tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47368464298063454242024-03-06T11:23:06.120+09:00TEFL TipsHow to live, work, and study abroad as a TEFL teacher. Useful tips and tricks to help you in and out of the classroom overseas and abroad. Become a TEFL teacher and you work your way around the world!Sharonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052525872514292116noreply@blogger.comBlogger887125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-50439584161242492212018-10-01T14:17:00.000+09:002018-10-01T14:17:00.133+09:004 Types of Jobs Teachers Can Do to Earn Extra CashUnfortunately you're not going to get rich teaching, so many teachers decide to supplement their income. You can find loads of different jobs in the article I've written about <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2008/04/supplement-your-teaching-salary.html">offline jobs</a> and <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2008/04/supplement-your-income-by-earning-money.html">online jobs</a> for teachers. All of these jobs tend to fall into 4 different categories and you can find those below. <br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Websites-Extra-Money-Spare-Almost-ebook/dp/B00X6UXOFE/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1506575571&sr=8-10&keywords=earn+extra+cash&linkCode=li3&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=51497120e3b5cc6cd9bbcf9f5f5661f4" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00X6UXOFE&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=tt01df-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=tt01df-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00X6UXOFE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><b> </b><br />
<b>Occasional Jobs</b><br />
These are jobs that pop up every once is a while. Editing and testing are two good examples. You usually don't have to commit to that long of a time and can take a job here and there.<br />
<br />
<b>Seasonal jobs</b><br />
<a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2009/03/summer-and-winter-camps.html">Camp jobs</a>
fall into these category. They're intensive, but short-lived. If you
can paste a smile on your face for 8-10 hours a day and do that for a
week or so, then you're golden. <br />
<br />
<b>Part-time Jobs </b><br />
These jobs require more commitment. Perhaps you'll tutor kids in the evening or work at a school on the weekend. This is money you can count on month after month. <br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=tt01df-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B00X6UXOFE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><b>Passive income</b><br />
Making money while you sleep is the way to go. There are <a href="http://amzn.to/2ytP6rW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tons of ways to earn passive income</a> and those range from blogging, to Youtube, to affiliate marketing, and even rental property. You need to find what works for you. Just don't quit your day job until you have a steady income stream. Everyone talks about passive income, but it's not as easy as it looks. If it were, everyone would be doing it. <br />
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<br />
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<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-43283855636658044212018-06-01T14:12:00.000+09:002018-06-01T14:12:00.131+09:0025 Annoyances about Teaching in KoreaI have to admit that I do love living in Korea, but (you knew there'd be a but, didn't you?), there are somethings that annoy me. Below you can find 25 of my pet peeves that at times make me want to pull out my hair.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Applying for Job and Interviewing</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Looking for a job is stressful. Add cultural issues to it and it can be very frustrating. Read on for 5 difficulties you may encounter.<b></b></div>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1ppI9AYTfPth_uXNbVL20veKJZS5rz6qDqPsVjC3dicamtO1BrQioFaB75Xxx264mQGYMxFSdeSM35D3tNCwn4gc0KW3qrDl8f-P1YT6YT9f2XftOA5aGHARnzRC7BFNTi8VBCleaHY/s1600/bf9237c28f72e5e5ed6683fb41739cb3_400x400.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1ppI9AYTfPth_uXNbVL20veKJZS5rz6qDqPsVjC3dicamtO1BrQioFaB75Xxx264mQGYMxFSdeSM35D3tNCwn4gc0KW3qrDl8f-P1YT6YT9f2XftOA5aGHARnzRC7BFNTi8VBCleaHY/s320/bf9237c28f72e5e5ed6683fb41739cb3_400x400.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/frustr8edteachr" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Getting new apostillised copies of your degree and recently issues transcripts</b><br />
Listen: my degree and transcripts are like my birth certificate. They don't change. I was given a degree X years ago and I still have it. It's still valid.<br />
<b></b><br />
<b></b>
<b>Sending originals</b><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2k1PziE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This is a cultural issue</a>. I've been told that you can go to a Korean university and get loads of "original" degrees similar to what we would get for transcripts. That's not the case in the western world. You get one degree. You might be able to get one replacement and you'll most likely have to pay a fee and jump through hoops in order to get it. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Personal info</b><br />
I've gotten used to this now, but expect to put down your date of birth, age, visa type, address, phone, email, and civil status on your CV. Questions about your age, civil status, children (how many, when you plan on having them, why you don't want kids), religion, spouse, and religion are not off limits here. I've even been asked height and weight. Not comfortable with these questions? Try switching the topic politely by telling them that you'd much rather talk about how wonderful a teacher you are.<br />
<br />
<b>Lookism</b><br />
You will be judged on your looks. While that happens everywhere, Koreans are pretty blatant about it. Get a professional photo taken and they will Photoshop the heck out of it. Stick that on your CV. Dress up for the interview, put on make-up, do your hair, and don't forget to shine your shoes.<br />
<br />
<b>Scanning and handing over all your docs</b><br />
Every time I apply for a job, I send scans of my passport, alien card, degrees, transcripts, reference letters, and proof of employment. I don't blacken out any info. I send them as it. Am I worried that someone will steal my identity? Not really. This is Korea. That's just what's done when you apply for jobs.<br />
<br />
However, handing over my originals: not going to happen. I had one employer tell me that <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2014/07/hot-topic-what-to-do-when-schools-hold.html">they would keep my documents until I left</a>. Remember how I mentioned that Koreans can easily get "original" degrees? Because of that, they don't treat your documents with respect. I've seen them folded, with holes punched in them, ripped, written on, spilled coffee on, you name it. It's been done.<br />
<br />
My solution is simple. I bring my originals. I make the copies in front of them and I give them the copies. That's it. Works fine. There's no reason why they should have your originals. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hagwons</b></span></div>
Generally considered to be low on the totem pole are <a href="http://amzn.to/2xKKPmM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hagwon jobs</a>. There are a number of reasons why they're not that good. Here are 5. For another viewpoint, check out the link under the photo on below. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMCw4XrqhOZKGLAfZtXTHL0RJXO4oBHpLvbB3qp2Nm5xs5-Fu3nXkIzScS9pihD-3uUUV3j84a3AdfFkuSJ4xFePZdQP8O5GUYWBSB0p3G2aw_tAWgPNfZ7LyaWLO96x4YNU5VRCY6_Y/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMCw4XrqhOZKGLAfZtXTHL0RJXO4oBHpLvbB3qp2Nm5xs5-Fu3nXkIzScS9pihD-3uUUV3j84a3AdfFkuSJ4xFePZdQP8O5GUYWBSB0p3G2aw_tAWgPNfZ7LyaWLO96x4YNU5VRCY6_Y/s320/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eslinsider.com/blog/benefits-of-teaching-english-in-a-hagwon-in-korea" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>No Breaks</b><br />
Getting a 10 minute break is considered a luxury. Many places only give 5 minutes. That's barely enough to push your way through a sea of screaming kids and go to the bathroom.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>No Sitting</b><br />
Horrible rule. Teachers have to stand all the time. Standing is going to wreak havoc on your body physically. <br />
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<b>Holidays and Sick Days</b><br />
Sure, you get 10 days of vacation plus Korean holidays, but many places won't even let you take 10 days in a row. They'll give you 5 for summer and 5 for winter. Hardly worth spending thousands of dollars to go home when you'll be jet lagged the whole time. Sick? don't even think of taking a sick day. Yes, it's in your contract, but it's an unwritten rule that you do to work unless you're dying. <br />
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<b>Teaching hours</b><br />
30 seems to be the norm. Teaching 6 hours a day is exhausting. Finishing at 8, 9, or even 10 at night is not that uncommon. Sure, you
have mornings free, but finishing that late at night sucks.When you're teaching, you're always "on". Add to it that you're most likely dealing with kids who don't listen, you can't sit down, and the teaching material is crappy, and you're on your way to getting burn out, if you don't have it already.<br />
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<b>Getting Screwed</b><br />
Hagwon owners are unscrupulous. Many don't have a background in English or teaching; some may barely speak English. The reason they have a hagwon is because it's profitable. 11 month firings happen all too often because they want to get out of paying your flight. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Public Schools</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Government jobs in Korea are pretty easy, though you do have to worry about your school getting funding in order for you to renew your contract. Read on to find out about 5 other annoyances you might have to deal with. <b><br /></b></div>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElCKQ0Rd4P8GBYLpP1zfcJ6rf3yffM7s0_H1RhpGCxdiGgkO1R8kLG5YuLj-8ajvnbz16mAmrWjq49tKXEGwYi-wyWz7BiPl7slft6gtSaeiQaV8TTnim7AVfiJUEeZC-SLvwt6vKL_k/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElCKQ0Rd4P8GBYLpP1zfcJ6rf3yffM7s0_H1RhpGCxdiGgkO1R8kLG5YuLj-8ajvnbz16mAmrWjq49tKXEGwYi-wyWz7BiPl7slft6gtSaeiQaV8TTnim7AVfiJUEeZC-SLvwt6vKL_k/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thethreewisemonkeys.com/2012/06/26/clueless-how-korean-public-schools-got-english-ed-wrong/" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Desk warming</b><br />
Sure, you only teach a maximum of 22 hours a week, but you'll spend the remainder of that time desk warming. And when school's not in session and all the teachers aren't there, you sure will be! The positive aspect of this is that if you manage your time well, check out <a href="http://amzn.to/2hyOavE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">7 Habits of Highly Effective People</a> for tips, you can get a lot done. Want a master's degree, to start a blog, or write a book? You'll have plenty of time to do so. <br />
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<b>Blocking emails</b><br />
Emails can't be checked due to firewalls, yet you can get on Facebook and Reddit. Yeah, makes perfect sense to me too!<br />
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<b>Co-teachers</b><br />
It's the luck of the draw. Sometimes you get a good one who will help when needed but usually lets you do your own thing. Sometimes they'll stay in the class the whole time. Other times they'll leave. Sometimes they don't speak English. Regardless, having a co-teacher is tough.<br />
<br />
<b>Pay Issues</b><br />
Usually you won't have issues with public schools with pay, however, some teachers have reported that their schools don't take pension out, citing "foreigners don't pay pension", despite the fact that it's in the contract. <br />
<br />
You'll also have to pay them a security deposit of 900,000 won. This deposit can't be deducted from your pay check (that's illegal), you're supposed to give it to them. Get a receipt or do a bank transfer. This deposit used to be for housing to ensure you didn't damage the apartment and was called a housing deposit. Nowadays, it's just for sh!ts and giggles since everyone (even those with their own housing) are required to pay that deposit. It makes no sense whatsoever.<br />
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<b>Methods and Materials</b><br />
Memorizing: Be aware that when it's test time, you might be told that not only should you give the students the questions ahead of time so that they can study, but also the answer. Um, come again? Yep, can't make stuff like this up. I think this is one thing worth fighting about. Just do it nicely.<br />
<br />
Books: Ah, English text books at public schools. You often get them and go what were they thinking? The material can be lacking to say the least. I know people who were told to spend 45 minutes teaching the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Hi, My name is Minsu. What's your name?</li>
<li>My name is John.</li>
<li>Nice to meet you.</li>
<li>Nice to meet you, too.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMr2YKSVLYU0iS2B_WIcAn_6yQZcRW6WExCs7hOIJBvsXyre0NaqE-c3w7WcHj5owYps-A-Rq776WXuw9btuYDnvF8yYKRk1Y4Tx6aSIBsbWUOfG31wLTQwD59IIGqnTSAGMITYmJe3c/s1600/Lsa9o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMr2YKSVLYU0iS2B_WIcAn_6yQZcRW6WExCs7hOIJBvsXyre0NaqE-c3w7WcHj5owYps-A-Rq776WXuw9btuYDnvF8yYKRk1Y4Tx6aSIBsbWUOfG31wLTQwD59IIGqnTSAGMITYmJe3c/s320/Lsa9o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Written by a native speaker who was likely forced to make a textbook. Check out the eye chart. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The "I say, you repeat" method of drilling is used a lot. It's further exasperated by the low English level of some of the English teachers. I'm not sure what tests public school teachers need to pass to become English teachers, but I will say that some of the English I've heard is absolutely atrocious. The pronunciation and grammar is just not good at all and this is passed on to the students. Furthermore, the Korean culture doesn't allow people to correct their elders. So if a teacher mispronounces something, even if there is a student who speaks English better (perhaps they lived abroad or have a parent who speaks English), they would never correct the teacher. <br />
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On the other hand, sometimes they give you books that are way above their level. Now, granted, Koreans are very good at test taking. Years of rote memorizing and test taking have prepared them to pass tests. But when you are told that you're supposed to teach TOEFL to kids who can barely make a sentence, you can't help but shake your head in disbelief.<br />
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Other times, you'll be given nothing. You'll be told to prepare your own lessons. This can be great, but you need to have a basic understanding of their level and be able to plan a simple curriculum.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Universities</b></span></div>
Considered the creme de la creme of teaching jobs in Korea, they are not without their problems.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzdOdgT0X286JXTUm-zFTYWIBPQcY-mj7qR7DZ5niuxRRGmlc-35wDmSUa1lDw0cPa_29qk_7DiqkHnoGn_siqBPeXfRZUuZRsv5HXZYjLNfxK8r74EXHWz31NeJBiGG4HoB6UyaJMt0/s1600/korea-uni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzdOdgT0X286JXTUm-zFTYWIBPQcY-mj7qR7DZ5niuxRRGmlc-35wDmSUa1lDw0cPa_29qk_7DiqkHnoGn_siqBPeXfRZUuZRsv5HXZYjLNfxK8r74EXHWz31NeJBiGG4HoB6UyaJMt0/s320/korea-uni.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.connectkorea.com/sky-universities-korea-seoul-korea-yonsei/" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b></b>
