Wolf
Charter Member and Old Chum
Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.
Posts: 1,150
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Post by Wolf on May 12, 2005 5:39:48 GMT 7
George is strong in the ways of The Force.
That's a great example of the need to maintain class control, and one possible means of going about it. (although you might not always get an office.)
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Post by con's fly is open on May 31, 2005 20:25:13 GMT 7
God, I've gotta check in here more often. Millana, what they all said. Plus: - Get their assurance that you'll have a few days, or better yet a week, to settle in before you step into class. - Ask the school which textbooks they use. Then bounce them off of... heck, us. A great textbook will practically hand you your lesson plans, but even a bad one will provide a framework into which you can stuff extra, um, stuff. - If you can't get a good textbook, say, if the school's already bought a set, just remember: you dont have to use ALL of it, just most, or the parents/students will complain about wasting money. For teaching kids, you can write the homework assignments on the board, and the parents will know what to drill the little bastards on. - Extra material for homework: spelling lists work like a charm. Work that's photocopied on handouts, likewise (put the date on them!). Any assignments should be easy to describe, i.e. your translator should be able to explain it in 20 words or less. - Make your first couple of classes leisurely, especially with young'uns. At first they need to get the hang of your style and accent, and the class format. Dial the workload up with each class until just short of too much. - The organisational headaches in planning lessons for the first month or two are solved simply: bust your ass. Make it a 60 hour week if necessary, get your rhythm down and your curriculum honed, and generally concentrate on quality. The prep time and smooth class performance will come much faster than the burnout, I promise. - Lastly, and most importantly, come here often and bitch and whine to your heart's content. We've all been there, and will be again and again.
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Post by Jollyjunklass on May 31, 2005 22:46:42 GMT 7
Hey Con,
Do you always get a translator with the young kids. I am actually looking forward to thinking up and creating lesson plans, kinda creative, research, organizational stuff, I like that poo. I know it's time consuming, but it's stuff I don't mind.
I have thought about getting there early, I wouldn't want to get there and be thrown into the chaos right away. So I hope I can manage to have this time.
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Post by con's fly is open on May 31, 2005 23:05:50 GMT 7
If you're not guaranteed a translator for kids' classes, turn down the job.
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Post by Jollyjunklass on May 31, 2005 23:24:39 GMT 7
Good thing I asked then because I would have never thought about that.
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Newbs
SuperDuperBarfly!
If you don't have your parents permission to be on this site, naughty, naughty. But Krusty forgives
Posts: 2,085
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Post by Newbs on Jun 1, 2005 6:37:36 GMT 7
I reckon the internet becomes the ESL teacher's best friend in China. (Well, sort of) Practice now with your favourite search engine so by the time you're in China searching for ESL teaching ideas, resources, etc becomes as easy as falling off a log. Aslo check out the hotlinks link.
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Post by Jollyjunklass on Jun 1, 2005 6:45:18 GMT 7
Thanks Newbs,
That is what I have been doing almost like non-stop. I think I mentioned. in a post earlier. I could start my own esl link book. It's starting to get a little draining, though.
There sure are a lot of valuable resources out there. I agree with you, I would need a computer there.
I think I have to back off of it for a couple of days.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jun 1, 2005 22:07:57 GMT 7
I have found that it is good to have a lesson plan - but NOT to get wedded to it. Some of my best classes went in a completely different direction - but the students talked and worked and it was fun!
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Post by con's fly is open on Jun 2, 2005 20:05:36 GMT 7
What Lotus said. Have your objectives set up, and a sequence in which you will do it. I list some songs, games and activities to the side... and throw them in when and if the spirit moves me. I like to read the little bastards and hit them with what I'll think will work.
Millana, everybody tends to form meticulous novels for each lesson at first; after several months, you'll be down to 20 words on a napkin. By all means plan thoroughly, but be prepared to veer off course.
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Newbs
SuperDuperBarfly!
If you don't have your parents permission to be on this site, naughty, naughty. But Krusty forgives
Posts: 2,085
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Post by Newbs on Jun 3, 2005 9:17:16 GMT 7
Con, I have to agree with what you say, but I don't do it in practice.
I still write out reasonably extensive lesson plans, a la at Teachers' College. I do this for the good of my own soul and to get my thinking straight, because I've no other FTs here to bounce ideas off. But, one of the best lessons I ever had here was when I walked in with nothing planned and no idea what I was going to do. We ended up with the kids doing some of the best creative writing that they'd done to date.
It reminds me of a mate of mine in Australia who taught Maths for 20+years in a socio-economically disadvantaged part of Melbourne. One day he mentioned the 5 step lesson plan.
I said, "What's the 5 step lesson plan, Peter?"
He replied, "It's the lesson you plan as you take the final 5 steps into the classroom."
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Post by Hamish on Jun 3, 2005 10:04:44 GMT 7
I think it is difficult to do much that is useful until one has had a chance to find out where the students are in their minds the particular day. For me that requires that I spend a short time at the beginning of each class extracting information and measuring "mood" before I begin. I always have an idea of what I want to accomplish, and nearly always modify my plan after talking briefly with the students.
