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Matman
Joined: 02 Jun 2006
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 Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:38 am Post subject: Teaching styles in public schools |
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Hi all,
I taught at a Hagwan in Korea 4 years ago (arrived at the start of the last world cup) for one year, then came back to the UK to teach law at a college. Now I'm thinking of coming back over to teach in a public school (I couldn't go back to the Hagwan thing) but have a few questions about teaching styles.
1) How big are the classes you have to teach?
2) Are the class sizes small enough and facilities suitable for student-centred activity based learning (i.e. student-to-student rather than teacher-to-class learning)?
3) How much freedom are you given in relation to what and how you teach e.g. is there a set textbook you have to follow or are you just left to your own devices?
I appreciate the answers will differ depending on the school and the teacher but your thoughts and experiences would be appreciated. |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:34 am Post subject: Re: Teaching styles in public schools |
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| Matman wrote: |
Hi all,
1) How big are the classes you have to teach?
2) Are the class sizes small enough and facilities suitable for student-centred activity based learning (i.e. student-to-student rather than teacher-to-class learning)?
3) How much freedom are you given in relation to what and how you teach e.g. is there a set textbook you have to follow or are you just left to your own devices?
I appreciate the answers will differ depending on the school and the teacher but your thoughts and experiences would be appreciated. |
1. Average is 38 for me.
2. Yes, but it gets rowdy. Teacher-to-class learning should be used as well. Break stuff up into a nice mixture.
3. A lot of freedom. The book is b0ll0cks for the most part, so I do my own stuff. |
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Matman
Joined: 02 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:02 am Post subject: |
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| Good God 38 screaming 7-year-old Korean kids sounds like a nightmare. I think for a 40 minute lesson I would have a couple of activities for them, 5 minute teacher's introduction to activity one, then split the students up into pairs/groups to do it for 15 minutes, then repeat. Sound good? Of course there's always hang man... |
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jacl
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:41 am Post subject: Re: Teaching styles in public schools |
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| SPINOZA wrote: |
| Matman wrote: |
Hi all,
1) How big are the classes you have to teach?
2) Are the class sizes small enough and facilities suitable for student-centred activity based learning (i.e. student-to-student rather than teacher-to-class learning)?
3) How much freedom are you given in relation to what and how you teach e.g. is there a set textbook you have to follow or are you just left to your own devices?
I appreciate the answers will differ depending on the school and the teacher but your thoughts and experiences would be appreciated. |
1. Average is 38 for me.
2. Yes, but it gets rowdy. Teacher-to-class learning should be used as well. Break stuff up into a nice mixture.
3. A lot of freedom. The book is b0ll0cks for the most part, so I do my own stuff. |
38! Holy *beep*! Ouch. |
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jacl
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:44 am Post subject: |
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| Matman wrote: |
| Good God 38 screaming 7-year-old Korean kids sounds like a nightmare. I think for a 40 minute lesson I would have a couple of activities for them, 5 minute teacher's introduction to activity one, then split the students up into pairs/groups to do it for 15 minutes, then repeat. Sound good? Of course there's always hang man... |
First month lesson plan: Hello, how are you?
Second month lesson plan: Hello, how are you today? |
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Matman
Joined: 02 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 10:02 am Post subject: |
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| jacl wrote: |
First month lesson plan: Hello, how are you?
Second month lesson plan: Hello, how are you today? |
I see your point and that's why I would want to focus on student-to-student activities. Asking 38 kids rowdy Korean kids individually "how are you" probably would take a month. |
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jacl
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 10:11 am Post subject: |
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| Matman wrote: |
| jacl wrote: |
First month lesson plan: Hello, how are you?
Second month lesson plan: Hello, how are you today? |
I see your point and that's why I would want to focus on student-to-student activities. Asking 38 kids rowdy Korean kids individually "how are you" probably would take a month. |
Student to student. Yeah, whatever that does.  |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:10 pm Post subject: Re: Teaching styles in public schools |
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| Matman wrote: |
Hi all,
I taught at a Hagwan in Korea 4 years ago (arrived at the start of the last world cup) for one year, then came back to the UK to teach law at a college. Now I'm thinking of coming back over to teach in a public school (I couldn't go back to the Hagwan thing) but have a few questions about teaching styles.
1) How big are the classes you have to teach?
2) Are the class sizes small enough and facilities suitable for student-centred activity based learning (i.e. student-to-student rather than teacher-to-class learning)?
3) How much freedom are you given in relation to what and how you teach e.g. is there a set textbook you have to follow or are you just left to your own devices?
I appreciate the answers will differ depending on the school and the teacher but your thoughts and experiences would be appreciated. |
1. 13 to 34. Most middle school classes are just over 30 and most HS classes just under 30.
