Korean Job Discussion Forums

[teachingld2004]

I am teaching a new adult class every 3 months. How this works, is people register for a 3 month term. The next term, some of the old people renew, and some new people join. The class is supposed to be intermediate level, but that is not the case. Some peole have a very high level of english, and some people can barely speak or understand.

Some people love to talk, and others sit and do not say one word. When the new term starts, I always have people indroduce themselves. The old people say "I did this", and I say, "yes, I know, but there are new people here, etc etc...

They do not want to write, just speak. I tell them that many times before people speak they write notes. At times we just jot down ideas. We do not write all of the time.

A major problem is this: The class is one and 1/2 hours. People do not come at the same time Some come early, and leave early. Some come late and leave early. Some come he last 1/2 hour.

When we start something, we always have to repeat for the ones who come late. If we continue some thing the next class, the people who have left early do not know what was done at the end of class. I always do a quick review, so that helps.

Does anyone have any ideas? Tonight is the start of the new term. I will have them fill out a sheet, collect them, and give them to some one else to read. This always works well.

Thanks in advance people!

[happeningthang]

That sounds pretty difficult to manage efficiently. With that amount of available time wouldn't it make more sense to divide the class into two seperate ones based on ability?

I have two concurrent Adult Classes one at a very basic level who are spoon fed phrases, and a very advanced class capable of debating anything fluently.

Putting those two classes together would be frustrating for everyone involved.

[teachingld2004]

Thanks for answering, happening. I can not split the class in half; that would not work. 15 people are on the class list, but all 15 will not come. Perhaps 8 people will come one day, and 5 the next. Rarely, as many as 12 people may come.

Making 2 groups might work, but no one comes in at the same time. The class is 3x a week, from 5:30 till 7. Some one comes in at 5:30. Some one comes in 6:05. Some one may comee in at 6:25. The person who comes in at 5:30 may leave at 6:20.

Perhaps 2 or 3 of them may come for the whole class.

Tonight for the first class they all may come at 5:30. I am going to hand out a memo saying that class starts at 5:30. From 5:30 till 6 we will have free conversastion From 6 till 6:45 we will have a lesson. Then for the last 15 minutes we will do what ever we have time for.

These people are wonderful. They work for a large company, and are very busy. They go on business trips, have meetings, and lots of work to do. They do not come to class all of the time, because they can't:not because they do not want to.

[RACETRAITOR]

That sounds like a real headache to teach. Based on the varying levels of students alone there really is no way to plan a class. The fact that they come at irregular times makes it even worse. If I had to do it, I'd spend most of the class in free conversation or debate. I'd try teaching song lyrics and showing TV clips maybe. My heart goes out to you.

[Hater Depot]

Fortunately, my classes are all of the same level, my school sees to that more or less pretty strictly. But we have rolling enrollment, so I have to do the introduction thing with some frequency. I handle it by doing the introductions of old students for them -- it spares them the drudgery and they like seeing what I remember about them, and get the chance to kid me if I forget something.

[happeningthang]

I think Racetraitor (what is up with that name??) is onto it.

Having an open ended class structure works in my classes -

A conversation text book that we work through - just so students can see what topics are upcoming.

Every other week I organise an informal debate - with one topic being open for discussion -and debate in the final class - so that those who show up intermittently know what's up for discussion - and those who are consistently present get the chance to refine what they have to say.

I have the same problem with students showing up whenever they can. It's annoying, but I usually give a quick introduction to what it is we're discussing to those showing up late, and carry on. At the worst it's revision for those who've already heard it.

Either that or I give those, who've already heard it, a discussion exercise so that I can help the new comers catch up.

Good luck with it.

[RACETRAITOR]

[Son Deureo!]

From my experience, adult students like a lot of pairwork and small group work. This maximizes their talking time and makes the class environment more active and social for the students. Competitive activities are also good for a change of pace.

