Hi, I’m suppose to give a English demonstration to a class of 10 year olds and I have no idea what to do. 
Does anyone have any suggestions???
Try to teach them, not entertain them. Focus on the lesson the school gives you. I assume you’ll be given a lesson. Don’t waste any energy on trying to get the students to like you.
Maybe I’m being too biased because that’s what I’d want a teacher to do at my school. 
Hi,
I have not applied to a bushiban before, but have heard of the requirement to “demo teach” during the interview.
I’m interested to know what that normally entails and how to prepare for it.
In other words, do I need to walk in the door with a lesson prepared for a 60-minute class, or do they just want to watch me speak English for 5 minutes to ensure that I can do that?
Any tips would be appreciated.
Seeker4,
try doing a search
These might be helpful http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=4079&highlight=demo
http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=16499&highlight=demo
hi, ive been in Taiwan for more than a year and have now changed cities. I have a couple of interviews with demo’s lined up, but I have no idea what the demo is like…
Do they give you material to teach? Must you prepare something… etc.
Any help will be appreciated
-Thanx
usually they will give you something to teach.
But it’s more important to see the response you get from the kids. Can you control your time and the students.
You mean you’re gonna do a demo without knowing what you are supposed to demo? Like an impromptu demo? :loco: Ain’t they supposed to give you the materials before hand… you know for prepping a lesson? If I were you I’d call 'em and ask’em what they want you to demo and for how long and for which age groups and at which level of English.
I don’t think it matters much, unless the school is very focused on one thing. They just want to see how you work in the classroom.
Some people show up and do the interview and demo on the same day.
I prefer that, as some people come for the interview, get the demo materials and then never show up for the demo.
If you know the age group and approx. level you could prepare your own material. Really, they should just be looking at the way you relate to the kids and handle the class. So, JDsmith is on the button.
Prepare something interesting that can be done with any group, anywhere, anytime.
What?
Don’t want to sound like a cop out, but it depends on your personality. What is going to make you look great?
This seems to be the main thing. Surprisingly, few can do this well the first time.
If I had a demo to do, I’d focus on these two aspects.
demos are totally pointless and they mystify me. a ‘boss’ (and i use the word boss lightly when it comes to taiwan bushiban culture) should be able to spot a good teacher when he/she sees them. right?
it’s like a interview for a job that you are never going to do. you don’t know the kids, the book, the material the whole shabang but you’ve got to perform :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco: :loco:
I always make it a point to ask what they are expecting before I go for the demo. Are they asking you to demo a conversation class? Is it how you teach phonics? You can even point blank ask them what they are looking for.
uhm, I am a “boss” and I can’t tell just from the interview how good a teacher is. I need to see the teacher IN the classroom, getting his/her point across, getting a response from the students.
Please tell me how you would “know” a teacher is good from just the interview?
An excellent idea.
charlmorton,
Don’t fret. They will give you a text book and usually some flashcards to help. Don’t do too many games, but try to get a good atmosphere built between you and the students. Remember to speak a little slower than usual and a little louder.
The owner just wants to see if you can handle kids, and more importantly, yourself in the classroom.
If they don’t give you materials, just ask for them. You must know what level you’re about to teach!
Good luck.
L 
Try to remember all the kids names, an easy way is to give them a name as you hear their’s like Gary in the green (if he’s wearing green), Stacey the strawberry (if she has a strawberry on her shirt). Corresponding letters makes it easier. If they are kids get them up moving around and then show them you can get them to sit down again. For kids things have to move quickly, but speak slowly at first. do a little Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes if they are fidgety or not listening. It is fun to do this song going faster and faster and then slower and slower. See that you have a good time too! Have fun with it and relax 
If a boss doesn’t ask to see a brief demo, that rings alarm bells right there. Since they obviously either
a) don’t really care how well you teach, they just need a white face to fill space, any white face will do
or
b) are looking for a Ken & Barbie (you know the type) and are judging a “good” teacher solely by their looks. Sadly, in Taiwan, your personal appearance (preferably blonde, blue-eyed, perky, and female) trumps actual teaching ability far too often.
Thanks ppl. did the demo, it went ok… Now she wants me to demo teaching a GEPT class tomorrow.
What can I expect?
[quote=“charlmorton”]Now she wants me to demo teaching a GEPT class tomorrow.
What can I expect?[/quote]
Again this depends on what part of GEPT it is you are teaching and what level. You will probably be teaching speaking and listening rather than reading or writing. A high-intermediate level speaking and listening class is much easier than a low level one. If it’s low level expect a lot of hard work trying to get people to speak. Most of these students will have reached an age level where they are very self consious and afraid to speak. They will speak at the volume of mice when they speak at all. You will also need to see what material you have. Most of the GEPT stuff is written for Chinese speakers. I write my own classes. Check you are not expected to do this as well. Once you get them speaking, these classes can be fun as the students can be more interesting to talk to than the little ones.
[quote=“charlmorton”]Thanks ppl. did the demo, it went ok… Now she wants me to demo teaching a GEPT class tomorrow.
What can I expect?[/quote]
Sounds like the worst is over. Don’t sweat it. You’ve probably already got the job. Just listen carefully to her instructions and be friendly and easy going with the kids. They are not expecting you to teach rocket science in the first class.
I would say the most important thing is to relax and make sure you aren’t too clumbsy up there. And there’s no reason for a demo to last longer than 45 minutes, at the most. Don’t forget to reward the kids who give correct answers and you’ll be a star in no time. Remember it’s not really your English knowledge as much as it is your ability to mix with the kids and have a good classroom presence.
I’ll never forget when an owner asked me to demo for the entire day. Made a quick exit I did.
On the other hand, I have a couple part time jobs now in lieu of one full-time job and owners handled it well by hiring me first, and then coming into the classroom the first day and keeping an eye on things. That gave them the room to let me go if they weren’t happy. It may sound assbackwards but certainly relaxed me and they saw that I could indeed handle myself.
I just did a demo at another school because I’m seeking full-time work now and it went very well. And I used to hate demos! :loco:
This isn’t exactly on topic, but what the hell! What’s the worst that could happen?
Had a guy come in this morning for an interview–fake degree. Caught him in the first five minutes.
I came home and went online to check on some teachers and saw something like this:
r u looking 4 a good t-cher? i’m the one you’re looking 4. gr8t with kids. thnx 4 ur time. x-a-lent teacher.
Maybe I’m anal, maybe old-fashioned, but if you can’t punctuate, capitalize or spell–are you really serious about getting a job? I know that teaching English is a joke to some people, but this crap isn’t even funny; it’s depressing!