Korean Job Discussion Forums

[beachbumNC]

Teaching ESL is kind of hard. At least it has been for me. This is just not a good start for my year. I teach adults.

So basically, they told me to go to class and teach English. Which, naturally, did not work.

"Is there no textbook?"

"No textbook. You can speak English. Go teach. Make handouts and print articles on the website."

"Oh."

"The students want lots of time to speak and have free conversation. If there is too much structure or work the students get bored. If they get bored, they complain, and then you are out of a job."

"Wow! I understand."

So for two weeks I do just that. Class doesn't go so well. The students refuse to talk. I even give them candy to get them to talk, and they won't. They don't read the articles I print and the handouts I make because they are "too difficult." I get complaints for expecting them to be able to handle one full page and for treating them like adults. God forbid the students tell me what isn't working; no, they go straight to the director. So the director wants a meeting. On SATURDAY.

"Your class wants you to use a textbook. They want more structure. They are bored and they feel like you don't give them enough work, so they complained. They want a new teacher, but we can't do that right now."

"Jesus...I..."

"Here is a textbook. When you use articles, students don't like that. It's not so good. Use this textbook. But don't use it all the time, or the students will get bored. They don't respect you because you don't have experience. So act like you have more experience. And make lots of handouts and articles because that makes you look like you have experience."

"But I...you just said..."

"Okay, good. Satisfying Korean students really easy. I think it is very easy to teach. They are like kids. Just the same as kids."

"Uh...okay...well I'll see you Monday..."

So here I have been yesterday and today looking over a pile of teaching materials trying to figure out what in the *beep* I am supposed to do.

This weekend was NOT COOL.

[jajdude]

If their level is low, adults can be hard to teach. Good luck.

[the_beaver]

I was in the same boat as you back in my first year. Contradictory ideas from management, students who want free talking but won't do it, no materials, students not willing to read or do anything outside of class. . .

It takes a while to get into the swing of what Koreans call "free talking" and what I call "slinging bullshit." Nowadays I'm no fan of free talking and I think it has little place in the classroom (directed talking, okay, but free talking, no), but it's a piece of cake to prepare.

Get yourself over to http://iteslj.org/questions/ and copy and paste some questions. Go through the list and delete the duplicates (there are plenty). Don't give students the entire list because the esl gods have determined that students take 5 minutes to do 1 question when presented with 1 question and 5 minutes to do 20 questions when presented with 20 questions. Be niggardly with the questions, perhaps cutting them into strips and giving them out one by one, or giving students a choice of among 5. Pre-teach or post-teach some useful vocabulary related to the answers as well as alternative expressions and phrases.

[ajuma]

What have you found out about the students personally? Have they been together for a long time, or is this a new class? Do they know each other, work together or are they a random mix off the street?

Something tells me that the oldest student in the class has the poorest English and the other students don't want to show him up. Do a fair amount of pair/small group work and vary the pairs.

Make a plan that fits with what everyone wants. Have THEM make a list (written privately...not as a group) of the kinds of things they want to study. Put a list on the board of general categories such as: use the book, discussion about a chosen topic, grammar, writing, reading, listening, conversation games....and have them put a number beside it as to how many times a week they want to do that activity.

Then have them list some topics that THEY are interested in at the bottom or on the back of the paper. Find some SHORT (as in 1/2 a page) articles about the topics. Forget about them reading something for homework...they ain't gonna do it! Have THEM come up with some discussion questions about the topic after they have read it in class.

Hang in there...low-level adult classes can be difficult, but also very rewarding!!

[sojourner1]

I have this problem of lessons being too easy and too difficult too with middle school kids. Often, they do understand and show it by answering questions and talking about it all, but will tell the director they don't understand anything I am doing. Then the director tells me and tells me I have to teach them and after teaching them, I am thinking, WTF. A lack of communication and a lack of professional support is common here. You're right in that they are like kids in the sense of not wanting to talk or try and then complaining it's too hard or too boring easy, but I would suspect that trying to coerce adults with candy might offend them. It's a tough predicament which seems like an impossible situation, but there has to be a way. Talk to everyone you can at work to get ideas, knowledge, and advice on how to best teach at that school since every school is different with differing and changing expectations.

