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Please visit my new blog at www.jasonryanteacher.com to read the full article. Below is a preview of . . . Strategies for Managing Co-Teaching Issues, Challenges, and Problems in South Korean Public Schools – Part II
This article is part II in a series about strategies for managing co-teaching issues, challenges, and problems in South Korean public schools.
In Part II there are five topics,
6. My co-teacher tells me at the last second they can’t come to class
7. My co-teacher never looks at the lesson plan I make before class
8. My co-teacher doesn’t care about the lesson materials I make because they’re not a part of the official curriculum/tested
9. My co-teacher yells and threatens the students so that they’re always scared and nervous
10. My co-teacher doesn’t understand anything when I communicate with him/her about day to day issues
You can read Part I here, Strategies for Managing Co-Teaching Issues, Challenges, and Problems in South Korean Public Schools – Part I
Strategies for Managing Co-Teaching Issues, Challenges, and Problems in South Korean Public Schools – Part II
Preface
Co-teaching in South Korean public schools began in 1992 with the Fulbright Scholars program (and possibly before that). Yet even after nearly 20 years of co-teaching there are still very little effective and practical national training programs; nor are there co-teaching manuals for Korean English teachers and native English teachers that specifically address the hard realities of co-teaching situations in schools (note: apparently there are manuals, but as of the publication of this article I have never seen a copy). This article attempts to identify the most common co-teaching issues, challenges, and problems that native English teachers face in public schools–and to suggest practical strategies to manage them. A preview of part three in this topic is provided where the focus is on native English teachers.
Part II – Korean English Co-Teacher Focus
6. My co-teacher tells me at the last second they can’t come to class
Strategy 1: Be proactive. When you arrive at your school ask your co-teachers to let you know at least a day in advance if they cannot attend class with you. But you should also keep in mind that KETs sometimes get told to do things at the last second by their superiors, and may not find out until the last second so they literally cannot tell you in advance. Remind them that you need a co-teacher with you in the classroom, and that you hope they will find someone to replace themselves—even if it’s a Korean teacher (who doesn’t teach English). Having a non-English Korean teacher in the classroom at the very least allows for someone who speaks Korean fluently, and knows how to manage a class of students, to help you.
Strategy 2: If it’s a class that consistently has behavior management problems/issues tell them that you NEED SOMEBODY to assist you in that class. Ask if the co-teacher cannot find any other teacher (regardless of whether or not they are an English teacher) to come to the class to help you. If nobody is free, ask the co-teacher to ask another teacher to be available to come to the classroom for ONE MINUTE to help you if things are completely out of control and you cannot manage the classroom.
Strategy 3: When all else fails, put in a DVD and have the kids watch a movie. Or, call the class ‘self-study period’ and have students review their previous lessons/textbook units. Some native teachers can pull off playing easy games or teaching students a new song (think summer camp stuff) . . . but this depends on the experience/training/teacher personality type and also the general class character and behavior. This is also where having readily available resources (like Uno cards, board games, and other games) can be invaluable.
NOTE: If your co-teacher gives you a hard time for showing a movie during class it may be time to remind them (politely!) that your contract title is that of an “assistant-teacher” and that it also says you will ‘always have a co-teacher during class’ or something to that effect. Don’t be manipulated or shamed into thinking you did something wrong if you are unable to manage a class by alone because a co-teacher was absent without providing another Korean teacher to help manage the class.
. . . . . . . . .
If you would like to read the rest of this article you can see it here, Strategies for Managing Co-Teaching Issues, Challenges, and Problems in South Korean Public Schools – Part II
Please visit my new blog at www.jasonryanteacher.com to read the full article. Below is a preview of . . .
In Part I there are five topics that are covered,
1. My co-teacher has low level English language skills
2. My co-teacher doesn’t come to our scheduled classes
3. My co-teacher refuses to translate when I ask them to during a class
4. My co-teacher sits in the back of the classroom and does nothing
5. My co-teacher leaves the classroom during the middle of a lesson—and (sometimes) doesn’t come back
Strategies for Managing Co-Teaching Issues, Challenges, and Problems in South Korean Public Schools
Preface
Co-teaching in South Korean public schools began in 1992 with the Fulbright Scholars program (and possibly before that). Yet even after nearly 20 years of co-teaching there are still very little effective and practical national training programs; nor are there co-teaching manuals for Korean English teachers and native English teachers that specifically address the hard realities of co-teaching situations in schools (note: apparently there are manuals, but as of the publication of this article I have never seen a copy). This article attempts to identify the most common co-teaching issues, challenges, and problems that native English teachers face in public schools–and to suggest practical strategies to manage them. A preview of part three in this topic is provided where the focus is on native English teachers.
