Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sojourner1]

"If left untreated, ADHD may cause behavioral problems and antisocial behavior," ([EDITORIAL] Children's needs first, 2007.11.12)

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2007/11/12/200711120001.asp

Inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity behaviors are such frustrating issues for me in some of my classes for which I just don't know how to manage as having 1 or 2 ADHD cases just ruins the whole class and most of my classes have 1 or 2 cases.

Anyone got any ideas, suggestions, or facts on how you manage a class that has a bad case or two or ADHD kids misbehaving, acting antisocial to classmates, and failing to listen to the teacher? These are high maintenance special needs kids to the point where you can't teach or can only barely teach a class. They take a lot out of you.

This is the very issue that is making teaching tough for many teachers including myself. It's a nightmarish racket in a couple classes, particularly the 5 year olds Korean kindergarten classes taking their first English class at the English academy. We have a Korean private kindergarten school on the same property as my English hagwon who are walked over to the English classrooms for 50 minutes of English class a day in the afternoon before elementary and middle schoolers come for 2 hours. They act the worse.

[Boodleheimer]

i'm having the same problem. i'm at a comprehensive high school and i have at least 4 classes where there's at least one ADHD kid. (it's usually the vocational classes)

[Luna]

[sojourner1]

You're right, there are a myriad of human personality and mental conditions we are contending with. It could be ADHD or it simply could be a chronically exhausted kid from staying up too late every night or could be something else.

Being that human behaviors and mental conditions are often complex and the reasons for said behavior are elusive, it's so complex that psychologists and social workers often misdiagnose kids while many go ignored.

For example, when I was young, I was misdiagnosed as being retarded and placed with the most disabled kids, but in reality I was far from retarded. The problem was malnutrition, social problems, and extreme poverty causing me to not perform to my abilities. I haven't seen any disabled or retarded kids in the hagwon.

[Luna]

[Rapacious Mr. Batstove]

I've worked in quite a few different high schools in New Zealand and it seems that the poorer schools always have more kids diagnosed with ADHA. Some classes in the poorer schools were full of glassy eyed mouth-breathing kids doped up on Ritalin.

I didn't believe that all the students had ADHD, I was sure some of it was down to poor nutrition. Constant sugar and caffeine hits can cause huge behavioral problems in young people. I've done case studies on schools who sell soft drinks and behavioral changes in students at different times of the day.

I'm not sure what the story is in Korea with ADHD and taking drugs for it but I have this feeling that there would be Korean parents out there using it to keep their naturally energetic or badly nourished child quiet in academy until all hours of the night.

[earthbound14]

ADHD...hmmm

How to deal with em? Well don't go around diagnosing them. Kids are kids, some kids are hyper some aren't, some kids don't pay attention, some do.....I had ADHD, have..whatever. Anyway you have to show them the light. show them that's it good to be organized, to control their behaviour, to focus...just like any kid who doesn't really want to be there. As far as them ruining your class.....well, they need rules and punishment. Yep. Nothing mean ore nasty, getting mean with a kid only makes them worse, but you can't let them walk all over you either. Unfortunately you are the boss and if a child is making learning difficult for others then the child has a problem...of course they don't get it and they have no clue, but thats' what kids are like. Talk with parents, talk with the school and make sure you are firm with your rules.

I had a little guy who drove me crazy, selfish, hyper little *beep*. He was such a problem that he almost always ended up ruining game time for other students. I set the rules, if you do this, then your not playing. if you do this, then we all have extra homework, if you do this then you have to be the last student to leave the class.
I figured since he was disrupting every one, then every one would have to do extra work. His fellow students told him to shape up or he wouldn't have any friends...it worked and then he actually became better friend with other students. If another student did something against the class rules in retaliation...they also got punished. Students realized they would have to work together, not against each other. Students eventually offered to help him, which then earned points in the class. The more points the class had, the more chance they would have a game.


Basically I used tactics wich excluded none team players and gave bonuses for team work. In the end I don't think I had a single student who didn't want to be in the group, they all wanted to play the games, they all wanted to finish there homework, they all wanted to get a good mark, they all wanted to help each other and by the end of class, they all lined up in the order that was chosen for each day (each day a new student would be the class leader, and the order would change so a different student would be last every day).

You also have to grab students attention. If you are boring and unhappy about work, then so will the students. Use rules to keep order, but make sure you have a realy good reason (positive) for them to be there....i.e. fun learning games, interesting new topics, noticeble progress, a happy teacher.

Progress charts work well, students will work for stickers and stars that show progress. Put students work on you wall, and make sure every student realizes it might be them (if your bad kid does something good for a change, cut him some slack and put his work on the wall so that he knows you appreciate it). Have contests...of course change the contests every week so that different strengths are valuable....every kid comes to class with some strength, so testing for different strengths will allow more students to feel like they are achieving something. Bad kids are usually good at being funny, creative, and goofy. ADHD kids have loads of energy, so give them speed drills, short quick drills that are pretty simple and just require being spunky. I would sing English rock songs with the kids (use the lyrics and make them sing it), the hyper kids loved it, they would pertend to be the drummer or the guitar player. The smart ones usually wanted to be singers or bass. It only takes 5 mintues once a week, and the kids practice phonetics, and eventually they learn the lyrics of the song...

My kindergarten class all knew how to read and write after 8 months, as well as sing "I love rock and roll".