Korean Job Discussion Forums

[yesman]

So,

I got to a new job at the public school this week (first time at a public school) and the head teacher informs me I'll be teaching a "Classroom English" class once a week to almost the entire staff (it seems) of 60, principal included. I looked, but can't find any textbooks on the matter. Anyone out there know of any good resources/ideas you could pass along? It's not like I'm worried or anything.

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

[poet13]

The first thing I would do is ask what exactly they want.
I have found that people will ask for something without having a real idea what it is they want. The name or expression by itself is attractive.

Other than that, start with a list of all the classroom instructions you can think of.

Stop hitting/kicking/slapping/punching/choking him.
Stop spitting on the floor.
Stop touching his ding-dong.
Stop running around.
Stop throwing paper/erasers/scissors.

Don't bleed on the floor.
Don't sleep in my class.
Don't ......etc.

[nomad-ish]

-stand up
-sit down
-open/close the door please
-open/close the window please
-open/close your books please
-be quiet
-speak louder

they've got some more expressions on www.barryfunenglish.com but it's for elementary the flashcards and games

edit: because of the comma, fixed

[poet13]

link doesnt work

[dean_burrito]

The link does work and it's a great site too!

[crosbystillsstash]

[poet13]

Yup, it does. I got a 404 error message at work.

[nomad-ish]

[sigmundsmith]

Firstly, what you will find is the first class you will have the 60 teachers there all eager but very soon (and I mean the next class) that number will drop off quite dramatically. Mine lasted 4 classes.

You will find that with a NT going into a school who has never had an English teacher before will be wow here we go we can learn English but that idea leaves the window.

Don't know about books but do a google search for classroom English - practice them and what I would do is role play. One group (numbers?) will be the students and the other will be the teacher.

You will give the students an action card of doing something wrong in the class and the teacher must use the correct expressions matching their action witht he vocabulary and instruct them to do whatever.

Also, you can teach them lessons. That is, what you are actually going to be teaching your students. And them get them to design a small micro-lesson in pairs - this will take up a few classes if

[poet13]

"t was probably because i put a comma after the web address, which was then included in the link. i've fixed it now, sorry about that"N
No worries.....cheers.

[Big Mac]

I agree with Sigmundsmith. I had a teachers' class last semester. I was the first Native English teacher and the teachers were really eager to learn English from me. But after a while they all had better things to do.

They also wanted me to teach "classroom English" and I told them I could do about one lesson on that and after that I would teach them English.

Really, what's the point in teaching them how to be a classroom robot, able to spit out a bunch of English classroom phrases when they can't actually speak English or have the ability to understand what they're saying? There are enough English robots in Korea. I don't want to be manufacturing them.

[yesman]

Thanks guys for the help!

@Big Mac and sigmundsmith:

Agreed 100%. The ridiculousness of this to me is part of what is frustrating as well as my co-teacher telling me I should make this fun and entertaining for the whole class so they'll want to come back. Maybe as a side project I can bring peace to the peninsula as well!

I'm hoping for 4 classes...