<b>Making Up Holidays</b><br />
When you get red days off, you're likely expected to make them up. This never works. Students choose classes based on their schedule. It's pretty much impossible to find a time to meet that works for everyone. Usually only about a third of the students can make it. Then you run into the issue, of what the heck do you teach? You can't teach anything necessary, since most of the students won't be there. Any how about attendance? Can't make it mandatory, since students have other classes. So what happens is that you *wink, wink* tell students that you'll forget to take attendance. After all, you can't punish students for not coming to a class that isn't in their schedule. In the end, no one shows up if you're lucky. If you're not, you'll get one eager beaver student.<br />
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<b>Grades and the Curve</b><br />
Many Korean universities have high curves. By high, I mean that 50% may be allowed to get As. The key word is "allowed". You don't have to give half of your students As. You're welcome to give them all Cs if you want. However, students know what the curve is and will try to get you to max it out. They'll often ask about their ranking.<br />
<br />
Grading on a curve can be a pain. If you have an amazing class, you're not allowed to give them all As. You will be forced to give out Cs to some students. Making sure you spread out the grading during the semester can help. <a href="http://amzn.to/2xF0GTE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rubrics will be your friend</a>. Learn how to make them and use them in class. Also be sure to pick <a href="http://amzn.to/2yFvRwx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">meaningful assessments</a>. Unfortunately, <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2017/04/a-quick-and-easy-way-to-decrease.html">some students will need to get low grades</a>. Fighting over grades brings us to the next topic: grievances.<br />
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<b>Grievances</b><br />
Oh, the complaint period, otherwise known as the grievance period. This is the time when a student can come to you begging and pleading for a higher grade. Common reasons are:<br />
<ul>
<li>I made my best effort</li>
<li>My parents have no money</li>
<li>I will lose my scholarship</li>
</ul>
Notice that none of them involve subjective reasons, such as the teacher made a mathematical error when calculating the grade. Or that the student really can speak English. I always tell my students <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2012/12/avoiding-whole-teacher-please-raise-my.html">what constitutes as a good reason for asking for a higher grade</a>. Many times students have come to me asking why they got a B or C and they can't even ask the question in English. Well, there's your answer.<br />
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More often than not the amount of time you have to enter grades and grievances just doesn't make sense. Some unis will give you three days to enter grades, but a week to change them during the grievance week. Who thinks this stuff up? Admin who has no experience teaching. It's much harder to get all your grades in order than to change a few. A tip: always leave extra As and Bs just in case you make a mistake. Then during the grievance period you can bump students up if you don't need them. <br />
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<b>The Language Institute's Office Hours</b><br />
Often the language institute's office is separate from the teachers' room. Teachers will be given a card to open the teachers' room door, but not the office. The office will usually open from 9am-5pm and be closed during lunch, from 12noon-1pm. Yet, teachers often need things (updated attendance records, paper (I kid you not, paper is often rationed, like gas for heat!), or just information) from the office before classes start.<br />
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This is especially true at the beginning of every semester, when changes happen. I understand that it's hard to work long hours, but they should be open longer. Perhaps hire more secretaries and have them work different shifts. There's no reason to have numerous secretaries in the office twiddling their thumbs. Have them work 10 hours, 4 days a week and cut down the number of secretaries who are in there at the same time. If there are busy times during the day, have more secretaries work then. Seems like common sense, right?<br />
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Everything shuts down in Korea during lunch time. The office is closed and most other classes don't meet then, but English classes do. Murphy's Law states that lunch time is a perfect time for your computer to break or the projector to overheat. Speaking of technology brings us to our next point.<br />
<br />
<b>Crappy Technology Hand-me-downs</b><br />
All unis claim to be "global" yet the English department always ends up with the worst stuff. Money isn't allocated well. What is often down is that when other departments get new computers or new anything, the old stuff gets sent to the English department. While I understand that desktops can last a long time, upgrading them is key. When it takes your computer 15 minutes to start up or your internet browser crashes three times before lunch, something needs to be fixed.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Teaching in General</b></div>
<b> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3q0BdN7WDSVMyteV3jeJAwoRofuO1ch74piyjkik3G4WrAIXVL_HEWVVovFrSk4CFD8JhC5jyQQcMTgZIWlukTexD2VaGnJp7mQNAr-gfwisE7jRRZ89EQER5UZ13TQo41ejhw2TjcU/s1600/TESOL-TEFL-ESL-EFL-CELTA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="600" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_3q0BdN7WDSVMyteV3jeJAwoRofuO1ch74piyjkik3G4WrAIXVL_HEWVVovFrSk4CFD8JhC5jyQQcMTgZIWlukTexD2VaGnJp7mQNAr-gfwisE7jRRZ89EQER5UZ13TQo41ejhw2TjcU/s320/TESOL-TEFL-ESL-EFL-CELTA.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://teachinginkoreanuniversity.com/tefl-certificate-vs-masters-degree/" target="_blank">Image source</a><b><br /></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b><br />
<b>Useless Paperwork</b><br />
Since admin has to prove things, they will often make you do useless paperwork. Some examples are self evals (that no one reads), printing out everything you did during the semester (always a waste of paper since no one looks at anything, but just stuffs it into a cabinet), or having meetings about the curriculum and writing up minutes (again, no one cares. You'll work all semester on it and the admin will just end up doing whatever they want).<br />
<br />
<b>Lack of Support</b><br />
They may tell you the rules about grades or absences, but more often than not, they will throw you under the bus when you try to implement them. They will say, "up to you" which means that you can do whatever you want, but we won't stand behind you even if you follow the rules. They should really read a book or two about <a href="http://amzn.to/2xESsLc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ed admin</a> or <a href="http://amzn.to/2xEPtlT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">how to teach English</a>. <br />
<br />
<b>No heat or AC</b><br />
Once the head office decides that winter or summer is over, the heat and AC get turned off. And if that means that you're sweating bullets or your hands shake because you're so cold, don't expect them to care; those same rules certainly don't apply to them. Oh and don't forget that the hallways and bathrooms won't be heated or have AC either. <br />
<br />
<b>Cleaning Your Own Office</b><br />
Somehow this is never written into the contract, but I've worked at places that probably hadn't been cleaned in years. Whether they do this because they don't want the cleaners to be accused of stealing or to save money, it doesn't work. They need a new system. Keeping stuff neat and tidy, fine, I understand. But having to mop the floors of the office? Nope, not going to happen. Let the dirt pile up. <br />
<br />
<b>Signing a Resignation Letter When Your Contract is Up</b><br />
Even though your contract has an end date, they're still going to make you sign a resignation letter. Most likely it's so they can put all the blame on you for leaving<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Conclusion</b></div>
Well, there you have it. It sounds like I have a lot of complaints about teaching in Korea, but that's not true. It's just that different complaints apply to different teaching situations. Teaching in Korea sure isn't perfect, but it is a great job. <br />
<br />
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<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-64327623599277732018-02-01T11:03:00.000+09:002018-02-01T11:03:17.783+09:00Should You Accept a Low Paying Online Job Teaching English?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikp7HkHWvU4lbuS3VkorIAqAE2oV5vGpC5HEnrGcKsPFFHBPz6oTQh_TnsjnLmM1XB8kP0mcaYYBz4M1XBGYci2VG0D7m4pAULfgBSTv6vRBpplsFCSESmdeXOqoWHpetZAOrm3uyXPnw/s1600/online-teaching.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="400" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikp7HkHWvU4lbuS3VkorIAqAE2oV5vGpC5HEnrGcKsPFFHBPz6oTQh_TnsjnLmM1XB8kP0mcaYYBz4M1XBGYci2VG0D7m4pAULfgBSTv6vRBpplsFCSESmdeXOqoWHpetZAOrm3uyXPnw/s320/online-teaching.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://americantesolinstitute.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/teaching-english-online/" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yes, more likely thank not you should. I've written about <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2008/03/teaching-online.html">teaching English online</a> before and many of the jobs don't pay that well. However, you should still consider <a href="http://amzn.to/2fSxzmw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teaching English online</a>. Let's find out why.<br />
<br />
<b>Some Money is Better Than No Money</b><br />
If you aren't going to be working, it's always better to get something rather than nothing. Let's say you teach an hour a day for $10 an hour and do that for 20 hours a month. That's an extra $200, which isn't that much. However, in a year, that would be $2400, which is a nice chunk of change.<br />
<br />
<b>No Commute</b><br />
Other jobs may pay more but more likely than not you'll have to commute. If you get a job that pays $30 an hour, but have to spend 30 minutes commuting each way, then you're really only getting $15 an hour. Plus, if you're in Asia, the timing seems to work well since most of the classes are in the evening and at night. <br />
<br />
<b>Experience</b><br />
Knowing how to teach online can help you for future jobs since you're working with online platforms. The more you know about technology, the better. So even though the pay might not be that great, you're gaining experience. <br />
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<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-18065770585693874232017-11-01T10:58:00.000+09:002017-11-07T21:18:39.060+09:00Should TEFL Teachers get their Boss a Christmas Gift?TEFL teachers have the chance to be immersed in the country and culture. Giving gifts are an important part of many cultures. There are a <a href="http://amzn.to/2eUAfPv" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">few things to remember before giving Christmas gifts</a>.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxJ2ijorGNSn7eJWEWf5C9afsI7CfQKai85lWTvrTUr0t29XCtwUmGfdid1n0Gl5UqKLvenhKXpjyBR0-KL_x5T6dVyHJR2CRTEg2yVgOh5NTXtB-fcBoPv7Hgfe6aBJZz5DAykFi4j4/s1600/635848581812298477-889710148_gift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="500" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxJ2ijorGNSn7eJWEWf5C9afsI7CfQKai85lWTvrTUr0t29XCtwUmGfdid1n0Gl5UqKLvenhKXpjyBR0-KL_x5T6dVyHJR2CRTEg2yVgOh5NTXtB-fcBoPv7Hgfe6aBJZz5DAykFi4j4/s320/635848581812298477-889710148_gift.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2015/12/04/635848581812298477-889710148_gift.jpg" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>1. Is Christmas celebrated?</b><br />
In some countries, Christmas may not be celebrated, such as in <a href="http://amzn.to/2f44E1z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Muslim countries</a>. Or if it is, it's not that big a deal, like in Korea, where <a href="http://amzn.to/2wZCKdc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">gifts are usually given during Chuseok</a> and not during Christmas. When in doubt, ask what the local customs dictate; you don't want to end up committing a major faux pas.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Don't expect something in return </b><br />
Gifts are all about giving; not receiving. Just because you give a gift, doesn't mean that your boss has to get you something in return. Expecting something in return brings us to the next point: bribery.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Don't use gifts as bribery</b><br />
This should be a given, but some people still expect preferential treatment because they gave their boss a Christmas gift. Don't expect to be treated special or that giving a gift will get you that promotion that you've been wanting. This is probably the main reason people don't give their bosses Christmas presents; they don't want people to think they're bribing their boss.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Stick to the budget </b><br />
If you are going to give your boss a Christmas gift, ask your co-workers how much they usually spend. Spending too much or too little is not good. You don't want to stick out. Remember the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. You want to blend in. Maybe everyone can pitch in and<a href="http://amzn.to/2wodQ3z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> buy your boss an amazing gourmet gift basket</a>. <br />
<br />
<b>5. Is it appropriate?</b><br />
As an adult, you should know whether a certain gift is appropriate or not; however, the company culture also comes into play. Some offices give gag gifts or white elephant gifts. Others do secret Santas. Find out what the norm is for your office and follow it.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Get something for the office </b><br />
Speaking of the office, perhaps the safest thing to do is get a gift for the entire office. <a href="http://amzn.to/2f4EYlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homemade cookies</a> are always appreciated. If you can't bake, no worries, there are plenty of delicious store-bought items that you can buy and everyone can enjoy. Food like <a href="http://amzn.to/2f4sY3v" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mixed nuts</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2eUC2nF" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dried fruit</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2eUdEm5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">coffee cake</a>, and <a href="http://amzn.to/2f3NKjN" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cookies</a> are always a safe bet. Drinks such as a <a href="http://amzn.to/2f2Pl9m" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">variety box of coffee</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2jlWZNs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tea sets</a>, and <a href="http://amzn.to/2f4uzWK" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">assorted hot chocolate</a> are sure to be enjoyed during break times.