Part I – Korean English Co-Teacher Focus
1. My co-teacher has low level English language skills
Strategy 1: Make sure to give your lesson plan materials (lesson plan, worksheets, etc.) to your KET (Korean English teacher) with as much time as possible for them to go over it. If they are motivated, they will go over all the language content and look up words they don’t know. They can also ask you questions and/or to explain whatever they aren’t sure of.
NOTE: This pre-supposes that the KET (Korean English teacher) does not have any cross-cultural issues/sensitivity to asking a younger, possibly unmarried, and lower social rank teacher to help them with lower level language skills. Make sure that you choose a place where there are no other Korean teachers or students around that might notice you are explaining things to your ‘senior’ (higher social rank).
Strategy 2: When making your lesson plans, write out a full script of what the Korean English teacher would have to say during key parts of a lesson in the classroom while teaching. For example, giving the instructions for a game or activity may be easy for YOU, but when you turn to your co-teacher and ask them to translate—they may not have taught the activity/game before, and will not know the instructions or activity/game concept and language learner procedure that they need to translate. By writing out a mini-script of what YOU will say it allows the KET to pre-plan and think about what THEY need to know how to say. It should go without saying that when you’re in the classroom and saying these instructions that you shouldn’t just reel off the instructions in their entirety . . . say one sentence and then allow the KET to translate.
NOTE: When I taught student-teachers at a national university of education, one of the courses I taught was “Classroom English.” Imagine having to learn, memorize, and practice using all of the different questions, commands, and expressions we as native English teachers automatically use without thinking. Scripting/writing out key parts of a lesson plan for your co-teacher is not a ‘waste of time’ or ‘stupid.’ Help your co-teacher in this way and you are helping yourself when co-teaching in the classroom!
Strategy 3: Write out key language for the lesson and classroom teacher talk in your power point slides. Most, if not all, Korean English teachers have better reading skills than speaking and listening skills. By writing out key language and teacher talk in your power point slides you facilitate your co-teacher being more able to follow your lead during a lesson and time in the classroom. Korean English teachers are human, and when a lesson/game/activity is new to them, it’s difficult to remember every point and detail and instruction. Help your KET out by having the English you may ask them to translate written out in your power point.
Strategy 4: Make building a positive and friendly relationship with them a priority. Go out for dinner with them and bond outside the school. The day before Chuseok begins, get them a small gift (it will mean a lot to them, and they will NOT be expecting it). Occasionally bring small bags of fruit, or breads and other snacks into your office to share. Social bonds in Korea are made through sharing food and drink.
. . . . . . . .
If you would like to read the rest of this article you can see it here, Strategies for Managing Co-Teaching Issues, Challenges, and Problems in South Korean Public Schools – Part I
For some time now I’ve been thinking about all the things I wish someone had told me about before I chose to teach and live overseas.
Not only are there many things I wish I could have been warned about, and given some things to think over and research, before starting my first contract but also things that expat teachers who teach beyond a one year ‘tour of duty’ or ‘tourist-vacation-teaching’ need to know as they move on to new jobs/second contracts/multiple contracts . . .
Something that I’ve now experienced that I didn’t give enough thought and research to is when an expat teacher changes countries after spending multiple years in one country and education system. The application process, work visa process, and several other issues are written about in this post.
Anyways, I’m sure there are several items that are not mentioned below. I invite other long-term expat teachers to add to this post comments, items I’ve missed, and their own two-cents of hard-learned experience about the things we have all dealt with while living and teaching overseas.
J
1. Make a short term and long term financial plan.
Short Term
Decide how much money you will send home each month and stick to it.
Do not assume you will only stay for one year–many teachers change their minds.