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Post by con's fly is open on Jun 3, 2005 10:53:42 GMT 7
Newbs, I'll return the favour and mostly agree with you: I like to have my plan finshed as far as possible in advance, because more often than not I come up with a great idea 20 minutes before class. So I'm often scrambling at the last minute anyway.
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Post by OZgronk on Jul 4, 2005 0:18:54 GMT 7
I am sure many of those staring into their tumblers now that the term has ended will be wondering who the heck wrote that Middle School workbook called Senior English for China and how lesson plans could be worked around its contents.
I for one really tried hard and failed dismally.
This was due mainly to the fact that at my school in Ningyuan, The kids know absolutely nothing about things the rest of us mortals take for granted.
No student here (or teacher for that matter) has ever seen a plane or train, most had only been on the very old buses that rumble around town and only a small handful had been in a car.....honest! (remember this is Ningyuan)
Now Unit 15 is where they were up to and is entitled destinations, and after a preamble describing some exotic places to visit (including Iraq) was an exercise requiring the students to act out representing an airline to handle a passenger's complaints. Easy enough I thought.
The three complaints were: 1. the airline lost one of your bags, 2 the plane was two hours late, and 3 The food on the plane was terrible.
After about thirty minutes with absolutely nothing happening, I was getting really frustrated so I got the best girl out the front and tried to get her to act out the dialogue with me...still no response.
Then she said..."teacher I don't understand"...What, you don't understand what you have to do?" "No", she said "what is the problem?".... ... ..... (thats me giving her time to babelfish what she is going to say) ... ...... "How you blame airline if bag you put on seat beside you get lost?"....... ... uh huh... "Buses always late, why not planes?"........ hmmm... and the clincher.... "I take food on bus, ....I don't like...my fault... same on plane" ... .... She's bloody right!
I didn't bother going onto the next scenario about a hotel patron complaining to the manager which was: 1. the room faces a noisy street, 2 The bed is hard, 3. There is no hot water
Try seeing if any student can see any problems there!
Now I am sure the authors of this workbook probably did fly to China as a tax write off, stayed in the Sofitel in Shanghai, and left happy in the knowledge that they had written a workbook perfectly suitable for the China they saw.
Anyone else find that book useless?
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Post by George61 on Jul 4, 2005 3:29:34 GMT 7
Gronk, visit the Saloon English Thread.
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Post by OZgronk on Jul 4, 2005 10:16:59 GMT 7
Thanks for the tip George61
There's more to this place than first meets the eye, as soon as my eyes adjust to light in here I'll learn how to find my way around.
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jul 4, 2005 10:26:42 GMT 7
Hey, the light levels are low to keep trolls in the dark. (not to mention keeping our hangovers under control)
Welcome fellow Oztralian (I assume). Hope you like beer. Burl and I have the keys to the Coopers. Bloody GG keeps trying to palm off his discount vouchers with runny ink for shoddy Fosters lite, so don't take any.
And be careful, the toilet is Chinese, not western. And the smell isn't the toilet it is the polecat nachos Raoul makes.
I think that just about covers it.
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Post by acjade on Jul 4, 2005 11:27:18 GMT 7
Hey, the light levels are low to keep trolls in the dark. (not to mention keeping our hangovers under control) Welcome fellow Oztralian (I assume). Hope you like beer. Burl and I have the keys to the Coopers. Bloody GG keeps trying to palm off his discount vouchers with runny ink for shoddy Fosters lite, so don't take any. And be careful, the toilet is Chinese, not western. And the smell isn't the toilet it is the polecat nachos Raoul makes. I think that just about covers it. Except for the Ladies Lounge. Even if you have an Osti frock and matching lippie you can't go there. But we will invite you to the Christmas party.
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gengrant
SuperBarfly!
Hao, Bu Hao?
Posts: 1,818
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Post by gengrant on Jul 4, 2005 11:50:49 GMT 7
did someone say "party?" count me in. and Nobby, don't knock the 'Free Drink' coupons, they've helped me keep my bar tab down to about 103,210 South-Korean Won!
