Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Olivencia]

I was told recently that my students must finish the book they were given. I only have them for a very short period of time and in order to finish the book I would have to go (teach) really fast. I said if I took more time on the subjects within the book the students would learn much better. Well that didn't get far. I was told to "just finish the book". What I have seen in my time in Korea is that many students have finished the book but seem to not know well over 80% of it. When I use the books they had previously "finished" I am told by the students and everyone else that they already finished that book and to move on to something else despite not knowing a vast amount of what was supposed to have been learned.
And quite unusual is the fact that if I skip a few pages within the book in order to "finish" the book that is ok but if I skip a few pages at the end of the book then people get upset that I didn't finish the book.


Any thoughts on dealing with this problem?...or should I just finish the book?

[some waygug-in]

When I worked in hagwans, I was constantly told the same. It meant that students were always working in books that were 3 - 4 levels too high and they couldn't understand most of what was being done.

What I eventually did was photocopy and bring in level appropriate materials which we would do after the "official textbook".

Not all schools will allow this approach though.

[NCdan]

Do you want to keep your job or actually teach the students? You aren't a teacher, you're an entertainer. My classes go something like this: warp speed lecture, workbook, and if we somehow have time for a game then it's a special day for them. And half of the kids don't remember the correct answers when we review the next day. Whatever... So long as I keep my job I'm happy. The smart ones will learn, the dumb ones won't, so it kinda sorta works out the same as a real education system. Or not.

[Goon-Yang]

It's just another money making scheme for places that pretend to be places of learning. If a hakwon registers it's name at a book store (usually free, but sometimes a small fee) they recieve a 5-20% discount on books bought there. The school then turns around and sells the book for the full price.

[Xuanzang]

[djsmnc]

At least try to make it worthwile. Use lessons that will be meaningful and skip the other stuff. I had that kind of deal my first year ever in Korea, it was the worst textbook I have ever seen in my life, and so I jumped around to things that were somewhat halfway useful and expanded on those areas.

[GreenlightmeansGO]

I had to try teach books that were intended for college students, to elementary students. Whole lotta fun. Skip a lot.

[Privateer]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[Olivencia]

Yeah but then how do I deal with fall-out?

[Young FRANKenstein]

Fallout? Pfft. Like they know what you do in your classroom.

[VanIslander]

skip parts

come at the material tangentially, tailor your lessons around the subject matter and assign the book contents as homework or relegate it to ten minutes of class

there is no reason to painstakingly follow each page of a text - it's a resource, nothing more

[lifeinkorea]

I have never run into this problem. Students by far finish everything in the book before the semester ends. I am told not to go too fast or else they won't have anything to do near the end.

My teaching style is one where I cover what I want to teach within like 10-15 minutes. Then, I use the remainder of the class to review and practice with students who don't get it. The ones who do can move on.

If I don't finish the book, I don't finish the book. I never worry about it. I do what I do regardless, and schools don't end up firing me or anything.

I think the school that says to finish is just trying to be a "boss". They don't know to say "please cover present continuous with students A, B and C" then "cover perfect tenses with students E, F, an G". So, they just want a sense of completion without knowing the content themselves.

[thegadfly]

Well, "finishing the book" is not limited to Korea -- in my time in US high school English teaching, I always had to "finish the book." I have to do the same thing here.

Finishing this book, right here, right now is the short-term problem, and there are many educationally-sound reasons why a teacher may be asked to "finish the book" -- for example, to provide consistency within a program, to ensure that teachers are addressing the required material, and to give students a sense of progress and forward-motion in their education. There are many more reasons why such a thing is asked of a teacher, and I do not find it all that unusual or difficult to deal with -- as I said, I have always encountered this situation whereever I have taught -- it is just a basic requirement.

The underlying problem is with textbooks that are inappropriately assigned to various levels, series that do not work the way they are being utilized, unrealistic parental and administrative expectations of what students can or can not do, and an over-reliance on the book to do the teaching instead of the teacher. I would guess that you are dealing with one of these other problems, but that the symptom is that you are asked to finish the book.

Another possibility is that you may have taken over for someone who didn't do what he or she was supposed to do, and you are left holding the bag...someone should have been on the previous teacher to do what was required, and either there wasn't enough oversight (read: babysitting of teachers who need to have their hands held, their food chewed for them, and their lessons planned for them), or there was enough oversight, but the person just didn't do what was required...in either case, you are there now, and you need to put out the fire left behind by the other teacher...so, finish the book.

It sounds like end-of-the-year kind of stuff, and assuming that you are aware of the time-frame, you won't have this problem in the future. If the problem is the textbook, the series, or a serious mis-leveling of students, perhaps you could suggest a new book, series, or help figure out a way to place students at the proper level....

Of course, you can follow the advice of other posters and just do what you feel like and let the chips fall where they may... but I think you are cleaning up the mess left by someone who did just that.

Don't get me wrong -- I am pretty anti-textbook. I think a good teacher is much more important than a good textbook -- a poor teacher may be adequate with a great book/series, but a great teacher doesn't need a textbook to be great....

Anyway, cheers and good luck!

[some waygug-in]

If you're in a hagwan, and it sounds like you are;

what may be going on is that the parents are asking for "proof" that you are actually teaching something and not just playing games.

Some of the parents feel that covering a book every month is desirable.

Some parents may pull their childrean out of the hagwan and move if they feel you are being too slack.

I don't agree with this attitude, by the way. I just think you should be aware of it.