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<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-39045899893450818372017-10-01T15:15:00.000+09:002017-10-01T15:15:02.526+09:00How to Legally Work on a SOFA visa (ex. Teach English)If you're coming overseas with your spouse and are hoping to get a job off base, you'll need to jump through some hoops in order to do so <b>legally</b>. If you want to do it off base, you're going to have to
go to the immigration office and get permission. The only way that you can work legally on a SOFA visa is if you're
doing it on base. If you want to work on base, there are many options available. You can find out more in the post, <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2017/09/how-to-get-job-on-american-military_1.html">getting a job on an American military base overseas</a>. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Overseas-Perspective-accredited-countries-ebook/dp/B01LWCTAFY/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1505283258&sr=8-2&keywords=teach+overseas&linkCode=li2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=f5274b6d12375af4c570f5841a08c656" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt=" Amazon" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01LWCTAFY&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=tt01df-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2wZZjOR" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a></td></tr>
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Please don't believe people who tell you that you can work on a SOFA visa. The SOFA visa allows you to live in Korea. Live. That's it. Not work. Not study. Just be here. If you work, it will not be legal. If caught there will be repercussions for you as well as your sponsor, so don't risk screwing up their career because you didn't go to the source. Fines, deportation, counseling for your sponsor have all happened to people who have been caught. Don't risk it. Same goes for modelling. Here's more info about <a href="https://tenderembracebirthing.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-get-your-child-into-modeling-in.html" target="_blank">modelling in Korea</a>. <br />
<br />
<b>Go to the Source </b><br />
The people you need to ask are immigration. The Legal Office does NOT issue visas. They will refer you to immigration, who are the people who issue visas, fines, and revoke visas.<br />
<br />
If you're in Korea, the immigration office can be reached from 9am-6pm on 1345. Like everyone else in Korea (except teachers), the entire country shuts down and they have a lunch break from 12noon-1pm.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.hikorea.go.kr/" target="_blank">immigration website</a> can be hard to navigate since the url doesn't change and it's not globally friendly at all. You have to use an antiquated version of Internet Explorer and even then it's not guaranteed to work. <br />
<br />
<b>What will happen to your SOFA visa?</b><br />
You have two choices. What you choose depends on your situation. I choose the second option since my sponsor was leaving Korea and my SOFA visa would be cancelled. By getting my own visa, I could stay in Korea.<br />
<br />
<b>1. The first is to keep your SOFA visa</b> and simply get "permission for activities outside your sojourn" added to your SOFA visa. That means you have your A3 SOFA visa but have asked for permission to do something else and they have granted it. Basically, you're legal. Go to the immigration website and choose "immigration", then "immigration guide" on the left you'll see "foreigner sojourn" then pick "participation in activities certified for current sojourn status? <a href="http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/NtcCotnDetailR_en.pt?bbsGbCd=BS10&bbsSeq=2&langCd=EN&ntccttSeq=47" target="_blank">According to their website</a> it costs 120,000. I think that since SOFA visa holders are not required to have an ARC, then you wouldn't have to pay 30,000 for the card plus 3,000 for delivery, but don't quote me. <br />
<br />
<b>2. The second option is to cancel your SOFA visa</b> and get another visa. You do not have to do a visa run. You can do it right here in Korea at an immigration office. This cost 100,000 to change your visa, 30,000 for a new ARC, and 3,000 to mail it to you. <a href="http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/NtcCotnDetailR_en.pt?bbsGbCd=BS10&bbsSeq=2&langCd=EN&ntccttSeq=47" target="_blank">Here's the fee info</a>. <br />
<br />
<b>Going to the Immigration Office</b><br />
Many immigration offices now require you to make an appointment first.
This has to be done on their website. You need to register first and
download a whole bunch of random keys, ActiveX, and TouchEn. It's a
pain. I'd see if you can get someone to help you. The other option is
taking your passport to your immigration office and getting them to make
an appointment for you. They'll then send you a text with the info.
Screenshot that text.<br />
<br />
What docs you need depends on what job you want. Basically, you need to fulfill the same requirements as anyone else who would get that visa would need. Let's say you want to <a href="http://amzn.to/2f4x5wg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">teach English</a> and would get an E2 visa. Here's what you need.<br />
<ul>
<li>A passport from the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, or Australia</li>
<li>An apostillised criminal background check (within the last 6 months) (<a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/06/apostillisations-and-fbi-background.html">more info</a>)</li>
<li>A bachelor's degree and apostillised copy (<a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/06/apostillisations-and-fbi-background.html">more info</a>) with sealed transcripts </li>
<li>A self-medical check</li>
<li>A medical check from a specific hospital or clinic</li>
<li>2 photos 3.5cm X 4.5cm</li>
<li>Fee (bring about 200,000)</li>
<li>Lease with your name on it (or document that certified you live there. Go to the immigration website and choose "Application forms" from the bottom right. It's at the top of the pop-up under "sojourn related forms")</li>
<li>Utility bill </li>
<li>Your school will also have to provide you with docs, like your teaching schedule, contract, business registration, and educational certificate. </li>
<li>Photo copies of everything </li>
</ul>
<b>Congrats!</b><br />
Get the right paperwork together and you CAN legally work on a SOFA visa. No need to worry about doing something illegal and getting yourself and your sponsor in trouble. <img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=tt01df-20&l=as2&o=1" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-80340985584938487212017-08-26T18:41:00.000+09:002017-08-26T21:18:56.535+09:00When Should Teachers Throw In the Towel?The following post is from Jessica H., a <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2011/12/guest-posts.html">guest blogger</a> who has been teaching at a university in Korea for over 15 years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBY2PHZwFCZObGmJrclMBZOHA8QKKI01cvIGwp6g0meBzfUS6T6yP0D8C1nf04X5s1oXiKxLG_IKFKtj66dtQGf3uyVJB_cSVTQDyQ9afd2XtmdeTpYzdAlhLinll8mp__slNNwEOkw_I/s1600/quit-job.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="726" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBY2PHZwFCZObGmJrclMBZOHA8QKKI01cvIGwp6g0meBzfUS6T6yP0D8C1nf04X5s1oXiKxLG_IKFKtj66dtQGf3uyVJB_cSVTQDyQ9afd2XtmdeTpYzdAlhLinll8mp__slNNwEOkw_I/s320/quit-job.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
When do you throw in the towel? I don’t mean quitting expat life or <a href="http://amzn.to/2wdeUZx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">changing your career</a> or even quitting and finding a new employer. When do you quit a class? I was once offered a class of middle schoolers. It was twice a week for several months and offered through my employer at my work site. It paid well and I didn’t have to worry about getting into trouble for working illegally. <br />
<br />
Teenagers have never been my favorite students. The hormones and the sassiness that invariably accompanies them has always tried my patience. But I sucked it up and said yes because I needed the money to pay those ever-looming college loans. <br />
<br />
How bad could it be??? Show up a couple times a week and try to impart some knowledge of the English language and maybe even have a bit of fun. I didn’t get to interview the students before the class began. I didn’t get to choose the book. The admin decided that would fall on another teacher’s shoulders.The day before the class I’m told that the parents wanted the students to do homework. OK, whatever I can do that. The first day of class I walked in and found a group of twelve elementary school students. They were between 10 and 12 years old. They weren’t middle school students. They didn’t have the ability to speak middle school English. Yet here I was with an inappropriate book and unprepared.<br />
<br />
In this situation in Korea you’ve got two choices: suck it up buttercup or complain. Both will get you the same results. Nothing. Nothing will change. You’ll talk to someone, plead your case, and get a smile and the ever helpful shoulder shrug. I charged ahead trying to make the best of the class week by week. I made worksheets and used the textbook as little as possible.<br />
<br />
I soon realized the students didn’t know how to write 1-30 in English. No problem! It’s homework! They didn’t know days of the week or months of the year either No problem! It’s homework. Then came the problem. Very few completed their homework. Yet I had no way to enforce it. No amount of pleading or cajoling or bribing would get the homework done. But remember I was told the parents wanted it. I wasn’t given a list of home phone numbers or emails to let parents know that the homework wasn’t complete. That the thing they wanted wasn’t being done.<br />
<br />
I threw in the towel. I couldn’t do it anymore. I gave up. The money I so desperately needed wasn’t enough to keep me there. I don’t want to say quit when you’re challenged. Of course no one wants to be a quitter. However, sometimes you’re over your head or your teaching style isn’t working. You can try to change and make the best of it. Sometimes you hand the class off to someone else and shake the dust of your boots and go home. In the end I learned a valuable lesson. I learned that sometimes things are beyond our control as <a href="http://amzn.to/2vfFC6y" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">EFL teachers in Korea</a>.Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-59252569943791392752017-06-01T10:39:00.000+09:002017-09-14T10:22:50.929+09:00Loads of Links for Student EvalsI have written a handful of articles about student evals and how they can impact things such as contract renewal and bonuses. Below is a compilation to the various articles I wrote as well as other ones online<b>.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Problems with Evaluations and Their </b><b>Affects on Teachers</b><br />
There are many, many problems with student evals. One problem is that <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/12/students-arent-customers.html">students aren't customers</a> even though they may <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/dec/18/my-students-have-paid-9000-and-now-they-think-they-own-me" target="_blank">think they own you because of the high cost of tuition</a>. Here are <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2014/01/when-students-evaluate-their-teachers.html">a few more problems</a>. Lastly, here's <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2014/07/poll-results-june-2014-student-evals-are.html">what teachers think about student evals</a>. <br />
<br />
Student evals <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2016/12/10-hoops-to-jump-through-to-get-renewed.html">affect contract renewal</a> and this means teachers might do anything they can to increase their evals, including <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/09/teaching-without-emotion.html">being a dancing monkey</a>. <br />
<br />
Sometime you get punished if students don't evaluate you. An easy way to make sure they do is to <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/03/quick-tip-do-student-evals-during-mid.html">do the evaluations during mid-term or final exams</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Ideas for Evaluation</b><br />
What should the <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/05/what-should-be-standard-for-evaluations.html">standard be for evaluation</a>? Make sure the evals are <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2014/01/reliability-and-validity-in-classroom.html">reliable and valid</a>. Or better yet, stop evaluating and <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/01/how-to-help-teachers-become-better.html">start mentoring</a>.The admin <a href="http://amzn.to/2j58oBd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">should be supporting teachers</a>. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JkssdlCK-do/UdE7J60VgTI/AAAAAAAAEOo/P8Nv1yrmFKw/s1198/Issue12_Art_Students_Evaluate_Teachers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JkssdlCK-do/UdE7J60VgTI/AAAAAAAAEOo/P8Nv1yrmFKw/s320/Issue12_Art_Students_Evaluate_Teachers.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From stuyspectator.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Teachers don't get a break. They are always being evaluated. Here are <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2012/03/hot-topic-teacher-evaluation.html">4 different ways teachers are evaluated</a>. Since the admin evaluates teachers, then have <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/04/teachers-should-evaluate-admin.html">teachers evaluate the admin</a>. It would be a great way to get rid of some of the horrible administrators sitting around. Having <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/03/teachers-should-do-self-evaluations.html">teachers do self-evaluations</a> can also be useful.<br />
<br />
<b>How to Get Better Evals</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/04/surrending-to-cell-phones-and.html">Let students use cell phones</a>. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/05/pros-and-cons-of-teaching-content.html">Teach content courses</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/05/should-you-tell-your-students-their.html">Don't tell students their grades</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2011/07/quick-tip-ask-for-feedback.html">Ask for feedback</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://mtprof.msun.edu/Fall1997/HOWTORAI.html" target="_blank">How to improve your evals without improving your teaching</a> </li>
</ul>
<b><br /></b>
<b>More Articles about Student Evals</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/dec/18/my-students-have-paid-9000-and-now-they-think-they-own-me" target="_blank">My students have paid £9000 and they think they own me</a></li>
<li>Huffington Post: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-turner/a-warning-to-young-people_b_3033304.html" target="_blank">A warning to young people: don't become a teacher</a> </li>
<li>Los Angeles Review of Books: <a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/dear-parents-everything-you-need-to-know-about-your-son-and-daughters-university-but-dont/" target="_blank">Dear parents: everything you need to know about your son and daughter's university but don't</a></li>
<li>Montana State University: <a href="http://mtprof.msun.edu/Fall1997/HOWTORAI.html" target="_blank">Improve your teaching scores without improving your teaching</a>! (and this shows exact why student evals are crap) </li>
<li>NPR: <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/04/26/401953167/what-if-students-could-fire-their-professors" target="_blank">What if students could fire their professors</a>? (sounds like Korea!) </li>
<li>Slate: <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/inside_higher_ed/2016/01/student_evaluations_show_bias_against_female_instructors.html" target="_blank">It's time to kill the student evaluations</a></li>
</ul>
