Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Birmingham.couple]

I have no idea what to do or how to implement my lesson.
Please make me feel better with similar stories.

Also, the school has kindly given me a mobile but I have no idea how to set it up with a SIM. Same with Internet and TV is very strange.

It's all a tad overwhelming but the kids are nice.

[DosEquisXX]

I freaked out when I heard I had to create my own lessons. I was a year out of college and all of a sudden I'm creating a whole course by myself without training?! Yeah, I almost freaked and left right there.

Anyway, first day just do an intro game. Have them write down (or ask) questions about you and have them guess the answer (How old are you? How tall and so on). You'll get a feel of their English proficiency and it's a whole lot of fun. As a really tall guy, the answer "2 meters" for my height was common and laughed at. People would also guess that I was Korean or Chinese and that would draw laughs.

It's a good start. Normally, hagwons have some sort of curriculum or textbook to work from. So, you'll have a starting point. I had no textbooks to work with at my public school.

[Fishead soup]

Buy one of those Janga block games. Write really simple questions on each block. Have students remove blocks and ask simple questions on the block do this until the Janga tower falls down.

Write key words about yourself on the board. Like your age favorite food address hometown. Students have to guess the questions that go with them. As they ask the questions erase them. Do this until there are no more key words left.

Play " Find Someone Who"

Find somones who likes the Wondergirls


Find someone who likes Dog meat Poshintang.

Conver these statements into questions allow students to listen and repeat then let them walk around and play the game.

[tanklor1]

[mj roach]

op - sounds like you're at a 'hakwan'
if so look around for the "teachers' manual/edition(s)"
for the book(s) you will be using...it's really the easiest way for
you to get started and give you some ideas of for making lesson plans

white-ting!!

[alwaysbeclosing100]

20 hours???? i was here like 8 or 10 hours before i had to teach.

[Summer Wine]

6 or 7 for me. I hadn't slept in about 24-48 hrs due to certain issues, had travelled up and down the country a number of times trying to get everything before I left and subsequently had not had a decent sleep in two weeks.

I was shattered when I entered the classroom. I remember teaching A, B, Cs and that was about it. I couldn't keep my eyes open for very long.

Yeah, I sucked on my first day. I am surprised they put me in the classroom.

[War Eagle]

Welcome to Korea OP!!

But don't worry mate. Follow the advice above and make it through the first couple days. Ask the other teachers at your school the important questions about how make lesson plans, etc. and you'll be an old pro in a couple weeks. If not, learn how to fake it

3 days and a cell phone tho: if they gave you a decent place to live you hit the trifecta.

Good luck!

[eslville]

If you have nothing to work with do this simple thing:

1) Pick a theme (cars, vacations, food)

2) Pick a language point (I have been there, I like _____)

3) Develop a few materials, download some pictures, make a worksheet

That should help start you off anyhow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESLville: Free Worksheet & Lesson Downloads

http://www.eslville.com

[southernman]

I got picked up from the airport after flying from NZ, shown to my apartment and taken directly to my Hagwon. My boss then said they'd like me to teach a couple of classes with the leaving western teacher watching me.

I politley explained that I stank after 16 hours on the plane and that I would never enter a classroom in jeans as it was unprofessional. My boss said ok and took me out to a restaurant to see how much soju I could drink

Then I started teaching the next afternoon, I did have textbooks to follow though

[Birmingham.couple]

I'm on the EPIK programme and I just feel a little lost I guess.
It's really strange as I have three co teachers and I teach over 4 grades...

it's goin to be a tough year

[nomad-ish]

[AnsanAnswers]

I find it's best to start by introducing yourself to your students. It gives them an idea of who you are, where you come from and what you like. It will go a long way by establishing you as someone they hopefully will like and respect. Plus, it's a topic you already know a lot about!

If you have access to a computer and time to put together a PPT you can include some of the following pictures; your hometown, your hobbies, favorite foods (Korean and non-Korean), pets, family, your house and places you have traveled to. Also, anything you have from your country (currency, passport, driver's license etc.) really gets them excited. Don't be afraid to talk about your favorite musicians, movies or tv shows. Those are things they can really relate to.

Simon has posted a really great PPT game on www.eatyourkimchi.com. You list questions on a slide with 2 answers below. You can break the kids into teams and they have to read the question and stand on the side of the board with the correct answer. It gets them speaking English, teaches them about you and gets them out of their seats.

The most important thing to remember is that they are fascinated just by you being there. So keep cool, have a sense of humor and relax.

Best of luck you you. If you need anything just let me know.

[sallymonster]

[Troglodyte]

It depends a lot on how much freedom the school gives you, and if they have a decent textbook. If they don't have one (e.g. too cheap) then download one from gigapedia or such and print it out (on their printer). If you aren't stuck to a specific schedule then you can download a lot of ELT activities. I particularly like Boggle's World.