Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sland]

I've just been told by my co-teacher that some students find my afterschool classes boring. It wouldn't be too bad if this was the first time, but I've been told this for the second time
Apparently mothers call in to the school to complain and now the school vp and soon to be vp want me to come to school for two days during vacation to do some planning.
I'd be ok with this if they could offer some comments as to what they want from me, but instead, they're just telling me to make things "not boring". I'll admit that before my first "intervention" the classes were pretty boring, but since then, I've played charades, pictionary, some soccer game thing I made up, and things like that.
I'm running out of ideas. It's a new semester next month, so I'll plan out my year and make lots of stuff up and hopefully step up my game, but it's still upsetting.

If anyone has any idea for super rocking conversation class games (stuff that's not boring), let me know. Please.

[egrog1717]

The question comes down to this: Do you want to teach your students, or do you want to entertain your students?... Sometimes school has to be boring - it's a fact of life and if the mother's don't like it that's really too bad for them...
That's not to say that it should be hard work all the time, but just remember to keep your material balanced (if teaching is important to you.... If not why not just watch movies every class? lol)

[Xuanzang]

At least you care enough to come on here and ask for suggestions. They have a decent teacher on their hands.

[karri]

Hey

What age do you teach?

This site has some great games under the "idea cookbook" in the "stuff for teachers tab"

I teach elementary, here are some of the lessons I've done...

the superhero project on mes-english.com

Fashion designer (spend a class or two teaching about clothes in the end the students design their own outfit on a piece of paper and have to present it using "she is wearing")

Town tourist brochure (the students make a brochure for their towns in English. My low levels do this with simple "You can go hiking at ***** Mountian"

Make a dream home and present it to the class


I teach alot of after school classes my basic lesson plan is (40 min)...

Review what they have learned already.

Introduce new vocabulary using visuals (www.mes-english.com and www.barryfunenglish.com are golden)

Some kind of easy worksheet (no more than 5 minutes) that reinforces vocab.

Teach a dialogue with the vocabulary.
eg. today we learned about going to the doctors, so first i taught them symptoms sore throat, dizzy, headache ect. Next i did a simple 6-8 line dialogue between a doctor and a patient.

Put students in to pairs to practice dialogue. 5 min max.

Students than show the dialogue by coming to the front of the class.

Review through vocab again, review through dialogue.

Game. I try to make the game relate to the lesson but sometimes I throw in a just for fun game.


I try to put in little games through out the lesson. When we r repeating the vocab I will split the class in 2 and have a shouting competition to see what half can make it louder. Or i over dramatize vocab. The kid loved learning about vomiting today when i faked puked over some of them.


MOD EDIT has some good lessons and power points aswell.

Their regular English lessons are pretty dry. I really try to make the kids use English creatively in my after schools. I will give them a drawing task (ie dream home) but while they are drawing i sit and talk to them and ask them questions about what they are drawing.


Hope it helps

[Rusty Shackleford]

What I'm about to say isn't really ground breaking stuff but just wanted to add my 50won to an already good thread. I have found that most of my hand outs fall a little flat as most of the students either do them with their eyes closed or copy off each other. Today one of the students randomly drew me into completing the pair work sheet we were doing, with him. It was about "What did you do this vacation?." It was cool because most of the class really got into it and were mega excited about what I did in the vacation. And that grew and they actually started asking each other the target questions. It's little stuff like that which makes the whole thing worthwhile for me.

[Ya-ta Boy]

karri's idea is the best you're going to get. There are hundreds of activities in the cookbook section. You'll need some time to go through them and select the ones that fit your age group and the material you'll be using.

[yingwenlaoshi]

OP,

It's just garbage coming out their mouths. The pea-brained kimberlies talking nonsense. You're there to teach. If they want Miracle Teacher, I guess they're going to have to pay an arm and a leg for him or her.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

What age are they? Let me guess, grades 4-6? It's interesting how when students are at the age that they can learn a language the fastest Koreans emphasise the strongest that it shouldn't be taken very seriously.

[maingman]

could get them to design a dry ski slope for the summer months

[D.D.]

Charades and pictionary sound fun if you are on Happy days and Fonzie is your hero.

Come on use movies and youtube and find out what they like.

What grades are you teaching?

My students chose the topics this year. They chose show a trailer for your favorite movie. They had to explain why and answer many questions about it.

Korean dramas- they introduced their fav Korean drama and explained the plot and answered questions.

Introduce two songs one Korean and one English and explain why you like it and answer questions.

These are some examples and it got middle school students to talk.

I also took notes so I know what they like now and can make up some questions and short videos for the rest of my students.

We learned phrases to talk about movies, music and t.v. shows. The main point being the students talked a lot and were interested.

When I teach primary school we watch thing like Bugs Bunny. I never play videos or movies for very long. I pause it a lot and they explain what is happening or I do the explaining.

We also have been doing some Simpsons episodes this week in middle school but it is way over their heads believe it or not.

So I have to stop the Simpsons a lot and explain words and vocab. I tell them they should be watching the Simpsons over and over again until they can understand as that is a good baseline to shoot for for listening.

In my travels I hear over and over again from people who have aquired a good level at communicating in English about the impotance of music, videos and t.v.

Pictionary and charades?

[Sland]

Great suggestions guys! Thanks!
Karri and D.D., great ideas. I'll for sure do those things.
I forgot to add that I teach middle school.
I just don't like the idea that my VP thinks I'm a boring/shitty teacher. Figure I'll use that as motivation.
For some reason, I always thought the "idea cookbook" was for food recipes, so I never checked it out... that's really good to know.

[Faunaki]

You can make a game out of anything. So every time you teach something, get the students to fill out a worksheet, then play a game. For instance, you taught a/an. Now get the students to take two pieces of paper, one with a, one with an. Then say a word, the students show the correct paper. Give points. Do it every time.

Sometimes, teach the students nothing. Instead make paper airplanes and have races, teach them how to cook something like french toast or make chocolates. Get them to do crafts like making Valentine's cards or books. Show movies like the Simpsons, let them request songs on Naver, go to the store for scavenger hunts, play basektball, do yoga.


The students will love it and will stop complaining. Also you will feel better because the students will be having a good time and so will u.

[branchsnapper]

And the parents/school will probably appreciate the fact that their teacher sometimes teaches zilch if it makes the kids willingly leave the house. As long as you pretend that the fun mix of not muches and zilches is educational of course.

[nomad-ish]

don't feel too bad, i had this happen last year as well. my class plan (1.5 hours) was: warm-up game, lesson, activity and worksheet, game. in the end after they complained, it just regressed into games all class and they were happy with that. needless to say, when they asked me to teach extra classes the following semester, i said no.

[maingman]

http://www.yourplayground.org/