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<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-2624716682492327842017-05-01T05:22:00.000+09:002017-05-01T05:22:04.959+09:003 Different Ways of Dealing with a Curve<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UmVKvd5Cnquwr8DXx9ETKH2z5BxypoGuUqVzalhIhGqzahEzQjAPBwdb5i6U82si4tB9y32Csk4665-5rZokcOtlwVD5fsWg0SSXt7whmacKL3wfUEA2TExOfIEg72FGKjjZKjNFM8g/s1600/18k1qzbbvugikjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UmVKvd5Cnquwr8DXx9ETKH2z5BxypoGuUqVzalhIhGqzahEzQjAPBwdb5i6U82si4tB9y32Csk4665-5rZokcOtlwVD5fsWg0SSXt7whmacKL3wfUEA2TExOfIEg72FGKjjZKjNFM8g/s200/18k1qzbbvugikjpg.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gawker.com/5858186/no-show-professor-gives-everyone-as-yet-students-still-complain-about-grades" target="_blank">Image source</a><b><br /></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Grading on a curve can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. I've found that most teachers do one of three things when faced with using a curve.<br />
<br />
<b>1. They max out the curve</b><br />
If you take a TEFL course you will find out that many of us are teaching required courses. Even if it's not required, I highly recommend you take a course even if you've been teaching for years; there's always something new you can learn. Some popular online courses are the <a href="http://www.ccelt.com/product/online-tefl-course/?affiliates=3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CCELT</a> (100 hours) and the <a href="https://teflonline.teachaway.com/aff/idevaffiliate.php?id=113%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%20target=%22_blank">University of Toronto</a> (100, 120, and 150 hours). Due to this, many of the students don't care as much about these classes as they would about classes in their major. Although English is important, a basic course probably isn't going to make or break their career, so why fight it? If the curve allows for 30% A's, then they'll give 30%, no matter how low the scores are.<br />
<br />
There are a couple of exceptions to this, one is when teachers save a couple A's just in case there are mistakes. If they have students with identical scores, they might bump them both down to B's, though some teachers will take a look at how much they improved or their effort and give one an A and one a B. I personally find that difficult to do. Some students are naturally better than others and will score higher with little effort. So what do you do in that case? Reward the student who has slightly better English or reward the student who tried the hardest? Either way, these teachers will do their best to max out the curve.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>2. They use cut-off scores</b><br />
Commonly referred to as a cut-line in Korea, these teachers ignore the curve. The purpose of the curve is to <a href="http://amzn.to/2b3J9FT" target="_blank">put a cap on how many grades you can give</a>. They don't state that there has to be a minimum number of A's. Therefore, these teachers might use a straight 90-80-70-60 cut-off, or make up their own. If the highest score in the class is a 79, then no one gets an A or a B. The highest score will be a C. Of course, this might set you up for a <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2012/12/avoiding-whole-teacher-please-raise-my.html">bunch of student complaints</a>, but I've found that most teachers who do this don't care about complaints and are very firm with grading. <a href="http://amzn.to/2bxTGuv" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">They believe that students get what they deserve</a>.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>3. They look for a natural separation</b><br />
This method kind of combines the first two methods. The teacher isn't going to max out the scores nor are they going to use per-determined cut-off scores. They're going to look for bunches. Let's say you're allowed to give a max of 30% A's and the top 23% of your students have scores in the 90s and then there's a huge drop from there and the next score is an 84. Teachers who use this method are going to use the drop as a cut-off score since that's where the divide naturally falls. Of course, even with this method, you're going to <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2012/12/avoiding-whole-teacher-please-raise-my.html">get students who complain</a>, however, there will always be students who complain, even when you max out the curve. Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-33676790371423572752017-04-03T04:39:00.000+09:002017-09-27T14:49:22.569+09:00A Quick and Easy Way to Decrease the Complaints You Get About Writing Scores<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5oJvxx_dmhGSnFZvX6lY0zNqmzbpQa1AvpmGfYK_esfXq3X-DvknFvMHnz27KzGzAqJRLOmxiROqkIVKMtiIdgU4QK82lZjHTTZH2qcge_ETaEztToam69v2yWktnT0O4r1Zq-dhNpI/s1600/file_2_grading_2_1441712537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5oJvxx_dmhGSnFZvX6lY0zNqmzbpQa1AvpmGfYK_esfXq3X-DvknFvMHnz27KzGzAqJRLOmxiROqkIVKMtiIdgU4QK82lZjHTTZH2qcge_ETaEztToam69v2yWktnT0O4r1Zq-dhNpI/s320/file_2_grading_2_1441712537.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.collegemag.net/article/Main_Page/512/Knusts-grading-systemunderstanding-the-cwa-part-1-freshersdiaries" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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At once time or another I'm sure every teacher has been asked by a student to <a href="http://amzn.to/2bc4D9h" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">re-grade their writing</a>. Usually what happens is that they'll come to you and say something like they think they deserve a higher grade. Sometimes, they'll bring their friend's paper and say their friend got a higher score and they think that they also deserve a higher score. <br />
<br />
In the past I made the mistake of increasing their score. In hindsight, this definitely was a major mistake to make. First of all, it tells the student that you didn't do a good job grading. Second, it lets them know that if they complain, you'll raise their grade. The only reason I would give them a higher grade when they came and complained was to appease them. Once students find out you'll raise their score if they come talk to you, you'll be bombarded by students.<br />
<br />
After over a decade of teaching at the university level, <a href="http://amzn.to/2bc4D9h" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I know what grade a student deserves</a>. Due to the that and the fact that it can be depressing for students to see red all over their paper, I don't correct every single mistake. Plus there's the fact that very few students will actually look at the corrections I've made.<br />
<br />
One little change I've made has <a href="http://amzn.to/2bc4D9h" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dramatically decreased the amount of complaints</a> I have once I hand a writing activity back.When students come to me and ask me to re-consider the grade I gave them I start at the very beginning and correct every single mistake. Usually after a sentence or two the student will realise that they got a higher score than they deserved. If not, I'll refer to the rubric and start deducting points. Then I'll give them the option of keeping their score or changing it. When they come with their friend's paper, I do the same to their friend's paper and they quickly realise that their friend will lose points.<br />
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Some people will say that it sounds mean, but I personally know that I do a good job grading and <a href="http://amzn.to/2bc4D9h" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">grade fairly</a>. I don't play favourites. More often than not give them higher scores than other teachers would.
This isn't a problem since all my students are graded against themselves: not against other teachers' students. In addition, there's a curve involved. <br />
<br />
Granted, there are times when I've made a mistake with the math involved and when that happens I'll happily change their score. However, if you make this one change, students will realise that complaining will not necessarily raise their score and if anything, it will decrease it. Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-56163219739241949972017-03-01T13:27:00.000+09:002017-03-01T13:27:11.227+09:00Review of Tax Uncomplicated / U.S. Expat Taxes in KoreaI've written reviews about tax accountants before. First in 2012, I wrote about <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2012/10/review-of-greenback-tax-services.html">Greenback Tax Services</a> and then in 2013 I wrote about <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/04/review-of-taxes-for-expats.html">Taxes for Expats</a>. I never used Taxes for Expats for my tax returns due to the dodgy feeling I got from them. I used Greenback Tax Services from 2011-2014. In 2015, I decided to try a different accountant. The two people who ran this service were Americans who had lived in Korea for years. They're called <a href="http://taxuncomplicated.com/" target="_blank">Tax Uncomplicated</a> and their Facebook group is called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/269497076542670/" target="_blank">U.S. Expat Taxes in Korea</a>. I figured they would have a different prospective on things.<a href="http://taxuncomplicated.com/" target="_blank">Tax Uncomplicated</a> is the American headquarters and <a href="http://www.klemsenconsulting.net/" target="_blank">Klemsen Consulting</a> is the Korean branch. <br />
<br />
I exchanged messaged with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wayneallen.pfeister" target="_blank">Wayne Allen Pfeister</a> over Facebook. They put their <a href="http://taxuncomplicated.com/estimates/" target="_blank">prices</a> on their website. However, as I mentioned before I don't just have one income from one country, so that complicates things. I knew I wasn't going to be paying the basic fee, but that's fine with me. I was quoted 235,000 KRW, which is about $200. That's about half of what I was paying with Greenback Tax Services and I liked the fact that they had lived in Korea, so were familiar with that aspect of it.<br />
<br />
<b>Speed: 4</b><br />
Wayne was pretty good at answering my questions very quickly, often within the same day. There were some lags, but I think that was because we were in different time zones. <br />
<br />
<b>Communication: 5</b><br />
Absolutely fantastic. He answered all my questions and gave me all the information I needed. Their Facebook group is called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/269497076542670/" target="_blank">U.S. Expat Taxes in Korea</a>, is also great for getting information. <br />
<br />
<b>Price: 5</b><br />
Looking at what other accountants charge for expat taxes, Tax Uncomplicated is very, very affordable. I paid less than I had before and got more back. However, getting more back could be due to re-marrying. Nonetheless, it's a fantastic deal. I also like the fact that since I live in Korea and make money in Korea, I could pay in Korean currency into a Korean bank account. No need to worry about exchange rates. <br />
<br />
<b>Quality: 5</b><br />
Wonderful. He asked for my past returns and looked them over to see what Greenback Tax Services had done. Tax laws are always changing and he's on top of it and knows how to get the most money back. Their website is very simple and easy to navigate. There's something to be said about the fact that it's not confusing to find out what you need. <br />
<br />
<b>Professionalism: 5</b><br />
Great. I was always treated with respect and in a professional manner. I never felt like any of the questions I asked were stupid.<br />
<br />
<b>Overall Review: 4.8</b><br />
Tax Uncomplicated is great, especially for expats living in Korea. Working with accountants who know about Korea and can allow you to pay via Korean bank transfer makes everything so convenient. The one issue that people might have is that information is sent using email or Facebook. I know with Greenback Tax Services, they had a special encrypted client area. That might be something that they could look at for the future. However, I think Tax Uncomplicated targets a different niche: teachers in Korea. And unfortunately, let's face it, we're certainly not rolling in it. <br />
<br />
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<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-5482892007566412382017-02-15T22:21:00.000+09:002017-02-15T22:21:02.492+09:00A Warning About Teaching in the Czech Republic<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR1rlG2dPBMTcTV1cAcedN3Faf3q_gOp4abHfigBRg8sfISLy6-MVZjUSSrNECikg3Mp6mLLshsCvaG-1JxfGri_wB39est5Ehrt0XD-4-grQZ_slqKfYLIShncMWnjLgJ_NtYRSR9t0/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR1rlG2dPBMTcTV1cAcedN3Faf3q_gOp4abHfigBRg8sfISLy6-MVZjUSSrNECikg3Mp6mLLshsCvaG-1JxfGri_wB39est5Ehrt0XD-4-grQZ_slqKfYLIShncMWnjLgJ_NtYRSR9t0/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://teach.com/where/teach-abroad/" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The following post is from <a href="http://suu999.deviantart.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ella L</a>., a <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2011/12/guest-posts.html">guest blogger</a>. She taught in Korea, went to the Czech Republic and is now back in Korea. You might also be interested in reading, <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2017/02/stories-from-efl-classroom.html">Stories from an EFL Classroom</a>. <a href="http://amzn.to/2giivwa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What are your stories</a>?<br />
<br />
Some months ago, i thought the grass was greener on the other side in Europe. I had a j<a href="http://amzn.to/2if08xa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ob offer in the Czech Republic</a>, and thinking it was the offer of a lifetime, flew to Europe. However, what I got was less than what I expected thanks to a broken contract, unhelpful bosses, and theft.<br />
<br />
First, the contract was broken as soon as I had landed. I was told that the contract was invalidated at the immigrations office and so had arrived there with no legal documents to support me. I wound up being paid less than half of the promised salary and had to use online teaching to support myself.<br />
<br />
Second, the bosses there didn't help with anything. They made me pay for everything, never got me a refrigerator, and expected me to do my visa by myself, which was nigh impossible to do. They also did not pay for insurance, and expected me to cover it.<br />
<br />
Third, I had some items stolen from me. My son, who is nearly 2 years old, had some toys taken from him. I had a couple of valuables taken from me at the bus terminal. It broke my trust in humanity that a nanny could steal toys from a child they had cared for.<br />
<br />
I don't feel that Europe is the place to go anymore. You might find yourself having difficulty getting the work visa, spending a lot of money, having your items stolen from you, and find yourself struggling if you're not paid enough. <a href="http://amzn.to/2if08xa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Asia provides jobs with living wages and the people are more helpful,</a> so I recommend going there.Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-33353197542229171342017-02-01T14:47:00.000+09:002017-02-01T14:47:01.007+09:00Stories from an EFL ClassroomThe following post is from Maria D., a <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2011/12/guest-posts.html">guest blogger</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2gimn0k" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Being an English teacher in Korea</a> can be a thankless job. The hours are long, vacation is short and cultural boundaries can be intimidating and annoying. But the thing that keeps me teaching are the students. Watching them progress is rewarding, but they also provide ample entertainment in the classroom. Here are my favorite stories! <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR1rlG2dPBMTcTV1cAcedN3Faf3q_gOp4abHfigBRg8sfISLy6-MVZjUSSrNECikg3Mp6mLLshsCvaG-1JxfGri_wB39est5Ehrt0XD-4-grQZ_slqKfYLIShncMWnjLgJ_NtYRSR9t0/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR1rlG2dPBMTcTV1cAcedN3Faf3q_gOp4abHfigBRg8sfISLy6-MVZjUSSrNECikg3Mp6mLLshsCvaG-1JxfGri_wB39est5Ehrt0XD-4-grQZ_slqKfYLIShncMWnjLgJ_NtYRSR9t0/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://teach.com/where/teach-abroad/" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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1. I was teaching a class of middle schoolers. One of them absolutely loved attention and constantly disrupted the class to get attention. I told him, “If you’re going to act like you’re in kindergarten, you can sit on the floor like in kindergarten.” So, he sat on the floor for the rest of the lesson and quietened down. At the end, when I gave him permission to stand up, he stretched up, then started rubbing his rear, and said, “Teacher! My ass!”<br />
