Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jbpatlanta]

I just decided to teach at a middle school part time. I will teach around 9 to 11 classes a week. I will teach each class once a week. The co-teacher told me that the books are not very good and it would be better if I try to plan my own lessons. I have no problem doing this. Just wondering can anyone tell me how the kids act during class. I am used to teaching classes with 8 - 10 students in them. The middle school classes have 35 - 40 classes.

Can anyone give me a few ideas about what kinds of activites I can do in class. I figured if they practiced a conversation it would take all class for everyone to try it once. How much can I reasonably expect them to remember from week to week if I only teach them once a week?

[Dome Vans]

I'm similar to you I have two middle schools and two elementarys that I teach at. Only seeing each class once a week. I work out in the countryside so the kids are well behaved. I don't have any that could be described as bad. Their English level is low but they are quite motivated.

I don't teach the textbooks for the same reason because they are terrible. Generally I'll ask for a vocab sheet for the chapter, or I'll look through and take a dialogue, make it way better and get them to practice it. Or I'll find a reading or listening activity for them to do but not from the book. So you can indirectly help them with their exams without having to directly teach the textbook. That would be soul destroying.

Don't bother trying to give out a dialogue and expect them to walk round and do it. With 30 kids, it'll seperate up and the boys will run around chasing each other, or they'll end up copying each other. I always use this waiting room method:

**Basically you have two lines of chairs facing each other, an equal number if possible on each side. Give half the students one part of the dialogue and the other half the the dialogue.

Dialogues I've made myself:

*One is the doctor the other is a patient.
*A garage sale. One is the seller another is the customer.
*One is at lotteria. One is the sales assistant and the other the customer.
*Old friends meeting up after 20 years. (jobs, family etc)

They run through the conversation. There is usually a table at the bottom to be filled out with info that the other person tells them. Like the food order, the medical complaint, what the person bought at the garage sale etc. After a couple of minutes, when they look like they've finished with that particular partner. Get one row of students to stand up and the person on ONE of the ends moves round to the opposite end, and all the others move up one. Now everyone has a new partner. Repeat until finished.

This way you can police the activity better.

Also with large classes a lot will depend on how helpful your co-teacher is. If they're interested and helpful then a class that size isn't too hard.

Don't expect the same results as you have done with the smaller classes. Take the small victories with teaching PS but it's a lot of fun. I wouldn't swap my gig for anything.

[cruisemonkey]

Twenty-nine kids will be swinging from the lights/fighting/standing on their desks/jumping out the windows, and eight will be sleeping. Two of the ones standing on their desks might remember something.

[climber159]

Cruisemonkey has got it about right. Go into class expecting VERY little from your students. Most of mine are very nice students but couldn't care less when it comes to doing any actual learning in class. If you keep them working as a class they will tend to "hide" and take safety in numbers. If you get them doing partner or group work they will usually take a LITTLE more responsibility for themselves. The provided text is useless garbage. I usually develop a better lesson that relates to the current week's topic. That way I have better material and can't really be questioned about not teaching from the book.