Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crazylemongirl]

I did my open class this week, and basically did what I had been doing in class normally. The kids hadn't seen the material I gave them, and they did fine (probably the quietest they've ever been!).

I got great reviews apart from being too loud, so yes, doing a 'normal' open class won't mean the sky will fall down, and I got some good feedback about my lessons which I can use to improve my teaching and the teachers from my area got some ideas to use in class.

I'm glad I stuck to my guns over not doing the dog and pony show.

[ilovebdt]

Glad it went okay and you stuck to your guns

ilovebdt

[Yu_Bum_suk]

They thought you were too loud? I thought that with Koreans, when it comes to teaching English, the louder the better.

[crazylemongirl]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[ajgeddes]

[I_Am_Wrong]

I also decided to avoid the dog and pony show and opted for a real class. I got some good feedback but the evaluator clearly would've preferred a dog and pony show.

I saw one a couple weeks ago in which the students were obviously prepped before hand. The evaluator gave a big speech afterwards about "how great it is to see a real class."

[ilovebdt]

[Kim Jong Jordan]

[crazylemongirl]

[SPINOZA]

Folks have had a pop at me for being too loud but frankly they can all piss off! Me vs 38 Korean teens? And a co-teacher (well, not all of them) who stands there doing nothing? I'm sorry, I'm gonna deafen them all. Often I don't need to because they're good kids but everyone has a babbo class or two, right?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[ajgeddes]

I have to do an open class next week. It will be my first time ever co-teaching, so it should be pretty exciting. At my school, I am on my own 100% because the old principal is a complete dip$hit. Anyways, I had chosen a class to do my open class with, but then they decided that I needed to be co-teaching, and the only teacher that speaks English was told she has to be my co-teacher for this class. It just so happens her class has got to be the worst in the school. I don't know what it is with this group of 37 kids, but they are terrible.

Anyways, this is all adding up and it should be one exciting show come next week. We also won't be preparing beforehand. I just have to prepare everything and then she is going to come and look at it 30 minutes before the class (her first time teaching English), so who knows what is going to happen.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

As a side-note, we had a few provincial big-wigs drop by our school today (which meant that yesterday the vocational students got to spend the whole day cleaning the school). Two of them and the VP dropped by my top grade one class for about five minutes. I just passed one of them leaving with our head of English, stopped to bow and shake his hand, etc., and the head of English said 'he said very appreciate. He said you are excellent teacher'. Based on five minutes of observation?

Based on the advice of another teacher I spent five minutes before class writing up a detailed lesson outline on the side of the board - apart from taking up the five minutes I'd have prefered to spend writing up my phonics words the whole visit thankfully didn't cause me to waste any time. Our district liason wants me to write up a brief report on my ideas for getting good teachers and teaching effectively and I'll be mentioning the pointlessness of demonstration lessons and mistakes Gyeonggi-do Educational district is making several times.

[Kim Jong Jordan]

I'm alone in my classes 100% of the time without a co-teacher (I'm the only foreign teacher) and I don't mind. I didn't have to do an open class this year, only one person from the English department did and all the English teachers had to watch and evaluate, as well as a couple vice-principles. I was surprised actually because I assumed that all the foreign teachers would have to do one. Hmmm...