Class Demos

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

I just completed my first class demo today. Does anyone have any advice for me? I prepared a session to do with the children but the guy wanted me to do something from his own book kind of on the spot, which made me a bit nervous.

I give it a bash but know I can do better. He did give me positive feedback said I done well considering it was my first go at a demo, so fingers crossed I will be employed by the end of the week.

2

Never prepare your own material for a demo. They always throw their own books at you. If you’re speaking about buxibans and kindies, the tricks are:

Speak SLOWLY and CLEARLY (hard to do when you’re a little nervous, but persevere).

Use TPR. A lot of body motions, facial expressions, etc.

Smile a lot, no matter how much you’re sweating.

Have a couple of gimmicks handy. A simple magic trick, finger game (two little blackbirds, etc.), blow water out of your nose, juggle, etc. Something to grab their attention when you feel it may be waning.

3

Sounds like advice I should be listening to. And I’m experienced. Thanks Jimi!

4

[quote=“jimipresley”]Never prepare your own material for a demo. They always throw their own books at you. If you’re speaking about buxibans and kindies, the tricks are:

Speak SLOWLY and CLEARLY (hard to do when you’re a little nervous, but persevere).

Use TPR. A lot of body motions, facial expressions, etc.

Smile a lot, no matter how much you’re sweating.

Have a couple of gimmicks handy. A simple magic trick, finger game (two little blackbirds, etc.), blow water out of your nose, juggle, etc. Something to grab their attention when you feel it may be waning.[/quote]

Cheers for that. I found something online from one the agencies just now, with a run down of what they expect. This is it, sorry about the long post I am just wondering if this outline is any good?

  1. Do a quick warm up exercise to get the kids moving a bit and then settled into their seats (1 min). This can be series of commands: “ok everyone, stand up, sit down, stand up, shake it all around, touch your head, etc.” The purpose of this is a. to get their alertness, b. to let them know that something fun is about to happen, and c. to show the boss that you have command of the class
  2. Shout out a greeting: “good morning class!” or “good afternoon class!” Make sure the kids greet back loudly. If they are quiet or seem sluggish or unexcited, then make them answer you a couple of times until you feel that the kids are energetic and alert. Ex: “wait a second…I can’t hear you…mah deedee blah?! (Make some weird sentence that sounds like “good morning class” here…kids love silliness…the sillier the better!) What was that?!...I said, GOOD MORNING, CLASS!” Again, this will show the boss that you know how to handle the class and make it fun for the kids.
  3. Introduce yourself while holding up the round object (pretend like it is a microphone):“Hi I am Teacher……” Write your name on the board. If you are teaching a group of non-beginners, you can also add after your self-introduction “…and my favorite food is …” Make it something simple they all know like, noodles or French fries. You can even draw it on the board. This will get the kids going. Everyone likes to talk about food. Feel free to be silly here as well. Kids giggling and laughing in demo is always a good thing. Just make sure they sit up straight in their seats.
  4. Pass the object to the kids. Have them introduce themselves using the object. Explain the instruction first by modeling. Which means, explain by acting it out. Say, ”Ok, here is what we are going to do. I am going to say ‘my name is…’, and then I will pass the ball to the next person and I will say ‘what’s your name?’ and that person needs to say ’my name is…what’s your name?’ and then they will get to pass it to the next person” Go around the classroom. Try to remember couple of kids’ names or write their names on the board as they go along (3 min). When doing so, have fun! Make the kids laugh by imitating them, make jokes about their names, or complain that they are not loud enough.
  5. Teach the lesson (3 min)
  6. Song or a game (3-5 min)
  7. Give out stickers (bring some with you…kids all love stickers!)
  8. Say bye “Ok class, that is it for today. See you!”

Things to be wary of:
 Time: do not let the demo drag on too long
 Kids looking bored
 Kids getting too loud
 Someone not sitting in the seat properly

Things to remember:

  1. Remember how exaggerated and how slow the characters would speak on Sesame Street and Barney shows? That’s how you want to talk!
  2. Children have a very short attention span; do not dwell on anything more than 3 minutes. If someone won’t speak, don’t force them, just move on to the next person. Don’t let your lesson or game drag on either.
  3. Being a teacher is a highly respected job in Asian culture. Therefore, you must remain presentable and well-mannered at all time.
  4. For the kindergarten classes, create sense of intimacy by not distancing yourself too far from the class. If you are tall, it is ok to sit down or kneel down to be closer to them. Touching them is ok.
  5. Always smile and give lots of praises. Learning English from a foreigner is an intimidating experience for most Taiwanese (for many of your students, you will be the first foreigner they truly know). Therefore, whatever little snippet of stuff they ask you to teach, when you ask the students to repeat a word, give DIRECT and INDIVIDUAL praise with eye contact. "Very Good!”
  6. Finally, DO NOT BE SCARED OF THE KIDS! They will not respect/respond to you if they can tell you are scared. Look, they are just kids! What can they do to you!?

Ways to discipline Children:

  1. Be consistent with the way you discipline; do not let the kids think that they can get away with anything
  2. You can always shift their attention to something else
  3. You can have a kid as your junior teacher
    Mercifully, the demos are usually less than 20 minutes long. The schools are just looking for the basics, such as some ideas about encouraging students, a bit of command in the classroom, a little zest in the lessons, and an idea about what an ESL student might miss or forget, or something they can develop.

