Korean Job Discussion Forums

[iggyb]

So, I had to throw away 2-classes worth of copies and change 2 ppts for the next unit because the words "skinny" and "mean" were "inappropriate" for 3rd grade minds.

Today, after showing the new learning ppt to the first class, she told me I should change this picture http://www.esolers.org/ESOL/lowbeginner/vd/adj/bodyplus/pretty02.jpg for the words pretty/beautfiful.

Why?

Because, she wants 3rd graders to know about natural beauty and the beauty of nature and so on...

...which is why skinny and mean were inappropriate. And "artificial" beauty is also inappropriate for young 3rd grade minds.

She also disapproved of my including in the ppt nouns for fruit - even though some were in the last lesson and some new ones are in this lesson (and most of the students know them already).

Why?

Because, she said, this chapter will include listening tests, and students can't learn too many words at once. (Even when 50-80% already know 80% of the words in the book).

And that is the discussion we had several times at the start of the semester and when I realized it was useless to have such discussions.

Her view (and apparently our textbook's view) is that young, low-level students need to move at a dead snail's pace.

At the start, I told her about my experience teaching survival level English to Koreans and Hispanics in different places - teaching students who had never studied English before.

I also told her about what research has been reporting about young language learners for the last few decades.

No. No. No. No.

I would really prefer if she just made me a human tape recorder instead of giving me 15 mintues of the class to teach.

I have every incentive to do as little as possible, because it is a pain in the next to work on material only to have to do it again due to nonsense reasons or reasons opposite contemporary language learning theory...

[thegadfly]

Well, that sucks that your sincere effort to teach the students something is being stifled -- I do sympathize with the situation, and you certainly have every right to be upset about it, but....

...she is the one that catches the heat for what goes on in class. If someone higher up the food chain isn't happy with what happens in the class, SHE gets the first earful, and maybe it does indeed trickle down to you, but she bears more of it....

As a result, she may be trying to head problems off before they arise, or she may be too chicken to even risk the hint of a problem...honestly, bare shoulders on a slide for grade three elementary students would give ME pause about the appropriateness of the picture. I'd just find one that showed a person who clearly was wearing all of his or her clothes, instead of one that suggests nudity. Scenes of natural beauty would be even better (and so I agree with her suggestion). I'm not with her on the "too many words" thing, but hey, her students' performance won't effect MY job security....

...just sayin' that every story has two sides, and yeah, you have my sympathy for your side of things...but the other person doesn't HAVE to be wrong or a villain in order for you to be right....