|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Location: In my Kingdom
|
 Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:00 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
| Quote: |
... all experienced teachers have problems on the CELTA course. CELTA is designed to produce robot teachers, each delivering lessons to an exact and rigid CELTA formula.
All the experienced teachers on my CELTA had trouble conforming to the rigid classroom environment. In contrast, brand new teachers, with zero classroom experience, sailed through |
That's NOT my experience. Sure, the high school science teacher from New Zealand dropped out of the course because he couldn't do it well, but I'd heard before the course that newbies strule and indeed the two inexperienced teachers had trouble. Those of us who got 'A's on our CELTA all had between two and five years of ESL experience.
CELTA teaches a METHOD, a set of tools, so to speak. You must demonstrate that you have learned and are able to use those tools. It's very means and results specific. In the years since I've taken course, I've several times been appreciative of the training I received in the method. It is very student centered, with little teacher talk time and lots of engaging activities to be lesson planned for the students. It is especially helpful with the bigger classes when I want to design pair and group work, though other techniques are more often useful, like concept checking and eliciting.
Most people who take the CELTA say it's worth it despite the expense and hard work it requires. It is of value intrinsically for what it TRAINS one to do. You don't just read books to learn how to teach: you practice teaching with a clear set of criteria you are judged against. It's a learning experience, a real boot camp, sharpening some skills while developing others. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
BackRow
Joined: 28 Jul 2010
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| smartwentcrazy wrote: |
| CentralCali wrote: |
| Who cares what the reason someone is doing their job? As long as they're doing the job, that's all that should matter. And what is the job here? It's to teach. |
Are you thick? It's not a matter of 'doing the job'. Sure, you can do any job by just doing it. But, if you want to excel at your job and exceed your own expectations there has to be a passion behind it. In your own mind there has to be a willingness and strive to cultivate and expand your skills at this job, not simply get a paycheck, but to pursue the limits of your own abilities. Do you honestly think any successful person in any other job does not think otherwise? The point being is that most people come here with teaching as either secondary or an afterthought. Most of these so called "teachers" are not here to teach. They're here for that vacation time, traveling, and paycheck. Sure, they may get the job done. But opposed to another person who actually has a passion for teaching that could have had a far greater beneficial impact for the school and and the students. The fact that you only need to speak English results in a pool of people who are unfit, lazy, and quite frankly laughable to be considered a "teacher". |
Being a NET whether in public school or a hagwon is an entry level position, it is to university graduates as burger flipping is to high school dropouts. Your holier than though posts are just sad to read due to not only the bitterness but the complete lack of a sense of reality.
If you actually cared that much, and had that much so-called passion, you wouldn`t be doing an entry-level job in kora that can (and is) done just as well if not better by what you call the bottom of the barrel graduates (who do a year or two in korea and go back gome to start careers, while you`re just another sad lifer). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
NYC_Gal
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Entry level doesn't mean you shouldn't care. When I started in publishing, it was entry level. A few years later, it certainly wasn't (and now I'm reaping those rewards with a cushy freelance job). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chellovek
Joined: 29 Feb 2008
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| NYC_Gal wrote: |
| Entry level doesn't mean you shouldn't care. When I started in publishing, it was entry level. A few years later, it certainly wasn't (and now I'm reaping those rewards with a cushy freelance job). |
*pat pat* |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
NYC_Gal
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| chellovek wrote: |
| NYC_Gal wrote: |
| Entry level doesn't mean you shouldn't care. When I started in publishing, it was entry level. A few years later, it certainly wasn't (and now I'm reaping those rewards with a cushy freelance job). |
*pat pat* |
I love you <<bats lashes>>
Don't ever change. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ThingsComeAround
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 9:55 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| Otherside wrote: |
Plenty of comments in this thread like "Lots of teachers opposed to these changes, these are the crap teachers who'll be weeded out."
The truth is, most of us aren't opposed to evaluations at all. We're just worried about how they'll be implemented, and those of us with public school experience, can tell you what a joke the renewal/open class evaluations are. |
Otherside hits the nail on the head here. If we had competent evaluations with decent feedback even newbie teachers could improve...heck some experienced teachers might also benefit. But as things currently stand they are indeed a joke. I've done 6 (six) open classes over the years at public school. I've also attended around 25-30 others at other schools. Every single one was a dog and pony show.
A few of the foreign teachers did raise good points, but on the other hand the criticism of the Korean administration/teachers seemed to focus ENTIRELY on who (the FT or the KT) was doing the majority of the talking. Unless the FT was doing about "70%" (which is a direct quote from the head of the POE) it wasn't a good class.
Yeah that's good feedback. Just talk a lot and you get a good evaluation? |
+1 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Junior
Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: the eye
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:38 am Post subject: |
|
|
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| Unless the FT was doing about "70%" (which is a direct quote from the head of the POE) it wasn't a good class. |
70% for an "assistant teacher". 
Funny how all the KT's know that they should be in the asssistant role, letting the foreigner teach most of the lesson.
Yet as soon as the open class is over they quickly fight and scream to take over 90% of the class. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rteacher
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Western MA, USA
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:26 am Post subject: |
|
|
| They should just let the students evaluate the teachers. When I announced that I would not be teaching their ELA class anymore (at what was probably my last gig in Korea since I'm 61) my 5th grade students made up posters with comments like "You are handsome" and "You are not handsome so, but you have many knowledge and good manners." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 4:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Yes, some of these K kids get really attached to their teachers.
When I told a class that I was leaving my last school, one girl burst into tears. She was completely inconsolable. She cried for the full 50 mins - nothing (or no one) could stop her.
That's one of the things I love about teaching K kids. They're so adult in many ways - but underneath, they're just lovely kids.
I'm gonna miss them. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
|
| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| So...nearly a year later, have these changes come to pass? Busan teachers are you being evaluated 3 times a year? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tonyvu
Joined: 30 May 2008
Location: busan - a view of dadaepo beach from my office window
|
| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 11:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| nothing has changed...thus far. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
