This week has been interesting so far. My classes have their writing assignments due next Monday or Tuesday depending on their class time. To prepare for the papers I have been spending about a half hour per class teaching and preparing writing. This requires some background.
It should probably be mentioned that the university has cut back on the writing requirement. Previously, students had to write two short assignments during the semester. This has been reduced to one assignment that counts for only five percent of the grade. For perspective, attendance counts as for ten percent, twice as important as writing. Although this means the school thinks writing is not important I do think it is a necessary skill. All of the teachers constantly receive horrible emails from the students, basically illegible, horrible formatting, etc. This, I feel, reflects as poorly on the school as it does the students, so I took it upon myself to help correct some of the major problems. Writing a clear email has been the assignment this quarter.
Teaching writing has been alright. It started with a lot of examples and fixed expressions, some stuff about format. This week they actually got to writing and I think it worked well. I taught them to outline (a skill that is surprisingly weak) last time and today they wrote their emails freehand. The first class I messed up a little bit. I only gave them oral instructions and wrote a little on the board. This proved to be a mistake.
I needed to show them paragraph format.
but many kept writing sentences.
like this.
I had to correct students one on one and even then I don't think it was very effective. In later classes I used PPT and examples generated in word and projected onto the board. This worked great and seemed to help the whole class.
A nice thing that came out of the lesson was that I was able to do a lot of one on one work with the students. Working with them personally was a nice change and it seems to help them more. They were asking more questions this way, and this was both a great way to teach them and to get feedback on things I may have forgotten, overlooked, or not presented clearly. Space was a challenge because of the seating arrangement but I managed to meet with each student and give some corrections. I did my best to balance the time but had some difficulties doing this because the good students had so many questions and the poor students needed so much guidance.
We also worked on short skits today in the classes. In one class the students needed to make a skit using words from a book chapter (the were related to crime, so there were many murders) the other needed to make an ad for some product. This required them to work in groups of four or five and work cooperatively to produce a script. They managed to do this pretty well and they required very little feedback from me. Some of the groups required more facilitation than others because not everyone would contribute (or the group was dominated by one or two stronger-skilled students) or they would slip into a lot of Korean, or just to get them focused and working on the task at hand. Usually I just needed to use some referential questions to get the conversation going. Occasionally, I would use examples or modeling to get them going. I gave almost no feedback on grammar or spelling unless it affected the meaning of what they were trying to say.
The result was that the groups were able to negotiate the meanings of the statements they contributed to the skit. The generated a lot of English sentences and gave each other a lot of correction and sometimes even scaffolding to create what they wanted to say.
The skit performance was really good. The students spoke well and were very engaged. After each performance I would ask the class or individuals some display questions to see if they understood the skit and follow up with a few referential questions about why things happened or about an opinion about something that happened.
All together I think everything went well. I spoke very little in a monological manner. I managed to engage in dialog with all of the students in my classes. The only problem was that I did almost none of the book work that I have to do. I'll get that done next week.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Repeating the repeats
Tuesday again and another day of repeats. This one was a mixed bag. Some success some failures.
For all of my classes I am using the same worksheet for the writing assignment. I have no idea how well they write, so it is also a way to gauge where they are as students. I used the two examples on the paper as speaking practice as well, first in PW/GW and also for class instruction. Most classes went wild on the paper and talked about everything. High energy, lots of interaction, good feedback about their ability as well.
There were only two problems with this. The first was that it took up a lot of time. I should have been teaching them from the book but instead I taught them how to write. I think this is worth it, but it has put us further back, and we will have to cram book stuff later in the week. The other problem is that today one class just shut down. They were the business majors. The business majors exhibit a totally different attitude than the other classes. They are quiet and completely resist almost all GW and will rarely share answers. They are also deeply stratified and have the widest divergence of skill and sit accordingly (oddly, even the best students in this class seem worse then students in my lower level classes). They remain hierarchical and gendered. Those in the front try to dominate while some in the back only use non-verbal communication. This will require some intervention.
