"ESL Lesson Ideas"

Thankfully I:

A: Don't teach elementary school

and

B: Don't have to use these horrible videos in my classes.

(thanks to the Waygook Effect blog for posting these)

My favorite: (Awkward clapping!)

Thankfully, I have the freedom to create my own lessons instead of following the curriculum set by my school. At first, the teachers suggested I follow their books, but they were difficult to follow - as they go with a CD that I didn't have. I later learned that the Korean English teachers don't even lesson plan for their classes (the ones without me). They follow the book and CD's themselves. (poor kids!)

My classes are normally conversation based. I usually choose a theme for the week, or for a few weeks in most cases. I then work my lessons based around that central theme and use different techniques.(Note: I only teach each class once a week)

Examples: 

Geography
Week 1: Continents, Countries, Cities, Landmarks, Languages - basic intro to what they are.
Week 2: Worksheets - writing names in American-English based on flags, and visual cues
Week 3: Group Trivia Game - similar to Facebook's Geo Challenge.

Positive/Negative
Week 1: Good language (amazing, awesome, cool) vs Bad Language (terrible, horrible, stupid)
Week 2: Short video where students write a positive or negative review using good or bad language

(and here are some random ideas for you teachers reading this)


Scattergories : A group activity in which you create categories and give the students a letter to start with. Groups with the same answers cross them off, and team with the most points wins.
Example:
Letter: A
1. Something that is the color red: Apple
2. Something alive: Ant
3. A word with 3 letters: A r m



Boggle: Create your own in PPT of a Boggle board and have teams write as many connecting words as they can find. I give one point for one word. I give each puzzle a theme and have a long hidden word worth 3 extra points (example: Sport) and then they can find the hidden word: BASEBALL

Opposites: (use a similar technique as the positive/negative lesson)

Battleship: (Check out eatyourkimchi's materials here)

Guess Who: (Check out eatyourkimchi's materials here)

Simon Says: Teach body parts and have students write them on a worksheet of a body. Then use more advanced parts of the body for higher level classes - (torso, chest, shin)

Minimal Pairs: (words that sound similar - like "Copy" and "Coffee" - assign the words numbers and have students read a list to the class. Then have them guess which words are being said by writing down the numbers in the correct order). This gets the students speaking, plus works great with Korean students if you use sounds that are problematic (P/F, L/R's) - try: Rice, Lice, Rain, Lane, Pat, Fat, Pan, Fan...or this list I found online.

Bullcrap: Teach the slang word using the pictures of a bull and some smelly crap! (they'll find it funny!) Then teach them that it means to "catch someone lying to you". I then teach the card game and have the kids play a few rounds to get the hang of it. They love screaming out BULLCRAP! If it's one thing they'll learn all year, it's this!

Making lessons can be pretty easy once you're used to it. As long as you try to improve your lesson each class, and are organized and prepared - you'll be fine.

Rocketman - Part 3

As I've posted before (here and here), there is a excellent website called ROKetship, where a cartoonist named Luke Martin draws up a single pane comic about living and teaching in South Korea. He does some great work, and I figure I'll post some with some explanations of these hilarious observations:

It is not uncommon to see the elderly (the poor elderly) gathering up cardboard or wood from dumpsters or picking through the trash. I see this every morning on my way to work. The materials are recycled and traded in for cash - similar to how some states have bottle and can redemption programs back in the States. It's sad that a lot of the elderly have no pensions or retirement accounts, as they grew up in a time where the country was destroyed and have little more than an elementary school education. They work very hard and scrimp and save - I give these men and women a lot of respect.

Korean are relatively conservative in nature coming from a Confucian background, and more recently embracing a very strong Christian background. It is considered uncouth for a woman to show cleavage. There is even a term that means a woman looks like a "milking cow" if she shows too much chest. Western women, tend to show more however, and Koreans may view it as being inappropriate. Korean women do show a lot of leg though, and it is considered very sexy to show off their long legs - however, in my opinion some show off too much, that in the US it would be considered looking "slutty" or inappropriate. I love this panel for pointing it out! (note: The Korean girl is saying "ya-ha-da" which means "too sexy" or "loud!"

Many students learn English simply by memorizing phrases. Many of my students ramble off simply what they know even if it makes no sense. I've had some adults do it to me as well, and I try not to laugh as they say "Hi-where-are-you-from-nice-to-meet-you-I-am-happy-to-meet-you-are-you-from-America-I-am-from-Korea-have-a-nice-day." 

