Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bunnymonster]

Ok I have been lumberred with a Kindergarten class (like 4-5 yr olds in Korean ages) who started off with no english ability at all. However two of my students have picked up the concept very quickly and are now ready to start elementary phonics however one of the class is not even able to sit down quietly let alone colour in pictures to match an example. The fourth memeber is unfortunately easily led and if the youngest and problematic memebr is presnt will be disruoptive with him and whehn he is absent will work well. Anyone have any advice on what to do with this class as it will soon become impossible to even attempt to have them doing the same activities. (transferring students aside, even the best of them isn't ready for any of the other classes)
P

[nev]

I teach kindergarten and there's no easy answer. These kids are obviously very young, have you done the triangle test? That is, get them to draw a triangle. If they can't do it then they're too young to be in education as they won't be able to form shapes. If that's the case, then all you can hope to do with the disruptive kid is to control him because he's not ready to begin learning English.

Try and seat the easily influenced kid away from the disruptive one, though that may not be easy. Focus your education on the kids who are able to learn, and focus crowd control on the disruptive kid. But try and stay calm with him, as by example a calm teacher will have a calm class.

But it's not easy.

[discostar23]

I have a kindergaten class which is the same age. How long have you had the class and do they have a korean teacher also?

first use lots and lots of music. I have found that any song with an upbeat will keep them interested for at least 5 minutes. I find they love puff the magic dragon and anything by ABBA (Don't ask me why?)

second- rewards... here at my school we give stickers out when a student is good and take them away when they are bad. I know this isn't the best method of teaching but when they are they that young I find you really have to trick them into learning

and Finally get a korean teacher to come in and lay down the law, then when they act up you can threaten them with the teacher (again not the greatest method but it works

good luck

[Bunnymonster]

Err I'm pretty new , been at the school just over 3 weeks. I don't really have a problem keeping control per se, its more one of the levels being very different and the gap widening. I owned them today by bringing in the digital camera and people who did their work got their photo taken. I give it at least another few days before the novelty wears off.

[anae]

Bunnymonster,

I know how frustrating it can be to be a new teacher of very young children. I also was sometimes at the end of my rope with my first class of little guys. Now that I teach kindergarten in a public school in Canada, I still sometimes get frustrated when some of my kids still haven't learned basic social skills, school expectations, or any of their letters and some are on the ball and reading at a first grade level. However, there are some things that you can do that might make things better.

1. Remember that it is still March. Did you kids just begin their first school experience? Maybe some of them have never held a pair of scissors, had to sit and attend, or been away from mommy. Keep lessons short and change activities frequently in the beginning and then slowly make them longer.

2. Try to make learning appropriate for their age. I don't know what kind of program you must follow, but if possible I would advise not teaching with a lot of worksheets or where the kids are very passive. Kids who are as young as 3 years (western age) need to be actively and physically involved with their learning. Being forced to sit for long periods of time or to often use pencils when they are not physically ready will make some children very frustrated and lead them to be disruptive.

You might try:
-singing or chanting what you want them to learn
-getting them to move their bodies frequently. Simon Says, walking around the room playing follow the leader, make letters with their bodies, charades, stand up and wiggle songs (all of those long forgotten childhood songs like London Bridge, Ring-a-Round The Rosey, Shake my Sillies Out)
-playing simple games where there is no winner. I found the ESL Playhouse website good for that.
-doing activities where they can touch and hold things you are talking about.
-practicing writing, drawing with whiteboard markers on plastic lids or on the white board (even better) can be helpful for those with poor fine motor skills because they are able to use their larger muscle groups
-reading short, repetitive stories ( the more advanced group may learn sight words, and the less advanced can learn vocabulary and just the skill of listening to a story)

3. You don't necessarily have to have the same expectation for all children. They are not all the same. Being fair doesn't mean being the same. One child might be able to write the letter A and then cut out five things that begin with A. Another child might need help with the A and be able only to cut out one or two things. Now if the case is that they are physically capable, but refuse to do the work that is different. Schedule the more academic tasks at the beginning if you can and have the more engaging activities and games after. If they don't finish their work, they can't participate.

4. If you can, (I know it is tough - I struggle everyday) think of activities that are open-ended and can have many entry points for kids of differing abilities. The example I am thinking of right now is of playdough. It is great for developing motor skills and you can do a lot of things with it. Children who are more advanced can be invited to make animals that start with T, the others can follow along or just make animals and tell you about them.

I hope this is helpful.

[Bunnymonster]

What write the letter A are you crazy, we are still phrasaly learning colours and numbers (though two of the students are now doing join the dots up to 20 on their own whilst the slowest doesn't know what a dot is even). As I say my problem isn't with teaching any of the children (well one is challenging) its more trying to teach them as a class as the best student will have finished an activity and be hunting through my bag for a new one and demanding instructions for it whilst the slowest is still deciding f he fancies doing it or if throwing it on the floor and then attacking his neighbour with a chair is more fun. I really feel like I'm teaching 4 different classes simultaniously which is frankly impossible (or at least for me). Thanks for the advice though guys its ll been useful as much as anything to reenforce he fact that I am more or less doing the right thing (not a big one for singing tho.)
P

[anae]

Sorry that my advice didn't hit the mark. I didn't mean for the letter A and the cutting thing to be something that you do on Monday. It may never be approriate for those kids. I don't know what their skills are. It was only meant as an example of changing expectations for different children.

I am not sure what it is that you are doing in class, so it is hard to tell you what may be working and what might not be working. If those children who are hitting each other and don't know what a dot is, then a worksheet like that may not be appropriate for them. (Is it even necessary? Is there another way to get them to count without using a pencil?) If you still think that the worksheet is appropriate to give to the more advanced students, you may want to divide the class. Let the less advanced ones work at something else (playdough, looking at books, manipulatives or toys) until you have had a chance to give directions to the advanced kids and tell them what to do when finished. While those children are working away, go back to the less developed kids and work on the more basic skills. However, doing things this way can be quite challenging and draining as well. It means a great deal more planning and careful orchestration of every momment.

Also, give yourself a break. You are new. They are new. Things take time at this age. I remember my first class of 3 year olds. We practised things like sitting down, standing up making a line, putting our hands in our laps, taking turns, greeting each other and other just general school skills for many days with only short periods of "English" learning.