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vegemite99
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
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 Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:36 pm Post subject: Bad day |
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Hey people
I'm entering my 4th week teaching in Korean public middle school. Maybe its just a bad day, but today I stood in front of 3 different classes and really don't think I got through to any of them. Maybe one or two students answered the questions I asked and completed the work, while the rest sat there and just stared at me, giggled nervously when I asked them a question, confirmed with their friends, in Korean, their answers and copied each others work. They are all too shy to speak in English, and unless I walk around the room and ensure they are on task, they sit there and do nothing. Is this what all schools are like?? If so, is anyone getting any job satisfaction from teaching these kids?? Would love to hear your thoughts, before I pack it all in!! Cheers! |
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Lostone7
Joined: 08 Jun 2006
Location: SE Asia
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:46 pm Post subject: Re: Bad day |
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| vegemite99 wrote: |
Hey people
I'm entering my 4th week teaching in Korean public middle school. Maybe its just a bad day, but today I stood in front of 3 different classes and really don't think I got through to any of them. Maybe one or two students answered the questions I asked and completed the work, while the rest sat there and just stared at me, giggled nervously when I asked them a question, confirmed with their friends, in Korean, their answers and copied each others work. They are all too shy to speak in English, and unless I walk around the room and ensure they are on task, they sit there and do nothing. Is this what all schools are like?? If so, is anyone getting any job satisfaction from teaching these kids?? Would love to hear your thoughts, before I pack it all in!! Cheers! |
Teaching is as much an art form as a job. 4th week isn't long enough to even judge your students levels. So simple answers are below.
Is this how all school start? YEP
Is this what all schools are like? depends on you
Can i change things? YEP |
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BS.Dos.
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Is this what all schools are like?? |
At one point or another, I'm sure we've all experienced that. I know I did when I arrived. Thing to remember is that you need to build a relationship with them and that takes a bit of time. I can remember one of my 1st grade HS boys classes about 2-weeks into my first contract, they just sat there and didn't say a word, despite my asking them really basic questions etc. In retrospect, I was being too much the 'teacher' if you catch my drift. The lesson probably came across as being very formal and rigid, when I've since learned to be much more relaxed and open to deviating away from the lesson plan if needed. Ultimately, you need to open them up with your personality and imagination. Don't be put off by it. It happens to the best of us. Just try and reflect on why the lesson didn't work, make adjustments and try something new and then bounce back and try again. You'll get there and remember to speak slowly and clear as they may simply not have understood what you were saying. |
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nomad-ish
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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| usually that's how my students are too, however i find if i have some kind of activity or game right at the beginning of class (especially something competitive), it gets them talking a lot more for the rest of class. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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vegemite99,
You have a few choices. Clown around, get frustrated and leave, or do drills practicing on pronunciation. While I spend more time with the older students to actually teach, the younger ones are not where my heart is at. Choose 1 class as your favorite and start there. Make your life easier with the other two while focusing on that one class.
After you have found some things you like with them, then you can more easily introduce them to the other classes. You are still going get some who will never get it, accept it and don't try to be a perfectionist. Don't listen to anyone who says there is a secret to this, there isn't. It's not an art, it's a jungle, lol. |
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D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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I have students with a wide range of abilities this year and it is actually my smartest kids that are very quiet.
When kids don't talk I just keep making the class easier until they start to talk.
Show some videos on youtube and get them to describe what they see. Only play the video for a few moments and they stop it on a picture they can talk about.
Also put them in groups of 5 and give them a task. Grab a seat so you are sitting at their level and talk to them. They like to talk about Korean stuff. Have your co-teacher talk to 3 tables and you do the other 3 tables.
Youtube also has lots of songs with the lyrics. I find it is good to do lots of listening exercises in the first month. |
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Faunaki
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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It took a good 6 months to get used to teaching middle school. Figuring out what they liked and could or could not do. Here are some suggestions:
1. Hangman, can you spell it, jeopardy played in groups (rows 1-6 = teams 1-6) will get answers.
2. Offer candies or rewards for answering questions. Talk to your co-t and together offer extra points to students who speak.
