Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cali73]

I am currently transitioning from teaching conversational English to adults to currently preparing to teach children ages 7-17. Does anyone have any helpful advice and/or excellent ESL websites that provide good supplemental material for teaching children.

Many thanks in advance.

[Whitey Otez]

Good luck.

I made the same transition a while back, but started out teaching kids. Going back to teaching kids is a lot easier in some respects, a lot more stressful in others. I transitioned back to kids because the adults I used to teach didn't do their homework, either, and they were every bit as unmotivated and uncooperative as children.

I got lucky and found a hogwan where I'm the only foreigner and it's nearly impossible to replace me, so I have a lot of leeway from the boss. In addition to the set curriculum, the younger kids like dumb games. Here are two hits:

1. Take the vocabulary from the current book, use flashcards if you have them. Cut paper into 2x4 scraps. On each piece, write a vocab word. Crumple up each piece of paper. Call out a random vocab word, and scatter the scraps of paper on a big desk or the floor. Award points/prizes to the one that finds the word.

2. Buy a stopwatch. Choose a word or sentence that the children ought to know. Stand in the back of the classroom with a board marker. The student has to grab the board marker, run to the board, write out the word/phrase/sentence, then run back and put the capped board marker in your hand. For some reason, some classes enjoy quantified results.

For older kids, there's nothing you can do. They're 90% ashamed of their skills, have no desire to relate to you (you're old), and many of them are in a constant state of exhaustion. Just make everyone speak a little bit each class.

Don't let their uncooperative natures get to you. Some kids see you as a representative of the English language, and will treat you with contempt. Ignore them, they're just little kids. Focus your energy on the ones that are clearly trying to learn. When the kids quit, don't take it personally.

And never let them get behind you, especially little kids.

[cali73]

Whitey Otez,

Many thanks for your advice.

Your avatar is friggin' hilarious.

[seoulsucker]

Three words, my friend...KEEP THEM ACTIVE.

In my experience, adults tend to respond better to a lecture format, preferring to listen more, take notes and jump in when they feel comfortable or have questions.

I have found that to keep order in a classroom full of kids, you need to give them activities that let them handle the language in an interactive manner. Worksheets, mini-games, and anything that you can mold into a contest or competition will keep them engaged and less likely to get bored or cause problems.

[cali73]

Seoulsucker,

Many thanks for the advice.