Long Term
a) Think about what you need/want to do after you finish your time living and teaching overseas–then think about how much it will cost you to get home, ship everything you’ve accumulated, etc.
NOTE: It’s important to remember you CAN’T TAKE “IT” WITH YOU! Everything you buy once you’re in the country you move to will likely not be something you can put in a suitcase and take with you on the airplane. You can ship stuff home via container ship or air mail but keep in mind the costs and research these things when making major purchases or many small purchases when nesting in your new apartment.
b) Consider your cost of living for at least 6 months (and save this amount!) after arriving back in your home country until you find a new job and place to live.
2. Before leaving your home country make digital scans of every document you might possibly be asked to submit for your job.
Research the work visa application process.
50 days to China . . . the invitation letters arrive.
3. Before leaving your home country get extra copies of the following documents.
a) original university degree (have one original at home, one original with you)
b) university transcripts (bring at least 3 extra SEALED copies, and if possible bring a half dozen because they will save you time, money, and shipping if you need them when applying for your next job)
c) criminal background check
4. a) Before choosing a recruiter do your research! Look for EFL/ESL teacher bloggers who have been living and teaching overseas for years and ask them if they can refer you to a reputable recruiting website/company/recruiter. Do not just use the first item that comes up on a Google search.
b) Before accepting a job do your research! Use search engines like Google and Yahoo for multiple key words related to the school/institute/center/university that has offered you a job. Use a metasearch engine like dogpile.com . . . do your research!
5. Before leaving your home country get 2-3 copies of your primary documents notarized.
a) university degree
b) university transcripts
c) criminal background check
NOTE: There may be other documents the job and country require.
6. Find out how you can apply to get a criminal background check done from OUTSIDE of your home country, and how long it takes to complete.
7. Before beginning your job search find out how much each fee will be during the paper work/visa process.
a) Getting a copy of your university degree
b) Getting university transcripts
c) Getting a criminal background check
d) Sending documents to your employer overseas by FEDEX, Purolator, etc
e) Getting a medical check done in your home country
f) Getting a second medical check done after you arrive in the country you’ll be working in (yes, even after submitting a medical check from a doctor in your home country you’ll usually be asked for have another done in the new country)
Today I renewed my E2 Visa for a 5th year in Korea without any problems—OTIKE!!!
g) Getting vaccinations
h) Getting an apostillee letter (if applicable)
8. Find out about airplane ticket contract conditions
a) Does the employer pay for your ticket to the new country?
b) Does the employer pay for the WHOLE ticket price, or just a part of it?
c) Does the employer ask you to pay for the ticket and then reimburse you? How much of the ticket will they reimburse? How long does it take to get the reimbursement? (Do NOT trust the amount of time you are told for reimbursement.)
d) Does the employer pay for your ticket to go home at the end of the contract? If so, how much of the ticket cost do they pay for?
9. Before you go to the airport weigh your luggage.
10. Before you pack do a search for what items are easy to find and available, not expensive to buy, and/or what items are hard to find (or impossible) and expensive to buy.
Before Coming to Teach English in Korea–Things to Bring with You on the Plane
11. For women, do research on what kinds/brand names of birth control are available and if there are any special conditions required to purchase them (e.g. visit a doctor first, get a prescription).
12. If you plan on driving while overseas get an international license. Research what the process is, and how much the fees are, to get a license in the new country you will be living in.
13. Research what over-the-counter medications are legal in the new country and then plan on what you will bring with you on the plane.
a) anti-nausea meds
b) anti-diarrhea meds
c) Neosporin
d) headache and fever meds
e) cold/flu/cough
14. Before you leave your home country get at least a dozen (yes, 12!) extra passport photos made to take with you. If it is very expensive in your home country to get official passport photos made then consider just having a ‘passport style photo’ done and get copies that are the official size (and that follow as many of the rules for passport photos as possible) made and printed at Walmart or somewhere that can do them cheaply.
Some countries and immigration/custom/government departments require official passport pictures and others will let you use pictures you took of yourself in a coin operated photobooth . . . often it seems that in spite of the rules stating explicitly that the pictures ‘must’ be passport type pics the practice is anything but that . . . but with everything overseas be prepared for some places to demand the real thing and others to not care.