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jul 4, 2005 13:12:58 GMT 7
Ok, now is the appropriate time to tell of my first trial lesson about ten days ago. I was given a text book. Told to do a lesson from it for about 40 students. Easy peasy. I did so, picking the eyes out of a topic, making it all slick and professional like. Vocab list from page this, scripted conversation from page that. Supplementary material out of my head, etc. no worries. Did some extra stuff, since they were all supposed to be English majors. No worries. Made up a slick looking lesson plan, to give to the teachers. They loved it. Said I had a lot to teach them. They then told me the class was going to be all second language secretaries, not english majors. I said I had followed the text and held it up, and maybe now it was too hard for them. They said simplify. I said no worries, I can do that. This was on teh way to the class. Think fast, Nobody. Very fast. One part of the lesson was on different English speaking countries where they could guess my nationality by way of introduction. After explaining this in detail to the Assistant Dean, where he said it was a good idea, he then introduced me, and told them my nationality. No worries, still had lots of stuff, so on the spot changed the thing around, and did a little on comparing some brief bits of differences in english speaking countries, etc. Went ok, they knew all the names. Fine. turn to page blah of the text. What? No texts? Turns out the book was for a different class and was for next year, Nobody was the only person with one. No worries, I can wing this. OK, so now my well prepared class was reduced to about 5 minutes of filler. No worries. Make up some stuff. I did. Class joins in enthusiastically, the teachers all impressed. Compare Australian holiday customs to China. Easy. Oz won the local dragon boat competition a few weeks earlier, heheheh. Tie it all together with local news. Goes ok. ok, next bit. I had sheets prepared for about 50 people, for groups of 4 for discussion of things. There were about 80 people in the room. No worries, groups of 8. Discuss in English, thanks. Huge conflagration of shouting in Chinese as teh students talk to each other. What is going on, I cried. Shouted, screamed for attention. Nope, sorry, don't know these words, they say. No worries, I used it as a vocab list. We chanted like crazy, everyone happy again. Ok, more time to go. Let's talk about Australia, what do we know. Drawing of cute pictures of Kangaroos and Koala. Discussion of what they taste like due to inevitable question from the front. I had been told to wait for the bell, ten minutes after teh class was supposed to end, still no bell. I am sweating, nothing left to say. OK, any questions ? two or three then the dean goes, time, and I thankfully finish to applause. The teachers had let it go longer because the students were enjoying it. ARRRRGHHHH! OK, meeting with Dean. I did well, but should have used a better vocab list. Hmm says I, but I had planned on the one from the text. They don't have that text, she said. Then why was I asked to write a plan from it, I didn't ask, just thought it. No worries, vocab lists, right, I said. And talk louder. Say what? Only time I had to raise my voice was when the Chinese buzzing had approached about 1000 Db when I said discuss this in English. I had shouted, they stopped for me to regroup and changed the lesson again. And i should have made it more their level. I followed the text given, I assumed, as I had been informed, that it was appropriate level (this was part of my instructions) So I said, no worries, easy. The Assistant Dean was really impressed though, he actually had understood the lesson plan, and realized half way that there was a cluster M'Kay and it wasn't my fault. So, this was my first lesson. All in all, went well. Considering. But they are definitely having trouble getting a contract together. They haven't done this before so probably in the dark. I ain't waiting, now applying for other jobs. Fun in the sun.
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Post by Hamish on Jul 4, 2005 13:53:48 GMT 7
At this point I'd be thinking "EJECT! EJECT!"
However, first get a parachute. Check for jobs elsewhere. That experience was quite a ways off the mark, even here.
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Post by George61 on Jul 4, 2005 13:58:39 GMT 7
Lucky you! For all of my demo classes, I have had to wing it. No texts, no level info, no preparation...just go in cold and teach. I just do the introduction bit, then turn it around and make them ask questions. Spend the time answering their questions.
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jul 4, 2005 14:23:17 GMT 7
Well, I would rather have done that, winged it from scratch, I mean. It felt like a deliberate setup if I didn't know better. Brain was in a different space. Had to reverse several levels and restart. If I had known from the beginning it would have been less stressful.
However, in future, I know I can do that if need be. Don't forget, it was my first ever lesson, and in front of the whole staff.
And Hamish, your point occurred to me about five mintues into the lesson. It took me a while to get all my stuff together, especially as it took a bit of explaining to the gf as to why I lacked faith in them. Now I have it all, and now I am applying for other places. Any suggestions?
That place will be the last ditch. I put it down to incompetence due to inexperience on their part.
But funny, I like my appartment, and dont want to leave that much.
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Decurso
Barfly
Things you own end up owning you
Posts: 581
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Post by Decurso on Jul 6, 2005 6:02:03 GMT 7
The best Advice I've had for lesson plans is to literally download everything off the internet you can find and put it on a USSB drive that you carry with you at all times.I brought a couple binders of lesson plans with me and it wasted a lot of valuable spave...go with the USSB drive.
When I first started I put in almost as much prep time as teaching time...only to have classes canceled on as little as five minutes notice.Even worse is preparing to teach one lesson and showing up to find the school telling you"Oh,they know that already...teach them this instead".Having 300 lesson plans in your front pocket will get you out of many a jam.
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Post by George61 on Jul 6, 2005 9:07:50 GMT 7
Pardon my momentary display of ignorance, DC, but what is a USSB drive??
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Post by Jollyjunklass on Jul 6, 2005 9:12:32 GMT 7
Hey Decurso,
I have done that, but like you say it is hard to know what level they are at. Is there any reason why I won't be able to download stuff there, like maybe too slow. I will bring my own computer, but will the download time be an issue.
When you check out the resource sites it can be overwhelming especially if you have no clue what they know and don't know.
Nice to meet you BTW.
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