One of the things that annoys me the most is the rules of walking on the streets. It seems there is no respect for the standard system of walking the same directions as in which you drive. Old ladies (adjumma's) are particularly bad when it comes to this because they are usually "pushy" by Western standards, and get to where they want to go by any means necessary! I can't explain how many times I've been cut off by some old woman strolling along, only to stop right in front of me as I almost slam into her because she's not paying any attention to others around her. 

Customer service is a high priority for Korean businesses. In this highly competitive country with franchises on every corner, building customer relations is key if you want to keep your customers happy and returning. One bad experience will trickle down the grapevine and make your company look bad. I love the customer service to a certain degree. On one hand, the salespeople can be very pushy to make the sale - and even lie to you or exaggerate their products. Other times, it is great to get a nicely packaged or gift wrapped item with extra small bonus gifts thrown in - usually free of charge. When it gets ridiculous is when you go to the big department stores and you have 3 people welcoming you to the store, 2 people directing traffic in dancing style, and one lady taking a parking ticket out of the automatic ticket machine for you. That's too much. In the cartoon, the Westerner is only buying something small but getting a huge gift basket from Skin Food as a thank you for shopping there)

 

My co-teachers usually do not say or do much in my classes anymore, as I've gotten my classroom rules pretty much down with my students and they understand my consequences. Yet, there are times when I am having a rough class and all my tiny co-teachers need to do is yell a few words and maybe threaten to hit someone and the students go silent and apologize to me. 

Now that is power!

"You Can't Always Get What You Want"

Simon and Martina are a couple of ESL teachers who also work with GEPIK to promote teaching in Korea and give lectures to other ESL teachers on how to become a better teacher in Korea.

You can check out their website at: EatYourKimchi.com

They give plenty of decent lesson planning ideas, and answer many questions about teaching in Korea.

Here is a video they recently made about the benefits of teaching in public schools (because most of us know that hagwons "private learning academies" are (for the most part) not really a good idea - unless you're looking to make slightly more money, but willing to make sacrifices (sometimes big ones!).

The also promote their recruiting company, which I've heard both good and bad things about. If you're planning on teaching in Korea, I hope this helps, but remember...

DO YOUR RESEARCH! 

Don't just take the first offer that comes your way. It pays to be a little picky. Look into the contract, housing options, pay, benefits, vacation time, teaching location. Find other people online and ask questions about their experiences and what they recommend. Be open to cultural differences and don't expect that just because you think something is the right way to do it, that others are wrong or crazy. I have met too many people that complain about Korea, their schools, students, teachers, locations, and contracts because they did not do their research.

There are plenty of resources out there. Check into different recruiting companies, but only choose one. You don't want to duplicate your search and get the same schools using different recruiters. They'll find out and then drop you.

Search MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Dave's ESL Cafe, check out blogs like mine. Simple internet searches of the locations you're looking is worth the time and effort. You might be here for a year or longer, so you might as well be happy.

This guy gives good advice as well...

"Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas"

I hate Wednesdays.

I never really hated them until my schedule was revised a month ago. One could say I merely disliked them, or even dreaded them - with good reason of course. After pondering what pushed me over the edge, I reached a conclusion (which took me approximately 0.005 seconds to reach)

I have 5 (and soon to be 6) classes on Wednesdays. 3 of which are with a co-teacher who I feel needs a lobotomy, and 2 classes of my lowest level, most disinterested/uninterested, and rowdiest students.

I had a really simple, fun, and entertaining lesson that 90% of my classes understood and enjoyed. But those 2 classes made it unbearable. Sometimes I just try and get through the material, but find myself giving up because the students have given up. It is even more painful when they have given up in the first 10 minutes of class. The co-teacher (the head of the English Department too, I might add), has no control over them. I can only do so much with my broken Korean, and scowls of disapproval. She will threaten to hit them with her punishment tool (a broken wooden recorder), and might slap them on the hands or behind the leg with it. Sometimes I've seen her punch kids in the stomach too. They simply laugh at the pain, sometimes to her face. She laughs too, and plays into their games. If only I had the stomach (and the authority) to smack these kids - they might actually pay attention. After all those games of wiffleball over the past few years, I've built up a powerful swing. (I'm joking people)

What I really found amusing happened yesterday. I did a lesson called "Deserted Island" in which the kids go on a boat trip with me, we stop and buy some supplies (some useful, some not). One of the items was an axe. I asked the students what the items name is and they write it on a worksheet/shopping list,  then they fill in the blank (which I give them the answer) "This would help me ___how?____." The answer I give them is "cut things", but there is always some boy who answers "KILL!". I chuckle and tell them, I would buy the axe to help me cut off their hands if they don't behave (we all think it is funny when I threaten to kill them). My co-teacher on the other hand, thought I was being too violent. I didn't have the patience with her to explain how my jesting words (which we all know are in fun, and not serious) are nothing compared to her physical actions. I love hypocrisy.