15. Discuss and organize with family and friends who will be willing to send care packages to you of things you cannot get in the new country.
16. Do research on shipping fees from your home country to the new country, and from the new country back to your home country.
17. Do research on how reliable the new country’s shipping and mail system is because you may find that your item is a) lost, b) damaged a little, c) damaged a lot, and d) the packaging (and contents) are destroyed.
Also be aware that the box/package can and may be opened by customs AND your employer without your knowledge and/or permission!
18. Do research about housing conditions with your employer and the contract.
19. Do research about housing conditions and the country’s cultural expectations/taboos.
20 Do research about housing conditions and the country’s laws. DO NOT ASSUME that the laws will be enforced–especially for expats.
21. If you are LGBT, do research about the country’s culture and social norms, laws, and how your employer/land lord/and others will treat you.
22. Before you get on the plane research the general air quality conditions of the new country and/or region you’re going to be living in. For example, if heading to China you may be putting yourself at risk if you have asthma or any kind of respiratory condition or illness.
23. Before you leave your home country find out the availability of any medications you need access to regularly.
24. Research the quality of medical care according to western cultural standards and expectations in the new country/region you will be living in.
H1N1 and visiting a South Korean Hospital — Do NOT pick your nose and then hand out sterile masks!
New Foreign English Teachers in Korean Public Schools — Health and Homesickness in Korea
25. Register with your country’s embassy in case of an emergency/war and evacuation.
26. If your passport must be renewed while you’re overseas find out how you can renew it while in the new country, how much it costs to do it, and how long it takes to do it.
27. Do a search for “What it’s like to live and teach in _____?” Look for blogs, expat forums, message boards, and articles about the living and teaching conditions in the new country/region you are considering.
What’s it like for native English teachers/expats to live in Changsha, Hunan, China?
The End of Your First Contract
1. Get a Proof of Employment” letter from each employer you work for while overseas. Make a digital scan of it. Make photocopies of it. If you plan on changing employers, and especially changing countries, you will likely need it during the next employer/country paperwork process.
2. Get a reference letter from at least 2 supervisors at your place of employment. Ask for at least 3 original copies that are also signed. Make a digital scan of them. Make photocopies of them.
3. Begin the process of getting a new criminal background check early enough that you’ll have it finished and ready for when you need it for the next contract/employer/country.
4. Research if it is possible to get documents notarized within the country you are now living and working. Find out what the fees are.
Living and Teaching Overseas
1. Talk to family and friends before you go and explain to them that you need their support while you are 10,000 kilometers away (more or less) from them in a culture that may be the complete opposite of your own. Set up how often you will call (Skype is free computer to computer), how often you will email each other, etc.
2. Expect that you will discover who your ‘real friends’ back home are when you live overseas.
Different time zones and distance often are more challenging than you can imagine. Also, people who have never been outside their home country cannot imagine or understand what you will be going through. They will likely not understand why it’s so important to keep in touch, and make efforts to maintain a relationship/friendship with you.
3. Expect that missing birthdays, weddings, births, deaths, and other major events in your family and friends’ lives will cause you homesickness, stress, and unhappiness. Make a plan and develop strategies to help you manage your feelings and stress.
4. Expect your employer (the majority, anyways) will not be sympathetic to homesickness and personal issues. If a relative dies, unless it’s an immediate family member you will likely not be given time off to go home for the funeral. For example, if your grandfather or grandmother, uncle or aunt, die you will likely not be given time off to fly home for the funeral.
5. Start a blog and write stories and upload pictures about your adventures and experiences overseas. Be careful, however, not to use the blog as a place to vent about anything and everything. Keep in mind that current employers and future employers (overseas and back home) will be able to see what you write and the pictures you post.
2010 Lotus Lantern Festival Saturday Evening — Mini-concert in front of Jogye Temple
Nighttime in China Street Scene – Shirtless, Beer, Snacks, and Girlwatching . . . this is China! II
6. Be cautious in what you write and what pictures you upload onto social networking sites like Facebook. If a student hacks your Facebook wall and you’ve been posting all the extremely negative thoughts and feelings you may have about culture shock and the people you work with, students you teach, etc . . . you may find yourself on a plane going home.