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Other disruptions included, “Teacher! He said he cut my pen-is!” and “Teacher, what does ‘wasted’ mean?” He was never boring.<br />
<br />
2. I got engaged and had a nice diamond ring to prove it. Often, my partner would pick me up outside the school. One of my other middle school students proceeded to say, “Oh! Teacher, boyfriend handsome!” then held my hand and slid my ring off, then wore it herself. I pretended I was going to fight her then took the ring back.<br />
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3. The fifth graders were learning body parts, and the expression, “I hurt my [body part].” When students were lining up to leave, one of the boys walked around to each student, pointed to his crotch and thrust, then said, “I hurt my penis! I hurt my penis! I hurt my penis!”<br />
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4. For some ridiculous reason, a middle schooler thought it would be a great idea to bring her 3 tiny pet fish to school in a water bottle. I put it to the side on my desk. Two of the students started play fighting then fell onto the bottle, breaking it apart and suddenly there were three flapping, traumatized fish on the floor and a bunch of screaming middle schoolers. I had to pick up the little things and place them in the remains of the water bottle.<br />
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5. And last, but not least, one of the most adorable students I had was a chubby cheeked first grader. She told me about her pet hamster named, “Pudding-ee!” I confirmed with her, “Pudding-y?” and she replied, “No, no, no, teacher… Pudding… EEEEEEEEEEEE!”<br />
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These moments are what make teaching worth it, for me. <a href="http://amzn.to/2giivwa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What are your stories</a>?Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-87144395982427633752017-01-03T08:17:00.000+09:002017-01-03T08:17:00.151+09:00Looking Back on the 2004 Earthquake and Tsunami in IndonesiaThe following post is from Thomas Tye, a <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2011/12/guest-posts.html">guest blogger</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlkgCB3cHHXDHXSNfddlMXjZXVnfOK5QsGBXeJKBykip1wVff0hzyXo-d5JMdqImKLm8XU7yYhUgQegxqetaM_iGDHIucQagdtHduq-vX0O8BNvJX9vsjfDOYhlSpIJs3tCnHoN6bPCo/s1600/633x356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlkgCB3cHHXDHXSNfddlMXjZXVnfOK5QsGBXeJKBykip1wVff0hzyXo-d5JMdqImKLm8XU7yYhUgQegxqetaM_iGDHIucQagdtHduq-vX0O8BNvJX9vsjfDOYhlSpIJs3tCnHoN6bPCo/s320/633x356.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mgafrica.com/article/2014-09-09-africas-indian-ocean-nations-prepare-for-tsunamis" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2ftCXfO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Earthquakes</a>. <a href="http://amzn.to/2ftCXfO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tsunamis</a>. More earthquakes. I’m not trying to sound nostalgic in the midst of all of these natural disasters, but it makes me think about the <a href="http://amzn.to/2ftCXfO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">really BIG earthquake</a>, the <a href="http://amzn.to/2ftCXfO" target="_blank">really big tsunami</a> that called upon me to come to Asia. In 2004 it was the earthquakes of all earthquakes, the big one that hit off the coast of Ache in Indonesia. Sent a tidal wave that caused destruction and mayhem in its wake. Everyone on the planet that was supposed to go, went, including me. It took me a few weeks to decide if I was going to leave America or not, but I finally did. <br />
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I had no money, just enough gas to get my truck down to Texas to the only NGO that was willing to take me over. I had no relief training, no idea how or why I even wanted to go. All I knew was that there was something pulling me across the planet, something… a feeling I couldn’t ignore that was making it hard for me to drive down to the rickety 747 that was held together with duck tape and chicken wire, an airplane that belonged to the organization <a href="http://www.globalpeaceproject.net/" target="_blank">Global Peace Initiative</a>, and to Dr. K. Paul, an immigrant who used his life as a radio beacon between him and God who went anywhere and everywhere to bring aid and assist in the time of heartache.<br />
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I was lucky enough to bum a ride, along with Congressmen, reporters from all the major news agencies, doctors, and aide workers that constantly have a bag packed and ready in the closet of their homes for times like this. Like I said, I bummed a ride, so I had no idea or control over where we were going. Our first stop—Abuja, Nigeria during the African Conference. No room on the runway for our plane, so we had to park at the end and hike 45 minutes over blazing tarmac to the gates, which proceeded to lead me into the craziest night of my life, a story meant for another time.<br />
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I only reminisce about that time now because we just completed our 10th episode on our podcast <a href="http://www.marriedtoaforeigner.com/episodes/tattoos/" target="_blank">Married to a Foreigner</a> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/marriedtoaforeigner/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a>) here in Korea. My wife and I just had our 5 year anniversary, 10 if you count how long we dated before getting married. If it wasn’t for that tsunami 11 years ago, I’d probably still be sitting on someone’s couch wondering when my life was going to begin, hazy eyed thinking that I’d one day get up and out of America. Instead, I hitchhiked on an NGO plane, set up <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Jacks-Place-hotel-kataragama-887639994586447/?fref=nf" target="_blank">Jack’s Place</a>, a backpacker’s hotel in Sri Lanka, went to diving school in Thailand, spent 6 months learning to walk again after almost cutting my foot off, made a movie in Japan, lived in a castle in Spain and caravanned around Europe, met my wife in South Korea and spent 10 years teaching English around the world. All because one day, the universe told me to get up off of my ass and care about something other than myself. <a href="http://amzn.to/2ftCXfO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Earthquakes</a>. <a href="http://amzn.to/2ftCXfO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tsunamis</a>. I’m sorry that I didn’t learn to give a damn sooner.Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-84078920845538397382016-12-01T09:52:00.000+09:002016-12-01T09:52:00.159+09:0010 Hoops To Jump Through to Get Renewed at a Korean University<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpkeeHVe9eXBco7FvTbnWfYU7NuXcG_ND1NRECllS1IhR4SPN37S4Tktzhq_1veFxkEZTbxHuAFhQy0qT_o-Wo1j629PBJ18EwUWu-MYG32G367qgjl03LRCj3KRPoqILlI-LSisVN00/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpkeeHVe9eXBco7FvTbnWfYU7NuXcG_ND1NRECllS1IhR4SPN37S4Tktzhq_1veFxkEZTbxHuAFhQy0qT_o-Wo1j629PBJ18EwUWu-MYG32G367qgjl03LRCj3KRPoqILlI-LSisVN00/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">Image </span><a href="http://www.cahf.org/MeetingsEvents/AwardsSpecialEvents.aspx" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">source</a></span></td></tr>
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Anyone who has taught in Korea knows that there's a lot of paperwork to go through to get a job. Nowadays, more and more universities are making you do lots of paperwork just to keep your job, especially for those people who have some of the <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2014/05/the-best-tefl-jobs-in-south-korea.html">best TEFL jobs in Korea</a>.<br />
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Even if you do everything they ask and pass all their tests with flying colors, it's may not mean anything. They can fudge the results or decide they want to have <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2016/02/retroactive-job-requirements.html" target="">retroactive job requirements</a>. While I don't want to say that it's a farce, most of it is just a formality. They are going through the motions to show their higher ups that they did what they had to do. More often than not it comes down to them liking you and them having the budget to hire you. Below you can find somethings that people have had to do to renew.<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>Sign a document saying that you know your contract is up:</b> this is just a legal formality. They need to tell you that your contract is finishing.</li>
<li><b>Sign a document saying you want to renew:</b> this usually states that this is not an offer of employment, but they just want to know if you want to renew. You can always decide later not to sign the contract.</li>
<li><b>Verbally tell them you want to renew: </b>and you might have to tell multiple people, such as your head teacher, boss, secretary, and/or dean.</li>
<li><b>Email them and tell them you want to renew: </b>they cover all the bases and this is just another one of them.</li>
<li><b>Interview: </b>you might have to have an interview with people such as the head teacher, your boss, and/or the dean. It's usually short and less stressful than an actual job interview.</li>
<li><b>Self-evaluation: </b>this can get lengthy so be sure to ask if there are guidelines. Some places think the more the better, while others think that less is more. </li>
<li><b>Achievements: </b>You'll have to list any awards, publications, new degrees or diplomas, committees, or workshops you gave or attended.</li>
<li><b>Submit proof of your achievements:</b> you'll have to provide originals or copies to show your awards, publications, committees, TEFL certificates like the <a href="http://www.ccelt.com/product/online-tefl-course/?affiliates=3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CCELT</a> or the <a href="https://teflonline.teachaway.com/aff/idevaffiliate.php?id=113%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%20target=%22_blank">University of Toronto</a>, new degrees or diplomas, or workshops you gave or attended. </li>
<li><b>Student evals: </b>You usually just have to list your score but you might have to print off a copy of them as well.</li>
<li><b>Have your class observed:</b> unfortunately this is not that common since students really don't know much about methodology and most places completely rely on students to decide which teachers should stay or go (based on popularity). If it's done it's usually internal and the people observing you might not know much about methodology either. </li>
</ol>
This is not an extensive list since all places are different. This is just a list of some of the more common things that you might have to do to get renewed. Contracts may be signed early, but more often or not they are signed a few days before the semester starts and it's not unheard of for teachers to sign contracts after the semester has started.<br />
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<b>NB:</b> I'll be on vacation in January and February and will be publishing guest posts. While I'm gone you can read posts <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2011/08/my-blogs.html">my other blogs</a>. I will start posting again at TEFL Tips in March.Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-27657475271474914922016-11-15T03:35:00.000+09:002016-11-15T03:35:02.252+09:00Pros and Cons to Entering Grades Last Minute<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRF3TojKsIz-HvTw1PR3bqJFtMnBeyTM2Zkkdy19yvDz2FdOHSe9jfzI6KWJMCoONvxwZ5IEa2Fzte8M2Q4LVNFcuWAm-pm2vX5BA3SdFzEIR3dcwxwy2FqufX90euA2UIqiwEBy0ibg/s1600/file_2_grading_2_1441712537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRF3TojKsIz-HvTw1PR3bqJFtMnBeyTM2Zkkdy19yvDz2FdOHSe9jfzI6KWJMCoONvxwZ5IEa2Fzte8M2Q4LVNFcuWAm-pm2vX5BA3SdFzEIR3dcwxwy2FqufX90euA2UIqiwEBy0ibg/s320/file_2_grading_2_1441712537.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.collegemag.net/article/Main_Page/512/Knusts-grading-systemunderstanding-the-cwa-part-1-freshersdiaries" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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'Tis the season. Here in Korea, the school year is coming to an end and so is the semester. All Korean universities work in a similar way. You have X amount of time to enter the grades, students have X amount of time to complain about their grades, and then you have X amount of time to change their grades if needed.<br />
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I've found that teachers can be divided into two groups when it comes to the grading period: those who enter their grades as soon as possible and those who put off entering their grades as long as possible.<br />
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<b>Pros to Entering Grades Last Minute</b><br />
<ul>
<li>You will get <a href="http://amzn.to/2b7WBxS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fewer complaints</a>. The reason behind this is that if you enter grades last minute, students will have less time to check their grades. Less time means fewer students to deal with. </li>
<li>You will <a href="http://amzn.to/2bfwTqm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">spend less time checking your emails</a>. Koreans aren't exactly known for their patience. I've had students email me an hour after they sent their first email demanding why I hadn't answered them. If you're lucky, the office will keep your personal details from your students. Sometimes, the secretaries will give out your personal email and cell phone to students. I've had students text and call early in the morning. </li>
<li>You will <a href="http://amzn.to/2bfwTqm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">have more time</a> to do your grading. This way you can double check to make sure there are no mistakes. </li>
</ul>
<b>Cons to Entering Grades Last Minute</b><br />
<ul>
<li>If you enter grades at the last minute then your students will have less time to check their grades before the grievance period and this means that <a href="http://amzn.to/2aROGTU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mistakes might slip through the cracks</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://amzn.to/2b7WBxS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">More students will complain</a> to the office that they can't see their grades right away. Korean professors might only teach 1-2 classes a semester and then have TAs do all their grading. Foreign professors typically have 5-6 classes a semester and forget about getting a TA. </li>
<li>You have the <a href="http://amzn.to/2bfwTqm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">deadline hanging over your head</a> which means more stress for you.</li>
</ul>
The complaint or grievance period is definitely one of the most
stressful and annoying parts of the semester. With that being said, <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2014/12/why-i-love-working-at-korean-university.html">I love working at a Korean university</a> and have even written about <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2012/01/getting-university-job-in-korea.html">how to get a job at a Korean university</a>, as well as some of <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2014/05/the-best-tefl-jobs-in-south-korea.html">the best places to work at</a>. During the grievance period, students can be very persuasive. Some try to <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/04/a-fine-line-between-gifts-and-bribes.html">give you gifts</a>. Others will <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2012/12/avoiding-whole-teacher-please-raise-my.html">play the pity card</a> and beg and plead with you. However, you need to be firm and let students know that you don't give grades; <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/02/teachers-dont-give-grades-students-earn.html">they earn them</a>. Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-51739142800013898652016-10-28T10:41:00.002+09:002016-10-28T10:41:30.658+09:00A Brief Attempt to Understand UnderstandingThe following is a guest post written by <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/search/label/Daniel">Dan Bailey</a>, Konkuk University, English Department. He's written a couple of posts on TEFL Tips before, <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/05/what-do-you-mean-you-dont-teach-writing.html">What do you mean you don't teach writing?</a> and <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/06/motivating-students-in-web-enhanced.html">Motivating students in a web-enhanced class</a>. You can reach him at dbailey0566@gmail.com<br />
