Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bigfeet]

Hello fellow ESL-ers,

One of my KETs has been tasked with creating an English-only classroom at her school and has asked me for advice on what to put in there. I told her that I'd get on here and ask all of you knowledgeable people for advice.

Any idea would be appreciated, like: decorations for the walls; specific books for the small library in the classroom; etc. She's thinking of middle-school-level English learning books.

Thanks in advance for the flood of helpful advice that I will receive!

[Ramen]

She'll need an English monkey for sure.

[Xuanzang]

English world maps, alphabet letter charts, a couple of white boards.

[Bigfeet]

[Easter Clark]

You work in a public school? If that's the case, you can be sure that the students will not be speaking "English only."

Classroom motivational posters (framed) are good, though.

A bulletin board that you can change with the seasons is also a good item to have.

[QbertP]

A big screen tv instead of a projector, whatever is needed for a good grouped desk layout. Trashy american teen magazines. Small library of english books and dvd's that can be checked out by students. English board games.

[Colorado]

Heat and aircon. My English-only classroom has neither.

Students: "T-T-T Teacher, we're f-f-f-freezing."
Me: Very good, students. Again.

[gteacher]

What kind of budget does she have to work with?

[aka Dave]

There's a textbook entitled "Teaching English in English", which has a lot of classroom vocabulary. The publisher is British (forget the name) and, to be honest, it's fairly straightforward and unoriginal, but it is exhaustive.

[Bigfeet]

Some great advice so far. Keep it up, folks!

[ajuma]

DO NOT get round tables, or the square ones where 4 students sit together. ALL students need to be able to see the board, and YOU need to see all of their faces!

Get the 2 person tables (like unis use) or regular desks (all the same height!). You can arrange them any way you want for group work.

A globe in English might be good.


For books, magazines etc. check out whatthebook.com. You can get single copies of magazines or subscriptions.

[D.D.]

Group tables will mean one thing-lots of Korean talking while you try to talk.

Group tables equal party time for middle school students.

Really big t.v is the best.

If you can have a smaller room attatched to the side will give chance to talk in a group while cutting out noise from the other students.

The only way it will be English only is if you are the only one in the room.

Lots of English signs on the walls and a chart for converting Korean characters into letters.

[valkerie]

Oh how I agree with the tables...my 'zone' is ike a chemistry lab lol....maybe they heard the term English lab'???

Oh and my advice...DO NOT, EVER, EVER get chairs with castors. They are driving me insane,

[Easter Clark]

100% agreed on the table issue. I tired to have group tables in the beginning and could never get the kids to shut up. Sure, that seating arrangement is best for group work, but that assumes the students will pay attention to their teacher at some point too!

After I switched to *traditional* seating, it was like night and day. It's not hard at all to put them into groups of 4 or to assign pair work. This is one area where current TEFL methodology does not apply--in Korean public school classrooms.

[Juregen]