Large Uni classes-helpful info, tips, resources

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

I’m just starting full-time this semester at a university, and I’m facing many of the challenges that I’m sure others have. I’m teaching mainly general English classes for freshman and sophomores, a TOEIC prep class, and a general writing class (all for non-English majors). Any advice on many things:

Many students English is extremely poor to non-existent. My Chinese is not much better. How do we communicate? In addition, most of the textbooks were already chosen by the department, but they are way too advanced for the students real level. What do you do?

Large classes-about 60 students. What are good things to do in working with groups this size? What about basic logistics, such as getting them into groups or pairs?

And perhaps this isn’t an addressable issue, but just to comment on it, I never realized how maxed out the resources are at universities here. No supplies except a portable CD/cassette player, only a couple of computers for the whole department, no office space to even store some papers, and if I want to copy a handout, I have to give it to the class leader and have them do it. It’s crazy. How do you not go broke spending your money on basic supplies or copies?

2

Actually, you’ll find that quite a few of the members of Segue have indeed taught at so-called institutions of HIRE learning in Taiwan. more than a few have left after experiencing some varying degree of disillusion.

Search through the topics to find other postings on these issues to get a better idea.

I’m quitting my current position for pretty much the same reasons as you cite. Just had enough.

Kenneth

3

My advice would be get more experience before taking that job. While private language schools certainly aren’t ideal learning institutions, they do usually have more resources available for the teachers, especially the big schools. There are also usually other teachers around to give advice and share ideas. A few years of that, and you end up with lots of tricks up your sleeve as well as a bunch of your own materials. But, that won’t help you now. Let me just answer a few basic questions.

How do we communicate? There are usually a few strong students who are more than willing to translate if necessary.

*In addition, most of the textbooks were already chosen by the department, but they are way too advanced for the students real level. What do you do? * For your first term, just get through it however you can and hope something sticks. Then, the NEXT term, look back at worked and what didn’t and you’re on your way to doing more than just getting by.

What about basic logistics, such as getting them into groups or pairs? Count off into groups or have pre-assigned partners because letting them work out their own groups can eat up a lot of class time.

How do you not go broke spending your money on basic supplies or copies? Anything you want to copy for class, ask yourself, could I just write this on the board and have them read it from there or copy it? Eats away classtime, but you’ve got to work with what you’ve got.

Finally, I recommend going to a bookstore and picking up a book on teaching ESL. A practical one (not theoretical) with hands-on advice. They never specifically address your exact situation, but have some good general advice.

When does class start? Let us know how it goes.

4

OK. I’m assuming you’ve been roped into “Conversation” classes as that is all foreigners are qualified to teach. :laughing:

You will be facing three issues here: class size, mixed abilities, and lack of support/logistics.

For class size, if you are going to teach the so-called “communicative approach” as most people do (not my thing but I was once competent using it) you need to use a lot of pair and group work. When making up groups, you will either want to have groups of similar ability or deliberately different abilities. This will be tough to do because in the typical uni-size class in Taiwan unless you’re some kind of genius you could easily have people showing up for the final exam and have no idea at all whether they are actually in the class. It’s just a faceless, nameless herd most of the time.

Get a book called “Teaching Large Classes” (I think that’s the title) and I think it’s out of Cambridge U. It’s a small book – only about 5" x 4" if I remember. It deals with ESL as she is really taught – I mean like situations where you have a chalkboard, no copies, and a kazillion people in the same class.

Either get used to spending your own money (I spent way too much when I was teaching in Taiwan) or learn to make a SINGLE copy of visuals on something like posterboard and posting it on the front wall for students to copy. Of course they’ll copy it wrong most of the time, but…well…

There are usually ways to get things copied at the meanest of schools if you get them in in advance (read: 1 to 2 weeks in advance). That’s a real challenge if you’re actually teaching to what happens in class instead of just blindly reading off whatever is next in the book – not appreciated by the admin of many schoools – but make friends with Xerox Lady by all means if possible. THERE IS ONE. You just have to find her.

As for mixed ability in large groups, that’s why I quit teaching here. Also the syphilis test requirement. (Not that I think I’ve got it, but being the ONLY one in the entire university that had to get it was IMHO too weird.)

Practically speaking, I would give you teh following advice:

  1. Lower your expectations. If you manage to give them a positive feeling about English, you’ve accomplished something. Forget about having them actually acquire the language. Some will learn something, some will not. But in these conditions it’s hard to make anything happen, and you’ll just burn out.

  2. I always enjoyed stopping class about 20 minutes before the bell and stationing myself at the door. The students knew they would have to answer a question to get out. If they couldn’t answer, they had to go to the back of the line. With 60 students NO ONE wanted to have to do that. At least that way they reviewed what we’d supposedly “done” that day or recently. (Get yourself a tall stool to sit on, though. Gets tiring.)

  3. Don’t expect to be treated like a professional. One foreigner is much like any other. If you leave tomorrow, your chair (if you even have one) will soon be filled with another warm body.

