Real Life Example Of Teaching English In Korea (+Do You Teach From A Textbook?)
Hello wonderful people of the world and welcome! Today we have a special video for you, something that many people have requested, and that’s a REAL LIFE EXAMPLE of what teaching in Korea looks like.
I actually went ahead and filmed myself in class so you can get a sense of what teaching in Korea is like by seeing me do it. And yes, I use The Simpsons as context for teaching this particular lesson…
Which is the other aspect of teaching this video covers: can you just teach whatever you want or is there a s set syllabus you need follow?
Well, watch the video and I’ll answer that plus show the footage of me teaching. Enjoy!
Real Life Example Of Teaching English In Korea
Textbook Vs Own Material
One interesting note on being able to teach my own material (like I mentioned in the video only happens at certain schools and for the most part is a lot less common) is that it can actually be quite tough to develop your own lessons with no reference framework.
Not having an overarching structure to what you teach can actually be quite tough, although fun, in that you have to develop lessons that will get the students talking but also teach them something relevant to their level and ability.
It’s far more likely that you’ll be using a textbook, as is the case for most people I know. The upside of this is that you have a syllabus to stick to and can work towards the learning outcomes of the textbook you’re using. The hard part, then, is making your lessons engaging and interesting for your students.
So as you can see both sides of the coin have their challenges.
I would recommend you come to Korea with an open mind about whatever situation you get. You may have a preference for one or the other but the test of a great teacher is whether you can adapt to different teaching scenarios.
My Lesson Plan Structure
The norm is for you to teach a set syllabus but that might not necessarily make your lessons look all that different from mine. As I mentioned briefly I have my own structure to how I plan my lessons which I adapted from what I learned doing my CELTA course and it’s very similar to most ESL lesson plan templates.
- Set the context for the lesson (for example I introduced The Simpsons to set the context for the lesson about family).
- Teach relevant vocabulary and grammar through eliciting answers from students and drilling.
- Controlled practice activity to use the new language in a structured way (such as the worksheet or simple speaking exercises)
- Freer practice and use of the language through activities, games and group conversations to use the language in “real world” situations.
Note: In the clip of me teaching you saw small segments from (2) and (3).
If you were teach from a textbook your lessons can usually be taught in a similar format and so overall the teaching would likely not be too different. The main difference being that the context would be determined by what the textbook dictates.
Alright so that’s what I have for you today on teaching in Korea. If you have any questions be sure to contact me and I’ll get back too you.
If you would like to get started teaching in Korea check out the Ninja Teacher Community – hands down the best resource and guide on how to get started out there 😉
Speak to you soon!