Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alice0216]

Hi,
I suspect this topic has been poured over before, but what are your best techniques and tricks for managing a large classroom size (3, 4th through 6th grades. Most of the students are great, but a few classes never stop talking and it prevents those who want to listen from doing so. I have tried several tactics but I'm curious about other people's most successful, tried and true tricks for making them listen. Thanks,

[Oliver]

I use the word on the board tactic which never fails. Write a long word on the board (about 7 - 8 letters). Every time the kids are noisy or naughty erase a letter and let them know that's why you are doing it.

If there are no letters at the end of the lesson I give them lines.

Importantly, give them the opportunity to redeem themselves. If they are good again then rewrite the missing letters.

[Fishead soup]

Make lessons that are simple to follow and fun. Start with a funny or interesting video to get their attention. If you have a Korean co-teacher arrange it so that you and he/she are walking around the room and keeping students on task. If the classes are large it's imprtant that expectations are known well in advance. Make a disciplinary contract at the begining of the year and have it signed by the students parents. If the Principal doesn't want to support this idea. Ask for them to break up the large group and have the Korean teacher take half. while you take half. Find out what's on the exam and include it in your lessons also include lots of interesting materials that students can relate to K-pop video's.
Also use surveys from Andrew Finches Tell Me More

[alwaysbeclosing100]

always use a worksheet

pushups

make students do problems on the board...ex math word problems written out....4 students at a time....

make students read out loud....everyone has a turn...no exceptions....

[lovebug]

i teach 30 kids at a time with a KT in elementary. i stole this idea from my boyfriend, who stole it from a GEPIK presentation. it's been working AMAZINGLY.

i have an english classroom. it's more difficult if you travel because the students won't be able to see the other classes' progress compared to theirs. maybe you could do a ppt slide and update it to show every class or something.
i have found that the students work together as a class and keep each other in line if they're pitted against the other sections.
get clipart of one of those fundraising thermometers. print and laminate one for each section of each grade. display them in your classroom.
i have a clear jar (i bought it at daiso) and laminated blue and red sticks of paper.
i made a ppt showing exactly what the class must do to get blue sticks and how they get red sticks. we review these every semester. the clearer you are with your expectations, the easier it is for them to follow them.
the whole system is very visual, so the students react to it strongly and they always know exactly where they sit compared to the rest of the sections.
1 blue stick at the end of class means they get a line of blue marker on their thermometer. 1 red stick means you erase one blue line on the thermometer. (etc)

i am more conservative with blue stick distribution with the stronger classes and a bit more liberal with the weaker classes to keep the levels as close and competitive as possible. the winner gets a pizza party at the end of the semester (i pay for it myself. pizza school. 25k)

our classes' behavior have been wonderful since we did this. it also saves your voice. you just have to lift a red stick and float it towards the glass jar and kids will manage themselves. i'd say we have a 95% rate of homework completed and 95% rate of all materials being brought to class. (my rules dictate a blue stick if everyone comes prepared/does hw. 4+ students don't do it/have it, red stick)

pm me your email if you want the rules ppt i made.

[lifeinkorea]

A lot of these suggestions have to do with discipline. I first treat the class like a multiple of 5 or 6 students. So, with 30 students you have 5 groups of 6 or vice versa.

Pick one person from each group to be the leader. This can be just in your head or you can designate them to be leaders. Then, you concentrate on those students as if you were teaching only 5 or 6 students.

After that works, branch out. Have them interact with a friend. Now you have 10-12 students, and 20-24 next time.

[joeteacher]

This is my best technique, has worked in every school I tried it in:

At the beginning of the class, divide the class in teams (maybe 4-8 kids). Give each team 3 points to start. If a team in talkative or wild, I take points off. If they answer a question or do something good, I add a point. This way, they self police. I barely have to say anything regarding noise, I just say their name, give them a stern look and take a point off. The other kids get mad at the student (NOT ME) and in time, the bad students get better. It also works the other way, if someone says a correct answer they congradulate each other. At the end of class give the best team a reward.

Works best if you even out the teams. Even number of girls/boys and even number of good/troubled students.

Good luck.

[alice0216]

Thanks, these are great. I'll try them.

[sarh72]

Lovebug: I haven't posted enough to PM you, but I'd love your idea and would like to use it. Can you contact me?

[RedKristin]

For my 40+ middle school classrooms,I have a technique that works wonders on both overly talkative classes and the ones where no one feels like talking.

I make all the kids stand up and when they give me a full sentence in English, they sit down. At first, every single kid resists this but it quickly turns into a game and the students become fiercely competitive for my attention. Usually I can do this while going through a text book with hard questions and easy ones to give everyone a chance to sit.

Also, I've noticed that the Korean teachers find this technique wildly entertaining.

[nomad-ish]

the first thing i do is make them change seats. when they come to the english zone they know that they can sit where they like if they're good. i will usually give them one warning then make them sit according to their student numbers.

if it continues, now i will stop everything and look at the offending students. you'd be surprised at how quickly the class president or just another student will tell them off.

discipline only seems to be an issue in 2 of my 19 classes, i have a good english money system (point system) that tends to keep the kids under my thumb most of the time. knock on wood.