Quality of teaching

[crickets]

Does anyone feel there quality of teaching and content goes down hill in the second semester. Students dont seem as interested and all your best lessons have been tought already.

[lostinisaan]

Guess you meant their quality of teaching and content going downhill? Didn't mean to criticize you now, but it’s exactly the opposite for me.

How can all your best lessons been taught already? I personally believe all of your lessons should be your best lessons.

I think what actually happened is that your students don’t really like your lessons, otherwise they wouldn't be bored, am I right?

The first term is usually always the time to get them on your side, or not.

Once the majority didn't understand you, or didn't like your teaching style, they’re acting like an armada of war ships, as they do communicate about their foreign teachers together and sometimes all classes of a level just don't listen to you anymore. but that's planned, when they dislike you.

And they can be pretty much annoying if they want to. I was such a student at high school and made my math teacher leaving school, before I had to "quit" and look for another private school.

Right after the beginning of the second term I found out that I did the right thing in the first term and keep them interested in learning.

Thai colleagues were thinking somebody got killed, but all I did was to use some math word problems in an English lesson, when I had divided them into groups and they were running around and screaming, as they all wanted to win my self-pirated DVD with the newest movies on..

The Thai English teacher then was asking me how I’d do that. I couldn't explain it, maybe because it’s called experience?

To be honest, when I read your post, it looks more than you’re a sort of burned out. Continue with tasks where they’d problems with, try to be funny and see them as human beings.

A lot of foreigners really underestimate Thai students and make comments that they’d be too stupid to learn English. Believe me, they aren't.

You might consider to spend some time looking for different teaching material that could be of more interest than your already best taught lessons?

Please be aware that once you've lost them, you won’t get them back until the school year ends.

Best of luck, you’re not alone, teaching English in Thailand isn't an easy profession, but it’s a lot of fun as well. Cheers-

Edited November 17, 2014 by lostinisaan

[crickets]

My first semester was awsome. I work at a all girls school and have a lot of fun. I play games with them every week and dont use worksheets but there is only so much i can think of to talk with them about for 30 minutes to get them having a conversation back with me. Have m5 and m3 and dont want to fall back on just giving them worksheets. I did so well first semester and they kinda expect the same for this one.

[thequietman]

I love how 'lostinissan' corrects 'crickets' grammar with equally bad grammar.............. and it's a post about teaching. You just can't make this up ! Great, I say, great.

[thequietman]

My first semester was awsome. I work at a all girls school and have a lot of fun. I play games with them every week and dont use worksheets but there is only so much i can think of to talk with them about for 30 minutes to get them having a conversation back with me. Have m5 and m3 and dont want to fall back on just giving them worksheets. I did so well first semester and they kinda expect the same for this one.

All previous comments aside, I do feel ya. Trying to make your lessons fun and using games to explain what it is you're trying to say, is difficult. Keeping it up for a full school year is exhausting. Students need to realize that learning is not all fun and games. This teaching lark in government schools with no curriculum provided is a very hard job. We don't get the praise we deserve.

[stubuzz]

The second semester is littered with holidays that break the students, and teachers, momentum.

[aarontendo]

It's a rare day when I play games with my students. More often than not I try to teach most of our curriculum, supplementing it with short video or activities as I can. Students rarely seem interesed unless we're doing a game where they can run around and scream their heads off, so in other words no difference.

[SheungWan]

I don't know whether this apples to the OP but in the first half of the first semester students are more relaxed as they haven't yet been loaded down with coursework. By the second semester the coursework is accumulating and there are competing demands from different classes. Plus.... in the second semester, students are sliding towards the end of year exams. With all of this, student attention becomes more focussed on assessments, well at least the committed ones and the less committed are realising that there is no escape from their lack of engagement and are withdrawing from the inevitable end. The above is just one possible scenario. To stop the students switching off in the second semester (or at least try to) make it clear that the classes are directly related to requirements for assessment completion and throw out a few extra crumbs.

Edited November 17, 2014 by SheungWan

[Scott]

I encourage our teachers to go into the 2nd semester a little ahead of the curve. We have a lot of activities, including Christmas plays for all the classes, Father's Day and Sport's Day. There are numerous interruptions to classes and classes are canceled with little or no notice.

For the teachers, it's a matter of keeping up with a lot of things and that sometimes leads to more stress. Add to that the number of students who are practicing for some other event and the situation does get hectic.

[brianp0803]

Grade 12 is very chaotic 2nd term.

It is a shortened term due to graduation.

It has all the normal interruptions.

In addition, students are more concerned about studying for entrance exams than school material.

Once accepted to university, all they need to do is pass. Motivation drops.

I am trying to motivate then by accepting that their grades don't matter but suggesting they will need the knowledge. Some agree.

I am asking the students to bring back general information about topics on the test and how the school can better prepare furure students.

[attrayant]

The quality of education doesn't go down in the second term. It's equally abysmal in both terms and there isn't much we can do about it.

[Spock]

What do teachers actually do in the classroom? How are the lessons structured to take pressure off the teacher and keep students busy? Is there a balance struck between conversation and reading/writing?

[crickets]

I try to teach them phrases then have a conversation with them where they can use them. Work as much as i can on speaking. Writing and reading is more with the thai teachers. I sometimes use dialogue.