Also be wary of friending students on Facebook. Cross-cultural awareness and English language and cultural background info are often poor in the students you’ll be teaching; all it takes is one status update that a student you’ve friends misunderstands and shows to his/her peers, parents, and possibly other teachers you work with and you could find yourself terminated and sent home.
7. Western cultural teaching professionalism does not exist overseas. This may seem like a gross over-generalization–try living overseas in multiple countries and then reconsider that perspective. Remember this and try to avoid using words like “should,” “should never,” “why” and more.
Cultural Taboos and Native English Teachers in South Korean Public Schools
What’s it like to teach English in a high school in Seoul, South Korea?
8. Western cultural education ethics should not be applied when working overseas. Cheating, for example, is often an institutionally accepted reality in the education system of many countries. Officially, it is forbidden, but in practice there will often be a ‘look the other way’ unofficial policy that everyone but you knows about and follows willingly and/or unwillingly.
9. Be willing to invest a little money in teaching resources and supplies. These things will help you do your job better, reduce your stress, and help you to get your next contract too.
“Must Have Books” for EFL/ESL University Instructors
10. Learn and know what your signs are that it’s time to go home, change countries and cultures, or make some kind of changes in your living and teaching conditions.
How do you know when it’s time to leave Korea? — Julianne and Jason are going to China, WOO!
11. Remember that you will need to ask for reference letters at the end of your contract. Use this simple fact to calm yourself down when something happens that makes you angry or upset. If you say or do something that upsets the person you’ll be asking to write you a reference letter at the end of your contract–you may find it difficult to get that letter due to something that may, or may not, have been worth expressing your anger or being upset with them about whatever situation you found yourself in.
12. Expect that your housing conditions will be different than back home, and that there will be surprises.
Because almost stepping on a dead rat barefoot first thing in the morning is fun–NOT
12. Expect that banking will be different and possibly like nothing you can imagine.
What’s it like exchanging money and doing an international money transfer at a bank in China?
13. Be aware that in many countries it is possible for your visa sponsor and/or work supervisor to stop you from leaving the country with a phone call. Also be aware that some places have set up automatic messages that let your visa sponsor and/or work supervisor know that you are at the airport waiting for a flight–and that they can stop you from leaving.
If you end up in a workplace and living conditions that are beyond what you can tolerate and need to leave the country . . . not knowing that you can be stopped at the airport can make leaving impossible until you have the permission of your visa sponsor and/or work supervisor. In many cases they will not let you go until they have found a replacement, paperwork has been completed, money has been paid for legitimate reasons (and non-legitimate! some teachers find themselves forced to pay a bribe to get out of the country), etc.
NOTE: In places like Saudi Arabia, you are a woman and married, you must have written permission from your husband to leave the country.
The End of Living and Teaching Overseas
1. Research what documents your home country employers need/want when you apply for a position after living and teaching overseas.
2. If you have pets find out what medical records they must have to get on the airplane. What vaccinations are required and how much they cost to get? Where can you get these things done in the country/region you are in? For example, in China I saw a friend go through hell to get these things done.
3. If you have pets find out how much it costs to get them to your home country. It could be THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. If you don’t consider this before adopting a pet you’ll then have to either find someone to take them from you and/or give them to an animal shelter.
For something like two years now I’ve been trying to find the time, and energy, to post a list of books that elementary school and middle school level native English teachers in Korea would find useful for the absolutely ridiculous lack of planning, literally last second planning education culture that is prevalent across Korea.
Ah, before I continue, here are some links to other posts of mine that new teachers, and for that matter veteran teachers, might want to read if they haven’t seen them before.
English Camps in South Korea – A Guideline for Foreign English Teachers
While surfing Korean English native teacher blogs today I noticed this post Yet again, I’m annoyed! by a blogger I enjoy reading, strangelands. The sad thing is that as more and more time passes I see yet another expat teacher getting more and more frustrated by the ridiculous unprofessionalism of the education culture in Korea . . . but there’s nothing we, as expat EFL/ESL teachers can do because the education culture is so utterly lost and chaotic that even the Koreans who can actually see the problems don’t know how to manage them.
Anyways, on a more productive and proactive note I am posting a list of books that EFL/ESL native English teachers can use for their regular semester teaching, after school program classes, and for summer and winter camps.