Otherwise, things went well. I am aware of my tendency to use IRF and have been trying to leave the F more open with follow up questions, passing it to other students, or any other strategy. I managed to resist the temptation to give direct correction to errors by using different ways to get a correct answer with varying success. The best response seems to depend on the student. I have also tried to model GW questions and answers better with a few students before having students do GW. Overall, the changes seem to be working. I noticed students have responded more to non-verbal cues (like hand raising and answering in complete sentences) and generally seem better acclimated to class and the expectations of classroom behavior. (The major exception being the business majors).
Another point of note involves some professional feedback in the office. Some other teachers were working out the subtle differences between "overachiever" and "workaholic" to teach as a definition. I discussed the success I had breaking the words down, and explaining the meaning of "over~" and "~holic". Breaking the words into pieces worked great and students were instantly able to make new words like "shopaholic" and to understand words they had never heard of before, like "chocoholic". Knowledge spreads.
For all of my classes I am using the same worksheet for the writing assignment. I have no idea how well they write, so it is also a way to gauge where they are as students. I used the two examples on the paper as speaking practice as well, first in PW/GW and also for class instruction. Most classes went wild on the paper and talked about everything. High energy, lots of interaction, good feedback about their ability as well.
There were only two problems with this. The first was that it took up a lot of time. I should have been teaching them from the book but instead I taught them how to write. I think this is worth it, but it has put us further back, and we will have to cram book stuff later in the week. The other problem is that today one class just shut down. They were the business majors. The business majors exhibit a totally different attitude than the other classes. They are quiet and completely resist almost all GW and will rarely share answers. They are also deeply stratified and have the widest divergence of skill and sit accordingly (oddly, even the best students in this class seem worse then students in my lower level classes). They remain hierarchical and gendered. Those in the front try to dominate while some in the back only use non-verbal communication. This will require some intervention.
Otherwise, things went well. I am aware of my tendency to use IRF and have been trying to leave the F more open with follow up questions, passing it to other students, or any other strategy. I managed to resist the temptation to give direct correction to errors by using different ways to get a correct answer with varying success. The best response seems to depend on the student. I have also tried to model GW questions and answers better with a few students before having students do GW. Overall, the changes seem to be working. I noticed students have responded more to non-verbal cues (like hand raising and answering in complete sentences) and generally seem better acclimated to class and the expectations of classroom behavior. (The major exception being the business majors).
Another point of note involves some professional feedback in the office. Some other teachers were working out the subtle differences between "overachiever" and "workaholic" to teach as a definition. I discussed the success I had breaking the words down, and explaining the meaning of "over~" and "~holic". Breaking the words into pieces worked great and students were instantly able to make new words like "shopaholic" and to understand words they had never heard of before, like "chocoholic". Knowledge spreads.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tuesday is a repeat of Monday
I did the same lessons today but tightened them up a bit. I used clearer questions and gave students a partial script on PPT. All book activities were completed and I was able to learn more about student laevels and give background review (in this case I reviewed nouns and adj and third person "s"." I have also reviewed some of the video to check how I interact with the students for Q & A. I am trying to use fewer leading questions (I am there to teach after all) and to give clearer directions and expectations for activity outcome. The video shows that I am consistent with the physical cues I give (for the use of hands to answer questions, to speak in complete sentences, to speak louder, repeat, etc.) and they seem to be responding to them although it is still very early in the course. I did have to use the mike a bit today b/c my voice was shot, hope it makes it through tomorow.
Monday, March 12, 2012
After a weekend away
The good news is that the room setup is working out and the names are getting easier to remember. The desks move easily and are very conducive to pair and group work. Names are still tough but I have found that the more I repeat them in class the easier they are to keep in my head even across the 4 days since I last met with the kids. My memory is also a good indicator of who is participating in class.
Two remarkable events occurred today. The first was that the personalities of the classes became much clearer, the second was that the class plan I devised lost rigor across the three hours of teaching. On the topic of personality I can say that the first class of the week is more open and friendly. They generally show high levels of participation and motivation while displaying a greater skill level than expected. The second class (computer engineering) is quiet and withdrawn and the students do not like to engage in any form of conversation. They have a wide variance in skill levels and some have a proficiency below that necessary for the class. The third class is more like the first, but needs a lot more guidance, but this assessment could be based on the diminished amount of order I imposed on them.