If your students aren't too basic for it, try article/discussion for some of your classes. Find an interesting newspaper or magazine article, keep it short, or cut it. Dumb it down a bit if you have to. You don't want to spend more than 15 minutes of class time reading the article and discussing the vocab. The fresher and more controversial the topic, the better. Articles posted by our very own Real Reality are often good. Highlight and explain uncommon vocabulary words/expressions from the text, and ask some comprehension questions in class. Then include some discussion questions based on issues raised in the text to get them talking to each other.

If the gulf between ability levels is as severe as you say, make sure that in your small discussion groups you have the advanced students with advanced and low-level with low level students. In competitive activities do the opposite.

[teachingld2004]

Thanks again everyone. You have all said excellent things.

Yes. I bring in articles. We talk about them. They have told me they heard that already, it was on the news. Often they give me details that the english papers have left out.

I have had them bring in a korean paper, pick out an article, and explain it to us in english. That was hard, but they liked doing that. We have done that more then once.

When they come in late it is not because they are "lazy". A meeting may finish at 6, and they will come at 6:15. They may come in at 5:30 and leave at 6 because their team is going out at 6.

Some of them use english on the job. Some just want to learn. Some had studied in other countries, and just want to have conversation.

They are kind to each other, and help each other out often. They have taught me as much as I have taught them.

I just get stuck at times.

Now I am quite upset because 3 of them were told they could not attend class this term, and they want to come. I said I will talk to management about that. These people are the most fluent. The class closes when 15 people register, and 18 have registered. The company rules are 15 people. So, the most fluent ones were told that they had to pass this term so others can have a chance.

I went in and told "the powers that be" that there never are 15 at once. I was told that the rule was only 15 people can register. I said that I did not follow rules, and that rules are made to be broken. (I am not rude, they really like me) But I was told "Sorry, ,this is the rule".

Anyway, I want to thank you guys for answering me. I am getting off this computer now. I will let you know how class went.

[Hater Depot]

Oh, another thing I do is have them read the articles at home; if it's from the textbook then of course they already have it, and if I choose an article I give it to them the class before. If I choose an article, then at the bottom I will write in some explanations of vocab I think they will have trouble with. I find that reading in class is generally time better spent on other things.

[Woland]

I want to second everything Son Deureo! wrote and just add one more little idea.

When you break the students up into groups, why not try to move them beyond exchange of opinions by creating small projects related to what you've read together for them to complete together. This could be as simple as having them come up with solutions to a problem mentioned in an article to more elaborate productions. Given your circumstances, you need to make sure that the projects are ones that people can drop into and out of as they come and go from class. You also need to design them so that the students will talk their way through them. Then, at the end of class, bring them back together to present their projects and talk about them. You may even have a little competition sometimes with the students deciding whose work is best, or most interesting or innovative, whatever.

[Son Deureo!]

[happeningthang]

[teachingld2004]

Son, thanks for those sites. Great stuff.

My mistake, tonight my students were the same. The new group comes next month.

Another one of my "old timers" said he also can not come. Seems like the company wants a new group of people. I am sad. I got attached to these people. I have learned about them and their families. They let me into their lives. They tell me things. They ask questions. The last Saturday in May I am going to a one year olds birthday party, one of the men invited me. (a gold ring is out of my price range. But that is OK, I am a foreigner...) As I said, I love these people.

Today we were talking about things that bother us. We talked about how some things really upset some people, while others take them instride. One person said he was really annoyed today because some one at work made a really stupid mistake and he had to take the time and fix it. One person said he was annoyed at this wife because she gives him 300.000 won a month in pocket money, and now he is almost broke until pay day!.

I always said that I only wanted to teach kids. This class has made me re-think.

Thanks again.

[sid]

Have a look at this site: www.breakingnewsenglish.com (if you haven't already used it)

Pick out the best bits of one of those lesson plans and you should have a decent 90 minute lesson. Some of the warm up speaking activities are really good and you can just keep rotating them around in pairs/threes until everyone has turned up.