Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ryleeys]

I'm about to be picking up 3 middle school classes at my hagwan, any ideas for good strategies and books to use?

[FUBAR]

[ryleeys]

I really couldn't tell you... haven't been told that much. It's mixed boys and girls and I suspect the class sizes are around 10, give or take a short kid.

Learning does seem to be emphasized at my hagwan more than other "daycare" hagwans...


That's just about all the info I have... same thing as when I first came here. The day after my plan landed I was put in a classroom and told to teach.

[prairieboy]

Be prepared to do alot of talking. More than you would for elementary or kindy kids. This group is really quiet most of the time. Either they are shy or sleepy or both.

You may be surprised by the odd one who is awake and participates actively in class.

Try connecting lessons to their everyday life, music, science, math (remember they are middle school) so maybe teaching them how to do these subjects in English may help set the tone for a lesson in comprehension or listening and speaking.

Cheers and good luck.

[rawiri]

my middle school classes are some of my favourite classes, my hagwon doesnt offer much in the way of resources so i just use the book everyday which seems to be enough for them. why i like the classes though is because you can have a good laugh with them, like taking the piss, they are old enough to have a bit of a laugh with and it makes the class go heaps quicker if you have a bit of a rappoprt with them.

oh yeah and BUY THEM FOOD!!!!!! they are teens and as such are always hungry, especially if you work at night!!!!! BRIBERY FULLY WORKS!!, but really if you dont have a lot of resources then just chill and have fun.

[Blue Flower]

I feel sorry for you. I hate my middle school classes. Well most of them. I have a nice group at the moment, and we really mesh well. Like Rawiri said, you can have a good laugh with them, and they get the joke. Like, we were doing Who, what,when, where, etc, and I made them write questions using the words. One of my middle school girls wrote: Who are you doing?. I started laughing, of course, and then had to explain to her, and her friends, what it meant. Can you imagine doing that in elementary?

Good luck though, you'll probably need it. Unless they are outgoing, confident students (which are pretty goddamn rare), be prepared to have every lesson feel like you are getting your teeth pulled, minus the anesthetic.

[schwa]

I really like middle school students but they can be tough nuts to crack. They'll scrutinize you bigtime & if you come across corny or boring you'll have your work cut out for you.

In many ways they're still kids & enjoy silly games but they're starting to think like adults & feel embarrassed that they can only express their ideas in english like little kids. So they clam up. But they listen, & if you can get some easy dialog going with braver students, others will come around in time.

Pushing or haranguing the quiet ones simply doesnt work. You can tease them a bit but dont put them on the hook -- they'll resent it. You might feel that they should be getting more out of class but they wont complain if you let them off easy. They'll start to use their (considerable) english when they feel comfortable.

[Zyzyfer]

I've had the students in my current class for 10 months now, and they're still clammy in this class.

My current strategy is to start off easy, don't have high expectations of them for the first few days. They've got to adjust to your teaching patterns and they'll most likely do it quietly. Establish those rules, and try to be relaxed and comfortable with them. They're bound to drive you nuts if you expect too much from them in the beginning.

And here's my key that I'm fine-tuning : bust out a couple of interaction activities to get them talking to each other. Have them find three things in common with three different students in class. Or play the action game with them. Something that either entails fun, or lots of speaking with each other. Take the focus off of you. If they don't speak only English the first few days, that's okay. Also, give them a short 5-minute break during class, so that they can chat. The point is to let them get to know each other and possibly even become comfortable speaking English with each other. This might not be as effective if you're coming into an established class.

The biggest problem with the middle schoolers is that they're embarassed to speak English in front of other people. It's almost like speaking English isn't the cool thing to do...at least, that's the vibe I get in my classes.

Build a rapport with them, and let them build a rapport with each other, and it'll be a lot less painful. My entire contract has been teaching middle schoolers, so...

[ryleeys]

Tomorrow is first day teaching the older kids... one of them actually approached me today with a grammar problem, I thought that was cool.

[osangrl]

I used to teach at a homeschool in Yeoido, and taught a couple of korean movie stars children.....and we did the books "true stories"......... they start at beginner and all the way to advanced...they are really interesting.

We did that for half the time, and the other half we did a book called "impact issues" which has a reading and then u discuss with the kid about the reading and it has a guideline to help you. Such topics as capital punishment, euthanasia, abortian, interracial dating, piercings, treatment of animals....ect. Its a green book. Really good. IMOHO

These parents were difficult to please and they seemed to really like it. And its not the boring crap, it gets the kids talking, save the grammer for the korean teachers.

[Derrek]

Yes, I did, and NEVER again.

I had some really spoiled "princess" girls in that class, and I hated it. The boys were pretty good though.

[mo]

I loathe my middle school students (save one very good class). To be honest, I find it very difficult to amuse them. I've tried every suggestionm under the sun, but I find they aren't really up for anything save blank looks.

Ah well, not long now...