Korean Job Discussion Forums

[themillerman]

Hey, I tried to search but I couldn't find anything that really helped me out that much. I teach at a small hagwon and my classes are tiny. They can't afford to lose any students, nor hire new teachers. I have to read a short story book to my first graders. The problem I am having is that 1 of them speaks English fairly well, but is hyperactive and unhappy. A 2nd student speaks English a little less well, but is a great student, and a 3rd doesn't even know basic English vocabulary, not even enough for me to explain simple instructions and is not interested in English at all. I don't have a co-teacher, and I really feel that the kids are not absorbing any information at all. For example I am currently teaching a book about dolphins, and I am somehow supposed to teach them words associated with dolphins. It is not a fun book per se, it is more of an elementary level fact book. How do I explain the vocabulary words to them when one of them can't even understand the instructions to "Write your name"???

Thanks for any help...

[iggyb]

That is a tough one.

I'd try turning the 1st student noted into the teacher. Let him/her be the leader. Try to come up with group activities in which he can be the bridge between the weak student and you.

That could get him to focus more on the class and keep him busy.

In any class with big spread in abilities, I think getting the higher level ones to help the lower ones - even using a mix of native language and English to do it - is a good idea. I used it in US high school TESOL classes with mostly Spanish speakers. I'd press them to use English and tell the higher level ones that if they can't explain it in English, then simplify it and simplify it and use body language before using Spanish...

That is what I think you have to do as a teacher as well. When the whole class isn't close to each other in level, that becomes hard, so use team work and roles....

I think it works...

[roadballmint]

Well, since I know very little about you and the situation, this is kind of a shot in the dark and may be advice you've already heard, but...

Think about your own attitude toward the lesson. If you're not excited about it (or at least good at faking being excited about it), your students won't be either. For the vocabulary, make pictures and flashcards. Once they start to understand, play games with the vocab words. Have them draw pictures of dolphins/why they like dolphins. The kids might be more interested if they can link the information back to themselves (kids are self-centered like that ) To get them to understand directions, act it out yourself. Don't just tell, show. Participate with them. If they really don't understand, you may have to basically do it for them a few times, but if you establish a routine they'll start to catch on.

Some of the old standards for motivating your students-
turn it into a competition- make up some way for them to earn stickers or candy
group punishment- when one acts up, take away points/stickers/etc. from everyone

Good luck with the class.

[Xuanzang]

First grade of elementary school or middle school?

[Kikomom]

Teach them the Flipper song.

[Yunseung]

OP, Kids love television and kids love games.
Show them a fun children's television show for example. Think Sesame street.

[Sleepy in Seoul]

OP, I think that you are approaching this class the wrong way. You said that you are working at a hakwon and you feel that you're not teaching this class properly. You need to get away from the idea of 'teaching' and focus on keeping the students happy and their parents paying monthly tuition fees. That way you keep your job, the wonjang is happy and the parents have a fairly cheap daycare.

Having said that, there are ways to make the students learn while keeping them interested. Don't focus on the book so much but use it to help the students learn words associated with the topic. If they don't understand the words, they won't enjoy the story. Make resources (cards or pieces of paper glued together with a picture on one side the word on the other), have the students draw nouns from the book. As roadballmint said, turn everything into a competition.

[winterfall]

[Kikomom]

Millerman, send a note to the parents asking them to have the kids bring their public school English books to class with them. Go through the books and pick out lesson segments, vocab words, things you can incorporate into your classes to help augment what they are already learning. Give them a writing assignment, team work or something to keep them busy while you mine the textbooks for further lesson work. Ask the kids themselves what they would like you to help them with.

Ask the parents to send you examples of their (old) homework, tests, etc. that you can help them correct mistakes, pronunciation, spelling--reinforce old lessons. Have a K-teacher help you add a translated section to the note, so they'll have a better understanding of why you want this material. Even if all three kids go to different schools, they'll pick up parts they may not have learned yet, or will in future lessons. Or simply refresh what they already know.

Put up alphabet charts for the weakest student to practice writing, learn how words are structured. The other two can learn from this too and may help explain what you are unable to communicate.

The idea here is to give their hagwon classes value by helping them to stay ahead with their public school learning. The parents will especially appreciate this if it helps them get better grades in PS.

[scotty12347]

Im doing a tesol atm, i can mail you the "classroom management" chapter if you'd like?

Alternatively, SWEETS!

[jiberish]

I found if teaching is difficult. Usually the reason is bad materials. If it's first grade I think usually books are too difficult. With my 1st grade classes, it is just vocab and really basic sentences/questions. I have no dramas. This is with 12 students and no co-teacher.

The biggest issue is don't go over their heads on the content. As soon as you do that, you lose them and they mess up.

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

Just be patient. It's hard for them and they have no idea why they're at the hakwan and why they're learning what sounds like gibberish to them.

First become their friend.

Then just repeat the same things over again using different techniques.

For example. I have had my kindy class 4 times this week.

