Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yes]

i'm entering one of those phases where i feel like teaching esl is an impossible task. weak/nonexistent materials + my limited knowledge as a relatively new teacher + aloof, unknowledgeable & unsupportive leadership = me feeling like each day is just a shot in the dark in terms of what to cover & how to cover it.

how do you compensate for unusable texts that the students have already bought? i do a lot of supplementing, which is very time consuming and i'm not sure i'm on the mark about what i choose anyway. how do you formulate a curriculum when you aren't sure where to begin or which direction to head in? at my first job i had the advantage of good solid texts to rely on. without those tools, this work feels impossible!

how to get over this hump? thoughts?

[ilovebdt]

It would help if you tell us what ages and levels you are teaching and where.

ilovebdt

[Hotpants]

I think many people feel this way from time to time. I know I do. All I can say, is that I think it gets easier with time - you've got lots of tried and tested resources up your sleeve, so it cuts down on lesson planning.

From my experience, I wouldn't look at your course as an infinite 'where to start' problem. Most of us are not qualified curriculum designers and there's no way we can cover every single teaching point in the English language. Therefore, just chose a book that's on the market which you like and use their contents page as the outline for your course structure. Then, just find materials to fit in the structure as well as using what's already in the book. Just make sure you do have some structure and that there is at least a set of aims that you want your students to accomplish at each part of the structure - again, a good existing ESL textbook should already have the aims outlined in the contents. Finally, throw in some random activities which have nothing to do with the 'book' for variety sake.

Hopefully, you also have access to a nice photocopier and printer!

[OiGirl]

The best way to work with this situation might be to build a routine around the crappy textbook materials. Do you need to make it look as if you are teaching the book?

For example, when you see X in the book, then you will always:

-teach/review/play a game with relevant vocabulary
-do a related dictation activity
-have a discussion in pairs

you know, any educationally sound activity that uses the vocabulary, grammar point, or topic of the textbook.

[The Hierophant]

[Yes]

thanks for your responses. something clicked after that brief crisis period & now i have a much better sense of how to manage the curriculum problem. and i love teaching again! i hope you do too!

[rothkowitz]

I hate it.

I kill time,go through the motions,fill my end of the bargain,get paid and can't wait to leave.

Then a student engages me.

Always the same pattern here where students zero concept that they are learning a foreign language,rather it's just some irrelevant adjunct to their tests.

[ChopChaeJoe]

When in doubt, just keep going through the motions. You get paid the same for your inspired and your insipid days. If you care about teaching, eventually you become inspird again.

It just takes a little know-how and a little genitils.