This blog post stems from the comment I posted for Yet again, I’m annoyed!
Go buy “Projects for Young Learners” Resource Books for Teachers by Oxford, and do the Fantasy Island project with the kids. Unless you’re given kids who are beginners/false beginners you can do the projects with them in the fantasy island unit (about 10, I think), and just make lesson notes for yourself as you go through the camp each day. Actually, considering the fact that you’ve been given such little prep time you might consider doing the task-based project anyways. If you have a co-teacher who can translate, the kids can learn a little vocab, a few useful short expressions/questions-answers, or whatever you choose, and then do the project and while interacting with you they get some experience doing a project and having to try and use their English to communicate….after all, that’s all the Koreans want, right? For the students to learn English by osmosis and proximity to the foreign teacher; this is the embodiment of the general teaching culture in Korea that thinks it’s okay to give a teacher these kinds of teaching and learning conditions….
Also, try picking up “Games for Children” Resource Books for Teachers by Oxford. It’s full of different games with different levels, amounts of time, degree of difficulties in game concepts and cognitive levels, etc.
The cheapest book you can get is this one,
Oxford Basics: Simple Speaking Activities.
Jill Hadfield and Charles Hadfield. Oxford, 1999.
W5, 800
You can pretty much modify the vocab and language goals for each of the 20 or so lessons found in the book on the fly.
Get some books and then stress will disappear (well, it’ll be less anyways), and your prep is done in terms of before the camp. Photocopy the pages from the book, make some insanely small lesson notes for each thing you’ll use, and hand them to the idiots that ask you to do a camp with no info about location, classroom conditions, resources available, language learner levels, etc.
Other titles you might want to check out.
Five-Minute Activities for Young Learners
Penny McKay and Jenni Guse
Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers
W30,000
Lessons from Nothing
Activities for language teaching with limited time and resources
Bruce Marsland
Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers
W25,000
Games for Language Learning, Third Edition.
Andrew Wright, David Betteridge, and Michael Buckby. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers. Series Editor, Scott Thornbury.
W28 000
Oxford Basics: Simple Speaking Activities.
Jill Hadfield and Charles Hadfield. Oxford, 1999.
W5, 800
Oxford Basics: Presenting New Language.
Jill Hadfield and Charles Hadfield. Oxford, 1999.
W5, 800
Oxford Basics: Vocabulary Activities.
Slattery, Mary. Oxford, 2004.
W5, 800
Oxford Basics: Cross-curricular Activities.
Svecova, Hana. Oxford, 2003.
W5, 800
Storytelling With Children.
Wright, Andrew. Oxford, 1995.
Resource Books for Teachers, Series Editor Alan Maley.
W26 000
Very Young Learners.
Vanessa Reilly & Sheila M. Ward. Oxford, 1997.
Resource Books for Teachers, Series Editor Alan Maley.
W26 000
Games For Children.
Gordon Lewis and Gunther Bedson. Oxford, 1999.
Resource Books for Teachers, Series Editor Alan Maley.
W26 000
Drama With Children.
Phillips, Sarah. Oxford, 1999.
Resource Books for Teachers, Series Editor Alan Maley
W26 000
Art and Crafts With Children.
Wright, Andrew. Oxford, 2001.
W26 000
Projects With Young Learners.
Diane Phillips, Sarah Burwood & Helen Dunford. Oxford, 1999.
Resource Books for Teachers, Series Editor Alan Maley
W26 000
Art and Crafts with Children
Andrew Wright
Oxford University Press
W26,000
Creating Chants and Songs
Carolyn Graham
Oxford University Press
W26,000
Writing with Children
Jackie Reilly and Vanessa Reilly
Oxford University Press
W26,000
Drama with Children
Sarah Phillips
Oxford University Press
W26,000
Oxford Basics: Simple Listening Activities.
Jill Hadfield and Charles Hadfield. Oxford, 1999.
W5, 800
Do As I Say: Operations, Procedures, and Rituals for Language Acquisition.
Gayle Nelson, Thomas Winters, and Raymond C. Clark. Pro Lingua Associates, Publishers, 2004.
