Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jcan]

Hi guys - I'm getting stressed out over an open class and am hoping someone could help me out.

I work at an elementary school and I've just been told that I have to do an open class in a couple of weeks. Here's the problem: My open class will be very low-level 4th graders. The way my schedule works out, I only see this class once a month (this will be my 3rd time ever seeing them). Also, I have no real co-teacher - just their homeroom teacher who sits in the back quietly.

My vice-principal is pretty picky and I want to make it a good lesson, but I'm really at a loss. Has anyone been in this kind of situation before? Any advice/ideas for low level students?

[Kurtz]

That's a personal nightmare! Sorry to hear about it, I got to hand pick my open class students

Maybe teach a review lesson. Any way of coaching them beforehand? Try sing a song they like, role plays with very simple dialog, listen and repeat using your hand or body like a wand for intonation, getting them to do the same, group activity like a simple board game.

[bcoral99]

Really? Where do you work?

I'm pretty sure they have to give you enough notice for that. I would tell them off. An open class is usually for a NT and KT. Although, one of the Korean teachers at my middle school had an open class by herself which I expect is normal for them. But I am pretty sure for a Native teacher that you have to Co-teach with someone else. I have never heard of an open class where a Native teacher is teaching by themselves.

[Scamps]

How long is the class?
In my experience, Korean parents like to see a civilized classroom where the kids are working quietly but active. They don't want to see them running around, being noisy and wild no matter how much fun the game is or how much they could be learning doing the latter.

Since you have seldomly worked with this group perhaps you can ask their regular teacher to give you a hand and take some time out to prepare them for the open house.

Whether that goes over well or not, I would break up the class time into 10 minute activities (more or less). For example you can start with simple greetings, then sing a song with some body language built in like "head, shoulders, knees and toes" or "I'm a little teapot" something like that.
Then you can review some vocabulary with flashcards and build some activities off of the words used.
For some quiet time, hand out worksheets.
Most of all smile a lot and give the kids lots of praise.
And have some drinks and snacks for the parents.

[Joe666]

If possible, talk to the home room teacher and ask her for help during the open class. He/she is in a much better position to control the kids.

Relax, let the chips fall where they may. I know that's a cliche, but there's only so much you can do. Prepare the best you can, picture everyone in their undies and let it fly......

If the teachers and faculty like and respect you, it shouldn't be a big deal.

[PigeonFart]

I have been in that situation. In fact, mine was probably worse. My students were 7 year olds, and they were total beginners. I was teaching them phonics. So we were just doing the sounds of the alphabet!! Imagine that for 40 minutes.

On the plus side though, i teach in a hogwon so there were less than 10 students and i saw them 3 times a week so we were familiar with each other. The open class was for the parents. So i made sure that each student got lots of opportunites to speak....collectively and individually.

I know your situation is a bit different....your audience is not the parents but your school manager. So i don't know what to advise. Given that he/she's korean, they probably have a backward philosphy of language teaching, so give them lots of repitition....lots of repitition. Of course we know that they don't do that in Switzerland or Sweden (multilingual countries). This is Korea and they love retarded 1950's methods of teaching. Give the f**k**s what they want for the open class, then teach your modern European communicative approach for regular classes so the kids actually learn something. Vive l'Europe.