Classroom Tips
First posted at 07:12:30 PM on 1998/2/6
Here are a few tips and tricks. They're not quite the Gospel, but they may help you out somewhere along the road. Note that although they're directed specifically at teaching in "cram schools" or bu xi ban in Taiwan, there are some general truths that may also apply to other environments.
If you plan to teach in a University or Junior College, the expectations are very different. Do not attempt to be too cute; you will lose face. You can look friendly and cheerful; smiling at students and co-workers. This will set you apart as being slighly different from the other teachers, but it's completely acceptable. You can even make simple humorous remarks or exclamations. Do not try to be too comical, though. Exaggerated, comical body movements are not recommended.
First a recap of two important points from the "Teaching in Taiwan FAQ":
Don't worry - the bu xi ban will almost certainly provide you some level of guidance in selecting and presenting teaching materials. If they offer you no guidance, look elsewhere for employment.
Try very hard not to show your anger, frustration or irritation. You will lose face if you do.
The exception to the second point is that it's socially acceptable for teachers to scold their young students, up to and even including college age. (Of course it gradually becomes less and less acceptable as they grow older). In childrens' classes, not only is scolding socially acceptable, some parents even *encourage* it. I advise you to hold back on this until you really feel you need it, though. Your Angry Teacher Face is an important tool, and should only be used when strong measures are called for. Otherwise, if you look angry all the time, you alienate your students, and you undercut your own authority by playing "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."
One more tip for classes of all age levels : eye contact and movement are important. If at all possible, move around the room while teaching. Sweep your eyes across the room often, making, holding and breaking eye contact with every student. Don't forget the students on your immediate right and left, if the desks are set up as a box or a circle with you as the head. It's really easy to focus only on the student right in front of you, or perhaps on the best student in the class. Avoid doing this.
The educational system in Taiwan is quite different from its American counterpart (and I assume that other Western countries are more similar to America). The classroom is generally very teacher-centered. Add to that the Asian concept of "losing face" and you have a strange combination.
The first thing you should abandon is the Western idea of the teacher who says to the students in general, "Any questions?" If you try this, then you'll get a good visual reference for the expression, "A sea of blank faces." This is a clear cultural difference. Students are often afraid to answer any questions, and even afraid to volunteer to ask any questions, because:
- They're afraid their answer will be wrong, or their question will be stupid, and they'll "lose face".
- They're just not in the habit of talking this way in class.
In very traditional Chinese classrooms (things are definitely changing, but the old way is still very much alive), teachers often discouraged their students from asking questions. There is a host of reasons for this. One is that teachers feel that if the students ask questions, this implies that the teacher didn't do a good job of explaining the material. This makes some teachers feel they "lose face". Another reason why many teachers discourage question-asking is a bit less forgivable : many teachers at the elementary and high school level intentionally withhold information from their students They do so in order that they can charge students money to come to the teacher's house (as one kind of a "bu xi ban") and learn the complete answers. The only students who can make really good grades in that particular class are the ones who pay the teacher for "private lessons". It's a money-making situation for the teacher, albeit not a particularly admirable one.
In order to receive any response from students, you generally have to call on them by name. Taiwanese students also tend not to volunteer to ask the teacher any questions.
Some tips for adult or teenage classes :
It's Bob Barker time. An experienced teacher once told me "All teachers are frustrated actors." This seems to have more than a grain of truth - and it's a useful thing to know. Adult students in particular come to a bu xi ban after a hard day's work. They usually want someone who's upbeat, friendly, cheerful - and even perhaps entertaining. Perhaps I was a bit over the top - I used to get a running start about four paces outside the door to my classroom and *slide* thru the door bellowing , "Helloooooo class!" The rest of the day was filled with lots of comical body action. Only a few people who are absolutely incapable of being embarrassed can carry things like this off. This is only for the unabashed ham. Don't worry, I was the exception not the rule. However, I got good teacher reviews from all my students. The key moneymaking point, though, is that you really must be at least friendly, light, energetic, cheerful, etc. Ya gotta wake them up just a little. Look 'em in the eyes and smile, smile, smile. Enjoy yourself in the classroom, and the students will enjoy being there.
I usually spend at least the first couple of weeks reassuring the students in a cheerful and friendly manner that I *love* students who ask questions. I often put my hand on my heart and say in a dreamy, melodramatic way, "Some men dream of money...some men dream of beautiful women..I dream of students who ask questions."
In the first weeks of class I repeatedly write my Class Rules on the board and explain them. I have two Golden Rules:
Rule #1 : "In this classroom, no one can lose face" (By the way, I recommend that you learn the words for "lose face" in Chinese. Disregarding for the moment the fact that Chinese is a tonal language, "lose face" sounds a bit like "deo lee-yen." In Chinese, it literally means throw down or throw away your face. This phrase has a bit of a lilting tone. Ask someone to say it for you when you arrive, and try to remember.)
Rule #2: "In this classroom, mistakes are GOOD, because they help you learn." However you choose to communicate this point to your students, don't neglect to do so repeatedly. Many Asian students are terrified of making mistakes in front of the whole class. This is an important obstacle to the learning process that should be tackled immediately. An EFL teacher in Japan once told me, "I'm used to total silence in my class. I ask questions; no one responds. Once we get outside of the classroom and go to a coffee shop, however, the lesson can really begin."
