Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chrabyrd]

Hello all!

I work at a hagwon, and one of my classes is causing a little trouble. It's a class of 8 upper-elementary school students. 5 of the kids are on level with the material, but 3 girls are so far above it they're bored.

They're all good students, and the girls are sweet. But any time I try to teach them anything, they roll their eyes and say the already know. I even overheard one girl tell the others (in Korean) that her English is so good she doesn't need to learn any more.

I could be a dick, but I don't want to. I could slam Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment down on the table and show them they couldn't even read a chapter, but I like being the nice teacher.

So my question is: What's the best way to show these girls that they're not as fluent in English as they think?

Cheers!

[greene]

be reading a novel when they walk into class

they will ask to see it and try to read, give up, and your point will be made without making you look like a jerk

[SeoulNate]

Teach IPA and English Phonemics

1. Even the most advanced EFL students have trouble with it.
2. It is a basic feature of language most teachers just ignore
3. It will actually help them with ALL aspects of language
4. Can be applied in every class activity.

http://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/phonemic-chart-ia.htm

http://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/IPAlab.htm

[andrewchon]

Do they undertand Humour?

a) do they laugh at punch-lines
b) can they tell jokes?
c) do they find cartoon strips funny?

How old are they? Can they do the trash-talk?

Names: this one always trips up the horizontally challenged. Ask them to write down all the first-names they know, off the top of their head.

[cdninkorea]

Bring in something that a native English speaking 8 year old can (and does) read. Don't do it with a "I got somethin' for ya! Can you handle this? " attitude, especially because- who knows?- maybe they can handle it.

When I have a class with a lot of students who are really good at English, I do that kind of thing. I teach undergrads, so I'll bring in a New York Times article about a topic they're interested in (that's key) and prepare a bunch of comprehension questions about the content, too.

[faeriehazel]

Well, DO they already know the content? Presumably if they were full of crap you could put them in their place by talking about low quiz scores or giving them back an essay dripping with red ink. I hate arrogant kids who try to validate themselves by putting down the other kids around them, and occasionally I will find ways to take them down a peg or two during class. BUT if the kids are truly bored (and not just acting bored because they're brats) then usually I'll try to challenge them with more difficult content.

[Janny]

Easy: plan a lesson around critical thinking or creativity.

Critical thinking: read a short story together and ask questions like "why did he do that? Why didn't he do [something else]? What might happen if [something else] happened [at some vital part of the storyline]? What would YOU do if you were him? What was [another character] thinking when...? What do you think would happen if this story took place in Korea / Europe / Spain / a haunted house / a all-boys school etc...?

Any questions about the story that CAN'T be answered by looking in the text. That kills my students every time. Toughest skill. It calls for critical thinking AND being able to express their thoughts in English.

Creativity: get them to write their own stories. Give them some elements to include by requirement, so they don't just copy something they've read already. After the stories are finished, get them to grammar-edit their friend's story and see how many corrections they find. Then get them to summarize their own stories (or their friends') in their own words.

Challenging stuff for all students, especially Korean students. They don't really learn these skills at school.

[wishfullthinkng]

try this on them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_while_John_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_a_better_effect_on_the_teacher

[radcon]

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

[Steelrails]

She sells Seychelles seashells by the seashore CU shop.

[Hokie21]

Have them read the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales in Old/Middle English. Heck for that matter have them read any poetry/stories in old English and discuss.

Stuff is very easy to find online.

http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/gchaucer/bl-gchau-can-genpro-m.htm

[mayorhaggar]

It's very easy to talk to students and find what the limits of their English skills are. Take them up to the edge of it and then start saying a bunch of stuff that makes them do that "huh?" puppy-dog tilted head thing. When some of my kids start showing off I'll do this, and ask them some complex questions that stop them in their tracks.

[Steelrails]

Really, to answer this question seriously, I guess we have to begin with "Why does your student feel this way?" If they have little interest in English beyond passing their tests and getting good grades, then there isn't much you can do beyond offering them some lessons and materials that relate to subjects they are interested in. Throw in some more advanced vocabulary and they might "learn without learning".

The problem it seems is that you can't teach at a higher level without making it to challenging for the other students. I'm guessing the other students probably have figured this out and feel that they are reduced to marking time.