Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dreaming_saturn]

So, I work at an adult Hagwan which is quite rewarding but I'm having a real problem in some of my classes.

Some of my classes are mixed university students and middle school students, at an upper-intermediate, so they're all pretty good and speak at the same level, I'm using a textbook clearly aimed at adults. The problem I'm having is that the mixed classes, half adult and middle school students are not meshing well. The middle school students, although they're at a high level, speak in short sentences and only when directly prompted. The university student are complaining because they want to speak about more adult themes and feel they can't in front of younger students.

Honestly getting them to speak is like pulling teeth. The uni students all want to discuss topics, the middle school students will respond well to games and cards, but together it's like facing the firing squad. One unoi student actually yelled at the middle school students today for not speaking in ful sentences, something I've been prompting them todo all month. I've tried everything I could think of, splitting them into groups based on age and spending some time with each group, but nothing seems to be working. Is there any way to make them work well together. The admin. sees nothing wrong with this, a paying customer is a paying customer. I had one class just quit today, all 16 of them. Management had no problem with me and there are more students signed up for next month but I would hate to repeat this cycle of painfully tedious classes again.

Any advice on how to deal with this situation?

[ajuma]

Wow! That's a tough situation...more so because they are higher level students!

I think that your only option would be to say "Ok, look folks, you all paid good money to be in this class and we obviously have different ages here. So, what we'll do is this: Every other day, we'll do something that appeals to the older students and on the opposite days, we'll do something that appeals to the younger ones. I expect everyone to be the best that they can be, and speak as well as you can. Now, I want everyone to write down 3 topics or activities that you think are interesting or that you want to talk about. I'll choose the best ones from what you write and we'll go with that...ok?"

I also think that mixing MS and uni students in groups would work better because that would allow them to get to know each other a little better and be more comfortable together.

Good luck next month!

[teachingld2004]

I am sorry to tell you, that there most likely nothing you can do about this situaton.

Perhaps after a few months your school may get the idea.

I CAN see one problem if you complain too much. (and please forgive me if this seems harsh) Your boss may decide to split the class, and this may mean that you will have to teach 2 classes instead of one.

I think the idea that you alternate topics is the best advise you will get.
We rarely win.

This is a valid concern on your part, but you may have to let it slide.

This is like having people the same age but with mixed levels. When you teach to the middle ground, some people drop out because you are too advanced for the beginners, and not advanced enough for the older ones.

What you can do is make a list of all the topics for the month, and hand it our. If there are any complaints, have the boss deal with the students.

Good luck.

[buster brown]

I've got a similar situation, but it's a one-time deal. In my morning advanced speaking class, I have several recent high-school graduates enrolled in a class that goes up (in age) to a uni professor nearing retirement. I'll confess that the professor isn't the typical ajossi type and he's been pretty accepting of pairing with anyone else in the class. I decided to continue my normal routine, because 60% of the class has been enrolled for one or more terms. From a business standpoint, I'm trying to appeal to the loyal customers--while accomodating the new students who will move on once they enroll in uni somewhere else. I've sprinkled a few more activities (either as warm-up or wrap-up), and tried to find news articles that would interest everyone to use on discussion days.

My one consistent problem is that the lower-level students have a few good days and many really bad days. On the bad days, I attempt to draw them out...then let them fend for themselves. After all, it's an advanced course and I expect some self-motivation. Using groups of 3 and 4 instead of doing pairwork seems to help too. I agree with ajumma that I would continue mixing the groups to let them build some community with each other. If you've got to cater to one group, focus on keeping the long-term students happy--working from a business model instead of a teaching model.

Either way it turns out, I'd be interested to hear about what you try and how it turns out. Good luck.