  4. When the school asks you to do ridiculous stuff, tell them you’ll do your best. Then fail to do it. They won’t ask twice. If you’re supposed to be on campus 60 hours a week, say, “I’ll do my best.” Then go on vacation to Thailand for a week, but tell the janitor to say you’re probably in the library. The basic idea is that you must create the image that you’re cooperating, and then do whatever makes your life bearable. The Taiwanese are masters at this. Learn from them. (I was taught this at great length and with great pain by a Taiwanese colleague of mine. It is probably the hardest, but most valuable (for Taiwan), thing I learned while teaching.)

  5. Find other activities to give you satisfaction in life. Unless you end up in one of the “top” English departments – i.e., very motivated, hand-picked students, this job will burn you out. I lasted five years, but the last one was tough. Remember that all ESL theory books make an erroneous assumption that all the students in the class WANT to learn English. Most of them are there for the credits. Get over it and go on with your life.

Sorry to sound so cynical but…well…write to me in a year and see what you think.

Terry

5

I have found the dictation technique very useful for large classes. Read this article:

Using Creative Dictation to Manage, Motivate, and Activate Large Groups of False Beginners by Robert W. Norris

for more details.

6

I was thinking over some of my teaching ideas, and it occurred that given the constraints of the University system, one has to adopt a more pragmatic, motivational style syllabus (did someone say that before?).

Learning a language is learning a skill, and therefore students need to be taught the how of learning a language as well as the why. Moreover, they need to be given an opportunity to use their language abilities to explore their growing sense of who they are, what values they have and the world around them.

In many ways, by providing opportunities for this self-development in our classes, we can provide students (if not with the grammar) certainly with the attitudes to go out and learn the language FOR THEMSELVES.

Too many of my ‘esteemed’ colleagues believe that this comes through inane repeition of grammatical structures and vocabulary, much of which has been drilled into students since they were 11., EVEN in Junior classes.

To them, I say, why do you believe in the philosophy - “if they can’t parse their verbs correctly after 8 years, one semester of English 90 minutes a week will finally nail it into their heads”? More likely, it’s going to nail their interest in English as something they can never attain. How is that for acquisition of the language?

Surely as teachers, we must examine why our students have failed to acquire the finer points of English grammar/vocabulary despite extensive classroom exposure. I posit here that extensive drilling and exposure result in extensive forgetting - I forgot more Greek than you could possible learn - kind of attitudes.

No, we need to reach beyond this, to their needs, their spirits, their souls. Find out what motivates them, and bring out the interest in their world. Only this can satisfy the criteria for language learning - that we learn about ourselves.

Sorry for the ramble - I’m still working on these ideas.
Kenneth

7

Thanks for the link Verbalkint. I’ve heard of and used similar ideas, but that link includes a number of variations plus immediately transferrable ideas.

8

But for the love of God don’t give them an assignment to “interview” a foreigner on tape and take a picture to prove it. An-NOY-ing!!! Any teacher who does that should be subjected to 50 such interviews in Chinese by people still in their first six months of taking Chinese classes at Shita. :imp: :imp:

9

Been there, done that (Victim, i mean) Now I always say I’m too busy to be interviewed or I’m already late!

If you’re going to do a real interview, it’s better to have a VERY carefully designed project/etc in which students are interacting for a real purpose, and the person being interviewed is sharing something of VALUE. “Do you like Taiwanese girls?” just doesn’t cut it.

I had some students go out to companies, and interview the Personnel management about their hiring practices and then come back and report on their presentation to everyone. It was wonderful. They were fourth years though.

Kenneth

10

OK. I’m guilty. I taught one semester last year at a girls’ junior college and had them go an interview foreigners. Sorry, but sometimes you are desperate to find some way to actually get them speaking English. (God knows in pair and group activities they sure don’t do it).

But be patient with them. I was part of a group of Chinese learners from Chengde (in Tainan) that had to go out for the day and ask Taiwanese stupid questions. They were all wonderfully patient and even tried to help us. Very sweet.

11

[quote=“alwayslol”]OK. I’m guilty. I taught one semester last year at a girls’ junior college and had them go an interview foreigners. Sorry, but sometimes you are desperate to find some way to actually get them speaking English. (God knows in pair and group activities they sure don’t do it).

But be patient with them. I was part of a group of Chinese learners from Chengde (in Tainan) that had to go out for the day and ask Taiwanese stupid questions. They were all wonderfully patient and even tried to help us. Very sweet.[/quote]

It’s fine to be asked by one group or two, but most of us teachers who work on campuses have been stalked by groups (upto 10 at a time) of students looking for an interviewee. Trust me, doing it when you work hard interviewing students with large classes, it’s a busman’s holiday!

Nuff said.
Kenneth

12

Don’t do it!!

Get out!!

I’ve done it and it ruined me - I stressed for a few days before each class and was so relieved after each class ended.

There’s easier and more rewarding work out here in Taiwan.