Korean Job Discussion Forums

dulouz · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Location: Uranus

Cheativity down!!!

Korean students don't cheat, they engage in the collective. I put a virus in the hive. We had word-search-puzzle-day and I gave them all different puzzles! The machine sputtered, yawed, screech and halted!
The sour looks were priceless.

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

I use "collectivism" to work for my advantage. I tell them that they are ALL teachers!! I WANT them to help each other!

Student A knows W and X. Student B knows Y and Z. Together, they know W, X, Y AND Z!!

If the smart students teach the not-so-smart students, doesn't everyone win????

Thunndarr · Joined: 30 Sep 2003

jmbran11 · Joined: 19 Jan 2006 Location: U.S.

I_Am_Wrong · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Location: whatever

EFLtrainer · Joined: 04 May 2005

How can we have teachers that don't even know the basics of pair/group teaching? Everything rests on how you set it up. You don't "just" let them "help."

Good for you, ajumma. The rest of you, go do some research...

Criminy...

Boodleheimer · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:06 pm Post subject:

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Panic · Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Location: Busan

If I have a small course book, I get a class of students to make their own word find's and we do 1 at the begnning of each lesson to fired up. I give them a few minutes head start then proceed to finish their puzzles in less than minute. This really annoys them and I use this energy to encourage them and teach them how to make more and more difficult puzzles. If you play your class right, it's great when a student has forgotten to write a word into the puzzle. Then it becomes mission impossible and you can quietly not say anything in order to torture the fastest students.

I easily remained undefeated until one of my clever students decided to make a puzzle using Japanese words written in English. I took the defeat with suitable melodramatic bad grace te he he he.

Panic

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

One of the many reasons that it's good for the "smart" kids to help the not-so-smart is that it's very different KNOWING that an answer is correct and explaining the reason to someone else. I do a lot of pair and small group (3-4 students) work. The students have to write a dialogue based on the whatever we're working on. For example, when doing introductions, I put the basic structure on the board:
A, this is my ______ B. B, this is my _________A.

Or

A, THESE ARE my ____________s B and C.
B and C, THIS IS my __________ A.

I have them come up with as many ideas as possible for the __________ such as friend, teacher, mother, boyfriend, roommate....

Then, as a group of 3 or 4, they ALL have to write the dialogue and perform it together. Even the lowest-level students have to participate, even if the only thing they say is "nice to meet you".

Even their exams are done as a group. I give individual AND group grades so the lower-level/lazy student doesn't pull down the grade of the more adept.

I want my students to learn English AND gain confidence. What's the point of humiliating a student?

Pak Yu Man · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Location: The Ida galaxy

How about group work on a final exam in university?
That crap happens all the time. They must think I'm deaf. All the talking and whispering.

I do the same for exams. Give different exams. Make 2 to 4 different kinds. Watch their faces when they figure out they can't cheat without is being blatant...er more blatanter...er the blatanest?????

poet13 · Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:48 am Post subject:

My kids p**** me off one day, so I photocopied the word list from one page of the word find book, and then letter section of another puzzle from the same book. I pasted them onto one sheet and copied that. I then did the real puzzle myself in record time. The title matched theirs, so whenever they looked over at mine, they thought I was doing the same as them.
Yeah, mean, I know. But at least I felt better.

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

They sure do cheat a lot don't they? It's funny when kids think a word search is something to do well on, so they'll copy from others. They don't seem to realize it's intended to be fun.

I have heard though of kids getting in trouble at home, even hit by parents, when a grade is lower than expected (required?). I'd cheat too to avoid the wrath of mom or dad.

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

It was BECAUSE so many students cheated that I began to re-think the way I taught. A lot of Korean society is about putting the needs of the group (family, company, whatever) over individual needs. I decided to use this "collectivism" to my advantage.

These are conversation classes and hagwons for heaven sakes, NOT the GRE!!

Dan The Chainsawman · Joined: 05 May 2005

I only make a point of caring when I want to make a student cry. Then that student goes to the special kid's desk where he or she can't cheat. Tears flow quickly afterwards upon relocation to special kid's desk. I also call it being exiled to hell.