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Creating Classroom Culture: Getting it Right from the Start!

 
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Steve Schertzer



Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Location: Pusan

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:43 pm    Post subject: Creating Classroom Culture: Getting it Right from the Start! Reply with quote

I would be interested in other teachers sharing their experiences in creating a classroom culture that allows their students to learn in an atmosphere of respect, cooperation, and responsibility.

www.ajarn.com/Contris/schertzerseptember2007.htm
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Yu_Bum_suk



Joined: 25 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Creating Classroom Culture: Getting it Right from the St Reply with quote

Steve Schertzer wrote:
I would be interested in other teachers sharing their experiences in creating a classroom culture that allows their students to learn in an atmosphere of respect, cooperation, and responsibility.



A very important first step, especially in Korea, is gaining the respect of one's fellow teachers, something that Mr Schertzer had repeatedly proven hiimself completely unable of doing.
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Whistleblower



Joined: 03 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The first rule of thumb is generating raport with students. Respect will naturally fall into place. I recommend you look at:

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/professional_competence1.shtml

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/professional_competence2.shtml
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patongpanda



Joined: 06 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why are you asking us? We are losers and morons remember?...
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Steve Schertzer



Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Location: Pusan

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:27 pm    Post subject: Classroom Culture, people! Reply with quote

HEY!!!! Stop proving my point about losers and morons, and at least try to respond intelligently. You're teachers, remember?

Whitleblower, what you're showing me has to do more with classroom management. That's fine and very important, but my article is not about that. It's about classroom culture. There's a difference. Read the article and know what the difference is. Raport with your students comes into play only AFTER a specific classroom culture has been instilled in your students. I am genuinely interested in what others think about this.

Mr. Bum_suk, I don't know what to say to you anymore.
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sojourner1



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Where meggi swim and 2 wheeled tractors go sput put chug alugg pug pug

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This has to do with being consistent in rules, lesson planning, lesson execution, and reward/punishment of each individual. The problems lay in that each individual is different, each class is different, and Korean kids are very tough cookies to please, gain respect, and cooperate as they love making chaos.

I know consistency in communicating your expectations is a very important big one. If anyone else really has excellent control by gaining respect and communication, tell us how you do it.
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Whistleblower



Joined: 03 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmm, you're certainly a good listener. Rolling Eyes

The article is more "Teacher Centered". I recommend you read other books such as "Learning Teaching" by Scrivener that focus on the learner. It is a good read. Classroom culture or classroom management is both the same thing with a different name. You are aiming to achieve the same objective; to generate interest and a rapport with the students.

The following from your blog or whatever it is:

"A big problem with the public school system in any country around the world is the fact that so many teachers don't want to take on the responsibility of teaching their young students how to behave responsibly."

I think the majority of teachers do take on the responsibility of how students behave in the classroom but students also have a responsibility to learn and you cannot force feed students on a path to learning. Try to relax more in the classroom and stop putting the blame of students behaviour upon teachers. Allow more responsibility for the students but I think this maybe a problem as you could be a control freak.

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/discipline_problems.shtml

I have never had problems in the classroom, as I have been prepared for class, allowed students to take responsibility upon learning and provided more activities for problem students. However, teachers that able to deal with the daily problems in the class are teachers that I respect.

More than one way to skin a cat.
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Steve Schertzer



Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Location: Pusan

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whistleblower wrote:
Hmm, you're certainly a good listener. Rolling Eyes

The article is more "Teacher Centered".

I think the majority of teachers do take on the responsibility of how students behave in the classroom but students also have a responsibility to learn and you cannot force feed students on a path to learning. Try to relax more in the classroom and stop putting the blame of students behaviour upon teachers. Allow more responsibility for the students but I think this maybe a problem as you could be a control freak.


I admit teacher centered classrooms are my bias. I wonder how students are to learn without a teacher in the classroom? And by that I mean a teacher who actively teaches and knows where his or her place truly is.

I admire and respect your knowledge on this topic, Whistleblower. Have you read your link? Under "Establishing the Priorities", it says, "This is your classroom. You are responsible for everything that goes on." I'm quoting from your link.

I would agree that handing over a large part of the responsibility to your students would work if your students have already graduated from university, have a strong moral and ethical compass, or perhaps went through boot camp.

But, Whistleblower, many of my students in middle-school still don't know how to flush a toilet! Have you walked into a middle-school boy's washroom recently? Many of them run in the hallways, trip each other, and throw things at each other. This is because their parents and teachers have yet to teach them how to behave in a civilized manner.

My co-teachers think that my classroom culture stuff is a pretty good idea, but even they are unfamiliar with much of it. Imagine that. Korean adults--- teachers at that!--- who hardly understand concepts like "Be polite and show respect", and "Be responsible for one another." In many ways, it's alien to them. I'm seeing this now.

But we are teachers. And if teachers shouldn't take more of the responsibility for teaching children right from wrong, then who?
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SuperHero



Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve Schertzer wrote:
if teachers shouldn't take more of the responsibility for teaching children right from wrong, then who?

parents.
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Atavistic



Joined: 22 May 2006
Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve Schertzer wrote:

My co-teachers think that my classroom culture stuff is a pretty good idea, but even they are unfamiliar with much of it. Imagine that. Korean adults--- teachers at that!--- who hardly understand concepts like "Be polite and show respect", and "Be responsible for one another." In many ways, it's alien to them. I'm seeing this now.

But we are teachers. And if teachers shouldn't take more of the responsibility for teaching children right from wrong, then who?


