Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yu_Bum_suk]

This seems to be one of the hardest things to do at my (relatively) good school. It's usually not that hard to get them to pay attention to me, or at least keep quiet and tune out. Obviously I have to be careful in how I present things for most of them to be able to follow along but I'm generally spared of the classes of students 'who won't listen to a bloody thing you say' that I hear about at certain other schools.

Where I always seem to run into a brick wall, however, is when it comes to getting students to pay attention when I'm trying to get answers from numerous students in the class. If I get a couple of students to come up to the front and make a big production out of it I can get the whole class to pay attention. But if I start going down the row or randomly selecting students to answer questions that aren't listed as #1,2,3,4... on their handouts after three or four students suddenly no one's paying attention except perhaps the next student to be selected. I guess it's not that interesting for them to find out if girl #7 can also fly a helipcopter or speak Chinese, but still, I'm generally quite good at forcing students to pay attention to boring stuff except in this case. It's like they seem to equate another student speaking = no obligation to pay attention.

Has anyone else been able to overcome this problem? It seems like one of those things that works so effectively in small groups but just doesn't work in a larger classroom.

[Juregen]

Idem ditto

I often end up micromanaging class to make sure everyone pays attention.

[Tobias]

How many times I've run into this wall. My situation may be similar to yours. I've commonly mixed professors and staff members in the same class, and anyone who's been a teacher here for any length of time knows that's a definite no-go in Korea. Why? Face, of course. Or more specifically, fear of loss of face.

A PhD holder will not accept being 'forced' to appear equal ability-wise with a mere bachelor's degree holder or even less. You have to separate the doctoral degrees from the others or give those higher-ups preferential treatment. What does this mean? It means you have to tippy-toe around them so no one discovers they are simply average when it comes to English fluency. And if they appear merely average, that will cause them to lose some esteem. They will then disappear from your classes and give lame excuses as to why they don't show up anymore.

Today I put my professors into their own groups and the staff members in their own groups if I can't break the single class into two classes. Smaller groups seem to help things move forward with minimal disruption and maximum participation. Keeping the groups far away from each other tends to help, too. No single group can really overhear any other, so face is maintained.

[bassexpander]

Well, at the Uni level, I have them complete evaluation forms (speech class) of other students. But those are for planned speeches.

[ddeubel]

Without knowing all the specifics, I'd have to ask.........

Who are they speaking TO? If a person is speaking to me, I'm more apt to listen. Further, if I have a task to do, based on those spoken words, I'll listen even harder.

It is all about the will. They WILL listen if there is a need. Provide the proper task, not just something open ended.

Further, get them speaking to each other, not to the class, the teacher, the textbook. And then you also have to knock that affective filter from off their heads....

The best way for a teacher to get this to happen is to start the class with "speaking" and student focused production. Not at the end. Be inductive and turn your regular lesson plan on its head. Let the students not be an adjunct or add on but the central part. If they feel important, they will be more aware and attentive. In any event, a great way for any teacher to improve and see things a little differently.....

DD
http://eflclassroom.ning.com

[Ilsanman]

I ask them questions about what that person just said.

If they can't answer, then it's punishment and/or embarrassment (sp?)

[sojourner1]

[Easter Clark]

If we're practicing question formation and answers, I'll have one student stand up and ask the question and the class gives the answer. If we're doing something else, and a student isn't paying attention, I'll let them continue talking while the other student is talking, but then I'll ask the offender to stand up and tell me what the other student just said. When they give me a blank look I say "Oh...! You don't know what he said? Why not? I see...because you were talking."

[Ilsanman]

They don't have to get it perfect. if they got the gist of it, it shows they were listening.

[I_Am_The_Kiwi]

This was a constant problem in my classes too....my solution.

The kid who answers, get him to repeat the answer again, if someone talks, repeat again, keep doing it. I've had kids repeat things 6 or 7 times - i tell them its not their fault but i just cant hear what they're saying.
Soon the kid who is answering knows he has to keep speaking cos of the other kids talking and tells them to stfu or he'll throw a chair at their face.

They all get the message really fast and be quiet and listen.

Also gives them more speaking practice, takes less time then it does to make someone who didnt hear stand up and say nothing then deal with their bad behavior blah blah blah

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Zyzyfer]

Could try this. Pop quiz them after everyone has gone. Allow them to take notes, as it's not a memory test. Give everyone like 5 pre-selected questions, and reward those who do well somehow.

You're probably not going to get the worst students to listen, but over half the class should be attentive and scribbling notes on paper.

[wylies99]

Obviously it depends on their ages and skill levels. Some are more patient than others.

[Faunaki]

I solved the problem last year when I got a microphone for my class. When students answer a question, they do so with the microphone. All the students can hear what's being said (if they don't listen, just turn up the volume, then they are basically forced to hear what is being said).


It's good cause the jokers come up with some funny stuff and the rest of the class laughs. But at first, as you probably guessed, the students are gonna be really shy about it. I've been using one since March and they are pretty used to it now.

[ddeubel]