Korean Job Discussion Forums

[richardlang]

Each week I teach twenty classes of English Conversation at a high school. Generally, most of my students are well behaved, if not extremely reticent in participating in class -- both in asking and answering questions. They don't really ask questions -- maybe I should give them the "I don't know" rule to explain their occasional silence to a question of mine.

I have about 35 students in each class, and it has been just one month since school began. Should I hand out a class syllabus with rules? I want to let the students know their participation determines their individual grades in my class. I have probably just two classes each week that are kind of rowdy, and those two classes are the ones in which the same co-teacher doesn't show up.

My question is, I suppose, resolved by asking the co-teacher to come to class. I've done this and the students respect me a bit more, but they are still so very reticent in participating.

Do you have any class rules laid out, and do you hand out a syllabus that clearly states their grades are based on participation? I've mentioned it offhandedly, that their grade is determined by answering/asking questions, but I feel a syllabus would perhaps bring the point home, make it more real.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

You're going to assign grades for 22 X 35 HS students??? You can remember 700 students, their names, and what they did over the term when you only saw them 2-4 times a month? Good luck with that.

I'd rather make up the rules as I go along. The students know the basics - no handphones, no throwing things, no giving each other the middle finger, no talking when I'm talking, etc. The rest of the time I just deal with each thing as it comes up.

However, whatever you do, don't rely on the co-teacher. Take the initiative for discipline yourself. If the kids think you need a Korean to run the class you'll never really be able to run it that effectively.

[richardlang]

[poet13]

I disagree with making up the rules as you go.
I have 700 students, and they will all get grades.
They ALL know the rules. They are school rules. I don't really have any me-specific rules.
I outline the class rules very clearly at the beginning of the term, and repeat as necessary. Their home-room teacher has already done the same, but sometimes cause I'm a forienger, they try to get awy with a little. They find out very damn fast that I have eyes in the back of my head, AND that I have ESP. They are also aware of my telekinetic powers. I can make a piece of chalk fly like magic out of my hand at great speed and strike them in the back of the head cause they are turned around talking to their friend or sleeping. I have very few problems, but I think i'm just lucky.
If the rules are outlined, then there can be no confusion, or, "I didn't know I couldn't do ....X.".