Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kraggy]

Hi folks,

Started in Seoul 2 weeks ago. Middle School, public.

Haven't actually taught any lessons with holidays, mid-term exams and what not but will be starting in the next few days.

However, I was wondering, am I supposed to write the whole lesson plan for a lesson myself? Or should the Korean teachers chip in and help?

I will be teaching 19 different classes, 10 3rd grade and 9 1st grade. So that means 2 lesson plans per week. But there will be around 6 differenet Korean teachers in the room for me as they all have responsibility for certain classes. So obviously planning with 7 different teachers wouldn't be possible but should I have to come up with all the ideas, prepare materials, photocopy everything myself? It's just that my girlfriend has started in another school and will be preparing lessons in conjunction with her co-teacher.

Thoughts? Thanks.

[sulperman]

Different at every school, but much much more likely to be all on your own in a middle or high school. I too have 7 co-teachers, and I prepare everything myself with 0 assistance in any way, shape, or form. Try to talk with your co-teachers and see what they expect, though chances are they have no idea as well.

Welcome to Korea.

[manlyboy]

[kraggy]

Thanks for the replies.

I'll manage but there's no way I'll get everything done in normal school hours.

I'll have to work late I reckon. I just started 2 weeks ago and as well as having to do lesson plans and prepare all the materials, I have to correct speech scripts and judge the competition next week, design a speech test and marking rubric, and conduct the tests for all 600 students that I see every week and prepare for an evening class that lasts 1 hour 30 minutes every Monday evening.

I'll get by. It's just when I hear that my girlfriend prepares her lesson plans and teaches half the time with her co-teacher, I get a feeling of being hard done by.

Ah well.

[lifeinkorea]

The way I look at it is I do ZERO planning as far as "turning in" lesson plans if they want me to do all the work (all the work being planning, teaching, controlling students without a co-teacher, etc...).

If someone, like a co-teacher, is also involved then I first suggest they do the lesson planning and submit it to the school while I do more of the actual teaching and they just sit back and do whatever they want during classes. Again, this amounts to ZERO planning as far as "turning in" lesson plans. I still have lesson plans, but for me it's better to write them after a class so I remember what I did and what I can do in the future to improve them.

Then all I have to do is refer to them later on. Planning something new before a class, not knowing how it will go, not knowing what is missing, not knowing who will actually participate, etc... all make it a silly task to do as well as waste valuable time the teacher could be doing something else.

Here's a crazy idea instead of planning lessons, prepare the classroom for the actual lesson instead. Just because you have things numbered and programmed yourself to teach something doesn't mean it will go as expected.

[winterfall]

[Illysook]

When you eventually work on a lesson plan for an open class, you will realize that you aren't missing out on much. Although it is nice to use your co-teacher as a springboard for ideas, he or she can get in your way at times.

Prepping your classroom is a good idea. Make a poster or bulletin board with something along the lines of "Welcome Friends" Make others for recognizing student acheivements and/or birthdays. Make a paper flag from whence you came.

The first lesson should be an easy introduction and you should play some kind of game or have the kids craft nametags to wear while they are with you. You don't see your students that often so you only have to give them a positive experience with English. The Korean teachers will drill them on the hard stuff.

[Malislamusrex]

me 3.