2. Not really, although pairs work can work very well if it's very straight-forward stuff.
3. Basically I can do whatever I want, though the MS teachers like me to go over the textbook dialogues and sometimes reinforce their textbook lessons. |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:33 pm Post subject: Re: Teaching styles in public schools |
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| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| Matman wrote: |
Hi all,
I taught at a Hagwan in Korea 4 years ago (arrived at the start of the last world cup) for one year, then came back to the UK to teach law at a college. Now I'm thinking of coming back over to teach in a public school (I couldn't go back to the Hagwan thing) but have a few questions about teaching styles.
1) How big are the classes you have to teach?
2) Are the class sizes small enough and facilities suitable for student-centred activity based learning (i.e. student-to-student rather than teacher-to-class learning)?
3) How much freedom are you given in relation to what and how you teach e.g. is there a set textbook you have to follow or are you just left to your own devices?
I appreciate the answers will differ depending on the school and the teacher but your thoughts and experiences would be appreciated. |
1. 13 to 34. Most middle school classes are just over 30 and most HS classes just under 30.
2. Not really, although pairs work can work very well if it's very straight-forward stuff.
3. Basically I can do whatever I want, though the MS teachers like me to go over the textbook dialogues and sometimes reinforce their textbook lessons. |
At my high school the smallest class is 29 and the largest is 41. I'd love classes of 30 students or less.  |
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thursdays child
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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for high school
1. 21-36
2. My school has all the mod-cons and effective classrooms aimed at promoting a speaking class. It's actually easy to control 36 students IN a school because they know to observe certain rules and protocol when IN school.
3. For me - no text-books. Can do whatever I want - but have to submit all teaching plans to HOD and local education office a month in advance. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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Middle school 37-44 students. Last 2 years it was boys. This year I'm teaching co-ed. I carry a big stick (don't use it to hit, but great for making noise with and they aren't sure I won't hit them)/
Facilities are geared towards teacher centered stuff and I got chalk
I follow the text. While the text can suck at times, I also get a hand in students assessments towards their final grades so they know my class is not 'fun time with the foreigner'
In the end public school jobs are like hogwon jobs - highly variable! |
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rothkowitz
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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For middle school 40 students.
I used to use powerpoint and had lots of speaking activities at first...
As there's no test and no real responsibility placed on them other than participating,the bulk of them-boys school- are quite happy to twitter away in korean all class.First grade students are a bit more responsive though.
First few months objective was to get them to stop saying"computer game" to each and every question.These days its to stop them saying "Fine thank you ,and you?".
Bit like pulling teeth when you only see them once a week for 45 minutes in groups of 40. |
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I_Am_Wrong
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: whatever
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Matman wrote: |
| Good God 38 screaming 7-year-old Korean kids sounds like a nightmare. I think for a 40 minute lesson I would have a couple of activities for them, 5 minute teacher's introduction to activity one, then split the students up into pairs/groups to do it for 15 minutes, then repeat. Sound good? Of course there's always hang man... |
Generally speaking, they won't be 7 year olds. I teach classes of 40 13-15 year olds. My old elementary school was the first public school in Korea to initatiate English education from grade 1. I mainly taught grade 5 but I also tauge each grade 2 class once a week....so....classes of 38, 7 year olds. They were the best classes to teach, absolutely fantastic behavior and it was amazing to see how fast they picked up new language. |
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tiger fancini
Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: Testicles for Eyes
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:07 pm Post subject: Re: Teaching styles in public schools |
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| Matman wrote: |
1) How big are the classes you have to teach?
2) Are the class sizes small enough and facilities suitable for student-centred activity based learning (i.e. student-to-student rather than teacher-to-class learning)?
3) How much freedom are you given in relation to what and how you teach e.g. is there a set textbook you have to follow or are you just left to your own devices?
I appreciate the answers will differ depending on the school and the teacher but your thoughts and experiences would be appreciated. |
1) My middle school classes are between 37-42 students.
2)Group work can work well - I've got 7 tables with 6 chairs around them, and these are generally my 'teams' for activities. I find that much depends on the style/presence of my co-worker.
3) So far I've been given plenty of freedom, and personally I do find the textbooks a bit rubbish. I work from the textbook with my firstgraders, but me and the co-teacher ALWAYS team-teach from it. She tells me exactly what she wants me to do beforehand, and these lessons generally go well. If I'm on my own, or with a 'silent' co-teacher, I usually just try to have fun, incorporate some English into it, and keep my students focused on the activity. |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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| I just started at a public school in Incheon. My classes are all around 36 students each. I co-teach with a Korean English teacher. It seem to me like there is little flexiblity in terms of material. With that many students it's hard to give them each time to speak in class. Usually we just do some kind of group activity. |
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