She was also upset when I was teaching verb tenses (to eat) and showed this picture:

I didn't need to don my Sherlock Holmes hat this time to figure out why I loathe Wednesdays. I think it is pretty clear. And for you math nerds out there:

if ct = co-teacher, w = wednesdays, and h = hate; then

1ct + w = h

To add to this already deplorable Wednesday, I was going to meet Hwayoung (who also had a bad day) in the city for dinner and a movie (something to de-stress us both, and at least cheer us up).

I ended up taking the wrong train, (which exits only a block from the right train so this story is not too bad). On top of that, there is a transit worker strike going on which delayed my train 15 minutes. Not a big deal. But then add in that there was an already packed train, and we crammed in about 40 more people into a car. I think at one point I my face was fused to the back of another man's head. I was already late, on the wrong train, and due to experiencing what I could only describe as a Holocaust cattle car, I was now sweating , couldn't breathe, couldn't move for about 40 minutes, and probably made a baby with a balding old man.

Once I was reborn of the womb of the train, the day improved. I met up with Hwayoung, and we enjoyed a nice dinner, and then headed off to the CGV IMAX  to see "A Christmas Carol" starring Jim Carrey (my first ever IMAX movie) in Yongsan.

Here is the trailer:

The movie is excellent. Especially with the "coolness-of-all-coolness" that is IMAX. The 3D animated characters are very realistic. I could even make out the pores of their skin and the hairs on Scrooges nose.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis (who also did Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, and Polar Express), Disney retells (again) the story of Charles Dickens' classic. The dialogue keeps true to the book for the most part, but the animation is the most astounding part of this flick. You fly with Scrooge and the ghosts of past, present and future throughout 1840's England in amazing detail. The story is a little scary (maybe too scary for younger kids). Even Hwayoung was clinging onto me at some points. The only thing about this movie I didn't enjoy was that I felt as if it wasn't "Christmassy" enough. It gives same message as all the other versions I've seen, but the focus isn't as much on Tiny Tim as I would have expected - it seems more focused on the nephew and Scrooge himself.

I highly recommend you see this at an IMAX as the characters literally leap off the screen in their 3D glory, but also because the story has a more authentic feel than all the others I've seen (which is odd to say because it is not a live action film, and the only version I'm really comparing this to besides the book is Disney's: Mickey's Christmas Carol from 1983).

After the movie, as we walked to the train station, Hwayoung said to me: "Do you know what Yongsan is famous for?....Prostitutes."

She showed me the "pink butcher lights" that distinctly marks the glass store fronts in the back alleys. This is one of Seoul's Red-light Districts (pink lights if you ask me). Prostitution is illegal, but the laws are not really enforced. The girls do not act discretely at all, and will come up to you without hesitation. They even parade in front of their stores, where you can go and "be jolly" in the back room. I blogged before about the massage parlors that are legal businesses, but also act as brothels and escort services -- this is different. These girls are out-right hookers - no qualms about it.

pink butcher lights - either way, they're selling meat.

In the past, the government tried to clean up area and be strict on these ladies-of-the-night. The government actually cleaned up the area. At first. Then the hookers basically went on strike and petitioned the government to let them operate as they "liked the work" and said "this is the only way we can make a living". (at least that's what Hwayoung told me).

It's now Thursday, and I only have one class for the rest of the week! Things are looking up! I apologize for the length of this blog. But frankly, I'm going to be a little bored the next few weeks and I will probably be posting way too many. Try to keep up!

"Make Your Own Kind of Music"

First of all, welcome to my blog!

As you may or may not know, I've decided to teach English in South Korea, and am going to be posting stories, pictures and videos up on the great World Wide Web in order to share my experiences with you. Technology sure can make the world feel just a little bit smaller!

So to get things started, I think I will just give you a brief oversight into why I decided to travel halfway across the world. Maybe a Q&A section is in need...

Q. Why do you want to do this?
A. When I was in college, I was envious of those students who got to travel during the summer instead of work jobs, or those who could take a semester abroad to study. I didn't have that luxury financially, and I was taking full course loads so I could graduate on time (no thanks to losing transfer credits from Eastern CT State University). After graduating from Sacred Heart University and later gaining my teacher certification, I still had that urge to go abroad and even looked into teaching at American Schools with the Dept. of Defense (you needed to have at least 3 years of full-time teaching experience though). I've always had that urge to see the world and experience a new culture, and at this point in my life, it seems like an excellent opportunity that I might not have in the future when I have more responsibilities.

