Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poet13]

I have 24 different classes. For maybe 18 of those classes, engaging them, and keeping them focused is not a problem.

However, for the other 6 classes (years 1,2,3 at middle school), their attention span as a class is very low, measured in tens of seconds rather than minutes.

Once I get them engaged, it is extremely difficult to keep them there.
My classes are generally interactive, high energy, student focused, and my talk time is as low as possble.

The classroom orientation is standard rows (instructor focused), and I'm not going to change that. It's hard enouhg to keep them on track when theyr'e facing me. I can only imagine what would happen if they weren't.

I'm interested in a few things.

For people to share their techniques for engaging and keeping students focused without breaking from the lesson.

For the long term, can people post links to relevant literature and I can learn to generate new ideas myself?

Thanks.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I'm sure you've already used these to an extent, but A/V aids - a short clip or ppt - work wonders at breaking a 45-minute lesson into two 20-minute or three 13-minute segments. While it's not the greatest method of teaching communication, a little bit of listen-and-repeat works wonders at getting everyone focused on following you. Immediately after the last bit dive into your next part before there's one second for them to be distracted. Another extremely helpful thing is if you can get the Korean teachers to make the students keep a collection of your handouts all completed. This way you can give them something that actually counts towards their classwork mark that keeps them focused in pairs, while you can go around offering assistance (and they have to focus on their work, not you).

I hear what you're saying though. It's amazing how in some classes you can just have them eating out of your hand and in others it's a constant battle to retain their attention.

[poet13]

Thanks Yu_Bum_suk.

I hear you on breaking the lesson into pieces. However the problem isn't 13 or 20 minute segments. It's keeping them and getting them back when I have turned for twenty seconds to write something on the board. So the problem either is in that they are simply not interested in the lesson at all, which is something I would need to address, or I need to develope focusing/engaging techniques that take less than five seconds to get back on track.

[VanIslander]

sex, drugs and rock and roll

(seriously... eye candy, sweet rewards and multimedia)

[poet13]

Eye candy I can do, but not girls. Multimedia, I do do. Candy is out.

What about literature online? I really want to do some reading so my thinking is at least in the right direction...

Anybody?