Two most important rules for a demo:

  1. KISS: keep it simple stupid. The easier for the kids, the better.
  2. Be confident, assertive, loud, and friendly. Don’t forget to smile, and you will do fine!
5

You make happy. Sing song. OK?

6

Jeez Shearersheed- that’s a lot of advice for a twenty minute demo! The suggestions are sound, but you might find it hard to keep your smile if you’re trying to remember all that. Retain what you can, but just remember to be fun.

Listen to JP and just keep it entertaining. Teaching kids requires animation, particularly with regards to your facial expression. Don’t forget to give a few high fives to the kids. I always start off any kids’ thing by shaking a few hands and screaming in pain when a little girl shakes my hand. I tell her she is so strong.

You just have to learn what is humorous for the younger ones. They are easily pleased if you do it with style.

Congrats on giving your first demo. I hope you won’t have to do too many. But you’ll get better each time if you do need to.

7

I don’t know how long the average demo is, because I’ve never done one, but my school (ThreadKiller’s alma mater) requires a two-hour demo with two different classes. Oh, god, the suffering I’ve witnessed from aspirants and students alike!

8

A two hour demo! Christ on a bike.

I do 15 minutes and then stop the class and say that’s how I teach. No point wasting each other’s time.

9

:laughing: Memory Lane. I remember one aspiring teacher using the whiteboard to classify one student team the “rabits” during her demo. She got the job though, because she knew what to do with the kids, and our bosses weren’t exactly the best spellers.

10

A two hour demo? Why should the students be giving up one of their paid classes for a teacher that hasn’t proven themselves yet? :loco:

11

You just don’t understand Taiwan culture.

12

[quote=“Whole Lotta Lotta”][quote]
don’t know how long the average demo is, because I’ve never done one, but my school (ThreadKiller’s alma mater) requires a two-hour demo with two different classes. Oh, god, the suffering I’ve witnessed from aspirants and students alike!
[/quote]
A two hour demo? Why should the students be giving up one of their paid classes for a teacher that hasn’t proven themselves yet? :loco:[/quote]

If it’s a two hour demo then I expect to be paid as a sub.

I pretty much bombed my demo and a couple of months later I watched a teacher do even worse in his demo. He was much more creative with his demo but didn’t stick with the KISS method.

If I had to do a demo I guess I would do the first part of my lesson. Review the previous vocab, intro new vocab and then play a game. The game I’ve been playing regularly is a pass the paper game. The students move the desks into 2-3 rows of 4-5 students. The first student has the paper and writes the first letter of the vocab word when I say it. And they keep passing the paper until the whole word is written. And then I have then all move chairs and do the next word. The kids have really been enjoying this and it keeps them all involved and focused since their turn is coming soon.

But it really is the simple things that make students enjoy a class/demo. For example, ask for team names. Usually the kids will be quiet so start make suggestions like Monkeys or Bananas and all the students will yell nononononononononono. And then make them the nonononononononononono team. Everyone will be laughing and the next team will be saying yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes. Write in big letters, small letters, funny letters, curvy letters and they’ll have fun. It really doesn’t take that much time and you’ll get the students attention for when you start teaching.

13

Yeah, I never know what to do with these bloody things either. Personally, I don’t think they’re very helpful. Plus, if you don’t have an APRC or JFRV with an open work permit, they’re technically illegal. Not that that will ever stop a buxiban laoban!

14

[quote=“Shearersheed”]Two most important rules for a demo:

  1. KISS: keep it simple stupid. The easier for the kids, the better.

  2. Be confident, assertive, loud, and friendly. Don’t forget to smile, and you will do fine![/quote]

  3. Don’t do one in front of children because you can be deported if caught. :no-no:

15

you want me wear funny hat too? :bow:

16

you want me wear funny hat too? :bow:[/quote]

Yes. And make like monkey.

17

To be a buxiban teacher, all your demo needs to be, is fun!
Act like a clown, make the students laugh, keep them happy, and the buxiban boss will love you.
Easy as 1,2,3.

18

[quote=“funkymonkey”][quote=“Shearersheed”]Two most important rules for a demo:

  1. KISS: keep it simple stupid. The easier for the kids, the better.

  2. Be confident, assertive, loud, and friendly. Don’t forget to smile, and you will do fine![/quote]

  3. Don’t do one in front of children because you can be deported if caught. :no-no:[/quote]
    I was waiting for somebody to bring this up. Techincally, these things are illegal. Doesn’t matter to the Buxiban owners though. They will want to see one to evaluate your teaching. The chances of police showing up during the fifteen minutes you are doing a demo at that particular school are pretty small. If you get caught, you are one unlucky S.O.B. I don’t want to be standing next to you in a thunderstorm. :pray:
    Some schools will allow you to do a demo in front of the managers of the school and maybe some of its Chinese teachers. This is a safer option. If they let you do this and you get the job, take it. It is a sign of concern for your welfare.

19

you want me wear funny hat too? :bow:[/quote]

Yes. And make like monkey.[/quote]

I do good moneky actions and can do lion roar too. you want me teach? one hour 800 ? Too mnay money? Can do cheap too but no monkey for cheap

20

you want me wear funny hat too? :bow:[/quote]

Yes. And make like monkey.[/quote]

I do good moneky actions and can do lion roar too. you want me teach? one hour 800 ? Too mnay money? Can do cheap too but no monkey for cheap[/quote]

you tomorrow wear the monkey too!