4 (out of 20) in a class. One of the teachers, when reviewing for an exam, basically writes it on the board and shows it to the students. And yet 1/4 of them still fail. I basically go in and explain what they need to know from the book (for example, say there's a map. I'll go in and tell them they need to know how to explain directions and give the lesson/page number). I've also explained exactly what words they need to know (as an example, say a test question is "My favorite dairy food is ......." so I'll tell them they need to know what a "dairy food" is) and most of them still don't care.

[Glenski]

You made this assignment in July and are just checking it now? That's your first mistake.

Check them and quiz them every week. NO excuses. They need to learn discipline because you know what? I will get them in university, and they will fail classes because of not having enough points! Yes, in HS they have a much freer ride. Get them in the habit now.

Oh, and when I asked all my students what they wanted from me in my reading or writing classes (and others have asked in simple conversation classes), the overwhelming majority said they wanted more vocabulary.

I used to teach HS and the J teachers gave them 20-40 vocab per week, to study out of a horrendous book called Word Navi. Do them a favor. Give them more than 10 and expect them to do more than just write a sentence with them. If nothing else, make a class glossary.