RTBC Day Twelve: Looking Ahead

Reflective Teaching Blog Challenge – Day Twelve: How do you envision your teaching changing over the next 5 years?

At the moment, I have no idea if I’ll still be teaching in Korea five years from now. Heck, I have no idea if I’ll still be teaching in Korea one year from now. But if I do end up staying for awhile, I’d like to experience these changes as an educator:

1. Giving clearer instructions and examples– So far I think my success rate in these departments is 50% and 80%, respectively. Over time, though, I think I’ll learn how to more effectively communicate with students.
2. Having at least one or two projects that kids look forward to every year– I can remember certain classes in my high school career that I looked forward to just so I could do a certain unit or project. It’d be awesome to develop the same kind of thing for my students and fire them up in a similar way.
3. Balancing work and play– Currently I’m a little afraid of boring my students with grammar worksheets or exercises that get at the fundamentals of English. But it’s a necessary evil that I must, and will, figure out how to camouflage between the fun parts of a lesson.
4. Growing more confident with classroom management/discipline– It’s hard to feel like an authority figure when you’re so outnumbered by speakers of another langauge, even if those speakers are barely five feet tall. But as classroom norms and routines are established this will get easier.
5. Providing more relevant learning contexts for students– I’m doing my best here, but I still have a ways to go. To find those relatable examples I’ve just got to keep immersing in and exploring Korean culture, and getting to know my students’ interests.
6. Working with my co-teacher more creatively in class– Our current give-and-take co-teaching style has manifested organically, without too much in-depth planning or discussion. We work very well together, but I think there’s even greater potential to combine forces and give more engaging lessons.
7. More dynamic, animated, and humorous presentation skills– From now on I want to make more of an effort to show my excitement and enthusiasm in class. Energy is contagious, and I’d like to see myself getting better at spreading it in the future.