Korean Job Discussion Forums

[some waygug-in]

So far my experience with co-teaching has been less than stellar.

I've had at least 6 different K-teachers so far and each one seems to want something different. The main co- teacher explained how she wants things which would be simple enough but she won't stick to what she had explained.

She jumps around the book and expects me to automatically know what's going on. At first she said I would teach the first two sections and she would teach the the rest, but today I find that she has already done what I'm supposed to be doing and wants me to review. Like they need to review "Hi, how are you? My name's Minsu."

All the instructions in the teacher's guide are in Korean and what they have explained to me makes no sense.

What the one teacher told me yesterday was completely contradicted today by the second co-teacher. ARG!!

Hogwans are not looking so bad anymore.

[butlerian]

I feel for you. It's much better when a public school let's you plan the lessons alone. At first, it's often difficult, but after six months I finally feel like I'm starting to get the idea.

[ddeubel]

Did you sit down with your coteachers and go through all the issues, dynamics of teaching together, together? Especially important to set a time each week to meet, to discuss the next week. Skip that last minute stuff, unacceptable. Sit down and complete this with all your co-teachers.

http://www.esnips.com/doc/bb289c2e-c267-42c9-9168-c7106c1b4eba/coteacher-questionnaire

You might also read up on all the different possibilities of co-teaching together. Lots of articles in my files, especially the types of co-teaching and read, The Ins and outs of co-teaching.

You'd do well to be positive about the whole thing and realize that it is crucial right now to bend over backwards to create a good relationship. You can harvest the fruit later.....

DD

[kimchi story]

When faced with the prospect of 6 different coteachers back in September I took the reigns and let them follow my lead. It meant a huge amount of energy going out by me and led to some tension.

Around November one of my coteachers submitted and took to hanging out in class, or going for a walk. Another took to explaining things while i was talking - confusing and distracting for everyone. The rest began to look for natural breaks in my lesson and to use those breaks to explain things further and confirmin Korean that students understood.

This term I focus on when those breaks might be and invite the coteachers to engage with the class. The result is that I am doing 1/3rd less work in the class and the students are getting 1/3rd more out of it. They still have to listen to me explain it fully in English, but it is supplemented by my coteachers.

It's more basic than I imagined it could be, and my stress level is down to zip. The formula is that I introduce and explain an idea and give examples, then invite my colleague to reiterate.

If I were in your shoes - and I sort of am, having gone through the 6 different sets of expectations thing - I would keep a vague image of what you think is ideal in mind and start telling them what you can offer and what you expect from them. You are the constant, they sound like they are fractured as heck.

How's that for a pep talk?

[awalk2remember]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

It's such a relief to get to teach the top classes solo.

'Co-teachie' is one of those Konglish concepts like 'Yeongo campa' or 'Engelishie billagie' that seems to catch on like wild-fire, with no one having any idea of what it really means or how it should or shouldn't work, but a marvelous idea nontheless - sort of like bravoing your life or digitial exciting something. In reality, there are almost too many variables to make any blanket statements, apart from that a reasonably advanced class should be able to get by with English as the sole language of instruction and have no need for a KT. For beginner and intermediate classes, class size and attitude, the FT's experience and skill, and the KT's experience and skill create so many different possibilities that it's impossible to say 'good' or 'bad'. What would be really nice, however, is that in the case of experienced teachers they let the FTs decided whether or not a 'co-teacher' should be present. Instead there are rookie FTs teaching rowdy middle school classes of 45 who have co-teachers only on paper who never show up, and experienced FTs working with moron Koreans who insist on making a mess of their classes.

[nautilus]

Biggest problem is pride and ego. Koreans always want to be the main teacher, running the show. they don't want to be directed around by a foreigner in their own country.

Ideally you want to get your co-teacher focussing on her role, which is

a) translation
b) Discipline
c) operating the computer

your role as the foreigner is:

a) Pronunciation
b) Making the lessons appealing- activities, ideas, planning.
c) Forming good relations with your students and encouraging them to use english freelly.


Make sure you're both clear on your searate roles and strengths before you proceed. And don't tread on eachothers territory.

[Kim Jong Jordan]

yeah, that sounds crummy. I teach in an all boys high school and i have no books and teach alone, making up my own lesson plans. sometimes a teacher will come to class and just sit at the back, but they usually leave after a few minutes as my students are generally well behaved knowing that I'm not going to take any crap from them. I'm supposed to improve their speaking abilities so I focus my lessons on just that; them speaking. Since it's the first week with first year students who are new to the school, our first class is introductory; I introduce them to myself, my class rules, some basic English expressions for them to use in class (such as can you repeat that please?, how do you spell "____," I don't understand, can I go to the bathroom please? etc...), then I go around the class and have them each stand while I ask them what their name is and for them to tell me what their hobby is. With 40 students this is quite a full class but it makes them feel comfortable as it is not too difficult, a good starting point imo. Next week I'm doing student interviews where they choose questions I give them, ask their partner while I walk around and observe, and then they report their findings to the class. I'm trying to get them to speak in complete sentences and get used to the idea of speaking English in some form in each of my classes.

[goodsounz]

I have had the same experience so far. In fact I told the teachers they do not need to attend the class and they were pretty happy with that suggestion. I get free reign and have been doing similar things to what Kim Jordan has been doing in class. However, I feel like I am not working as hard when I do that round the class thing because there is an awful lot of downtime and getting through the 30+ students seems like a good way of wasting 12-15 minutes. What I do is just ask for volunteers and if there are none, I get the class captain to nominate someone.

I second the suggestion of sitting down with your "helper" and going through what both your roles are and working something out. Good luck!

[pest2]

I teach elementary schools and middle schools. The dumbest thing to me is that there's no coteacher in the elementary school where I could really use one sometimes, and always a coteacher in the middle school where I rarely need one. Lower level student = more need for coteacher, not the other way around.

[manlyboy]

I no longer care if the co-teacher is incompetent, or lazy or can't even speak passable English. All of that can be gotten around so long as you're willing and able to seize the initiative in the classroom. All I ask for nowadays is courtesy. Respect that I know what I'm doing, don't order me around, don't raise your voice at me, and we'll get along fine.

[dmbfan]

So far my experience with co-teaching has been less than stellar.

I've had at least 6 different K-teachers so far and each one seems to want something different. The main co- teacher explained how she wants things which would be simple enough but she won't stick to what she had

[some waygug-in]

Thanks for all the responses. At least I know I'm not the only one. I am trying to stay positive, but it's not easy. I am well aware of how bad things could get if I start off on the wrong foot with them.

I don't want to go there.


To be fair, they have been pleasant and friendly about things.

My main co-teacher has been off sick until today, so maybe things will get a bit more stable over the next couple of weeks.


There are some things that need to be discussed, like what to do with the 3 "special classes" and what about the teacher's class. What about the settlement allowance, what about time off to get my ARC, and a whole slough of other things that are up in the air right now.

Each Korean teacher is going to have their own way/style of things and I guess I just have to get used to it. The weirdest part is the not knowing.
Even my main co-teacher has changed things up during class and doesn't follow what she just explained to me before class.

Anyway, I think I'm getting over the initial shock and am coming to grips with secondary and tertiary shock.

Cheers

[inspector gadget]

I had a co teacher for 1 class, then told them to hit it, if I needed there help I would let them know.

[JeJuJitsu]

Act like the boss. YOU tell THEM what you want out of THEM, not the other way around. Simple as that for me. I tell them when I want them to come to my class (which is usually never, but I ask them anyway once a month or so, so they feel like they are doing at least a little). You do have to have authority of the students though, or they may come to your class just for student-control purposes.