| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
elliemk
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: Sparkling Korea!
|
 Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:22 am Post subject: Sure f.i.r.e. techniques for hagwon middle school students? |
 |
|
I found out today that I am not the first teacher to have problems with one of my middle school classes at my hagwon. People have evidently tried everything. They don't want to learn, but they have to be there. My director told me I can bring in new materials, do internet teaching, whatever it takes.
They don't want to talk. They act like they don't understand anything I say (I know they do!). But of course, maybe they don't understand EVERYTHING I say, even though I write on the board, speak slowly, etc.
Other teachers (including Korean ones) have tried fashion, TV, movies, etc.
What techniques to you have to help me?
What would be the best books and/or resources to help them get interested?
If you have links to activities that you've used successfully, please include them in your response.
I'm determined to help them get interested in learning English!
Thanks very much for your help  |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
PGF
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:04 am Post subject: |
|
|
You are swimming against the tsunami.
First, your kids are not interested (by itself, not hard to overcome).
Second, your hagwon does not care that they are not interested. This is indicative of a hagwon bent on getting money and not results. If they cared, there would be a carean encouraging the students (yelling and hitting) and calling their mothers who would also hit and scream at them.
Without support from your hagwon, you are going to have a hard time. I've had classes like you describe in bad hagwons. I feel for you.
I've had classes like that in a good hagwon and one chat with the director made a world of difference.
These kids will blow you off if they are allowed to. Your hagwon is allowing them to blow you off......
Your hands are clean. Watch English movies...... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mi Yum mi
Joined: 28 Jan 2008
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:05 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Ask them if they want to study? If they say no, make them stand up and you read a book. After a few classes like that you can bet they'll want to sit. Study...probably not, but at least they won't be such tools about it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
elliemk
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: Sparkling Korea!
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:44 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Second, your hagwon does not care that they are not interested. |
Yes, they care and they have given me carteblanche to help the students learn. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
What luck. I recently made a list of what I think affects student motivation:
| Quote: |
-personal standards of excellence
-desire for a good grade
-desire not to look stupid in class, gain esteem from peers
-desire to please teacher
-desire to earn external, sh ort-term rewards
-interest in the subject matter
I can't affect all of these, but I can affect some. I can make sure the path to a good grade is clearly marked. I can offer a relationship to those students who want it. I can encourage and compliment them. I can try to animate the material. And to those students who want nothing to do with me or the subject, and who honestly don't care about their peers or their grades, I can use the principles of behaviour motivation to shape their behaviour, so that even if I can't capture their inner motivation, I can bring their external behaviour in line with the goals of the class. |
It looks like the external, sh ort-term rewards are the only thing left on your list for the moment. The good news is that you can "pair" rewards, so that you're teaching them to appreciate attention from the teacher and good grades by offering them more tangible rewards.
I used to keep a container of M&Ms and Jelly Tots in my classroom and dole them out one at a time for behaviour like asking questions, answering questions, doing diligent in-class work, etc.
The students had to be taught that yelling or begging does absolutely no good, but consistency is the key. They'll figure it out if you ignore the offenders.
I would start introducing more games into the classroom. Games have nice short-term built-in goals, and they might diffuse some of the stubbornness. You can teach or review anything using a game. The ESL cookbook on this site has some great ideas (I personally love "Typhoon" because it feels like a game show, it can be done at moment's notice without special materials aside from the blackboard, and the students get really intense.) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nomad-ish
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| elliemk wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Second, your hagwon does not care that they are not interested. |
Yes, they care and they have given me carteblanche to help the students learn. |
your hagwon does care, however not enough to call the parents and tell them that their kids aren't co-operating in class.
i'd talk to your school director about giving a call home. even just one call (if you can pinpoint the class leader that the rest look up to) would improve things a bit. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
agoodmouse
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Location: Anyang
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Pinpoint the class leader. Wow, sounds like the yakuza! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
elliemk
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: Sparkling Korea!
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
our hagwon does care, however not enough to call the parents and tell them that their kids aren't co-operating in class.
i'd talk to your school director about giving a call home. even just one call (if you can pinpoint the class leader that the rest look up to) would improve things a bit. |
My hagwon DOES care, and they have already tried calling the parents. That didn't work either.
There is no 'leader.' There are three girls and five boys. They girls are much more motivated than the boys. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Whistleblower
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Before you start teaching anything it is best to develop some type of rapport with the students. Go in to your class and chat to them one by one. Give the students some fun activities (wordsearch, colouring, games etc) and tell them that you want to know more about them.
Try to develop a skills analysis. If the students are unresponsive bring in a magazine and just read for the whole hour. The students will feel pretty awkward when you are just sitting there and doing nothing.
After some classes of reading to yourself, ask the students what they want to do. Ask if they want to talk. Hopefully it would work but if they are bored or uninterested in English you can't force them to study. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mrsquirrel
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
How often do you see them?
If it's regularly enough you could work on a project in class.
Try a simple play to start or product design. Making one of those cut out things where they stick lots of pictures about themselves on it and then talk about it (hopefully) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
twg
Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Location: Getting some fresh air...
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| elliemk wrote: |
| Quote: |
our hagwon does care, however not enough to call the parents and tell them that their kids aren't co-operating in class.
i'd talk to your school director about giving a call home. even just one call (if you can pinpoint the class leader that the rest look up to) would improve things a bit. |
My hagwon DOES care, and they have already tried calling the parents. That didn't work either. . |
I highly doubt the parents are getting the full truth of the situation.
Can you give bad marks on report cards?
Do the report cards even make it to the parents?
There's a similar class at my hagwon, except they're also extraordinaryly rude and talk over teachers in Korean. The kids know that nothing they do (or don't do in your case) will result in punishment for them.
If the hagwon doesn;t have the balls to start tossing bad kids, then your situation will not change for the better.
And DO NOT feed them. It doesn't improve their behavior, it just makes them expect food. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
agoodmouse
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Location: Anyang
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| And DO NOT feed them |
I've seen such signs somewhere. I don't know exactly where, though.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
elliemk
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: Sparkling Korea!
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks for the helpful replies so far.
I only see them twice a week for 40 minutes each time. Not a lot, but I would still like to help them want to learn English.
Again, if any of you have any links to activities for this type of student, I would appreciate them. There are so many ESL Web pages with resources that it's mind-boggling. I do appreciate those who have suggested things to do. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
agoodmouse
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Location: Anyang
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Look on torrents. Search for EFL or ESL materials. I found a ton. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
elliemk
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: Sparkling Korea!
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| agoodmouse - I know there are tons of things out there, but I'd like some specific suggestions on what has worked for others on this board. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