W19 000
Oxford Basics: Simple Reading Activities.
Jill Hadfield and Charles Hadfield. Oxford, 2000.
W5, 800
Sentences At A Glance, Third Edition.
Brandon, Lee. Houghton Mifflin Company 2006.
W10 000
Paragraphs At A Glance, Third Edition.
Brandon, Lee. Houghton Mifflin Company 2006
W10 000
Share Your Paragraph: An Interactive Approach to Writing, 2nd Edition.
George M. Rooks.
Longman, 1999.
W13 000
Oxford Basics: Simple Writing Activities.
Jill Hadfield and Charles Hadfield. Oxford, 2000.
W5, 800
Julianne and I also picked up these titles recently, and have found them to be VERY useful to have in our teaching library.
Reading Extra: A Resource Book of Multi-Level Skills Activities (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Liz Driscoll (Spiral-bound – Apr 26, 2004)
Pronunciation Games (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Mark Hancock (Spiral-bound – Feb 23, 1996)
Imaginative Projects (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Matthew Wicks (Paperback – Nov 27, 2000)
Writing Extra: A Resource Book of Multi-Level Skills Activities (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Graham Palmer (Spiral-bound – Apr 19, 2004)
Listening Extra Book and Audio CD Pack: A Resource Book of Multi-Level Skills Activities (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Miles Craven (Spiral-bound – Apr 26, 2004)
Here are some more titles that might be worth checking out (but that we do not own).
Games for Vocabulary Practice: Interactive Vocabulary Activities for all Levels (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Felicity O’Dell and Katie Head (Spiral-bound – Dec 15, 2003)
Primary Activity Box: Games and Activities for Younger Learners (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Caroline Nixon and Michael Tomlinson (Spiral-bound – Mar 5, 2001)
The Grammar Activity Book: A Resource Book of Grammar Games for Young Students (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Bob Obee (Spiral-bound – Jul 13, 1999)
Primary Pronunciation Box with Audio CD (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Caroline Nixon and Michael Tomlinson (Spiral-bound – Apr 11, 2005)
Speaking Extra: A Resource Book of Multi-Level Skills Activities (Cambridge Copy Collection) by Mick Gammidge (Spiral-bound – May 10, 2004)
Good luck.
Jason
This is another post I started months ago and am finally getting around to publishing.
Here’s a wide range of videos describing the different kinds of apartments a native English teacher can find themselves living in when they come to teach English in South Korea.
hogwan apartment IN THE hogwan building
And now for the most luxurious apartment I’ve ever seen a native teacher get in South Korea (again, newbies, you will NOT get this kind of apartment so do NOT expect it! LOL!)
Also check out my post,
J
A while ago, actually, like MONTHS ago, I was thinking about culture shock and writing and ruminating on my own “culture exhaustion” (a term I created (I didn’t see it being used anywhere on Google searches about ‘culture shock’ and ‘culture fatigue’) and wrote about in this post, How do you know when it’s time to leave Korea? — Julianne and Jason are going to China, WOO!) and while surfing the Net I ended up on youtube watching all these videos made by newbie native English teachers about culture shock issues.
There’s really not a lot to say as the videos do a great job of showing a wide range of issues, and a wide range of conditions . . .
Oh, NEWBIE TEACHERS! Don’t think that what you see is what you’ll get in these videos! It’s a lottery–literally–and you might get a palatial apartment, and you might get an insect-infested-shoe-box-apartment . . . okay, that’s extreme but there is a HUGE range of conditions that you may or may not find yourself in–just come prepared to adapt to what you find yourself in.
Oh, and I’ll post a video I saw about a month or two ago of the absolutely unbelievable apartment two native teachers got that is by far the nicest and biggest and LUXURIOUS apartment I’ve ever heard of a native teacher getting in South Korea.
The Korean Shower (typical size and quality)
Culture Shock: The Telephone
Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern / Bizarre Foods – Live Soup In South Korea
My first day in Korea…horrible night before
Korea (and some Tokyo) 1/3 – Travelling Underground
Korea (and some Tokyo) 2/3 – Culture Shock
Episode 13: Fat in Korea
And now for the most luxurious apartment I’ve ever seen a native teacher get in South Korea (again, newbies, you will NOT get this kind of apartment so do NOT expect it! LOL!)
