Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Closetothedge07]

Hello, I am going to South Korea at the end of next month for my first teaching job, half classes kindergarten, the other half elementary. I am wondering if you guys could give me any teaching tidbits or any sites/books that will assist in lessons, grammar coverage, ideas i.e. Thank you very much. I just want to be as prepared as I possibly can be before going.

[archaeologist5]

One of the things that has always surprised me on these type of boards. It is a rarity, and I mean very rare, to see someone post where another teacher can get teaching materials.

In the old days the cities were full of specialty shops that catered exclusively to the English market. Teachers could and can get 10-20% off their purchase, you just had to show your visa card and sometimes become a member.

Now I know of only 1 that maintains a physical bookstore where you can go in and peruse the books before you purchase them. I will put their name and website address here NOT for advertisement purposes but to let you know where you can go and get materials. They have 2 large sections and a wide variety of materials ready to go:

It is called Kim & Johnson, they are located in the building below the Smoothy King in Gangnam. The Smoothy king is across from the Starbucks which is across from the CNN Cafe. It is right on a subway exit and corner BUT you have to go downstairs to get to it.

Their website address (if you can't make it to Seoul), is: http://www.kimandjohnson.com and their hours are Monday to Saturday 10 am to 8 pm and Sunday from 2:30 pm to 7 pm

Again this is not for advertisement purposes but to help the OP and other teachers find materials for their classes.

[oatmeal]

Well thank god for the internet right? You'll find almost everything you need online. There are lot of helpful materials around EVERYWHERE. I don't really want to promote specific sites, but there are lots of useful materials on korea teacher forums (google it and you'll get a list of good forums in korea for english teachers, just join free and start sifting through the 1000s of lesson plans, ppts, game ideas, lesson ideas that other teachers have posted), eslprintables, barry fun english, koomakids, eflclassroom, mes english, the list is endless.

It is a good idea to start building your own lesson plan book, collection of successful ideas/games/lessons and later on in year 2+, you can develop a good system.

Most NETs when they first arrive to korea to teach are NOT professional teachers by trade. So, honestly the best way to learn is by trial and error. Some lessons/games/activities will be a disastrous failure, and others will turn out to be great ideas that lead to better ideas and you can continue to hone and refine those raw ideas into classic lessons. Always remember as a teacher, you are also a student and you must be open minded to continue to learn from others. When I say "trial and error" I mean that you will learn what works with what class and size. Each class will have a different group dynamic. Certain ideas and systems will work better for a larger class or say an older class than a smaller or younger class and vice versa. Sometimes, a certain game is a class favorite in one, but bland for another class. You will learn by trial and error, keep a record of things, what worked what didn't, and build on that data. That's how you can develop a great system that will work for you for years to come (if u should stay that long and teach).

For basic classroom management, be consistent and repetitive. I cannot stress this enough. If you are inconsistent and never repeat/reinforce anything, the class will be chaotic, disorderly, and students will not be familiar with any sort of system or structure when it's your time to teach. They know when a teacher isn't in control and can take advantage of you or not. Little things like, a simple countdown from 5 to 1 is a great way to get their attention that class is about to start or everyone needs to quiet down and pay attention (else a punishment).

I also do simple tasks like, ask students clap twice, or clap three times, and that gathers their attention. Simple chants like, "Be.. be... (then students will say) QUI.....ET" works extremely well. Other teachers have their own chants they make up.

I also like to do a "clean up and line up" at the end of EVERY CLASS. Students automatically know after a few classes that you will do this and they know the drill. Lining kids up at the end of class to dismiss them is an orderly way to send them off. The worst thing to do is to allow them to be loud, rowdy, and chaotic, then when the bell rings, just letting them go in any random order whenever they go. Line them up, keep them there until they are all ready to go and then dismiss them when they are ready.

I always ask the question, "Are you ready?" when they line up. They then line up properly and quietly and I ask them many times, Are you ready? They respond, "I'm ready." Works wonders for me.

One more is the "raise your hand" thing. Always have them raise their hands when they want to answer or speak...it makes it orderly. Having kids just screaming and yelling out whenever they want and anytime they want will just lead to chaos. Don't acknowledge students or answers if a hand wasn't raised. Give the attention to the raised hand and other students will then see that they must raise their hands to be chosen or acknowledged....and then don't forget to always use positive reinforcement after they do something well.... sounds kinda silly but really exaggerate and have energy in your voice when you praise someone for a job well done, "GREAT JOB!" or "AMAZING" or "NICE!" "FANTASTIC" with thumbs up or big smile etc. Kids really like getting positive reinforcement and praise....even if it's not for points or stickers, just acknowledging them positively with powerful words makes them happy and cooperative.

I reiterate, use REPETITION and CONSISTENCY. Those are miracle systems!

Again, each teacher will develop their own preferences and style...whatever works best for you. These were just some ideas/tidbits that I have found useful for me.

Cheers

[schwa]

Brilliant post.