Korean Job Discussion Forums

[adverge]

I fully admit straight up that I am not a well-trained teacher for teaching English. I knew that when I came here and hoped that I could learn some things and do some research. I realise this is not that ethical a viewpoint considering that I am dealing with real people here. Anyways, that's neither here nor there. I'm here now and have to figure this stuff out for at least the next 9 months.

First, I'm boring. I realise how boring I am. I bore myself. My kids are falling asleep in my classes. I'm falling asleep in my classes. I should note, however, that the ones we fall asleep in are at 10pm and my kids are all about 14 years old and shouldn't be in school at this hour but that really is an issue for my director and not me.

I can control a class. I taught martial arts for years in Canada before I came over here. I have no problem keeping the kids quiet and doing what I want them to do. It's just....I'm BORING.

I follow the books I have for elementary and try to play game but the only game that seems to work well is endless Pictionary (which, admittedly, the kids are always asking for anyways). I have to make up the material for the middle school writing classes myself and it's such a struggle that I have no time to figure out how to be interesting when teaching writing. My director also told me I'm not allowed to have the kids doing any writing in the writing classes and they're supposed to do their writing as homework (which they don't do for us to check in class).

My classroom is the size of a matchbox and has 12 double tables in it. I can't do much in the way of moving around games. I tried once because the director told me to play games with them and get them moving around but the Korean teachers complained about the noise.

Anyways, how can one become slightly more interesting than a dying slug on a hot sidewalk when teaching English, especially writing?




Also, I have had hyperactive kids while teaching martial arts. I could deal with them in a gym because it was easy to simply tire them out to the point where they paid attention (a useful if barbaric sounding method). I can't tire these kids out. I have absolutely zero training in handling hyperactive kids in a regular classroom. I send them to the Korean teachers or put them out of the class because of the disturbance they're causing (I'll bodily pick a child up and put him/her outside the door if I have to). The hyper kids learnt that I'll do this and now they tend to look at me sullenly (at least quietly) and have taken to silent crying fits or refusing to work (which is not so bad because at least they're quiet and I can deal with the rest of kids). However, while they are quiet so I can deal with the rest of the monsters...er, children...they're not really learning anything useful. I figure the hyper kids are partially a result of problem #1 - that I'm boring.

Beats me what to do.

[Pak Yu Man]

Be loud and active. Even if you are boring. If you look like you are interested in what you are doing (even if you are not) then class might be a little less annoying.

Start making jokes everytime you can. Children like the craziest things. They love the words die, kill, crazy, funny, fun and computer.

Want to have fun with them...get pictures of coffee, a computer, the color orange, a jungle, a building, speakers, mp3 player and whatever else.

Note all thee words are the same in Korean as in English.

Ask them what this is in Korean. "show a picture of a banana"
They will say "바나나" or "ba-na-na" in their cute little funny way. Then say "NOOOOOOOOO...not English. In KOREAN!"

They will say it a bunch of times. Everytime just say Korean...Korean!

then pretent to get all flustred and change pictures. Do the same thing over and over.
Pretent to get angrier and angrier (make sure they realize you are pretending to get angry) or more and more annoyed.

The clever ones will figure out what you are doing by picture 3 or 4. I've had classes (one might call them dumbasses) that I did this for about 10 mins. Didn't figure it out.

The kids might realize you are a fun guy if you keep pulling pranks like that.

[adverge]

Thanks, I like that idea.

Oh, I'm a girl by the way. I'm really going to have to get an avatar or a signature or something to indicate this because people here keep thinking I'm a guy.

[bosintang]

How long have you been teaching now? 3 months?

If you're near the COEX mall in Seoul , visit Bandi's & Lunis (or possibly another large bookstore) and pick up a copy of David Pauls 'Teaching English to Children in Asia'. It's a full-on child-centred approach and will give you plenty of ideas.

Pak Yu Man gave a bit of good advice. Children love corny jokes and wordplays. I disagree that you have to be Barney the obnoxious bouncing white man (loud and active). Just be honest and be yourself, but it certainly helps to be enthusiastic. If you are *boring*, you are probably also *bored*, and the children will pick that up off of you.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Wow, that was even a boring read.

It sounds like you really need to bring a lot more stuff into class to stimulate them. Time for a trip to Bandi & Luni's and the local toyshop, methinks.

[elynnor]

...

[Hotpants]

Is there any way that you can sit in on other teachers' classes and get some ideas about what other teachers do?

I think the teens age group is the hardest in terms of motivation. They have to study so hard ALL day long, that it's no wonder they are uninspired by yet more textbooks. I have the same problem whenever I try to follow a textbook in the sound ESL teaching theory tradition. The only things that work for me is when I create something that has nothing to do with the textbook.

You may also need to invest in the reward mechanisms - stickers, snacks, manicures... for good performances. Take some time out from the textbooks and think about what you would REALLY like to teach your students.