Korean Job Discussion Forums

[karl]

I'm darn well tired of having to do lesson plans all the time. They never seem to satisfy the school.Are there any schools that supply their own lesson plans? Also,being from the old school,are there any schools that don't rely on computers for their classes?The schools that I've checked out all seem to be using computers in one form or another and computers have never been my strong point I'm afraid.
I would prefer to work in a school which says,"Ok,today, please teach this to the class,tomorrow please teach them that etc".No computers or lesson plans-no muss -no fuss! Am I being too unrealistic in thinking that such schools still exist?I'd even be happy to take a pay cut to have the class all pre-planned for me.If anyone has a list of school like this I'd be eternally grateful!

[Demophobe]

By "school" do you mean hagwon? Some hagwons supply their own plans...."Topia" has their own deal I think.

[karl]

Really?Well, at least it's nice to know there's at least one school that does.
I also think this would save a lot of time on the instructor as well.The schools that I've talked with all wanted me to have lesson plans all set to go within a day or two.One school even wanted the plans done thirty days in advance?Is this common?
I'm not really that skillful at making up lesson plans-especially,designing them on the computer.I'd prefer an old styleconversation school that would have it all mapped out nicely for me .I suppose my school is a hagwon but they really are quite finicky about their lesson plans!
If you do know of any schools that has their own plans and doesn't rely heavily on computers,please let me know!!

[peemil]

What's a lesson plan?

[manlyboy]

Yeah. Topia has lesson plans alright. Scripted word for word, minute for minute, movement for movement. A lot of teachers feel very restricted by it, and it was probably the most complained about thing, (and a lot of things get complained about there), when I was at the place.

[ajuma]

Before lesson plans get a bad rap, they really aren't so bad (well...30 days...that's not realistic!!!).

Lesson plans give you a guideline for what you want to accomplish in a class. For example: The page in the book has a focus on colors. What will you do? Coloring? A game that involves getting up and finding different colors? Reading some color words? What will you do to get the idea across? How will you spend 20...30...40...50 minutes on that topic?

When I taught 8 different levels in a hagwan, lesson plans were invaluable!! Sure, they took some time, but the time I spent planning made for smooth-running classes with very few "s**t...what do I do now" moments.

Making lesson plans is really helpful for new teachers who want to do a good job. Those of us who have been in this "game" for a long time can look at a page in a book (any page, any book!) and can come up with something to do. But for those with little or no experience, lesson plans can help a lot. Use the teacher's book and the internet to come up with good ideas for teaching a topic. Granted, some teacher's books are TERRIBLE. One I looked at (the book itself was good, but the teacher's book was awful!) said "Smile at the children and say "hello". If you can't do THIS much on your own, you're in trouble!!!

[prosodic]

This thread exemplifies many of the reasons why I think Ajuma is great. Walking into a classroom without a plan, formal or informal, is a recipe for disaster. I don't write up my lesson plans anymore, but I always have one that includes the days objective and rough estimates for how long each activity is going to take.

Personally, I would hate using a lesson plan that is handed to me. It would make teaching very boring and would make me feel like I'm just a robot acting out a program.

And, when you get right down to it, the ability to plan a lesson is a fundamental skill for teaching.

[phaedrus]

If a school expects thirty hours of teaching per week, they should provide you with lessons plans.

If they want you to teach a reasonable amount of time, it can be expected that you plan your own lessons. This is definitely the best situation.