Korean Job Discussion Forums

[oldfatfarang]

Just had my demo lesson debrief. The visiting POE examiner picked up many of my teaching faults (I knew about some of them, but he had some good ideas for improvement).

I hope the following helps others doing demo lessons.

(1) Role Plays: Student B should repeat instructions given to them by Student A.

(2) Role Play: Students should not just 'real aloud', but memorise dialog or use their own vocabulary (oops, we've all got a bit lazy around here).

(3) Lesson Plan:
Lessons should be structured on the 3 P's: (1) Presentation, (2) Practice (games/activities) & (3) Production.

My lesson stopped at (2), as students didn't get a chance to produce/practice their own English. (I knew this, as my lesson was a total show-spoon-fed demo lesson.) He rightly said 'student production' would produce 'student confidence'.

(4) Writing - Homework
He wanted to see kids reading at home and writing some English sentences about their reading. Homework, hmmmmmm - best left to K teachers, me thinks. I don't want to destroy my relationship with students by getting into the, "You didn't do your homework/punishment cycle'.

(6) Co-Teachers' English
He wants me to spend more time speaking English with co-teachers. Apparently, I'm supposed to socialise with them (as per 2nd duty of my EPIK program's objectives). (No extra money for Teachers' After School Classes, though.) This was probably a reaction to me not eating lunch with the Korean teachers in the cafeteria, and also my living in the English Zone. I have very little contact with any Korean teachers, except during lessons.

(7) [u]Directions / Instructions in English (my co-teachers' suggestion)
I've been giving Lesson Instructions to the K teacher - and then getting them to relay them in English (not good, I know - I've just been trained up by low level classes, I guess).

All in all, not a bad review. That was my 8th lesson/critique - so I shouldn't have these faults - but teaching PS has encouraged me to be lazy, I guess.

Hope this helps someone.
Any comments appreciated.

[Fishead soup]

These things will only be meaningful if they are actually implemented

[D.D.]

I laugh at those people with their ideas on how to teach. Ask them how much time they have spent in a classroom teaching. Ask them what to do when half the class is sleeping and couldn't give a rat's .... Ask them what to do when 75 % of your co-teachers can't speak English, don't want to learn and pass that vibe onto the students.

Demo classes are so fake and many of those teaching ideas sound quite old to me.

[Goku]

A lot of the advice from DMOE's usually omit classroom management or other important considerations.

It's like they assume the kids will be perfect angels and that you can just teach. Which makes the whole Homework aspect of what they said to you seem so ... out in space.

Anyways your critisms aren't harsh and the roleplay reguritation suggestion is very helpful. All of us as teachers should try to give the kids freedom as to what they produce. I will start taking that advice, I think that's very helpful.

I wish I got constructive critism like this. All i get is, wonderful, flawless victory, superb, head shot from my POE. The 4 demo classes they all said the same thing, the harshest critism I got was "speak louder".

Not helpful to say the least.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[warmachinenkorea]

I have been tryin' to do all of these things in regular classes and I the teachers just tell me the students don't like to talk. When I ask what's the alternative I get stares. I was told today the students don't like to be creative. I guess I shouldn't try anything that might cause original thought.

[oldfatfarang]

[Smee]

It's a fine line between being available and accessible, and being a pet or mascot. I've been told that I should approach the KTs first and talk to them, but these are English teachers who are embarassed to speak English at all, let alone in front of other people or with a native speaker. When we have meetings or lunches together, the discussion is always in Korean, and it's hard to even keep the teachers' workshops in English. So, whatever, I just think people like to give their opinions at these demo classes, without even considering whether it makes sense. Until there's some accountability, until native speakers actually mean something in the classroom, and until schools and Korean teachers have set out an actual plan for what we're supposed to be doing, we're little more than guest lecturers.

[Horangi Munshin]

I don't mind socializing with my co-teachers and the other staff at my school. I am strongly encouraged to do so. The changes this year speak otherwise. I have to supervise students during the lunch break. My desk was moved into the English zone and I was told I should be there whenever I don't have class.

Definitely take that part of the evaluation with a packet of salt!

[some waygug-in]

Sounds like they are more concerned with sticking to a set format than they are about content.

I find these kinds of criticisms next to useless. They were shown one basic type of lesson plan somewhere and now they expect all teachers everywhere to conform to that set style of plan.

Not that the plan in itself is bad, on the contrary. It's just that expecting all lessons to fit into a set formula is a bit naive.

The socializing thing, it's an uphill battle. I am giving my co-teacher 2 hours of tutoring a week to help her with her English, but not all co-teachers are keen on this.

[agoodmouse]

Doing a TEFL course would have helped you out with these details.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

Yep, no curriculum.

[Smee]

[agoodmouse]

I meant to say a CELTA or another on-site TEFL.

[Dodgy Al]

"Lessons should be structured on the 3 P's: (1) Presentation, (2) Practice (games/activities) & (3) Production," said the 1980s.