Korean Job Discussion Forums

[xCustomx]

Just curious if you share you materials, especially things like games which you've made yourself, with your co-teachers at a public school? I've been asked a couple of times by the same teacher to give her the file so that she can use it in her own class. I'm reluctant because I don't want her to use the game over and over in her class. If she does, the students will get bored of the game by the time I decide to play it again with them, even if I have changed the contents. What do you usually do?

[Juregen]

I run a private school, and one of the things I implement is that ALL materials created are shared on a network drive. This adds to the safety of materials being lost due to hardware malfunction.

It just doesn't make any sense to keep these kind of works hidden away on a hard drive, probably never ever to be used again.

Also, when you share, you will know who are good people and bad people.

Good people will reciprocate while bad will just take what they can get.

[Straphanger]

Anything I use outside of the hakwon curriculum goes to the class's homeroom teacher, since she's ultimately accountable for what happens in her class. When I'm the homeroom teacher, anything I use outside of the curriculum goes to my wonjangnim because he's ultimately responsible to the parents.

[poet13]

For me, they can have the concept. The physical materials stay with me. I have a couple of games that are really popular with the students. They are challenging, address target language, and allow the instructor to scale it to the level of English for each student playing. I was told one day quite some time ago that I HAD to turn over my materials. Made on my own time, with my own money. No way.

[Horangi Munshin]

I generally share everything. Most things I have found on the internet anyway. I use a lot of my spare time at work doing just that. Some teachers were amazed at all the stuff on my flash drive!

I have got a few website suggestions but only a tiny fraction of the stuff I've shared. If I have to leave all the things I've made at school, if and when I leave, I won't be making any other stuff. The previous teachers left nothing (useful).

[Cerriowen]

The best teacher is one who thives ideas unashamedly from every source available. I can't think of a single idea I've had that I didn't originally get (and modify) from a past teacher, internet source, watching other teachers, reading articles, etc.

Also... often if you're teaching the same materials, a good teacher will tweek and modify it to their own style enough that you can play the same game twice (within a few months of each other) and the kids won't mind or even probably notice.

Makes for good relationships if you share nicely and keep finding new ideas. [/quote]

[12bme]

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[KYC]

No because I use them in the periods we have to co-teach together. If she uses it, I have to come up with another game/activity and I don't want to. They've asked before and that was the reason I gave them. They asked for all my games and materials when I leave Korea and I said sure.

[xCustomx]

[Straphanger]

[Jammer113]

I share my ideas totally and completely with my co-teachers. I keep the originals, of course, but I make copies.

I would love it if teachers played my games with students before I did. It would make giving instructions so much easier. Students love games. They're nervous about foreigners. They can last about 15 or 30 seconds of not understanding something before turning off their brains. Having them pre-prepared for a game would be awesome.

Furthermore, I am cut out of a lot of administrative duties that my coteachers must deal with. I don't have to call parents. I don't have to write reports about students (mostly). I don't have to handle money or budgets. I have time to make extra activities for my co-teachers.

Finally, I also shamelessly 'steal' ideas off the internet. I go onto www.indischool.net all the time and download English activities posted by Korean English teachers. A lot of times, the teacher will put a note "made by my foreign co-teacher". Every time I see that, I feel a small sense of pride that we foreign teachers are making a positive impact in the professional environment in Korean education. It helps us too by gaining respect from all teachers who use our ideas from that site.

[Juregen]

[tomato]

I've never had a co-worker who thought that much of my ideas.

[Horangi Munshin]

[Jammer113]