Ding ding ding. I am here to teach English. I am not here to save Koreans from their ways (spitting, pushing, shoving, talking aout people in front of them, being impolite, etc).

I have my students for at most, 80 mins a week. Whatever I teach in my classroom is undone by their homeroom teachers. In my school in the States, it was accepted that the main classroom teacher created the "tone" in a classroom. There was so only much a PE teacher (who saw my American students more than I see my Korean ones, and in drastically smaller classes, too) could do.

I am here to teach Korean children in Korea to speak English. And where do they speak that English? In Korea. I do the best I can to teach them about cultural differences ("We don't say someone has big eyes/we introduce people even if we think they'll never need to talk to teach other again") but the vast majority of my students are never going to leave Korea. If they want to learn more about my culture, they can get their butt out of this country, same way I got mine over here.

I am not a Missionary Teacher.

Thank God.
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Unposter



Joined: 04 Jun 2006

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve,

I think you have alienated many on this board with your immature name calling.

But, that being said, your article was excellent. You raise a great many points and I think the people who read it will be better teachers.

You talk about being respectful and helpful in your article. In many ways, you are helpful. But, in many ways, you have not been respectful. Maybe, you should listen to yourself.

Please keep writing articles like this one. It was good!
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bosintang



Joined: 01 Dec 2003
Location: In the pot with the rest of the mutts

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 2:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve, I have to say that your student-teacher-teaching-group style is a bit odd -- but that's not to say it's bad. You've raised my curiousity though. Could you give an example of what you would teach the student-teachers and how they would pass it on to their groups? How long have you been doing it and how has it been working out? What does your co-teachers think of it?

As far as setting the classroom "culture", I'm a bit confused by this term. Is this not the same as classroom "management"?

I'm a believer in education as development of the student as a whole, but I'm also a pragmatist. We see classes once a week, and we're seen as outsiders to their culture. I believe as a once-a-week foreign teacher, it's best to set your expectations at the beginning, and from there, be consistent, and lead by example. Nothing radical or revolutionary about this idea. I think three 45 minute classes for this is overkill. We're not their homeroom teachers.
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Steve Schertzer



Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Location: Pusan

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bosintang,

Thank you for your questions. I appreciate you asking them. Yes, the student/teacher groups are a bit odd, but they work. (Most of the time, anyway.) It also depends on your co-teacher and how well you stick to classroom culture. Good teachers know that the best way to get their students to understand is by turning them into teachers. That way, they get to also put into practice number six of my eight classroom culture objectives: "Sacrifice your time and share your understanding." Remember, one thing I want to accomplish in the classroom is to take those students who understand, and let them know that they have an obligation to help those who do not yet understand.

Let's take an easy lesson that most teachers did last week. "How did you spend your summer vacation?" I'll jump ahead a bit and add the five W follow-up questions, what, where, when, who, why, and how. (Sometimes I don't get into the follow-up questions until the following week's lesson.)

I first practice with my co-teacher, (CT), while the students listen. (That falls under number three of my classroom culture objectives: "Be polite and show respect." How do we do this? By listening to the teachers and each other.) The conversation goes something like this:

Me: So, Su-hee, how was your summer vacation?
CT: It was (fine, good, great, fantasic....)

(I taught the students the differences between all of those when we did greetings last term.)

Me: Where did you go?
CT: I went to (Japan, Thailand, China, Africa, the Bahamas....)
Me: What did you do there?
CT: I (visited a temple, rode an elephant, went swimming...)
Me: Who did you go with?
CT: I went with my family/by myself.
Me: How long did you stay?
CT: I stayed for (one week, two weeks, a month...)
Me: Did you have fun?

You get the idea. This can also be used for working on the simple past, which I also did last term. It doesn't matter what answers the students give, as long as they make sense by using the right tense of the verb.

But look out for funny non-sequiters. Many of the students will try to outsmart themselves by memorizing the question order. So I mixed it up a bit and this is what I got:

Me: How was you summer vacation?
Student: It was fine.
Me: Where did you go?
Student: I went to Japan.
Me: Who did you go with?
Student: I visited a temple.
Me: What did you do there?
Student: I went with my family.

Yes, you can have some fun with this too. But this is a reminder to remind your students that, like Esquith whom I mentioned in my article, there are no shortcuts. The students must realize that they have to work hard in order to understand. (And so do the teachers.)

We practice this using the T--co-teacher, t--s, s--t, s-s technique over and over again. Once we go through this as a class, (and it is fairly understood), I hand it over to the student/teachers and they teach it to their students. (The same rules apply, except that they must follow the same technique and once they get to the student--student portion of their lesson, each of the student-- student pairs must have different answers to the follow-up questions. (What would be the point if they all had the same answers?) Of course, myself, my co-teacher, and their student/teacher will all help. (Number seven of my classroom culture objectives: "Be responsible for one another.")

At this point I must say this: I know this may sound strange. I've been doing things this way since last March, and for the most part, IT WORKS. Yes, there are still some difficulties to work out. But, eventually, the students get it. The more you expect from your students, the more you get. They are not as stupid as many of us like to think they are.

What do my co-teachers think of it? Quite frankly, I never asked. I know what I'm doing is right. But they are fascinated and interested, and I am getting a lot of help from them. I'm grateful for that. Lead the way by doing the right thing and others will follow.

I hope this answers your questions. Go back to my article to find out the differences between classroom culture and classroom management. And remember, I teach this way because I want my students to become:

1) Better people
2) Better students.

You cannot become a better student, (or a better anything), unless you first learn to become a better person. That goes for teachers too! Remember, in my classroom we do not only have 35 students--- we also have 35 teachers!
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