Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tob55]

We are planning a teacher training weekend for January and need some feedback regarding the areas of training people feel would make their job easier and more effective...

If you want to know more about what we are talking about PM me for information...

[Dome Vans]

I voted for the lesson planning.

I think a lot of people come to Korea, with just the BA and no experience might find it a bit difficult to adapt. Some probably have the interpersonal skills able to give teaching a good shot and to teach children but that can only go so far.

But I think that being able to plan an interesting and effective lesson, with a start, middle and end as being hugely beneficial to both the teacher and the students. Having a lead in, then being able to introduce vocab, grammar, listening, writing etc. Have closed practice and freer practice and being able to fit this into the time alloted is so so important. This helps to students and gives them a routine. I know of a few inexperienced teachers who do print outs from english raven etc and give them out and that's the lesson. I'd feel I was not only cheating myself but my students if I did this.

Classroom management and learning about Efl teaching in Korea will follow with experience. Learning the levels of the students, and how to get the best out of them is a process.

The fundamentals are of lesser importance than the lesson planning but still key.

I made sure I did a CELTA before I came to Korea, I've not been able to implement everything I was taught but being able to plan a well staged, interesting lesson has stood me in good stead and I feel that all the other factors in your poll will come with time and experience. I'm very pleased that I did the CELTA and think that if you are receptive to the students needs then the scope for improvement is immense.

[Natalia]

Of course lesson planning and those things are extremely important (after all, that's what we're there to do).

However, I think classroom management is pretty important - especially in Korea (I'm talking about children's classes here). Korea - more than any Western or other Asian country (bar India) I have had experience in - is the country with the most difficult students to control.

[sadsac]

Classroom management. If you can manage the teaching environment effectively then you students are less distracted and more apt to participate to a greater degree. Just my two cents worth.

[sadsac]

It's good to see some constructive discussion on these topics. I do agree that every lesson can be different, but what I have found that irrespective of many things if I maintain consistency within my classroom and primarily within the management area my students are happier. I will always try to provide a well organised lesson, but if the classroom is rowdy and students get frustrated then it all goes down the toilet. I just slipped this in because of my double post.

[Dome Vans]

How effectively can classroom management be taught? Each class is very different that I teach. I only really have one class at one of my schools that is a pain in the ass. This week I walked in to find a boy pushing a girl over then kicking her while she was on the floor, what to do? Surely every situation is different and needs to dealt with standing on your feet.

Keeping the students busy with a good, interesting lesson that is well planned and staged is much more beneficial. But everybody is different and what comes naturally to one person might be very difficult for somebody else to master.

[Milwaukiedave]

Lesson planning is the most important, but classroom mgmt is up there as well.

[pest2]

I didnt vote yet because the question depends on your school. If it's an elementary school with no co teacher, classroom management. If it's a high school, lesson planning/methodologies, etc...

And if the teachers already have alot of teaching experience but are new to Korea, maybe adapting to Korea could be #1... what about the teachers?

[spliff]

All the choices seem equally important to me.

[tob55]

One of the purposes in putting together a Teacher Training Seminar weekend is to provide some in-depth educational focus concerning the aspects of EFL - ESL teaching as well as working in the classroom, which are normally glanced over at the various orientations and workshops put on by the Offices of Education. There are many more questions that arise when considering the development of a training program that actually trains the participants rather than simply entertaining them.

1. How to bring together a group of teachers who want to improve the quality of their professional skills.

2. Making sure that the benefits of going to such an event match the cost for participating.

3. Putting it on at a time when the most people can attend.

4. Providing practical information that will actually meet the needs of the participants.

5. Providing each participant with some acknowledgment of their involvement through giving professional development hours and certificates which can be used in some way with their career track.

Having been to a number of orientations, conferences and workshops sponsored by various organization in the country, I have discovered there is usually only about 10 - 20% of what is presented that is worthwhile. While the other parts of the functions are entertaining, they are not necessarily what people expect to be doing when they are enlisted to go.

So, with this in mind, it became for the need of a teacher training seminar weekend. I will have more details and information regarding the weekend event coming soon...

[moosehead]

i started to vote classroom management but understanding the efl-esl environment in korea is IMO gives you the best insight as to how to best manage your classroom.

[bassexpander]

I would say it depends on age.

Classroom management is tops for young kiddies.

Planning a good lesson, and executing it well, is most important for high school and above, IMHO.

BTW, you said, "Mathods."

I make mistakes too.

[tob55]

I am somewhat embarrassed about the typo in the poll, but once I submitted the post the feature allowing me to go back and edit the poll was disabled...Guess I should proofread what I type a couple of times before I post...lol

Nevertheless, it is good to see the responses people are giving to this post. I know it may be somewhat of a duplicate post, but it is directly related to the focus of the training seminar that will take place January 11 - 13, 2008. the details of the workshop are slowing coming together and can be found at the following website link: Teacher Training Seminar

I am hoping the mods will view this as being more informational than it is advertising, and I trust that they will...This thread was and is intended to do nothing more than provide information for a training workshop in the same way GEPIK, EPIK, SMOE, KOTESOL and others promote their conferences and workshops...It should be an exciting and fun time for the attendees...

[iiicalypso]

I voted for "Understanding the EFL - ESL Environment in Korea" because I think without this the other three can be irrelevant.

In theory, isn't classroom management supposed to be the responsibility of the KT anyhow? They must do something... Lesson planning is important, but even if somebody has no background in it, I think most intelligent people can figure it out intuitively at least well enough to do a mediocre job. Plus, lesson planning is something that can be discovered in a book, independently, if someone is so inclined.

But the biggest pitfall is the incredible gap between life as it exists and life as we imagine it should in the Korean Classroom. I think that this is sadly overlooked, and somewhere between the "Korea has four seasons. Kimchi is spicy!" nonsense and the "What a cesspool my school is. I hate Korea!" there is definitely room for some more realistic and level headed discussion.

I think for me it would be great to start finding ways to work within the system, flawed as it is, and I know that I am not alone. How can foreign teachers bridge the gap between whatever the KTs are doing in English class and what we are supposed to be doing? How can I narrow the difference between the perceptions I have of the institutional view of English (50 word vocab lists and endless grammar) and what I think should be the goal (the ability to speak a sentence more complex than "I'm finethankyouandyou?")?

So, yeah... I think that Understanding the EFL - ESL Environment in Korea is a great and underexplored area for training.

[purple_buddha]

I think lesson planning is the most crucial aspect of teaching, especially for new instructors. Classroom management would be a close second. However, one could argue that the latter largely stems from the effectiveness of the former.

As far as relying on a Korean co-teacher to manage one's students, surely you jest, iiicalypso. Plus, that would only apply to public school teachers, although I'm not entirely sure of the scope of the training - specific to p.s. or more broad.