[whatever]

Jesus, god...I would not want to be teaching adults in Korea. Did that in Japan, but they were hobby-minded for the most part. And very appreciative.

Why not take the bull by the horns and poll them directly to see what they want to spend time on? Make it discreet. How can they argue with that?

[Juregen]

I kinda enjoy teaching adults.

They really like talking about differences in cultures and stuff, and explaining why koreans do this or that.

[LuckyNomad]

Don't feel bummed Beachbum. As long as you learn from your trial and error and bounce back quickly. Half of my classes this year were trial and error. Ask them things about Korea, but make sure to act ignorant and in a way that makes them feel like they're informing you about something new. I think they'll enjoy educating a westerner about their country.


I had a similar experience to yours my first week of teaching. I was supposed to teach about 16 teachers and staff at my public school. I had the mistaken belief that because they had taken 6 years of english in Middle and Highschool and probably more english in college, that they would all be fluent and I would have to find something really hard to teach them. WRONG! About 10 minutes into the class, I realized that nobody had a clue what I was talking about. Then the Principal(somewhat annoyed), said he wanted, "easy," english. He graduated from Yonsei University by the way. So he showed me his litte study book, page 1, phrases: "How are you? How old are you? What is your name? etc." I was like, "WTF? But you studied english for so many years. Eveything in the country is written in english." One of the girls who had lived in America explained to me that even though they studied english for years and years, they didn't actually learn it. It was an epiphany for me.
Needless to say, the class shrunk within a week down to about 6 and about 2 months later it eventually got down to 0.

In March I had to teach about 16 teachers in an elementary school. That time around, I decided to make the class super easy. It worked for about 3 classes and then I turned up the heat. We started discussing emotions. Most of them declared it was too difficult and the class dropped down to 8. A few weeks later it went down to 5. The 5 women that were left are all pretty good speakers and it's my favorite class. I just come up with a topic and we discuss it. Like Juregen, we often talk about Korean and American perspectives on Japan, racism, women's issues, NK, stereotypes, standards of beauty, relationship and marital problems, problems with their parents, problems with their jobs, why korean women hate Chusok and why men love it.

[jajdude]

[buster brown]

I also enjoy teaching adults. Sometimes it's a window into helping me understand Korea. I've been fairly successful at balancing the "free talking" students want with real teaching. If we're doing something new that people aren't sure about or don't enjoy, I make a point of explaining why it's useful. Even if they don't understand the explanation, the higher level students recognize and interpret for the others. I haven't had anyone question my teaching methods since the first month I was at the school.

Adults can be finicky, and they like to run to management and complain without giving you a chance to change. Giving them guided speaking practice through pair/group work is the best way to help them. Really low-level students need the structure that comes from following a textbook. Any intermediate and advanced classes are usually the ones who want "practical English" or "free talking."

If you can get your boss to buy some books, there are lots of supplementary activities in the Pair Work series of books published by Penguin/Longman. My classes really got a boost from selectively using the question, discussion, and information-gap activities they include.

You seem to be conscientious, it won't be long before you figure out what works and what doesn't. Your first few months will be the most difficult, just remember the successful classes and try to forget about the others.

[yingwenlaoshi]

This are great too for pre-intermediate or higher level students:

http://www.tefl.net/esl-lesson-plans/esl-worksheets-tp.htm

A bunch of topics with readings, vocabulary, and questions. You need Adobe for the pdf files.

[jajdude]

Just a note to which beaver alluded: free talking is nonsense. Too many students claim to want it but are unable to do it. I have heard complaints about students wanting to talk but, they simply cannot! You need guided lessons. There has to be a specific topic with specific language practice for them to do it, to learn and benefit.

A good director understands this and will listen to you when you point it out. I know, many of us have dumb bosses.

[trubadour]

Teaching adults is real tricky 'cos there is pride involved. I've learnt that adult students like the illusion that they are learning or at least demonstrating what they think they know even if they don't know and aren't learning, even more than actually learning!