Oh yeah, I forgot that I put a list of culture shock items at the end of this post. I might revisit them in a later post and write more about each–but I think it’s pretty clear what each item is and what it’s about.
J
When looking for a business think VERTICALLY. Land and space are very expensive in Korea, so Koreans build vertically whereas most North Americans are used to horizontal landscapes.
School lunches . . . rice, soup, kimchi, something spicy, something spicy, and something spicy.
Collective responses from entire classes in 100% sync.
Scooters/mopeds/motorcycles on sidewalks.
Pedestrians do not have the right of way.
Bumping into people and not saying you’re sorry.
Public drunkeness.
Being openly stared at for long periods of time.
‘Squatters’ aka toilets in the floor.
Toilet paper as napkins.
Personal space is defined in an entirely different way, with an entirely different set of rules.
‘Everybody’ orders the same thing in a restaurant.
‘Everybody’ shares food with each other using their personal utensils.
Group culture and collective thinking.
Taking off your shoes when entering someone’s apartment.
Taking off your shoes to eat in a restaurant.
Sitting on the floor on a mat in a restaurant.
Smoking culture.
Drinking culture.
Same gender touching.
Not being able to say no to elders and superiors.
Bowing culture.
Invasion of privacy and personal info.
Typical size of living space is radically smaller than western culture, and the organization of space by function is very different too.
Appearance is everything. Form over function every time.
Health care and treatment–getting your blood pressure and your blood taken in front of a group of waiting Koreans.
Work time and personal time do not have clear boundaries.
Korea is still primarily a cash culture–many places do not accept credit and debit cards.
Korean Internet and websites use Internet Explorer ONLY.
Violence in everyday interactions.
Violence in the schools (i.e. corporal punishment–you WILL see this on a daily basis).
Mountainous landscape over the entire country.
General Korean food culture.
Treatment of dogs.
Volume and proximity in public spaces.
Computer game culture and Internet Cafes.
Chinese Yellow Dust
Rainy season and humidity
Customer (lack of) service
Shopping and getting deals in the markets–not the same as other countries’ market cultures
Digital narcissim
Mirrors are everywhere
Public self-checking and preening
Portrait pictures MUST be taken with one of a limited number of fixed poses
Openly racist reactions to inter-racial couples
Antipathy towards Japan and America
Upon arrival and settling into apartment (sometimes/a lot of the time) not having access to: Internet, phone, cell phone, cable TV, washing machine, and other basic necessities.
NO DRYERS to dry clothes with.
Population density is very dense.
City design is pretty much haphazard, and can be difficult to navigate (though English signs are now fairly common).
Lack of easy access to things like deodorant, specific brand names of toiletries/shampoos….
Gender and fashion colors–PINK is not ‘gay.’
Touching when talking between same genders…
Rock, Paper, Scissors–decides everything.
Communal dishes–everyone’s chopsticks and spoons can and will go in the same dish, pot, whatever.
Slurping food and talking with your mouth full–somewhat common and not seen as rude but rather as a sign of enjoyment and that the food is delicious.
Radical nationalism in every day conversation. Dokdo, American beef, and H1N1.
“You need to lose your weight.” Telling foreigners they’re fat and need to lose weight is a common thing.
Shopping for clothes and shoes. If you’re bigger than an SMALLISH XL men’s, or size 10 shoes, good luck. If you’re bigger than a woman’s medium or SMALLISH 8-10, or size 7 shoes, good luck. GO TO ITAEWON.
The vast majority of Korean apartments do NOT have stoves with OVENS, usually they have a gas range.
The vast majority of Korean apartments do NOT have bath tubs.
Expect and assume other Koreans will look through your garbage and recycling when you put them in the bins.
Expect Koreans to openly and closely examine everything you have in your shopping cart all the while completely ignoring you.
If a Korean knocks it means they can come into your apartment–even without hearing you say come in or respond in any way. LOCK YOUR DOOR AT ALL TIMES!
An unlocked door is an open invitation to enter your apartment. (Female teachers need to beware of this!)
Every electronic thing in your apartment will be in Korean language. The washing machine and water heater thermostat…
Kimchi Icecream 