Quick Tip: 4 Ways to Deal With Disruptive Students

From activerain.com

Every class usually has one student who always has a comment or question. These types of students love to be the centre of attention and have all eyes on them. Other students usually get frustrated with them and sigh loudly when that particular student raises his hand or says, “Teacher, I have a question.”

Classroom discipline can be challenging. Usually no one else has any questions or comments and this student is holding up the lesson. There are a couple ways to deal these types of students.

• Avoid sitting or standing across from them. If you’re opposite them it’s easier to make eye contact. The best place is right next to them so they can’t catch your eye.
• Talk to them after class. Let them know as nicely as possibly that they shouldn't dominate the class. Tell them that they can ask you questions during your office hours.
• Cut them off. Ok, it's a bit rude to interrupt you, but they've been doing the same to you. Simply say, "That's an interesting question / comment, but unfortunately we don't have any more time to discuss it. If you'd like to discuss it further you can visit me during my office hours."
• Refer the question to others. There's no reason you can't ask the other students for their opinions. You're not the only one who can answer questions. As an added benefit, students are usually more direct and this may discourage them from trying to dominate the class. 

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Job Site: International Supply Teachers

If you're a licensed teacher with two years experience looking for a job now that lasts 6 weeks to 12 months you need to check out IST. International Supply Teachers provides teachers with jobs in international schools with British, US and IB curricula. These schools have had an emergency vacancy and need supply/substitute teachers.

You'll make good money that will allow you to travel or save. Salaries and conditions vary according to the country and school, but they will pay for transport to the school and health insurance. You might also get free or subsidized accomodations and tax exempt salaries.

In addition to being a licensed teacher with two years experience you will have to provide three references (you have to get the reference forms for them. IST will not run after them) and travel without dependents and enjoy living and learning about new cultures and countries. You'll need to show copies of your qualifications and it can take up to a month for them to place you on the teachers' register. There's a one-off fee of less than $100, but it's well worth it if you're looking for a job at a quality school that's already been vetted by IST.


Got an idea for a job site?
Email me with your job site, name, and website (if you have one) and I'll post it ASAP.

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Make Use of Native English Speakers

From hkonul.wordpress.com

I can't tell you how many times I've been to schools that have native English speakers working there, as teachers, and there are grammar, vocab, spelling, or punctuation mistakes. I'm not talking about minor mistakes, but major ones.

The reason is simple. Even though they have native teachers there, they don't use them. They put their info in Google Translate and use it. On websites, billboards, posters, in books, and on paper, they have tons of mistakes.

It wouldn't be too hard to remedy this. All they'd have to do is ask the native speakers to help edit any and everything in English. Better yet, hire someone specifically to do this. People need to swallow their pride and ask for help. If native speakers have people proof-read their work, then non-native speakers should as well. It'll make your school look better and people will stop laughing at mistakes and putting them up on Engrish.com

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Documents Teachers Usually Need for Work Visas

From 123rf.com

Gone is the day of the backpacker teacher. Ok, for the most part. Countries are requiring more and more documentation and exams in order to get a work visa. Here's a list of things that are often required, thank goodness there's no Chinese test yet!

Behaviour Test: China just started this with their Evaluation System for Foreign Language Expert just started this. You've got about 20 minutes to answer 100 questions. You're supposed to put 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree). It's basically to see how well you'll fit into Chinese life. They have statements such as "I like being in crowds" or "I like to spend time alone" I did poorly on that part since I hate crowds and love spending time alone. If you want to score high, just think like a Chinese person. You're scored on warmth / friendliness, gregariousness (aka sociable), positive emotions, trust, straight-forwardness, altruism, cooperation, sympathy, competence, orderliness, dutifulness, self-discipline, anxiety, anger / hostility, depression, self/consciousness, impulsiveness, and vulnerability.

Criminal Background Check: If you have small offenses it might be ok. Depends on the country. See teaching with a criminal record.


Degree: you often need the original, an apostillised / authenticated copy, and original sealed transcripts. Korea's fanatical about this.

General Knowledge Test: Another requirement from China. More like trivia than general knowledge. You'll be asked stuff such as "what's the music capital of the world?" and "Who wrote the Leaves of Grass?" Not sure how either of those will help with life in China. They also have questions related to China, such as "Which of the following is a traffic law in China?" and "When is the official first day of class?" Even though they're related to China, I'm pretty sure they're not much help since people don't follow traffic rules and I have never, ever been asked about Chinese trivia. They should put up realistic questions like "what do you think of Taiwan, Tibet, etc?" or "What do you think of China?"

Medical check: blood, urine, EKG, height, weight, vision, X-ray, sonogram to make sure you have all your organs

Recommendation Letters: Always have extras.

Transcripts: Sealed, originals are needed. Get them ahead of time so you're not scrambling for them last minute.

Written test: multiple choice, short answer, matching, essays (another requirement for China), etc.

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Poll Results July 2013: Do you use L1 to teach L2?

July's poll was "Do you use L1 to teach L2?" Here are the results. If you're looking for reasons for and against using your students' L1 in class, check out this post.

• Yes: 60% with 3 votes
• No: 40% with 2 votes

Be sure to vote in next month's poll: Are TEFL certs useful?

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