Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Peter Jackson]

Most of my classes are great, but I have a couple of first year high school classes with some very bad discipline problems. Most of the girls are ok, but the boys can be a problem. It doesn't help that they are very low level and unmotivated. What can I do except yell at them like I did today? They got the message but I would like to know how others deal with unruly high schoolers who can't stop talking. I don't want to put the blame on the co-teacher but I have two other co-teachers (one who teaches the lowest first grade class) and these classes all go smoothly. The bad classes have a first year teacher who I think is too soft on them. Or can it be that she just got stuck with the worst kids?

I feel bad for the serious students as I have to waste so much time slolding the bad ones.

Anyone who has some good ideas on how to punish naughty high schoolers please let me know.

Happy teaching,

[KappaSig510]

I would probably move them to the front of the class. If there's only a couple trouble makers, place them next to students who are studious so they won't be tempted to talk. Just an opinion

[ejmlab]

I also teach first and second grade high school. Most of my classes are very good but there are a few classes with a few boys who seem to have a chip on their shoulders. Last year I did alot of yelling and it seemed to make things worse. This year I have quietly removed students from the class into the hallway where I task them to complete their work while sitting on the floor. This is embarassing for them and also puts them in danger of being caught out by a tough Korean teacher. After a suitable amount of time I return to the hallway, inspect their work and allow the penitent boys to return quietly to their chairs. I take note of each student who has been disciplined and inform them that 3 strikes and they'll be reported to the heavy handed 'Dean of Discipline'. He is a 50 something ex-soldier that is universally feared and respected. For me yelling just doesn't work. It's very frustrating and makes the atmosphere less conducive to study.

Also, I've noticed that the boys classes that I have directly after lunch are more unruly. They often come in filthy, sweating and hyped up after playing soccer or what have you. A bit of enforced quiet time at the beginning of class usually helps to bring the tempo down.

These methods work for me to some extent but I'd love to hear some more strategies. I noticed another thread on Classroom Management in which PRagic mentioned asking students to leave. This was the method that I also used while teaching University students. After teaching University for several years the transition to high school was very difficult for me on the classroom management front. It's still something I struggle with week in and week out.

Cheers

[Hotpants]

Did you actually WATCH the programs suggested by my link on thread:
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=57393?

It seems that it's all very well to give advice when you know what to do in the classroom, but for those who don't know, I suggest watching these videos as a starting point. Many of these videos address 'ejmlabs' [edit: sorry, meant to write 'Peter Jackson' in here] class age and behavioural problems such as the inability to get the silence that you mention.

If you're really at a lost cause, investing a bit of your time to watch them can really pay back in the long term, since few of us get a chance to get a good teacher trainer come into our classes and give qualified advice. Likewise, not all of us are able to attend the KOTESOL meeting about discipline which another responsdent refered to on an above thread.

I'm not a sponsor for the above video; I just know how hard it is if you are new to the classroom and don't know where to start with class discipline. If you have good discipline, then everything can run fantastically from there. Observing a few techniques is golden.

[ejmlab]

Thanks for the link. I'll be sure to watch the videos you mentioned.

Cheers

[Peter Jackson]

Thanks for the tips. I like the one about making them do their work on the floor in the hall. I never thought of that.

I agree that yelling really doesn't work. I will try some of the suggestions.

Have fun,

[flotsam]

I used to teach high school, but it was at a private girls high school and I had ZERO problems.

Sigh. Those were the days.

Now I teach at a middle school and my third graders are probably similar in maturity level to your first graders, with bigger chips on their smaller shoulders because they "rool da skool". It is also almost always the boys that cause the problems. Here are some of the methods I employ, none of which I would use back in the world, but when in Rome and without detention...

1. One or two normally good kids acting up at the beginning of class: I tell them to stand up and I tease them. Usually enough. Class begins.

2. A whole bunch of the kids are acting up, but there are a couple of clear winners in the race toward disruptia. Those turkeys go to the back of the class, separated from each other and the rest of the class gets a stern "Who's next?"

This is where my daily need for discipline ends. I rarely need to employ the methods below. However, my school has a couple of classes that are (in)famous for their behavior for which the following are reserved:

1. Class out of control. I tell them to be quiet three times. After the third attempt, I go to the front of the class and write on the greenboard.

[Peter Jackson]

I like your ideas. Do you also work in a rural school? That is part of the problem with some of the boys here. They really have no use for English after high school as most will work in labour jobs or trades.

The girls (and the motivated boys) really try to do well...

Thanks for the tips.

Cheers,

[poet13]

I dont teach high school in korea, but i have taught high school level in other countries. Regardless of the setting, I have found peer pressure to be very effective. If one gets out of hand, the whole class is punished or loses some privilege. I explain that I am a teacher, not a police officer. In general, I have seen classes rapidly start to police themselves.

[flotsam]