3. Memorization. Either in a group of 2 or group of 6 gets students to memorize a dialogue (from the book is best) and then present to the class. All students and groups must do this. Koreans love memorization, they will do it.
4. Rather than you be the teacher, choose one kid who is capable and get them to go around to different students asking the question structure. This works best with a microphone. If you don't have one, make the kid who is speaking stand up so everyone can hear.
5. Play pass. You give a student an eraser or whatever, turn your back, count down while the students are passing the eraser, you turn around and yell stop! Whoever has the eraser must answer the question.
6. If no one will answer play paper, rock, scissors. Losers must answer.
Don't get too frustrated. If you are really having a hard time of it, give the students puzzles from puzzle maker for the last 15 minutes of class and let them relax. |
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D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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| The last post made me sad. Friggin that is why English education is a joke because of teachers like that. |
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MissMaggie
Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Location: Jeju
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 12:28 am Post subject: |
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| D.D. wrote: |
| The last post made me sad. Friggin that is why English education is a joke because of teachers like that. |
Care to elaborate on that, D.D? |
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Faunaki
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 1:08 am Post subject: |
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| D.D. wrote: |
| The last post made me sad. Friggin that is why English education is a joke because of teachers like that. |
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=151660&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30
You didn't have much to say about it here, where it was a discussion but you have no problems personally attacking someone. Nice.
1. I've been an ESL teacher for 7 years and consider myself a professional.
2. The techniques I suggested above are commonly used in most classrooms and can easily be found on Smoeworld, ESLClassroom 2.0, etc. The purpose of them is to get studets speaking and feeling comfortable in the classroom.
3. I have succeeded in my PS classroom where I've been working for the last three years. I have no problems getting students to speak (now, at first I had problems), participation is high, and they do well on their tests. Not to mention that I've gotten a lot of the students with extremely low English abilities and no desire to learn to participate in class because they have a chance to earn E-money and participate in the end of semester E-market.
Every teacher has their own style that works for them. Just because someone teaches differently than you does not mean it's wrong. The most important thing is that the students are learning, responding positively and are doing well on their tests. |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 2:04 am Post subject: |
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| Faunaki wrote: |
| D.D. wrote: |
| The last post made me sad. Friggin that is why English education is a joke because of teachers like that. |
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=151660&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30
You didn't have much to say about it here, where it was a discussion but you have no problems personally attacking someone. Nice.
1. I've been an ESL teacher for 7 years and consider myself a professional.
2. The techniques I suggested above are commonly used in most classrooms and can easily be found on Smoeworld, ESLClassroom 2.0, etc. The purpose of them is to get studets speaking and feeling comfortable in the classroom.
3. I have succeeded in my PS classroom where I've been working for the last three years. I have no problems getting students to speak (now, at first I had problems), participation is high, and they do well on their tests. Not to mention that I've gotten a lot of the students with extremely low English abilities and no desire to learn to participate in class because they have a chance to earn E-money and participate in the end of semester E-market.
Every teacher has their own style that works for them. Just because someone teaches differently than you does not mean it's wrong. The most important thing is that the students are learning, responding positively and are doing well on their tests. |
and I bet you get along great w/your K handlers, don't you? |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 2:10 am Post subject: Re: Bad day |
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| vegemite99 wrote: |
Hey people
I'm entering my 4th week teaching in Korean public middle school. Maybe its just a bad day, but today I stood in front of 3 different classes and really don't think I got through to any of them. Maybe one or two students answered the questions I asked and completed the work, while the rest sat there and just stared at me, giggled nervously when I asked them a question, confirmed with their friends, in Korean, their answers and copied each others work. They are all too shy to speak in English, and unless I walk around the room and ensure they are on task, they sit there and do nothing. Is this what all schools are like?? If so, is anyone getting any job satisfaction from teaching these kids?? Would love to hear your thoughts, before I pack it all in!! Cheers! |
1) bring in a few music cds, play different songs in different styles and see what they respond to - see if anyone can pick out some E words.
