Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Scarlet13]

How do you punish your students for bad behaviour? I have a few tricks, but I'm looking to expand my repertoire.

[kapshida]

One thing I've found to be shockingly effective lately is to take kids books away for ten minutes if they're being really bad. Make it clear beforehand that that is what you'll do- but no one will take notice. Once an offender (or example, depending on how you look at it) commits the offence you can't ignore, do it. They'll be humiliated, even if they seem like they don't care. They pay attention during those ten minutes.

Then give it back after the time is done. Give them a "you can do it" or pat on the back or whatever.

I dunno, works for me. Maybe some people won't like it, but I like the results.

I like this thread though. Start it up!

[peppermint]

I had a class chart at the front of the room with every student's name. Good students got stickers, bad ones got an X (5 stickers could be traded for candy)

[skconqueror]

Writing out vocabulary 50x is always a good deterrent

[Scarlet13]

I have them write vocab out as well, and lines. This is tricky because I have 25 different classes a week so I have to rely on the other teachers to check that they have completed their work the next day.

I have also taken to drawing a small dot on the white board and having the misbehaving student come to the front of the class and stare at. They sometimes get very angry but they quiet right down.

My school has a coin system in place, you get coins for good behaviour which you collect to buy goods. I will take away coins in any class that excessively speaks in Korean. I write K-O-R-E-A-N on the board and strike out a letter every time a student speaks in Korean.

I need something for older kids (14 or 15) in very small classes, the type that understand but choose to ignore you! Right now I just give them extra written work but it isn't helping.

Also I have some very young students who understand 'hello' and ummm that's about it! Any tips for the little ones??

[mistermasan]

i work at a hogwan. i am the foreign teacher.my emphasis is on the spoken language. i have no co-teacher. the school is a business first and foremost. how does disneyland deal with naughty kids? i guess they would tell sonny boy not to stand on the table, get the kid down and point him towards something worthy of his attention.
these korean kids are gonna be bored to death by english classes for all their academic days. it is my job to teach them english in a fun environment. keep it fun, change speeds, don't do anything or more than ten minutes but remember- repeating is the mother of learning. drill an entire class period? no way. learning should be a celebration of discovery and you have the honor of being the emcee.
i just do the oposite of whatever those old nuns did to us back in the day.

gain the trust of the kids. after one week in you should be able to sort out the group dynamics of a class. mold such to the advantage of the class.

there are no naughty kids, only boring teachers. finding your own style(s) that can be joined unto the unique learning style of each class is a huge part of the joy of teaching. once you convert "the nightmare" class that no other teacher could handle and turn it into the class other kids want to join but can't because it is sold out and the studnets become agressive learners you'll be glad you hung in there.

[Scarlet13]

[mistermasan]

you actually get lesson plans? such would be nice. i never know what i am going to teach until the kids are in the room and their books are open. the korean teachers (for the most part) clue me into nothing.

but, if you say something is bad...more often than not it will be bad.

we've all worked with kids since we were kids. please elaborate how these "pricks" are so bad. are they in the same class? if so, do they sit together? what is their english level compared to the other students? how old are they?

bring em down to o'briens and we'll get 'em sorted right quick.

[mj roach]

evidently you missed steve schwetzers' excellent thesis on the subject

[Hank the Iconoclast]

I had a talkative kid teach English for two minutes today. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and he was quiet afterwards. heh

[BS.Dos.]

Discipline in my school usually involves a big stick although this isn't something that I've resorted to.

Out of my 4 CTs, two do not need to enforce any kind of discipline as the students are always well behaved, one has the students stand at the back of the class if they talk persistently, whereas the final one is completely useless and watches me repeatedly telling them to keep it down without assisting in any way, shape or form.

As I'm growing in confidence, I am now feeling like taking the matter in to my own hands and will either:

A. Make the culprit stand at the back of the class, tight up against the corner facing the wall for a few minutes.

B. (I witnessed this today at my girls MS) make the offenders kneel on the floor whilst holding their chairs above their heads at arms length. When I witnessed it earlier today, the girls were standing but I reckon the additional kneeling factor could prove to be an effective vartiation.

Having spoken to a few FTs about this, most of the experienced long-timers have all said that as far as the older boys go, they generally find it ammusing.

[BS.Dos.]

An alternative taken from this


1. At the beginning of every lesson, write a word or short phrase on the board.

2. Every time you have to remind the entire class to be quiet, rub out a letter, starting from the end of the word.

3. If the word has not disappeared when the lesson is over, everything is OK. If all (or most) of the word has survived, the class gets a reward. If the word completely disappears, impose a negative consequence. (See the above post)

[Santiago]

Simple, I hired this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q4jb-kXebQ

But seriously...Sometimes I think these kids just don't behave unless you're a very strict disciplinarian. The problem I see with this though is that it takes the positivity entirely out of the classroom. I don't like the idea of my classes being on total lockdown all the time. I like them to feel free to speak (in English, of course) and have a little fun and be creative while we're doing our lesson. So the way I balance it is by having a conversation with them after I've punished them if that's what it comes to...

I find that they hate writing. In my worst classes I walk in and immediately write on the board:

I will not chat with my friends in English class.
100x

By now they know that if they're caught turning around or generally misbehaving, they will have to write and turn it in to me before they leave for the day. It's effective with most of the students but not all. Sometimes all I have to say is: "Do you want to write?" and they quiet down. There are some students I should probably kick out of class the minute I walk in the room because they're going to be a disruption no matter what I do.

The best days are when I get this at the end of the day:

I will not chat with my friends in English class. 100x
I will not chat with my friends in English class. 100x
I will not chat with my friends in English class. 100x

What I find most effective though is talking to them after they receive the punishment. It may be more important than the punishment itself. If you can make them understand that you don't hate them or think they are a bad student, that it's simply a matter of having a class to teach, they're more receptive to the fact that they've caused a problem. I often hear: "I am sohddy teecheo". Sometimes communicating the message takes some translation with a Korean but it's well worth the effort. Again, it works with most students, not all.

Failing that though, I prefer to go "Hacksaw" Jim Dugan on em.. I don't even HAVE to hit em. The psychotic wide-eyes, 2x4 on my shoulder, military-style march around the room and wife-beater t-shirt sufficiently scare the crap out of em. If that fails, I go Iron Sheik...camel clutch baby!

[BS.Dos.]

^Nice, sensitive and sensible approach there.

I can remember how I was spoken to at school after I'd disrupted yet another lesson;

"Not only have you let me down, but you've let your classmates down and you've let yourself down. No get out of my sight you stupid boy!"

The more patronising and condesending the better, preferably in Korean and with a pointy, accusing finger waving in their face.

[aarontendo]

Show up with a swirly face mask. Scare em into studying