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The following is an answer I gave to a midterm assignment for one of my classes. Please forgive the overly-academic tone and try to understand the original purpose of this composition was to be a term paper. I thought it would be cool to share because a lot of these ideas presented here came to me during the past week. The first section attempts to describe the relationship between self-perception of competence and task-value. The second passage looks at attribution theory and attempts to describe how learners view success and failures. The last section attempts to tie together constructs related to the self (self-concept, self-competence, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and expectancies). In the third section, I introduce something called the hierarchical model of conceptual change. This is an undeveloped idea of mine that I hope to contribute more to in the next few years. Basically, it’s a model that tries to explain how conceptual change occurs in a learner.<br />
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<b>On self-perception of competence and task-value: </b><br />
Self-perception of competence and task-value influence each other over time. If a learner places value on a task then they will cognitively engage in that task until they have built up the self-schema to consider themselves competent. The learner’s identity becomes defined as they becomes more competent at the task. Identity development with respect to competence towards a task will influence task-value. For example, your competence in teaching promotes your identity as a teacher and fosters value towards teaching. This is an example of a positive relationship between competence and value. Alternatively, the learner loses value towards a task if competence is not developed. Devaluing the task may help justify the learner’s lack of ability.<br />
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A longitudinal relationship may exist between expectation of success and subjective task value, and they are two important predictors of achievement, but they do not necessarily predict each other. For instance, a learner may place high value on a task due to personal reasons or societal ones while having little expectancy for success towards completing the task. Furthermore, a learner may have high utility value with low competence. In other words, a learner may think math ability will be useful for their life while at the same time hold very low competence in their ability to learn math.<br />
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I believe task-value should be developed first in order to encourage engagement and lead to competence. Competence can negatively affect task-value, but task-value, which is often socially driven, has less effect on competence. For example, if you don’t feel competent as a teacher, you might justify your lack of competence by degrading the value of being able to teach. On the other hand, having a degraded value of teaching may or may not influence your competence as a teacher.<br />
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According to expectancy value theory, subjective task-value can be thought of as the motivation that allows an individual to answer the question "Do I want to do this activity and why?” Understanding the utility of a learning objective is foremost important when cultivating motivation. Accurately calibrated competence towards achieving a learning outcome rarely occurs at the initial stages of learning (because of a lack of feedback and trial-and-error experience) and therefore cannot be expected to trigger consistent motivation. The learner will be motivated up until they fail in which time they may lose competence and motivation. To avoid this situation, first the learner should understand why they are doing something (i.e., develop value) and then they can learn how (i.e., develop competence). Competence needs experience to be accurately calibrated and learners begin experience by first identifying value. Once value such as utility is established, educators should hope that early successes in learning promotes sustained motivation. Developing talk-value should be a priority.<br />
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<b>Attribution: </b><br />
I would like describe the process through which successes and failures individuals experience affect their subsequent motivation and performance via attribution. I will describe this process through the achievement attributions of ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck.<br />
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With respect to ability, success would have a positive effect on motivation. Success attributed to ability will empower self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-competence. This in turn, may act to motivate the individual to perform better than they otherwise might. This success would be attributed to internal ability. In other words, the individual would take ownership of their success.<br />
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Failure due to lack of ability has opposing effects for learners who are self-regulated compared to their less regulated counterparts. For a self-regulated student, failure due to lack of ability is part of the learning process. Consistent failure due to lack of ability for a self-regulated learner would be an indication to recalibrate the environment or learning objective to better suit their ability. A self-regulated learner is aware of their zone of proximal development and operates accordingly. On the other hand, failure for a learner who is not self-regulated would be demoralizing and demotivating. Failure would cause anxiety which, without established affective learning strategies, would cause avoidance behavior in which the less capable learner would either not attempt a learning task, attempt an easier task, or approach a difficult task with the intention to fail. An example of attributing failure internally for a less capable learner would be learned helplessness. In other words, they believe their lack of ability is fixed and cannot change (i.e., learned helplessness). This feeling of helplessness demotivates the learner. These less capable learners may also attribute their failure externally in the form of blame. This blame could lead to neurotic behavior and anxiety with a less regulated learner while a more regulated learner would accept a sense of agency and attempt to manipulate external influences in order to avoid the perceived negative external influence.<br />
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Effort is another variable that influences attribution. A self-regulated learner with a wide variety of learning strategies are able to capitalize from their effort more efficiently than less regulated ones. This added efficiency in their learning process has a positive effect on motivation. A self-regulated learner attributes successes and failures to effort or lack of effort. To find motivation through both failure and success, the learner should be both self-regulated and experienced. An experienced learner will be able to compare present successes and failures to prior ones (i.e., utilize temporal learning strategies). This is an excellent example of why learning portfolios are valuable tools. Learners can draw motivation from failures when they compare and contrast present examples with past ones. For instance, a learner will be able to identify patterns in their scores that coincide with the amount of effort they invest (e.g., 3 hours of study = A, 2 hours = B, 1 hour = C). Less self-regulated and inexperienced learners may lose motivation due to failure. They would, as in the case with ability, attribute their failure externally. Again, I use the term blame because blame helps the low performing learner justify their poor outcomes. They may blame themselves by thinking regardless of the amount of effort invested they still performed poorly, or they may blame an inconvenient situation that disrupted the amount of effort they could invest.<br />
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The third achievement attribution is task difficulty. Successful learners are able to break difficult tasks into manageable pieces while less successful one cannot and therefore experience a sense of feeling overwhelmed. A less proficient learner may attribute failure due to the excessive nature of a task while a more proficient learner will better match their ability to task-difficulty.<br />
<br />
With regards to luck, a successful learner attributes less to luck than an unsuccessful one. For instance, if an unsuccessful learner succeeds with minimal effort (i.e., guessing) then they will consider themselves lucky. They are unlucky if they fail. For higher proficient learners, they are aware of how they are doing in the moment which means less guessing and therefore less attribution to luck.<br />
<br />
<b>Hierarchical Model of Conceptual Change </b><br />
I believe a hierarchical order exists when viewing the conceptual change that occurs in language learning, and learning in general. This hierarchical model of conceptual change goes from self-concept (most global and cemented), to self-perceptions of competence, to self-efficacy, and finally to expectancies (most domain specific and malleable to change). While I place expectancy below self-efficacy, I believe the two are reciprocally related more so than the others because of their plasticity with the environment. Self-esteem is the positive or negative view of our self-concept and could possibly be used to gauge efficiency of the hierarchical chain. In other words, if expectations, efficacy, and competence are accurate, then a healthy self-concept will emerge represented by a positive self-esteem. On the other hand, this could be our perception of self-concept suggesting that self-esteem may just be a figment of our imagination.<br />
<br />
I believe self-concept (self-identity, self-perspective, or self-structure) is most important when considering the relationship between these constructs. Having an accurate self-concept means knowing yourself (i.e., your strengths and weaknesses). Self-concept can contain a combination of identities and each identity can be influenced separately by more domain specific competences and efficacies. Within each identity exists unique agency that affords different levels of environmental control. Therefore, expectancy, efficacy, and competence are more malleable to change with respect to the environment while self-concept is more engraved within the learner’s self-schema.<br />
<br />
I would like to introduce the construct of self-regulated learning behavior in my contrast and comparison of the constructs within my hierarchical model of conceptual change. All of the constructs work either for or against the learner depending on their calibration. An individual who identifies as a self-regulated leaner with a wide variety of learning strategies will operate in the positive realm because they utilize environmental feedback. This utilization of feedback allows them to hold realistic expectations and calibrate self-efficacy and self-competence. On the other hand, less capable learners practice avoidance behavior and exhibit learned helplessness.<br />
<br />
The self-regulated learner achieves accurate conceptual awareness of their self-concept through feedback from their environment. In other words, the self-regulated learner knows themselves, knows what to expect, and knows they have the skills to accomplish their goals. Through this accurate understanding, the learner reinforces their self-concept.<br />
<br />
Competence can be relatively global (e.g., competent at all math) or local (e.g., competent at algebra) while self-concept is generally global (e.g., good at math and bad at English). My hierarchical model posits that accurate competence within local areas has an incremental effect on local competence. Consequently, inaccurate competence will have the opposite effect.<br />
<br />
Calibrating self-competence from environmental feedback can be accomplished at the self-efficacy and expectation levels. The self-regulated learner utilizes learning strategies to calibrate their self-efficacy and competence. For example, the learner can gauge their self-efficacy through social learning strategies such as asking for feedback from others and/or metacognitive learning strategies such as reflecting on personal growth over time (via learning portfolio). Through accurate self-efficacy, the learner knows what to expect when beginning learning objectives.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, having accurate expectations will reinforce accurate self-efficacy. I rank expectancy below self-efficacy because expectancy is related to value (utility, cost, etc.), and can be influenced by emotion, making self-expectancy prone to change even more so than self-efficacy.<br />
<br />
All constructs mentioned in this hierarchical model of conceptual change share a similar attributional relation with failure and success. Self-regulation of learning through the use of a wide variety of direct and indirect learning strategies help maintain a calibrated leaner at all levels (self-concept, competence, efficacy, and expectancy) of my hierarchical model. This is accomplished through failure more than successes. Humans have a tendency to learn more from their failures than successes and a self-regulated learner manages these failures by transforming them into teachable moments. Failure is necessary for calibration. Without failure, efficacy and competence cannot be accurately known leaving us with a false concept of ourselves. The learner measures these constructs of themselves through failures. The self-regulated learner grows from these failures while the less proficient leaner struggles. Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-2724623024669622622016-10-01T14:01:00.000+09:002016-10-01T14:01:00.370+09:00Pros and Cons of Norming in the EFL Classroom<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOp5RJy4BafAPFxibrNbYo0jENvCWFqHtgraipa_woQbocpXUlbjvremXYnTH2irEGSqdzPjNu4f7IpzZb73z1J2qNRpANl9V_VtO69UDG_k05xcNPXMez_3OHvsV8j34B9_c2fJdNPQ/s1600/forming-norming-article.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOp5RJy4BafAPFxibrNbYo0jENvCWFqHtgraipa_woQbocpXUlbjvremXYnTH2irEGSqdzPjNu4f7IpzZb73z1J2qNRpANl9V_VtO69UDG_k05xcNPXMez_3OHvsV8j34B9_c2fJdNPQ/s200/forming-norming-article.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bobbysingh.co.uk/2014/06/03/863/" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image source</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While norming has been part of education in some parts of the world, such as the USA for a few decades, in others it's just starting to take place. It's the third part of team building: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DS59BFO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DS59BFO&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=3WAMUWOG42DUYFXL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">forming, storming, norming, preforming</a>. While norming can be a good thing, care has to be taken to make sure it is done correctly. Below you can find a few pros and cons to norming.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Pros</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Rubrics are the same:</b> teachers ensure that students are graded based on the same standards.</li>
<li><b>There are standards to learning: </b>since the teachers know what will be on the rubric, this ensures that all students, even those taught by different teachers, will learn the same thing by the end of the semester.</li>