This second issue caused the day to end on a bit of a low note. I had a pretty solid approach for the first class, and stuck to it very well. I devised clear questions, established groups and and gave clear directions that I applied evenly. By the third I was not doing this - class questions became vague or just different; sometimes I required hands to speak, sometimes not; etc - and the class suffered because of it. I also managed to forget an entire section of the lesson.
I watched some of a recording of class I made today and (when not cringing) I noticed that I look remarkably dickish. I also use a lot of non-verbal cues to encourage certain responses like answers in complete sentences, hand raising, pair work. I seem to apply them consistently in this video, but I know that in the later class some of that broke down, too. I 'll probably check that again tomorrow.
Also, it should be noted that I did not feel very well this morning. My throat started hurting last night and really hurt this morning, Now it is screaming. A regiment of honey is in order this evening.
Two remarkable events occurred today. The first was that the personalities of the classes became much clearer, the second was that the class plan I devised lost rigor across the three hours of teaching. On the topic of personality I can say that the first class of the week is more open and friendly. They generally show high levels of participation and motivation while displaying a greater skill level than expected. The second class (computer engineering) is quiet and withdrawn and the students do not like to engage in any form of conversation. They have a wide variance in skill levels and some have a proficiency below that necessary for the class. The third class is more like the first, but needs a lot more guidance, but this assessment could be based on the diminished amount of order I imposed on them.
This second issue caused the day to end on a bit of a low note. I had a pretty solid approach for the first class, and stuck to it very well. I devised clear questions, established groups and and gave clear directions that I applied evenly. By the third I was not doing this - class questions became vague or just different; sometimes I required hands to speak, sometimes not; etc - and the class suffered because of it. I also managed to forget an entire section of the lesson.
I watched some of a recording of class I made today and (when not cringing) I noticed that I look remarkably dickish. I also use a lot of non-verbal cues to encourage certain responses like answers in complete sentences, hand raising, pair work. I seem to apply them consistently in this video, but I know that in the later class some of that broke down, too. I 'll probably check that again tomorrow.
Also, it should be noted that I did not feel very well this morning. My throat started hurting last night and really hurt this morning, Now it is screaming. A regiment of honey is in order this evening.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Back to the front lines
This week class started up again at Chung-ang (CAU) and there are a number of changes that I need to remark on to explain the teaching conditions I will be facing this semester. The first is the change in the number of students per class, which has jumped up quite a bit. Second, there have been changes to the testing which will require a change in the material I focus on. Finally, I have to remark on some the changes I will make to my teaching based on my experience last quarter and the classes at SMU.
Last week we had the usual dreadful department where the faculty was informed of all the changes that were made without any input from them. For the most part, the problems faced are due to the need to cut tuition, and all cuts in tuition necessarily affect the budget, so we have to do just as much with less funding. The solution for the English instruction department seems to have been a mix of attrition and increased enrollment - a deadly mix.
The practical impact of these changes is that the class size is larger. Classes were previously capped at 25, but now they have been increased to 30. This semester there is no class larger than 28, but already I have noticed a difference , especially since I never had a class above 20 before and the class I had in the winter was only about 12 students on any given day. This presents a number of new problems and challenges.
One of the problems turns out to be spatial. There just isn't enough room for everyone in the classroom. This is true even after I send late students to empty classrooms to poach empty desks (I hope this doesn't become a major problem throughout the semester). The classroom I taught in today (all three of my classes are in the same room, back to back to back) has already taken on the appearance of a jetliner. The four rows of seats have become two as desks are now pushed together with one of the desks against the wall. And just like a jet plane there is little leg room and the aisle is just wide enough to push a drink cart down. This also makes it difficult to see everyone so I often move around a bit and even stand on my tip toes to see the students in the back.