I utterly failed with my 'adult' classes my first time. I was fresh off the boat - culture shocked to the eyeballs and out of my depth with a terrible textbook. I was doing ok with the other classes, but that one was just terrible. I think the reason was that they weren't 'adults' (as I understand the word), thier level was so low and frankly their IQ's too. I think I made it too obvious how shocked I was by these factors. That can't of helped.. But looking back on it - it all makes sense! -> They've learnt virtually no English all their lives and now think that this class will suddenly change that with 'free-conversation'. I do have a successful 'adult' class now, btw!

In my defence, patronising them when they know so little and are so darn dumb (and apparently so proud of it - though that's quite a Korean thing to do, it turns out) is a little too easy to do. Free-conversation will just make things way worse. The best way to circumvent such situations is to take total control and lay down the law.

I disagree with those who say you should ask them what they want to learn - this will just make you look even more incompetent especially when they've already told you conflicting things and shown you that they either don't know or aren't yet able to follow it through. I've tried asking classes 'what they want' and they don't know beyond 'speaking English.' And that, frankly, is fair enough, because they are students (not customers - beyond wanting to 'speak English better') and you are the teacher; even if you feel you aren't sure what to do - you have to take control and lay down the way, the targets, etc, that you are going to help them work toward. From your perspective you are going to help them do it - but you needn't tell them so in that way. Just tell them what they are going to be doing and why and therefore what they need to bring and what they need to be prepared to do..

I would start with basic requirements - all students should have a text book, a notebook and a pen - every lesson. It amazes me that they don't know this. If you've ever tried to learn anything in a classroom, then you'll know these things are basically essential. As is a dictionary - sometimes. If you have ever learnt a language (no matter how long ago or how badly it went) you should draw on your experience, or of people you know/TV programs you've seen. In fact, it does not have to be experience of learning a language - just of learning or studying ANYTHING. Iif you're in Korea, etc, I imagine you've had to study at university (and, if not, before!) So, even if you've no experience of teaching, you've ample success at learning, and that is a very important thing you are going to have to teach your students. This will also help you become a good teacher - because you know something of what the students have to be doing in order to be learning effectively.

btw, Notebooks can have space at the back for new vocabulary - (this can become part of your weekly lesson structure) - you can monitor student investment in their learning, class progress and it'll make it feel like they're making is progress and it's good time filler (spelling tests or grammar tests with make a sentence competitions.

If you are like I was - basically teaching kids who know they are kids all day and then getting thrown in with this 'adult' group once in a while, you might find it hard to connect with them - 'cos the old tricks won't work. Thus you have to be careful to change your acting (sorry, teaching) style and repackage all you favourite games as 'communication activities' or 'experiments' or 'challenges' or 'tasks'... whatever. Make it sound more grown up and will raise their attention levels in the desired ways. I've often found adjusting to be difficult - especially with the odd-one out type classes at the end of the day... But you have to get it right if you want to be a successful, professional teacher.

So you should implement these things, but do it in the right way. This week, you should tell them the new plan - lay it out: this is the way, this is what you need, these will be are learning objectives (that all English speakers should strive for - not just them). Ask them if they want to ask any questions/add anything. Make it seem like their requests can be/have been included in the learning objectives, and off you go.

If you anticipate problems getting them to do group work or something - you may want to make sure you spell out to them what English classes involve, and get them all to agree. If they moan about it later all you need to do is remind them.

When you actually get going, you'll have the chance to teach 'em how to learn and how to speak better English and flatter their vanity!!

I hope the main points are clear - you need to take control in the right way, get everyone in gear and on board, narrow things down (use a text book) and get on with teaching a proper class. You are not a dream worker, you are are an English teacher. They are not customers, they are students. It's your bosses job to be do the customer relations (yes sir, no sir, etc), you to do the proper teaching and them to be proper students. Once theses basic things are sorted, then things might be able to happen. It's something like what someone's avatar says - I''ll be more happy about people thinking outside the box when they are able to think inside it.'

[beachbumNC]

[Pak Yu Man]

When a boss says "free talking" class...you should think "wtf do you know?"

Bosses want free talking. Kids want to talk. Adults want to talk. The problem is...nobody can talk.

Here are your steps to a free talking class.

Step one: Learn to speak English!!!
Step two: Study for more than 2 months and not by osmosis.

Then you can have a talking class.
Bosses don't have a clue. OP just do what you need to do and when the boss is telling you what to do...nod your head, smile and then ignore him/her.