<li><b>It's fairer:</b> all students are held to the same standard.</li>
<li><b>Teachers can easily find problem areas: </b>and then fix them if most students due poorly in one area.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Cons</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>No catering to students' needs: </b>individuality is not acknowledge. Everyone is expect to reach the same level despite their different starting levels, <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/07/theories-about-learning-styles.html">abilities</a>, or majors. </li>
<li><b>Lots of time is wasted:</b> it's hard for teachers to agree on what to put in the rubrics and they rarely receive any training on how to make them.</li>
<li><b>Teaching to the test:</b> since teachers want their students to do well many just teach to the test. </li>
<li><b>Data isn't used: </b>all this data is gathered, but teachers don't see how their students did compared to other teachers' students.</li>
</ul>
As you can see there are pros and cons and both need to be carefully considered before norming is used.Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-71433038907315447202016-09-01T02:50:00.000+09:002016-09-08T15:29:38.144+09:0011 Tips for Working with People You Hate<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446698490/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0446698490&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=tt01df-20&amp;linkId=NQSZABOFWGY64RII" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446698490/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0446698490&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=tt01df-20&amp;linkId=NQSZABOFWGY64RII" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4zR3ogtmKEC7m5gV_CGH6YTpq93kqi3oZr_mkbBGCFVugdpzvGBpOcusOdQzKUOcXCgfD02S8l6l1uuQDdmzHlD5lfqju21HEOroFU8NgLG3rC9mGbgFITX-7zT65_W6A7_KI_nkxEk/s320/518SLzknhmL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446698490/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0446698490&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=NQSZABOFWGY64RII" rel="nofollow">source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You're not going to like everyone you work with. However, as an adult sometimes you're going to have to suck it up and deal with it. You might even have to work on a project with your worst enemy. Below are some tips to help you work with people you hate, whether it's your boss or your colleagues.<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Control yourself:</b> It’s easy to get angry or frustrated. Try to keep calm and not take things personally. </li>
<li><b>Keep your lips sealed:</b> Don’t complain, especially to your co-workers. If you need to vent, find a close friend or family member who isn’t in the same field as you are. </li>
<li><b>Look within:</b> Maybe there’s something that you do that sets the other person off. See if there are some changes you can make. </li>
<li><b>Get to know them:</b> I know that you hate them and don’t want to spend any more time than necessary with them, but if you get to know them as a person, you can find out if there’s some reason they act the way they do. Maybe they had a death in the family or are going through a divorce. Getting to know them personally will allow you to empathize with them. </li>
<li><b>Confront them:</b> Sometimes people might not intentionally try to set you off. It might just be their personality or sarcastic attitude. Talking to them directly might make them change. If follow what they say in relationships, to say “I feel ____, when you do _____” you’re just using facts to express your feelings. You could also ask them if there’s something that you do that bothers them. It can be a tough pill to swallow, but they might feel that you’re out to get them. </li>
<li><b>Rise above them:</b> Don’t sink to their level. If you do it’ll just make you look immature. Rise above it and colleagues will notice.</li>
<li><b>Give them reasons:</b> Explain why things have to be done by using because. For example, you could say, “Could you please email me the report by 5pm because our boss needs it on his desk first thing tomorrow?” And mind your Ps and Qs; saying please and thank you always help. </li>
<li><b>Kill them with kindness: </b>Compliment them. When they offer a snarky opinion, tell them that that’s an interesting perspective. You could also compliment their hard work and effort. </li>
<li><b>Remember that relationships are 50/50:</b> It’s all about give and take. Each person adds something to the relationship; rarely is it all one person’s fault. </li>
<li><b>Be aloof:</b> Don’t take anything personally. Sometimes people say something because they expect a certain reaction. If you keep your cool and pretend not to care they might stop egging you on. </li>
<li><b>Find a mediator:</b> If nothing works, you might have to take things to another level and get someone else involved. Do this only if nothing else works. As adults, you should be able to manage most work conflicts without mediation. </li>
</ol>
<b>Looking for more tips?</b><br />
Check out these links.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402224265/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1402224265&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=6WFLOEBQDTPFZ7KK" rel="nofollow">The Bully at Work</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440202019/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0440202019&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=ITEFS5TYMELBNZNX" rel="nofollow">Coping with Difficult People</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402200552/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1402200552&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=HYDZ7UEVZFZDWMQ3" rel="nofollow">The Coward's Guide to Conflict</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071785728/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071785728&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=W7ISFRUEW3UG3MZC" rel="nofollow">Dealing with People You Can't Stand</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1564148181/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1564148181&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=PALVERWT3ZLVMM4F" rel="nofollow">How To Reduce Workplace Conflict And Stress</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935166301/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1935166301&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=EODYP7WKRYYYM7Z5" rel="nofollow">In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446698202/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0446698202&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=4JJEZX2I76V3GC5X" rel="nofollow">The No Asshole Rule</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071493042/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0071493042&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=7DEZO7KX35VXRQ4A" rel="nofollow">Perfect Phrases for Dealing with Difficult People</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312332181/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0312332181&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=R5C7J46BE4MJQ2U7" rel="nofollow">Secrets to Winning at Office Politics</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1572242191/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1572242191&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=OBV5TFORELRQCHWB" rel="nofollow">Toxic Coworkers: How to Deal with Dysfunctional People on the Job</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446698490/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0446698490&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=NQSZABOFWGY64RII" rel="nofollow">Working With You is Killing Me</a></li>
</ul>
Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-82636944594030674382016-07-01T18:15:00.000+09:002016-09-08T15:30:04.262+09:0025 Tips for Keeping Cool During the Dog Days of SummerMy post with <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/09/staying-warm-in-cold-winter-months.html">26 tips for staying warm in the cold winter months</a> was pretty popular, so I thought I'd write one about how to save money while keeping cool in summer.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J07RMU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000J07RMU&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=BKMZYOKNJSQNMO3Z" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBPXxwUYQEiG991WI1uZMFEAvy2-zlJbrj-omPyEKYx1pKwqg4adp8Ryw0Qb-wVvgZpiJOisRVuzq1e91l0N5auXtyn2jXcH1BBNmNZKzQb4tMA-1WpTrV-8Qi2UZJsnlDyuS5NRLFWI/s320/Air-conditioning-fan.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J07RMU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000J07RMU&linkCode=as2&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=BKMZYOKNJSQNMO3Z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Eating and Drinking</b><br />
<ol>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&fst=as%3Aoff&keywords=bbq&linkCode=ur2&qid=1450608982&rh=n%3A4246%2Ck%3Abbq&rnid=2941120011&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=CPYPIOPRG2NESNCX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BBQ</a>. </b>It's fun and you won't heat up your house by cooking.</li>
<li><b>Certain foods</b> like mind, cucumber, and spicy foods can help cool you down. </li>
<li><b>Don't use your stove or oven</b>. They really heat up your house. </li>
<li><b>Drink more</b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=water&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awater&tag=tt0b7-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=7BBACYFOGLRXBBRL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">water</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=drinks%20with%20electrolytes&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Adrinks%20with%20electrolytes&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=N6W2EDAE2NRGZRQX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">drinks with electrolytes</a>. </li>
</ol>
<b>You</b><br />
<ol>
<li><b><a href="http://www.uniqlo.com/us/search.html?q=airism">Airism by Uniqlo</a> </b>will help keep you cool by wicking away sweat.</li>
<li><b>Breathable clothing</b> with natural fibers, such as linen, cotton, silk, and bamboo is a must. </li>
<li><b>Cooling toiletries</b> like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=aloe%20vera%20lotion&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aaloe%20vera%20lotion&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=ECLFV7CITOATBOTY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">lotion with aloe vera</a> can really help.</li>
<li><b>Dress appropriately. </b>Cover up, and wear light clothing and a hat like people in deserts do. </li>
<li><b>Ice your feet</b>. A cold <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=foot%20bath&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afoot%20bath&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=V5RALNTLVMKYG6C3" target="_blank">foot bath</a> with or without ice will help cool you off. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=handheld%20fans&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ahandheld%20fans&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=NCURF3M6GORQ7RR6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hand held fans</a></b> with or without water are great to take with you anywhere. </li>
<li><b>Put your hair up</b>. Bonus points if you wet it first. </li>
<li><b>Splash water</b> on the back and front of your neck and your inner wrists. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=spray%20bottles&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aspray%20bottles&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=MCICMRVURZRQIFFB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spray bottles</a></b> are great for a quick pick me up. </li>
<li><b>Take off your socks</b>. You'll cool off instantly.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<b>Your house</b><br />
<ol>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=blackout%20drapes&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ablackout%20drapes&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=MW5EYOHD7DW6ZPEI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blackout drapes</a> </b>will keep the hot sun out. </li>
<li><b>Change your bedding</b> to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&fst=as%3Aoff&keywords=summer%20sheets&linkCode=ur2&qid=1450609658&rh=n%3A3732781%2Ck%3Asummer%20sheets&rnid=2941120011&tag=tt01df-20&linkId=XUV6L7NSR3CXTI5L" target="_blank">thinner cotton</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=bamboo%20sheets&linkCode=ur2&rh=n%3A3732781%2Ck%3Abamboo%20sheets&tag=tt01df-20&url=node%3D3732781&linkId=7VPXVPCUIWOX4SAR" target="_blank">bamboo sheets</a>. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=cold%20packs&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acold%20packs&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=C64JLWRS2Z2BG732" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cold packs</a></b>. These nifty devices can be used again and again. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=sofa%20covers&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asofa%20covers&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=6DXTNJAAABNVECGU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cover your sofa</a> and chairs</b> with light fabric so they don't get too hot. </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=Fans&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AFans&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=D3MY3VMDWFVZ6LLI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fans</a></b>. They're much cheaper than running the AC all the time. </li>
<li><b>Get out of the house</b>. Go run errands, hit the library, or go to a friend's house.</li>
<li><b>Open the windows</b> and get a breeze going in your house. </li>
<li><b>Go swimming</b>! That's what summer's all about! </li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=timer%20for%20lights&linkCode=ur2&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=HCCREG7MDZF6E5IG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Turn off the lights</a></b>. You'll save money and keep your place cooler.</li>
<li><b>Watch movies or read books</b> about cold places. </li>
<li><b>Put wet towel or glasses of ice</b> in front of a breezy window or a fan.</li>
</ol>
<b>NB: </b>I'll be on vacation in August. While I'm gone you can read posts by <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/06/new-authors-at-tefl-tips.html">other TEFL Tips authors</a> as well as <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2011/08/my-blogs.html">my other blogs</a>. I will start posting again in September. <br />
<ol>
</ol>
Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-35423802085882027492016-06-01T04:36:00.000+09:002016-09-08T15:30:33.139+09:003 Ways Reverse Culture Shock Hits Me<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW49JW9TCpvUPnfoM7lG2r0yeKbcaYdla15RPByaEUf217pCKZctK2uul2MfGY7_IMqA6yqorEppRa0gds5Q3Vq6K1h9YZjBJ5H1RE2RPeZvR1hEkOPxx6SqBvx6lSx8KjzUAB0OIKvIB/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW49JW9TCpvUPnfoM7lG2r0yeKbcaYdla15RPByaEUf217pCKZctK2uul2MfGY7_IMqA6yqorEppRa0gds5Q3Vq6K1h9YZjBJ5H1RE2RPeZvR1hEkOPxx6SqBvx6lSx8KjzUAB0OIKvIB/s1600/th.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="http://www.bucultureshock.com/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
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It's that time of year again, when I go home for the summer. I've been living abroad since 2003 and even though I'm still abroad, I get reverse culture shock when I go home to visit. Knowing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=reverse%20culture%20shock&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Areverse%20culture%20shock&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=YU3LFGW3XAM743ZR" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">about culture shock and what to expect</a> will help you get used to life back home. I wrote about some tips to help people deal with <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2009/06/reverse-culture-shock.html">reverse culture shock</a>. Even though I know what to expect there are 3 things that get me every time I go back home.<br />
<br />