2) now that you have their attention - ask them about music and what they like and don't like, who is good, etc.
3) see if this warms things up and tell them if they participate more, you'll bring in music on a regular basis - once a week, or month, whatever you think is good and you have time for
next: assuming you have a computer monitor:
try finding some interesting photos from google images - news photos, celebrities, whatever. choose half a dozen or so and cut and paste onto a power point presentation - then pop it up one at a time and ask them to discuss in class what they see, what they think is going on, etc.
ask them to describe in English, keep it simple. can be landscapes, famous people, interesting animals - this ALWAYS WORKS
good luck  |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 3:13 am Post subject: |
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| Faunaki wrote: |
It took a good 6 months to get used to teaching middle school. Figuring out what they liked and could or could not do. Here are some suggestions:
1. Hangman, can you spell it, jeopardy played in groups (rows 1-6 = teams 1-6) will get answers.
2. Offer candies or rewards for answering questions. Talk to your co-t and together offer extra points to students who speak.
3. Memorization. Either in a group of 2 or group of 6 gets students to memorize a dialogue (from the book is best) and then present to the class. All students and groups must do this. Koreans love memorization, they will do it.
4. Rather than you be the teacher, choose one kid who is capable and get them to go around to different students asking the question structure. This works best with a microphone. If you don't have one, make the kid who is speaking stand up so everyone can hear.
5. Play pass. You give a student an eraser or whatever, turn your back, count down while the students are passing the eraser, you turn around and yell stop! Whoever has the eraser must answer the question.
6. If no one will answer play paper, rock, scissors. Losers must answer.
Don't get too frustrated. If you are really having a hard time of it, give the students puzzles from puzzle maker for the last 15 minutes of class and let them relax. |
I've done all of those things except #5. I don't have a problem with using them on the odd occasion, but I'd consider planning lessons / teaching methods around 1 and 2 as a sign of severe failure on the part of both myself and the students. |
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Faunaki
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 3:26 am Post subject: |
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| moosehead wrote: |
| Faunaki wrote: |
| D.D. wrote: |
| The last post made me sad. Friggin that is why English education is a joke because of teachers like that. |
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=151660&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30
You didn't have much to say about it here, where it was a discussion but you have no problems personally attacking someone. Nice.
1. I've been an ESL teacher for 7 years and consider myself a professional.
2. The techniques I suggested above are commonly used in most classrooms and can easily be found on Smoeworld, ESLClassroom 2.0, etc. The purpose of them is to get studets speaking and feeling comfortable in the classroom.
3. I have succeeded in my PS classroom where I've been working for the last three years. I have no problems getting students to speak (now, at first I had problems), participation is high, and they do well on their tests. Not to mention that I've gotten a lot of the students with extremely low English abilities and no desire to learn to participate in class because they have a chance to earn E-money and participate in the end of semester E-market.
Every teacher has their own style that works for them. Just because someone teaches differently than you does not mean it's wrong. The most important thing is that the students are learning, responding positively and are doing well on their tests. |
and I bet you get along great w/your K handlers, don't you? |
In fact I do. 
Weren't you the one who said I was wrong to tell the people having problems with the SMOE contract to go to their district supervisor? And then they went and all their problems were solved.
You offer very useful advice on this site. Please keep sharing all of your valuable knowledge. |
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greedy_bones
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: not quite sure anymore
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:07 am Post subject: |
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| D.D. wrote: |
| The last post made me sad. Friggin that is why English education is a joke because of teachers like that. |
I see nothing too bad about this post. Yes, memorization, hangman and listening drills aren't the best way to learn a foreign language. However, these are the methods the students are comfortable with. If you start the year teaching western style, you lose the students from the get go. Personally, I think it works best to start Korean style, and once the students are more comfortable, then slowly wean them off of rote memorization, and focus more on getting them to build their own sentences. |
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