I have a little illustration for this point, but you have to do this with an unencumbered sense of self-confidence and good cheer, not worrying about the puzzled and hesitant looks you'll get. On the first day of class I make everyone in the classroom stand up after I explain this rule, then I make them (usually reluctantly) repeat after me : "Good morning. How are you? I'm fine thank you!" Do this with a broad smile, as if you know of course that they already know how to say this phrase they all learned as children. If they didn't do it loudly and clearly, I make them say it again. Then after I've heard it loudly and clearly once, I say "If we say 'Good morning, how are you, I'm fine thank you' every day, you will never make a mistake. But you also won't learn anything new. When you make a mistake, I am happy (friendly smile), because it helps me to know what you need to learn." All of this has to be done in your best Bob Barker.
The only exception to this illustration is if all of your students are middle-aged businessmen. You should watch them carefully in this case, to see whether they are determined to remain dignified. Try daily to lead them into being somewhat more relaxed and cheerful, as a happy class environment makes your job much much easier, but don't go too far outside their comfort zones.
In Taiwan, if you want a cheap laugh in class, especially after the students all express difficulty with something you've asked them to do, just say in a booming Bob Barker voice "Trust me - you can make it!" This comes from a very famous weight-loss commercial, and even people who can't speak a word of English will recognize it. This joke wears thin after one or two uses, though.
Most of what you teach is conversation. You walk around the classroom as they repeat variations of whatever phrases they're practicing that day, you listen and you gently correct mistakes. However, there's no question that you'll run into the Dreaded Grammar Nut every so often. They ask questions that native speakers never even think about: "Our teacher told us you can never put two verbs together. Why did you write 'Let's go eat breakfast'? [Because the exception to that rule are the two verbs "go" and "come". Americans often put those two verbs in front of another verb. British and Australian speakers often separate them with the word "and" like "go and eat".] The question I dread the most : "Is the word "when" (or "while" or some other word you've used billions of times and never thought about) an adjective or a verb"? [No, it's an adverb.]
I've learned more grammar in two years of teaching than I leaned in twelve years of elementary and high school!
Other teachers fear the question, "Teacher, how to spell that?" The first thing you should always do is correct their grammar in the question: "How do you spell that" This teaches them a very useful grammar point, and also helps you stall for a little time while you think (see below).
The key to the whole grammar and spelling issue, I must tell you, is poise and confidence. Never forget that Chinese social relationships are to some degree built around the concept of "face," and face can be translated as "outward appearance" or "reputation." You have to learn how to stall for time, never appearing uncertain, when asked a question which you can't answer. One trick I picked up is to buy a pocket dictionary and carry it to class (or just use one of the omnipresent electronic dictionaries that the students carry. The students are passionately in love with their dictionaries. Sometimes they use them way too much). Just smile and confidently say, "Here's the dictionary. Look it up" (you will probably have to teach your students the phrase "look it up in the dictionary" in the early days of class), then have them show it to you. In this way you can :
- Appear as though you knew all along, but are teaching them to be resourceful, and
- Look at the dictionary yopurself and remember what part of speech the word is, or how to spell it.
Some tips for teaching children : My two Golden Rules are too complex for younger children to grasp, of course. Believe it or not, the "Bob Barker" rule is slightly more optional in a children's class than it is in an adults' class. This is because the children *must* attend class; their parents make them. It's still true that the class goes much easier if you and the students are all enjoying yourselves. However, the classroom dynamics are extremely different in a children's class. You are the authority. Never, never forget that. Clearly state Class Rules like "No talking when the teacher is talking" etc. Have your assistant teacher repeat them in Chinese. Then enforce them mercilessly. Too many times after the students have been naughty I've made the mistake of melting when I look at those sweet little faces and not punishing anyone. It's a good feeling to be kind - but you regret it the next day when the students are doubly naughty! Children all over the world are the same. They want and need to feel safe, to be loved, to have clear guidelines for behavior - and they will test you. Try to be pleasant and cheerful when students are behaving, but you have to a a little tin Hitler when they aren't. if two students alway misbehave together, separate them. If a student breaks a known rule, give him/her a warning. On the second offense make the student stand in the hall. Stop the entire class and stare at a student who is talking too much or too loudly (a little classroom whispering is inevitable, and sometimes helpful when they explaining things to each other).
Many times parents will want to sit in the class with their students. If possible, avoid this like the plague. Sometimes you have no choice - your boss instructs you to let them sit in. Also, for really little students - kindergarten, first grade - it's necessary for the first class session or two to let the parents sit in, to lessen the kiddos' separation anxieties. However, parents almost always feed the answers to questions to their beloved Junior. However, this prevents students from learning by preventing them from thinking for themselves - and you should tell the parents this.
Two more quick tips for childrens' classes. First, most bu xi ban require the use of a workbook. I strongly recommend this practice. Not only do workbooks accomplish their explicit goal of helping the students retain the material, they also have a couple positive side benefits:
They give the parents something clear and easily definable to look at. The parents (and grandparents) will always ask the kiddos, "What did you learn in school today, Lion?" [I really had a boy who insisted that his English name should be Lion. His sister's name was Fish. Another teacher had a girl named Pencil, but successfully persuaded her to change her name.] Little Junior will then dutifully point to his or her workbook and say, "This, mommy." Without a workbook, the kiddo may not be able to recall what was studied that day, and this is bad form.
Similarly, they give the parents clear and definable evidence of progress. As the number of workbook pages marked with a "Happy Face" mounts, so too does the parents satisfaction, at least to some degree.
Second, always reserve the final five minutes (or more, depending on how long the class is) for games or singing - singing is the better of the two closing activities, in my opinion. Quick teaching games should be sprinkled throughout the class, and the last few minutes are for singing. That way, when the parents ask the children, "Do you like this teacher?" the child will often use only the last few minutes of the class as a reference and say "Yes," forgetting the other time spent doing cruel and unusual punitive labor such as writing their ABC's.
Copyright (c) 1998
Timothy M. Nall. All rights reserved.
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