<b>#1 Tipping</b><br />
I am not a fan of tipping. The history behind tipping is bribery. While it used to be optional and that you only had to tip for exceptional service, nowadays a tip is expect, even if the service is mediocre. 15-20% seems the norm and when you add that on top of taxes and the bill, things can get pricey.<br />
<br />
<b>#2 Sales Tax</b><br />
Where I live tax is included in the bill, so there are no surprises when you go to check out. Although <a href="http://taxfoundation.org/article/state-and-local-sales-tax-rates-2015" target="_blank">it varies state to state</a> (some states don't have sales tax and some have local taxes on top of sales taxes), the <a href="http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/12038461/national-average-sales-tax-at-545-while-201-localities-changed-indirect-tax-policies" target="_blank">average in 2015 was 5.45%</a>. However, sales taxes and tipping can quickly increase how much you'll pay for things.<br />
<br />
<b>#3 Friendly People</b><br />
I live in a very hierarchical society, where titles and bowing are the norm. While sales clerks may greet you as you enter a store, no one would think to greet you on the street or say hello unless they knew you. Since I'm not used to random people I pass saying hi, sometimes I get accused of being rude and cold back home.<br />
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Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-3148970413537916082016-05-01T07:54:00.000+09:002017-09-14T13:21:42.379+09:003 Reasons Why I Closed My LinkedIn Account<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTqNowaJHX3wfRPkZDXe4C0g5O_Dz-oMZJH2B962THdrApOSE5aNTyQjsJ_4T4sq6K4zCR71GgkCbGAYYro-4a3puDQkV4p7iUpOGdfL1d8kSMb-xvhM2nMT3ws8e1lc4QCU0FeNKGLQ/s1600/linkedin-logo..png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTqNowaJHX3wfRPkZDXe4C0g5O_Dz-oMZJH2B962THdrApOSE5aNTyQjsJ_4T4sq6K4zCR71GgkCbGAYYro-4a3puDQkV4p7iUpOGdfL1d8kSMb-xvhM2nMT3ws8e1lc4QCU0FeNKGLQ/s320/linkedin-logo..png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="https://www.constellationr.com/content/news-analysis-rationale-behind-linkedin-turning-its-csv-connections-download-tool" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
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Last updated 15 September 2017<br /><br />I opened another LinkedIn account in September 2017. I'm looking into other career options and it seems like LinkedIn is a good way to network. I wish LinkedIn had an option where you could take a break.<br />
<br />
<b>Closing my account</b><br />
I closed LinkedIn in September 2014 wary of what would happen when I deleted over 2,000 contacts and 3 dozen recommendations. Now nine months later, I have no regrets and feel less stressed thanks to backing away from social media. There were 3 reasons why I decided to close my LinkedIn account. <br />
<ol>
<li><b>Spam</b>: It came in many different forms. There were people selling gold, asking for dates, and just random "just my business" spam. I didn't want to deal with any of it.</li>
<li><b>Privacy</b>: Lack of privacy was a big issue. Although I was partly to blame since I had so many contacts and had added my information, I wanted to get away from it and protect myself. I don't think everyone needed to know where I went to school, where I had worked, or what conferences I had been to. </li>
<li><b>No leads</b>: I had originally joined LinkedIn in order to network and learn about jobs. The only job offers I had were from pyramid scheme or multi-level marketing.</li>
</ol>
<b>LinkedIn Isn't the End All</b><br />
Some people never had a LI account. Others have decided that they'd had enough and closed theirs. <br />
<ul>
<li>Chris Brogan <a href="http://chrisbrogan.com/i-closed-my-linkedin-account/" target="_blank">closed</a> his in 2012.</li>
<li>Doug Belshaw <a href="http://dougbelshaw.com/blog/2014/06/16/closed-linkedin-account/" target="_blank">closed</a> and then <a href="http://dougbelshaw.com/blog/2015/02/24/resurrecting-linkedin/" target="_blank">re-opened</a> his account.</li>
<li>Finding the Forest listed a number of issues leading to why they <a href="https://moshebildner.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/today-i-delete-my-linkedin-account-you-probably-should-too/" target="_blank">closed</a> their account. </li>
<li>Heather Bussing from HR Examiner <a href="http://www.hrexaminer.com/why-i-killed-my-linkedin-account/" target="_blank">closed</a> her account.</li>
<li>Simply Zesty <a href="https://www.simplyzesty.com/blog/article/september-2011/downsizing-digitally-why-i-m-deleting-my-linkedin-account" target="_blank">closed</a> theirs in 2011.</li>
</ul>
There are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=how%20to%20network&linkCode=ur2&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Ahow%20to%20network&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=MMPZITPP7WFMSX2L" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">plenty of ways to network</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=job%20search%20tips&linkCode=ur2&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Ajob%20search%20tips&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=FD3XFTLXAGDQ7B3N" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">get good jobs</a> without using LinkedIn.Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-21238634016629015582016-04-02T05:37:00.000+09:002016-09-08T15:31:37.386+09:00Allow Your Students to Give Themselves Participation PointsIn 2012, I wrote a post about having <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2012/10/quick-tip-have-students-grade-themselves.html">students grade themselves</a> and I still stand by that post today. I don't think it's fair for a teacher to judge how much effort a student puts forth. After all, you could get a student who's lived abroad and speaks English fluently, so English is easy for them. Or you could have a <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/10/grading-shy-students-on-participation.html">shy student</a> who isn't comfortable talking in front of the class.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflLB9nWdJ8brYiXwhHjFoMTKBXZZAvWXn04_es9zItJaluwQN0UcbjIwrdHZtDO2C1j320D85J8IPUtF3W2bUuQW0gnR5TGDAP-A6GAk9pSDCH6ZsJIanEqJVJLOYfhupSERYSJufLUU/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflLB9nWdJ8brYiXwhHjFoMTKBXZZAvWXn04_es9zItJaluwQN0UcbjIwrdHZtDO2C1j320D85J8IPUtF3W2bUuQW0gnR5TGDAP-A6GAk9pSDCH6ZsJIanEqJVJLOYfhupSERYSJufLUU/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="https://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/ideology-and-grading/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
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I used to have students grade themselves at the end of the semester, but found that it was hard for them to remember what they did on a daily basis. Now I have them grade themselves at the end of each class. Below you can find what I do. Here's <a href="http://nestersteachingblog.com/2011/01/11/participation-collegiality-and-conduct-rubric/" target="_blank">another rubric</a> a teacher uses. It discusses participation, collegiality, and conduct. Some teachers downright refuse to grade participation. <a href="http://teachinginkoreanuniversity.com/grading-participation-in-korean-universities/" target="_blank">Here are their reasons why</a>. <br />
<br />
The first day of class I give them all a note card. They write their name, school ID, and class ID at the top. On the front there are two sections: Active and L1. On the back there are also two sections: Phone and Materials.<br />
<br />
The first section is worth 3 points each. If they're active in class they can get up to 3 points. If they use their L1, they can lose up to 3 points. The back is worth 1 point each. If they didn't use their phone for texting or social media they can get 1 point. If they didn't bring their materials (pen, book, A4 paper), then they can lose 1 point. If they're absent, even if their absence is excused, they get no points for that day.<br />
<br />
<br />
At the end of the semester, they add up all the points and subtract the points they lost. I then grade them on a curve and give participation points out in increments of 5. The top people get 25%. The bottom people get 5%. I don't usually give 0% for participation unless they never showed up or slept in every class. I've found this works as you have proof of their participation, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=assessing%20and%20grading&linkCode=ur2&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=NZLOJJFXZPHJYFGT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">makes grading easier</a>, and students are becoming responsible for their grades. It's also much better to do this daily as they are more likely to tell the truth. <br />
<br />Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-24818194241807642202016-03-01T05:12:00.000+09:002016-09-08T15:32:16.103+09:00Is Not Getting Renewed the Same as Getting Fired?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDT7UqkwlC84m7WHBYeF3NjydIYz33plTQ_-1g_QaqmZCO9FZtZX1pNmHTbeHW5b1X4PQR2nqvFlHUxrc578LGlktv-X7hBXPRLvlhBe29ypszYa5EB53ShA_aI3RZpcbejrzyJKoa_Y8/s1600/job-stability1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDT7UqkwlC84m7WHBYeF3NjydIYz33plTQ_-1g_QaqmZCO9FZtZX1pNmHTbeHW5b1X4PQR2nqvFlHUxrc578LGlktv-X7hBXPRLvlhBe29ypszYa5EB53ShA_aI3RZpcbejrzyJKoa_Y8/s1600/job-stability1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="http://moneycrux.com/reasons-loan-applications-rejected-rtr/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
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The short answer is no. There are many reasons teachers don't get renewed ,such as . . . <br />
<ul>
<li>They want to clean house to avoid paying more into the pension.</li>
<li>They can re-hire teachers and pay them less.</li>
<li>They decide to have <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2016/02/retroactive-job-requirements.html" target="_blank">retroactive requirements</a>. </li>
<li>You <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2013/04/taking-maternity-leave-as-tefl-teacher.html">took maternity leave</a>.</li>
</ul>
If you truly did something bad, a school wouldn't keep you on their staff and wait for your contract to run out. Don't take it personally. The bubble burst long ago and it's an employers' market.<br />
<br />
Pick yourself, dust yourself, and move on. There are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=job%20search%20teachers&linkCode=ur2&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Ajob%20search%20teachers&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=XR5UWJURYZCJYTRS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">better jobs</a> out there (<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/p/the-best-tefl-jobs-in-world.html"><span style="font-size: small;">the b</span>est TEFL jobs in the world</a> is a good place to start looking) </span>and you might as well get one of them. <br />
<br />Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-12587030366591871472016-02-01T02:36:00.000+09:002016-09-08T15:29:30.091+09:00Retroactive Job Requirements<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1Xm3VT4F3Xnk1Ez2Tb9cGu1irNuQ7V9cGb4jgfHT0W02uD2-VDwy_CbcTDfjkvAqIxH3dhhA_YwpwioIlh0Iz6RI7qJksxIQ95oLzY6RI0GJGoroKZxxvMbS6Ly9AAinQxqYSDzrQiI/s1600/urgent-job-requirements.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1Xm3VT4F3Xnk1Ez2Tb9cGu1irNuQ7V9cGb4jgfHT0W02uD2-VDwy_CbcTDfjkvAqIxH3dhhA_YwpwioIlh0Iz6RI7qJksxIQ95oLzY6RI0GJGoroKZxxvMbS6Ly9AAinQxqYSDzrQiI/s1600/urgent-job-requirements.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="https://onlydelhijobs.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
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About a year ago I wrote about <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2014/12/is-korea-still-good-place-to-teach.html">whether Korea was still a good place to teach in</a>. There is an oversupply of teachers and it is definitely an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=competitive%20job%20market&linkCode=ur2&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Acompetitive%20job%20market&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=47VMELKQD6MVALOK" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">employers' market</a>. Many universities are taking advantage of this and some have decided to initiate retroactive requirements.<br />
<br />
Take <a href="http://www.sungshin.ac.kr/website4eng/" target="_blank">Sungshin University</a> in Seoul, for example. Many people were hired there with only a BA. However, last year Korea decided to start requiring university teachers to have a BA + 4 or an MA + 2. This meant that they had to have at least that many years teaching at a university or equivalent and preferably this experience was in Korea.<br />
<br />
What Sungshin University did was look at what teachers had when they were hired, not what they had then. That meant that even if you had an MA + 2 now, but only had a BA and no university experience when you were hired you weren't allowed to renew. <br />
<br />
Having spoken to teachers who worked there it seems like they wanted to clean house. No notice was given and it's simply not logic. Yes, I understand that that's the requirement now, for new teachers. However, you should implement a current rule to teachers that have already been hired.<br />
<br />
My advice is to continue to build up your CV. Create material, teach new classes, get an MA, do a TEFL certificate such as the online <a href="http://www.ccelt.com/product/online-tefl-course/?affiliates=3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CCELT</a> or the online <a href="https://teflonline.teachaway.com/aff/idevaffiliate.php?id=113%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%20target=%22_blank">University of Toronto</a> certificate, network, attend conferences, and look for jobs every single time you're up for renewal. You never know what will happen plus it's always good to get interviewing experience. <br />
<br />
I'd love to hear your opinion. What do you think about retroactive requirements?Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736846429806345424.post-80462276982191557212015-11-30T02:20:00.000+09:002015-12-07T15:58:47.517+09:00Korea Teachers Pension Fund Guide (Private Pension)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBOIlifwdvpnM8WURkZ-1ElOnSz2WbhW1cpdISL5z-CzHsDHGtHxhS_LFyMK6kuZomLe6BIGvP2PpYJVWN-IsdTG6Tk1WKSbgqRcls3izoIJaBvl9moiK4FzAk3H4AgKV75eXkOa3tJQ/s1600/logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBOIlifwdvpnM8WURkZ-1ElOnSz2WbhW1cpdISL5z-CzHsDHGtHxhS_LFyMK6kuZomLe6BIGvP2PpYJVWN-IsdTG6Tk1WKSbgqRcls3izoIJaBvl9moiK4FzAk3H4AgKV75eXkOa3tJQ/s1600/logo.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="http://www.tp.or.kr/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
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The KTPF (Korea Teachers' Pension Fund) has published a useful guide for foreigners in English about the pension scheme. There's info about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=retirement&linkCode=ur2&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Aretirement&tag=tt01df-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=N4OJGPKXUHQSSPDO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">retirement</a>, taking a loan out against your pension, switching to the public pension, and more. Here's the <a href="https://www.google.co.kr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CCwQFjADahUKEwiwiJS186jIAhVj5qYKHaGzBKE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tp.or.kr%3A8088%2Ftp%2Fdownload%2Fdownload.jsp%3FfilePath%3Dfixform%26saveFileName%3Denglish_ref.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFmWWEAFwiKXSXlp-dmq6Y015cc_A&sig2=Fum1z6ebn5j_CUrxHckKOQ&bvm=bv.104317490,d.dGY&cad=rjt" target="_blank">link to PDF guide</a>. <br />
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NB: I won't be blogging at TEFL Tips during December or January. While I'm on break you can read posts by <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2015/06/new-authors-at-tefl-tips.html">other TEFL Tips authors</a> as well as <a href="http://www.tefl-tips.com/2011/08/my-blogs.html">my other blogs</a>. I will start blogging again at TEFL Tips in February.<br />
<br />Sharon (naturegirl321)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17943832489087637725noreply@blogger.com0