The lack of space has been a challenge for getting everyone involved in group work. I tried to make the students do introductions today and found that they needed very structured directions to be able to meet people is the small bit of space. Although this worked, it was very cramped and I had difficulty meeting with each group. There was another issue that became obvious once they all started working - 28 kids talking at one time is loud.
Aside from the spatial problems I have a few worries about the sheer numbers that I will be reflecting on as the semester proceeds. The first is remembering names. I am horrible at it and more students equals more problems. I have had them make nameplates and I refer to them in class often, but the structure makes it difficult to see them. The second is the speaking test at midterm and finals. The test is a one-on-one test that takes about 7 minutes per student. I now have two 75 minute periods to conduct almost 200 minutes of testing. This also leads to the other issue discussed last week.
CAU is moving to a standardized test format for the spoken and written tests. These tests will be based almost entirely on the book (note: The book is Northstar and it is my personal nemesis. There is no part of it I do not hate.) so teachers must teach the entire book thoroughly. This attitude makes me sick and fills me with dread, but I have formulated a few reponses.
Based on my previous experience and the class at SMU I have thought about a couple changes I need to make to the class. The first is a greater focus on conversation and practical discussion. In this regard the book is worthless and merely an obstacle to be overcome. I'll try to include more realistc language and common usage in the lessons and exercises. I'll also shape content to useful matters - the writing assignment will be on how to write an email, something I they need to get better at and which they will probably actually do.
As a final note, I must find a way to write less here in the future...
Last week we had the usual dreadful department where the faculty was informed of all the changes that were made without any input from them. For the most part, the problems faced are due to the need to cut tuition, and all cuts in tuition necessarily affect the budget, so we have to do just as much with less funding. The solution for the English instruction department seems to have been a mix of attrition and increased enrollment - a deadly mix.
The practical impact of these changes is that the class size is larger. Classes were previously capped at 25, but now they have been increased to 30. This semester there is no class larger than 28, but already I have noticed a difference , especially since I never had a class above 20 before and the class I had in the winter was only about 12 students on any given day. This presents a number of new problems and challenges.
One of the problems turns out to be spatial. There just isn't enough room for everyone in the classroom. This is true even after I send late students to empty classrooms to poach empty desks (I hope this doesn't become a major problem throughout the semester). The classroom I taught in today (all three of my classes are in the same room, back to back to back) has already taken on the appearance of a jetliner. The four rows of seats have become two as desks are now pushed together with one of the desks against the wall. And just like a jet plane there is little leg room and the aisle is just wide enough to push a drink cart down. This also makes it difficult to see everyone so I often move around a bit and even stand on my tip toes to see the students in the back.
The lack of space has been a challenge for getting everyone involved in group work. I tried to make the students do introductions today and found that they needed very structured directions to be able to meet people is the small bit of space. Although this worked, it was very cramped and I had difficulty meeting with each group. There was another issue that became obvious once they all started working - 28 kids talking at one time is loud.
Aside from the spatial problems I have a few worries about the sheer numbers that I will be reflecting on as the semester proceeds. The first is remembering names. I am horrible at it and more students equals more problems. I have had them make nameplates and I refer to them in class often, but the structure makes it difficult to see them. The second is the speaking test at midterm and finals. The test is a one-on-one test that takes about 7 minutes per student. I now have two 75 minute periods to conduct almost 200 minutes of testing. This also leads to the other issue discussed last week.
CAU is moving to a standardized test format for the spoken and written tests. These tests will be based almost entirely on the book (note: The book is Northstar and it is my personal nemesis. There is no part of it I do not hate.) so teachers must teach the entire book thoroughly. This attitude makes me sick and fills me with dread, but I have formulated a few reponses.
Based on my previous experience and the class at SMU I have thought about a couple changes I need to make to the class. The first is a greater focus on conversation and practical discussion. In this regard the book is worthless and merely an obstacle to be overcome. I'll try to include more realistc language and common usage in the lessons and exercises. I'll also shape content to useful matters - the writing assignment will be on how to write an email, something I they need to get better at and which they will probably actually do.
As a final note, I must find a way to write less here in the future...
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