Korean Job Discussion Forums

[merrypr4nkster]

For those of us with little teaching experience, any advise?

[afsjesse]

Be patient and open. Flexibility goes along way in thie country but don't get stiffed.

If you need help on grammar and explaining rules I suggest getting an ESL book and studying up on it. Maybe even a cheap online TESL would be beneficial, if for nothing else a pay raise if you renew.

Only be demanding when you need to be ie: pay, deadlines etc...

Realize that you are THE teacher and that students should respect you. Don't "lose face" in class otherwise your year will go downhill faster then speedy gonzalez on gouda cheese.

Have fun.

[Goku]

Picture yourself as invincible.

That was the best advice given to me by Obi Wan before I entered the death star that is my school.

Kids can smell fear. As long as you go in thinking you are invincible physcially and mentally, the kids won't bother you so much.

Oh and if you're in High School be wary that 50% of your class will sleep.

[harlowethrombey]

Plan your lessons.

Overplan by at least 1 activity (in otherwords, have at least 1 more activity available to do that you should never have time for).

If you run out of things to do/say with 15 minutes left in class its obvious to everyone.

Create a defined schedule for your classes. The students should always know the 'order' of the class. I dont know your level, but for high school, for example:
1) Introduce the lesson
2) Go over the day's vocabulary
3) Do the first activity
4) Transition activity
5) Do the second activity
6) Grammar/Natural Phrases/etc
7) Write a reflection

If you seem to be winging it day to day the students can sense that and they will be more restless and uncooperative.

Dont be a grammar nazi. Their K teachers teach them grammar. We're supposed to teach 'conversation'. A child that is speaking incorrectly can be corrected later, but one that is too scared to speak (for fear of immediatly being corrected by the teacher) learns nothing.

Model all activities before you have the students try.

Create a student-centered classroom. Despite the atmosphere on Dave's, the classroom teachers are not the most important people in the room. We dont need all the attention all the time. The students should work on their own/small groups instead of listening to a lecture for 50 minutes.

Be creative. Use music, drawing, etc. Get the students out of their seats and moving occaisionally (if they can handle that). Take them outside and sit under a tree, etc.

Dont let your first few weeks fool you. They'll all be angels for 2-4 weeks until they feel comfortable with you. But as long as you've laid out a plan for them, it should be ok. Kids like structure even if they pretend they dont.

Lastly, dont stress out.

good luck

[sharkey]

during one of your first classes if a kid is acting up discipline him hard.. set the example that this type of behavior is not acceptable. if you dont set the example, kids will run over you all year.

[merrypr4nkster]

[Hanson]

Be hard at first and loosen up over time. Doing it the other way around is tempting, but it just leads to problems...

[Straphanger]

Never, ever, ever have any gaps when you transition from one part of the lesson to another.

[vonnegutjr]

Don't be a 'yes' man to the machine. It makes everything worse for all of the existing and future teacher's. Be reasonable/pragmatic...

[Julius]

Don't sweat the small stuff and look at the bigger picture.

[sharkey]

[GreenlightmeansGO]

I agree that staying hard the whole time is probably the way to go, because as soon as you start getting soft, people start to look for other things to do. Most students will use their cellphones under the table. You wouldn't believe how fast they can move with their fingers!

Change positions often; don't just stand there and watch - walk around, get behind them, sometimes take a seat and relax. Know when to be rough and when to just let them do the work. Don't rush. Timing is everything. Don't come too early or too late - the school gives you the schedule. Try come at exactly the right time. That way most people will be satisfied. The kids like to mess around with each other in whatever free time they have. I don't know what the other teachers put them through, I just know that I would suggest you make it a good time and that they enjoy you.

You might want to bring your own pens (the bigger the better, so you don't have to go the shop too much) in case the school doesn't have enough. Some places use chalk, but that just gets messy.

If you feel that you have to go to the bathroom, wait until the end of class. Someone said that gaps in the session are bad, which I agree with. It's all about the build-up. The more you are able to get them into it, the more you can do with them. The more steps you take, the further they will go.

If you have a co-teacher, he/she will probably just watch. They don't like to get stuck in there and get their hands dirty. Don't be surprised if your co-teacher starts using his/her cellphone or disrupts a student or two for his/her own reasons.

It will take a while to get used to it, but as long as you keep grinding away, day after day, pushing hard to go further and do that little bit extra that makes your students excited, then your students will love you. Get enough rest and repeat the process every day.

[RufusW]

Excellent post, excellent advice.

[Hanson]

[Kwangjuchicken]