Korean Job Discussion Forums

[roadwork]

I've recently been told by my coteacher that every Friday I need to present lesson plans for the regular 3rd-6th grade classes as well as my afterschool classes.
She told me that a lot of foreign teachers are spending free time at school playing PC games and chatting, so now in order to "prove" we are working, we need to show what we have planned for the next week.
My question is: does anyone else have to do this or is she being her usually neurotic self?

[tenchu77491]

I don't work for gepik but I work in an afterschool program. I never have to make full lesson plans, but I do jot down what I accomplished during the day and what homework I gave. I think in my case it's mostly for the other teacher to have an idea of what's going on or just to bother me for 5 minutes in the morning.

[Chet Wautlands]

I have to present lesson plans as well as a list of what I've done everyday. Lots of copy and paste. It is never read.

[techno_the_cat]

I've never been asked to present lesson plans for regular class. I have been asked to write lesson plans for afterschool classes, which I've been happy to do because normally I'm designing my own curriculum.
But for regular classes? Sounds like she's taking a shot. If I were you I'd try and present a compromise. Say you'll do lesson plans for your afterschool classes and give her any extra material you may use during regular class.
Good luck!
T.

[lifeinkorea]

I have kept an online journal with notes on lessons I have done. I find this a lot more useful than preparing lessons only to find out half the class has gone to their hagwon.

You have to do a different lesson then or else students will fall behind. I use a book for each class, so it's easy to see what lessons we could do. Then, I just add to the chapters, sometimes adding a little and other times ignoring most of a chapter.

[emilylovesyou]

At the beginning of the semester I had to hand in a plan of what I was going to cover for this semester. I wrote a few sentences for each week talking about what I was going to do. End. Not sure if it was looked at, but it sounded good

[roadwork]

I'm assuming that this is typical "loads of paperwork=loads of hard work" I'll just reword the plans in the teacher's guide. I think she's just trying to make herself look good. She got passed over for a promotion, so I think she's trying to prove something. Anyway, I want to renew my contract here, so I'll play along.

[katepult]

I work for GEPIK. From day one I've been expected to make lesson plans for my regular classes. I don't have any after school classes. Each grade has a folder where they are kept. Occasionally they are checked, but not read. The previous teacher at my school did them also.

I made a template for it on word and just plug in the appropriate information. It's pretty basic - what we'll review, what pages we'll do, a sentence about the aim of the lesson (usually "To introduce/practice/review the target language"), what CD-ROM parts we'll cover, the names of the other activities (song, PowerPoint game etc.) and if there's any homework. I also include a copy of any worksheets that we'll be using. I get them all done in one afternoon, two if I'm either making a powerpoint or killing time.

My husband has to make lesson plans for his after school classes, but not his regular classes. In the usual disorganized way, they sprung that they wanted a yearly plan and all the lesson plans for the year two days later. (He told them he'd give them a certain number per week.)

Probably someone at your school decided that they wanted to look at paperwork.

[Insomnia]

I think it varies, I also work for GEPIK and my school trusts me to get my lesson plans done.

[nobbyken]

At elementary level, I believe it's normal.
At my previous school, my co-teacher had to print and submit lesson plans for approval by the VP, prior to each class. These were then stamped and filed.

At high school I submit one for first week of 1st grade and it is the basis for a rolling lesson plan for the year.

Haven't a clue about other school's.

[nobbyken]

For my afterschool class I was asked to subnit lesson plans for the 40 classes within about 5 hours. I split up the chapters in the book we would cover into segments and included activities I would probably use over the classes.

[nathanrutledge]

it comes and goes in waves, i've noticed. I have to have plans for my after school classes, but not the regular classes. however, i have a worksheet each week or a powerpoint or some other proof that I'm not pulling the lesson out of thin air.

last year i had to give a plan the week before, but this year I just have to have my papers in order day of.

[Otherside]

Earlier this semester I posted about my co-teacher asking me for lesson plans for my after school classes. Briefly, she wanted lesson plans for 6 different classes a week, for the entire year. She decided this sometime on Sunday, and gave me a call at home (on the Sunday) asking me if I could do them now. They were due on Monday. Bare in mind, 6 classes/week X 40 odd weeks = about 240 lesson plans. The format she gave me, was the same format Korean teachers use for open classes (you know, the lesson plan she spends 35 hours preparing). What a joke.

To cut a long story short, and a lot of arguing later (regarding the absurd format and the timeframe) I copied some lesson plans off the internet. She flicked through the first couple of pages and that was that. A few weeks later I found the plan in the bin.

Frankly, when it comes to mindless "busy" work here...I don't give a damn. I'll cut and paste and do the absolute barest minimum. 99/100 No-one will even read it, and that 1/100 shot that someone actually does read it, there's a 50/50 shot that they won't understand well enough to make a comment.

"Alot of foreign teachers are spending free time at school playing PC games and chatting"

Is anyone actually surprised by this. We are contracted for 22 classes a week (22x40 = 880/60= 14.6 hours of teaching at elementary) yet we have to be at school for 40 hours. EVERYONE knows that there is plenty of deskwarming and timekilling done, yet now they are trying to fill the time up with pointless busy work. PS jobs are going down the shitter.

[roadwork]

The ones for the afterschool class can easily be bullshat but it's difficult to cut and paste for the regular classes. Anyway, I have something figured out for that.

[WendyRose]

I work for GEPIK. I'm required to type up each and every lesson plan and hand them all in at the end of the month. I usually type them up a week or so in advance. I do 7 a week. I find them useful and don't mind doing them.