Q. How did you find out about this opportunity?
A. I did a lot of research, talked to a lot of strangers online (I don't recommend this for you kids out there), and discussed it with people who I knew who have lived or taught in Korea and elsewhere. I also went through a recommend recruiter at WorknPlay Consulting

Q. Why South Korea?
A. Frankly, it comes down to economic reasons. East Asia in general has the most jobs. Granted, I would love to be spending my time in Europe but I most likely wouldn't be making any money. South Korea is a fairly westernized country with a huge want and need for native English speakers who have graduated from a higher ed. institution and are willing to move across the world to teach their children. Lucky for them I have those qualifications! (plus more, as most people who take these jobs tend to do so right out of college with no teaching experience).

Q. Wait, what about that crazy NORTH Korea and their nuclear aims? Aren't you scared something could happen or war could break out again?
A. To be honest, it'll always be in the back of my mind, but it's not something to fixate on. There has been relative peace between the countries since the armistice was signed on July 27, 1953 - yes back when my Mom was born (sorry Mom if that makes you feel old). I doubt that anything is going to happen in the year I'm there. North Korea is like Bill O'Reilly, it does a lot of screaming, threatening, and gets all moody, but it's basically full of it. It's not something to dwell on, but I will be keeping up with the news. Also, there is a large US military presence in the area. Americans with guns in other countries make me feel safe. It's the Americans with guns in the States that makes me uneasy!

Q. Ok, you're making sense, and I agree you should do it! How long are you going for?
A. Generally, the contracts are for a year.

Q. How will you live out there?
A. No, I won't be living in a hut in a village. This is a country with the 8th largest economy in the world. The program I'm going to be working through (GEPIK- Gyeonggi English Program In Korea which is part of the Center for Global Education) sets you up with an apartment near the school rent free. (one of the many perks)

Q. Ok cool, so don't you need to know Korean to teach these kids?
A. Not really. In fact, they don't want you to really be bi-lingual with the kids because they want you to provide an immersion experience into American language and life. Once my students set foot in the classroom it is English only (for the most part - I still think there will be issues). Also, in the GEPIK program, you teach with a Korean co-teacher who supposedly can speak English as well (at least a little). It's not an easy language to learn, but I'm going to try to learn as much as I can in order to get by without having to play charades with every street vendor and waitress.

Q. Sweet! Do they pay you?
A. Yes, and the pay varies depending on your qualifications. (usually between 1.8-2.7 million won a month. (roughly $1,400-$2,100) They also reimburse your airfare, pay for your return trip upon completion of your contract, and you get about 2 weeks off throughout the year plus major Korean holidays.

Q. Do you have Benefits?
A. The public school system partakes in the National Health Insurance plan of which I would pay 50%. I will also be partaking in the National Pension Plan (which I get refunded) and do not have to pay income tax. A 'benefit' is also that the cost of living is relatively low (not having to pay rent helps) but also the cost of food and utilities is relatively cheap in comparison to the States. I believe the tax rate is only 3%.

Q. Won't you miss your friends and family? Holidays?
A. Of course I will! But think of it this way - some of you I haven't even seen in over a year anyways, but thanks to the internet we still keep in touch. A year goes by fairly fast! I don't think I'll be home for any holidays at this point, but who knows.

Q. So how will you get around?
A. Since I will be right outside of Seoul, most of the major areas are accessible by a rather intricate subway/rail system. Also there are many bus lines (which I'm used to after riding RIPTA for years). Korea is known to have one of the better, cleaner, and safer public transportation systems in the world.

Q. What are you going to do about money, I hear the exchange rate isn't that great?
A. True, the exchange rate fluctuates daily, but keep in mind I will be getting paid in Korean Won and will be spending my hard earned cash in Korea. I will have a Korean Bank Account. If you want to know how to send me money once I'm there, I'm all for it!

Q. Will you be bringing home a Korean bride?
A. I don't understand why 50% of the time people ask this! But I feel as though I need to address it. Yes, I am. In fact, I was looking into mail-order brides, but decided to skip the shipping and handling charges and go right to the factory instead so I could customize what I want her to look like. (if you didn't get my sarcasm please disregard that last part) NO, that's not my reason for going! Then again....... just kidding!

This is about experiencing a new culture. It's about self-growth. As someone who was a student of history and culture, I would be a fool not to experience the world for what it has to offer. I'm looking forward to this as an adventure and a life changing experience, and I can't wait to share it with all of you!