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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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 Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 11:32 pm Post subject: Wasn't told about my open class today. |
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So, I come into my English classroom after lunch to find several parents sitting in chairs. I wonder what they're doing there, and conclude that they're just waiting for some event in a nearby room. But when class starts they keep sitting there. So I put a song on and go to my co-teacher's room and ask what's up. She says she doesn't know, and accompanies me back to my room and asks the parents why they are there. They say there's a scheduled 'open class' for this time slot and they're here to observe my class. I'm like, huh? It would have been nice if someone hads informed me of this. So I tell the co-teacher that I don't mind if they stay but I had nothing special prepared. And given that it was a class of 30 kindergarten and grade 1 -2 students who think English time is run and scream time, it is normally the most stressful forty minutes of my week. A heads up that the parents were coming would have been nice. Still, I was prepared to carry on with the lesson. But when the co-teacher told them that there was in fact no 'open class' planned for today they eventually got up and left.
Thing is, last Tuesday I actually had an open class for my grade 5 and 6 students in the same room...and nobody showed up. Not a soul. Now here's a bunch of parents sitting in my room prepared for an open class that noone had told be about.
Typical. |
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wooden nickels
Joined: 23 May 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 3:28 am Post subject: |
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| This is the way all open classes (observation of teachers) should be. This would cut out a lot of the dog and pony shows. I have watched too many of the shows where the students would raise their hands and answer the questions before the questions were even asked. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 5:10 am Post subject: |
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| wooden nickels wrote: |
| This is the way all open classes (observation of teachers) should be. This would cut out a lot of the dog and pony shows. |
I suspect a lot of the people involved more or less feel the same way. Some time back I was in an open class and the fellow actually taught the lesson as usual, with no gimmicky presentations and seemingly no preparation of the students in advance. He got a pretty positive response from the Koreans evaluating him, and at least one explicitly expressed appreciation for his "not having put on a show." But, if that were to be the new system, expectations would have to be adjusted accordingly. Smithington's kindergarten through second class (which I assume is an "after school class" with no co-teacher?) is going to be loud and chaotic, because dumping dozens of young kids into a room with a foreigner who doesn't speak their language is going to make classroom control incredibly difficult no matter how competent that teacher is or how well he prepares.
I for one would be fine with any of my classes being watched, so long as they were evaluated by reasonable standard based upon the circumstances. |
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Stain
Joined: 08 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:02 am Post subject: |
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| Smithington, it sounds like you got screwed on purpose. No self respecting school would allow such a thing to happen. |
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trueblue
Joined: 15 Jun 2014
Location: In between the lines
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 9:19 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I have watched too many of the shows where the students would raise their hands and answer the questions before the questions were even asked. |
EFL in Korea, IS, a "dog an pony" show...which is why, the teacher should have been informed... |
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wooden nickels
Joined: 23 May 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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| trueblue wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I have watched too many of the shows where the students would raise their hands and answer the questions before the questions were even asked. |
EFL in Korea, IS, a "dog an pony" show...which is why, the teacher should have been informed... |
IT'S NOT in my classroom. I can't change the world. However, I will keep some dignity intact for myself. |
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3DR
Joined: 24 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| wooden nickels wrote: |
| This is the way all open classes (observation of teachers) should be. This would cut out a lot of the dog and pony shows. |
I suspect a lot of the people involved more or less feel the same way. Some time back I was in an open class and the fellow actually taught the lesson as usual, with no gimmicky presentations and seemingly no preparation of the students in advance. He got a pretty positive response from the Koreans evaluating him, and at least one explicitly expressed appreciation for his "not having put on a show." But, if that were to be the new system, expectations would have to be adjusted accordingly. Smithington's kindergarten through second class (which I assume is an "after school class" with no co-teacher?) is going to be loud and chaotic, because dumping dozens of young kids into a room with a foreigner who doesn't speak their language is going to make classroom control incredibly difficult no matter how competent that teacher is or how well he prepares.
I for one would be fine with any of my classes being watched, so long as they were evaluated by reasonable standard based upon the circumstances. |
This is exactly what I do as well. The contract teachers here are all scrambling to put on some special lesson, and I'm just like "I'm doing my normal lesson. Why are you so stressed out?" |
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neilio
Joined: 12 Oct 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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I absolutely hate it when a big show is put on. Lessons plans to be approved by 3 people, special made materials and tons of frills.
WTF ARE YOU DOING THE REST OF THE TIME?
The state of teaching would be a hell of a lot better if there was a fixed video camera in the room streaming the classes 24-7.
There are many upsides:
Student behavior and lesson quality being the biggest.
Realistic, honest, teacher feedback is another huge one.
THere would be few downsides:
Less creativity and expression perhaps on behalf of the students. |
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Chia Pet
Joined: 23 Jun 2013
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:02 am Post subject: |
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| neilio wrote: |
| The state of teaching would be a hell of a lot better if there was a fixed video camera in the room streaming the classes 24-7. |
I disagree. Teachers who are intrinsically motivated would teach a lot worse when constantly worrying about parents or co-workers evaluating them on the camera. I guess it's possible some teachers, who aren't intrinsically motivated, would reach a more acceptable mediocre level, but overall I think the cameras would do more harm than good, and would certainly make the job less enjoyable for most teachers.
CDI has cameras on 24/7 for feedback purposes. They only way that works is because CDI plans every detail of the lessons out for the teachers, so the teachers don't have to think too much, and don't have to worry that the supervisors will attack the lesson plan. |
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Stain
Joined: 08 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:18 am Post subject: |
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| I don't see how cameras help. There are cameras everywhere in this country and it's pretty much status quo. |
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Chia Pet
Joined: 23 Jun 2013
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:55 am Post subject: |
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| Stain wrote: |
| I don't see how cameras help. There are cameras everywhere in this country and it's pretty much status quo. |
Cameras are not in every hagwon, and most hagwons that use them pay minimal attention to them, or only look closely if there's a big problem. CDI uses them actively to evaluate and critique teachers. That would do more harm than good at any hagwon or school that wants some initiative from the teachers. |
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