Korean Job Discussion Forums

[khyber]

This student used to be fanTASTIC! She is a very sharp girl and has tried very hard.
I have taught her in three seperate classes. The first class was FANTASTIC! Every student was bright and respectful and smart and fun.
Good times. Needless to say, there was a great deal of trust and i felt very comfortable and so, that class WAS a lot of fun.
The middle class was average and not worth mentioning.
Fast forward to the class she has joined now. A rancid exaggeration of ability levels (moving students two grades a head and one student one grade down...); 4 boys who could NOT care less about English; 2 girls who are very interested in English; and many people who could take it or leave it.
Anyways, these four boys have terrible attitude and consistently get any other student in trouble. They are really whiney and at times "lippy" (DANG i wish i spoke more korean...). Their attitude permeates everyone but two of the girls who care.

Anyways, I haven't felt like I can trust this class with overly energetic activities. I also feel like my attitude has sorta soured my ability to create a really good atmosphere. Despite the fact that MOST of these kids are terrible students, they CAN be a lot of fun and they can be funny. I have had a couple of amazing classes with them and I've been noticing certain responses with certain things.

For example, all but one boy will respond to positive reinforcement. This is fine until he just completely gives up on everything that day and doesn't care what he does (on "good days" that means he sleeps, on bad, it means he gets right into people's faces).

Anyways, this girl and I were having a discussion with another girl. This second girl said that BR (the bomb dropper) didn't like English because it was too hard. BR said that was not the case.
THEN, BR said something in korean and translated it herself:
"Teacher...last class was fun and good teacher. This class not."

Blammer. She is right on both counts and ultimately, i DO view this problem as my responsibility knowing that I SHOULD be able to manipulate these little nuggets into how i want them to behave.

For the most part, I'm just looking for some good advice, like most teacher's here, on some tried and true methods for making a GOOD atmosphere. I could give a list of things i've tried but i don't want people to hold back.

I am a trained teacher and really, I should know better than this, but i'm quite frustrated AND shocked (in a good and bad way) that this girl had the guts to say something like this to an elder who, (believe it or not) she likes.
Cause she DOES like me, just just thinks that the "teaching is bad now".

sigh...
not my best day...glad it's finishecd.
and efl trainer...i DIDN'T proof read.

[sheba]

I find competition works well with my middle schoo boys.
For example, If there is some reading, I will ask them a question one at a time and give them a point for a correct answer. Ill scale the difficulty of the question based on enthusiasm and interest. Giving your problem student the most basic of question which you are certain they will know the answer should at least get a response, and a point. It should get thewm at least a little bit interested and involved.

Also using different topics. One day we were studying 'never, seldom, sometimes, often, always' and I happen to think of "how often do you drink soju". Ok maybe a little unethical for 13 year old boy, but it was the best lesson we have had, and even now they still joke about it. Anywhere I work it into the lesson, I do.... and it works! Not only are they interested but they actually enjoy the lesson and we have a lot of laughs.

Sometimes I dont get to use either of these tactics though - and the class can be a nightmare!!

[rapier]

A teacher is only as good as his tools. Unfortunately teachers are now denied the most efficent one in the box, a big stick.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I think the hardest part of teaching is being able to fake sincerity. By that, I mean to go into class each day and give emotionally, setting aside the problems in your own life and your private feelings about wishing a particular kid would get run over by a bus and removed from the gene pool. Kids do respond to your energy level.

Every couple of semesters either Marrianne or I would go to the lounge and b***h about a problem student. It was the job of the other one to remind them of Teaching 101...seating chart.

[Wrench]

[khyber]

[jacl]

Advice:

Use your head.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Qinella]

[desultude]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[ThePoet]

Solution 4: Try group work.

Two ways you can do this; one being to TRY to develop the class, the second being to seperate the keeners from the slackers. It all depends on your philosophy. Are the slackers worth saving or are they deadwood and no matter what you do, will they continue to be dead wood. A true teacher always tries to have belief that they can teach anyone and everyone, but the truth is, there are always that bottom 5% in the pedagogy rule. So, lets get onto the two ways:

1. Develop activities that pit two groups against each other in friendly competition. Chose your groups to include the two best and the two worst with everyone else in between. Make the best ones the group leaders (as an alternative, you can have a weekly leader based on best individual performance). Each week or month, the group with the best performance gets a prize and the prizes can be accumulated to trade up if they choose. i.e. first week - coupon for ice cream cone at McDonalds, or they can accumulate the coupons and get a hamburger, or up again to a pizza party after a month, etc. Each time they trade in their coupons they go back down to the ice cream cone for the bottom prize.

2. Same thing...friendly competition. However, make the first group your star students. The other group is your slackers. Give your slackers -- well -- slack. Let them sleep, not participate, etc. But you develop the group that wants to do well. The key here is, you are not stressing yourself on those who don't want to be there and don't want to learn, and niether are the good students. Don't get me wrong. You STILL give assignments and exercises to both groups, but you simply do not freak out if the slackers don't do it.

Hope that helps.

Poet

[Privateer]

Do what you can and when you get stressed remind yourself there's only so much you can do.

Some students won't and some students can't perform the way you want them to do.

And if the behaviour that drives you crazy is ingrained in Korean culture trying to change it is like swimming against the current.

[EFLtrainer]

[xeno439]