Korean Job Discussion Forums

[syclick]

I tell them stories about my wife.

Hey, don't knock it... it works!

[Toby]

[Grotto]

I tell them stories about my life in Canada.

The time a squirrel chewed a hole in my tent and made a nest in my sleeping bag. To this day I am not sure who was more surprised

Camping, hunting, any story that shares an experience. The students recognize it as a genuine moment of sharing. They also seem to respond very well to animal stories.

Getting lost in Seoul, explaining your first taste of boiled silkworm larvae.
Brainfreeze cant remember the name.

[discostar23]

[SweetBear]

Some inspiring ideas here, thanx a bunch!

[jajdude]

Often I am just incredibly funny...

I cant help it. I do love the kids. But they do give me pain sometimes.

I'm just really silly at times. I don't command respect at all. I prefer informality. Though perhaps I should play the act of teacher all knowing dude imparting almighty wisdom unto dummies. Just to get a little of what Rodney Dangerfield always lacked.

R-E-S-P_E-C-T

[captain kirk]

I'm not the school middle school teaching ace, but I've noticed that tossing the book for twenty minutes and asking them about hobbies, their age, their friends, do they have pets, etc. and why or why not to whatever they say works wonders relieving the rigor mortis of their faces. Back to the book isn't so bad after that. Some days it's not possible to start out with this I'm a person/you're a person approach because they're zany that day, in no mood to focus and prone to the laughter of lunatics and falling off their chairs and study mode into who gives a damn mode. Then the answers are (smiling sweetly) 'yes', 'yes'. Or they pretend to be sick. And so on into the monkey house.

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

I just do the ���ٸ��� ( dog leg dance ) whenever I'm stuck for a humourous moment ...

[mindmetoo]

Physical comedy I find works well. Nothing makes Korean kids laugh more than a white guy doing a physical parody of a drunk subway ajussi or a halmonee.

[Dalton]

They're just kids.

katydid is dead on in my opinion and experience. Making faces, silly pictures, non-sequitors all relating to the lesson of course get'em every time.

Remember they're children they want to laugh and have fun not sit in a classroom. One of my lesson related tricks is to hold two markers in my hand and say 'these'. I carefully toss them in the air and say 'those' while pointing at them. Then I catch the markers. Five schools of classes like that one so far. It doesn't have to make YOU laugh. If happy, laughing children don't please you then...

My hangman monsters are legendary. I use the last 5-10 minutes for free time, hangman, teaching them words like 'mutant', and silly things like ET=English teacher etc. Motivation you know.

I also give them about 5 min. at the beginning of each class to tell me all their news. In English of course. I don't correct them- I help them.

After 5 the 10-90 % not taking part usually begin fighting about something so keep an eye on them.

20 minute classes rain on my parade.

Talk to your Korean teachers. Weather, tests at reg. school or in hogwon can affect students and suggest a pace or course of action to you.

[JacktheCat]

When they have to recite a really boring line of dialogue out of the book, I like to trick them by inserting funny little phrases. Takes 'em a bit to realise that they've been tripped up. Totally priceless. I get a kick out of it and the kids love it.

Me (reading from the book): I like apples. She likes apples, Do you like apples?

Students (mindlessly reciting): I like apples. She likes apples. Do you like apples?

Me: I like busingtang. He likes busingtang. Do you like busingtang?

Students. I like busingtang. He likes ... uh? what! teacher! teacher!

[Dalton]

I use sentences for hangman (at the end of the class).

'I like spider sandwiches'
'I am a banana'
etc.
Of course the winner has to read the sentence to win.

[mog]

I got middle school students laughing today. I gave them differing sheets of paper to work on pronunciation practice of verb "s" and plural "s." I gave the most outspoken student in each class the activity of "sumo wrestling" and forced him/her to say "I like sumo wrestling." Got every single class laughing today.

[Dalton]

After 25 tough slogging minutes of 'going to' my hangman sentence was going down to the wire. the bell had rung, the next teacher was at the door. Only two letters left to choose from-v and z. Finally a bright boy triumphantly called out "I have a spider in my pants"! Everyone burst into spontaneous, belly laughter. I know they'll work hard to finish their lesson tomorrow so we'll have time for 5 minutes of fun at the end of the class.

[mindmetoo]

I got a good laugh the other day. We were talking about tall mountains. Some girl seemed to know the 10 highest mountain in Korea off by heart. One sounded kind of weird so I repeated "mek joo san?" (Beer mountain?) *giggle*