In that time all I have been able to ge them to (semi) absorb is the names for 4 animals (pig, frog, tiger, chicken) and 4 feelings (I'm fine, happy, so so, sad.)

Of course I have to try many different ways of presenting the material and that sounds like what you're haviing a problem with.

For the Animal names I've done the following -

1. What's your name? My name is __________.

Teacher practices the Q & A with listen and repeat. He then uses 4 animal glove puppets (or flashcards) and asks the animals what their names are and they answer (My name is frog / pig / chicken etc...) Teacher then asks the stdnts to listen and repeat the names of the animals 3 times. Then when teacher dons one of the puppets (or f/c's) the stdnts (wth K teacher's assistance) ask 'What's your name?' Teacher says 'My name is ______ (frog etc...) in funny voice. After that Teacher asks what's your name and kids answer my name is pig / chicken etc....

2. Singing game. Teacher wears tiger puppet. We sit in a circle and pass around a ball singing 'hello, hello, hello what's your name? Hello, hello, hello! My name is tiger, my name is tiger, hello tiger, hello tiger, hello!!!! On the final hello, whomever has the ball is out. Last 2 remaining kids win.

3. Role play. We had 8 stdnts so I split them into two groups of 4. each stdnt had a glove puppet (pig, tiger, chicken and frog.) I had 3 line up and one go up to each one and say 'what's your name.' That stdnt answers my name is ________. Then the original stdnt repeats with the next 2 stdnts. Each stdnt gets a turn.

4. Whisper game. Two teams of 4. teacher whispers to first 2 kids from each team 'my name is (one of the 4 animals) they then whisper to the next and so on and final stdnt from each team runs too teacher and 1st one to say it correctly wins 20 points and the other team get 10 (never give a team zero points as they'll cry...)

5. Who's missing game. 4 kids come to front of class and don one of the puppets (or f/cards) the others close their eyes and I take one of the animals stdnts out of the room. Then they open their eyes and say 'my name is __________' ie if frog is missing 'My name is frog.

A lot of work for two sentences and 4 vocab words huh?

For the how are you - I'm - fine / happy / sad / so so - I just use simmillar things, acting out the emotion and they say the word or I say the word and they act out the emotion as well as using games like above....

There's no way you should be having a factual book about dolphins and trying to teach them that, that's just pure ignorance on your hakwan manager's part....

[themillerman]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I did the flipper song yesterday and they really enjoyed it. I am going to try some of the other things. You have all really helped a lot. Thanks

[EH]

BTW, if you're at a really small hagwon, why is it so difficult to change the teaching materials? Can't you just say no to books that don't suit your students' needs and levels? It's not like you will have to convince the regional manager or anything. Just chat with your boss over lunch sometime, and propose new teaching materials that will better support the goal of keeping students in the hagwon at all costs.

My recommendations?
1) Get them moving. First graders shouldn't be expected to sit still hardly at all during the day, and certainly not after school. Do games that require following oral directions, communicating orally with classmates, and jumping, running, spinning, hiding, stretching, balancing, tossing, etc.

2) Get them using their hands. Fine motor skills are usually only taught as they relate to writing, but that is a mistake. If you don't have the fine motor skills to begin with then writing and spelling will be so much more frustrating. Do activities that require cutting, twisting, knot tying, painting, drawing, knitting if you know how, sewing (they really get into this! Especially if there are interesting fabrics, beads, decorations), cleaning the room (seriously!), cooking (especially kneading bread), finger games with songs (eensty weentsy spider, etc.), and more. Make sure it has an oral language component, obviously.

3) Have them make their own books, instead of using text books. Buy a classy-looking notebook for each kid, and have them create one page a week. Each page they make will contain key words/letters/sentences/concepts they copy from the board, and must be decorated with pictures that are meaningful to them, illustrative of the main points, and beautiful/skillful. When kids make their own book instead of skimming through a text book it is much more meaningful and the concepts you teach are easier to memorize.

4) Do more with oral language and less with written language at this age. Step up the written language more and more after second grade. But for now, let the teachers in school teach them to read. You need to teach them underlying language skills that will make literacy easier later. So do a lot of storytelling rather than storyreading. Try puppet shows. Keep the classroom environment really, really quiet when you are talking and don't talk much (so they focus on what's important. Too much babble is self-defeating). When you're not talking, allow noise but model a quiet voice yourself to encourage good listening skills.

5) Eat together. This is really fun. It costs money, but there are cheap options out there. You can teach things like non-verbal and verbal table manners and small talk. At this age language instruction needs to be very concrete and functional on an everyday basis. So, avoid your hagwon's books about sea creatures they have never seen, and instead focus on everyday life skills like eating, drinking, playing, pretend/role playing, active listening, cleaning, creating art and useful objects, etc.

[tomato]

Hello, Miller Man!

Here is my collection of threads discussing problems in teaching little kids.
At least 40 other people have been in a position similar to yours.
These threads contain most of my own ideas, as well as oodlums of other ideas submitted by other veterans of the battle.

Enjoy:
40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31
30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The next time someone asks, this will become thread number 41.