"I like nonsense it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities"
~Dr. Seuss~
I hold this quote close to my heart and try to never forget it!
Before coming to Korea, I made my living by working in the food service industry. Starting off my sophomore year of collage working the graveyard shift, washing dishes at Denny's. Talk about "starting at the bottom", but that's exactly what it was... at starting point. The start of a 7-8 year career that would teach me so many valuable lesson, besides just cooking. By the time I graduated from my university I had made my way up the working ladder, from graveyard shift dishwasher at a fast food style family restaurant to fine dining dinner sauté cook. I decided to keep cooking instead of using my degree in Psychology. I was making more money utilizing the trade that I had learned than I could of with my degree. My final year of cooking before coming to Korea, I viewed my self as a chef. Not in the way that I was the lead in the kitchen, but the style and level of food I was producing and putting out and I usually was the only one in the kitchen, that didn't go to Culinary school. I learned through trail and error, hands on experience and from my colleagues(other chefs) how to properly cook certain ways, different style of cuts, when to use them, and shortcuts/tips to become faster and more efficient. I prided myself on this, but always felt that I was lacking the knowledge/skill to take my cooking to the next level that school would have given me.
I guess that I'm a creature of habit... This story is exactly the same for my journey with becoming a teacher. I have been teaching in Korea for a little over 5 years never thought twice about it. Thinking back on my first year teaching, I'm horrified about the way I taught. Making worksheets to kill time, showing movies when I was too hungover to teach and the lack of songs, games and overall CIs no wonder why my class didn't excel in ELA. I was a horrible teacher.
I hate being bad at anything (that's why I don't noribang, can't sing) and love teaching. For me, this is what drives, pushes. motivates me to become a professional teacher! These days I feel that I'm an extremely good teacher, but lack the knowledge and insight to develop myself any farther from this point without guidance and direction. I'm looking for the next level!
Planned Warm up For Next Week
I am currently working in a kindergarten with students from the ages of 4 to 7. I have been at this particular school for quite a long time now, that my 6 and 7 year old classes used to be my 4 and 5 year old classes. Being with them for so long, I've been able to (through trial and error) learn what works best for each class. Because they are so young, I try to always have them moving, with either song and dance or a game.
My warm up will be the song Row Row Row Your Boat.
First I will start by sitting up straight in a chair (tables are positioned in a square and seats around the tables, so that all the students can see me), hands down by my sides and say, "start position". Usually they don't catch it at first, so I repeat the action again, but exaggerate the start position action by slouching down and moving my arms away from my side before I say SP. This models the desired action and pose for the students. The students that have now seen and done the target behavior, I tell them good job or look at them with a smile and a nod to reinforce that they are correct. I will repeat this until all students have done the target behavior.
Once the class has all come to SP, I will tell them, "It's time to sing a song. We are going to sing Row Row". (Later with this phrase (especially with the older class) I want to do a Q and A with them. T: What time is it? Ss Time to sing a song. This can all be down through TPR and acting out time, what and sing.)
Next I will say and do, "hands out(put my arms out with hands open), fits(close the open hands into fits), one, two(move my fits, one on top of the other)". I will do this one more time and have the kids follow me by repeating and doing the motions. This action gives us our oars to row the boat.
We will see the song a total of three times. The first time we sing the song, we will do it at a normal speed. The second time, I inform the students that we will do it again, but we are going to do it slow. I/we then go through the same SP and oar actions to begin at normal speeds, then at the start of the song I/we start to sing and move like I'm in slow motion. Finally the third time, I inform them that we are going to sing the song fast. Once again, go through SP and oars action at a normal speed, then when I/we start to sing super fast.
The goal of this warm up will be the target language slow, fast, hands, fits, sing, song, time and have the become aware of start position.
I hold this quote close to my heart and try to never forget it!
Before coming to Korea, I made my living by working in the food service industry. Starting off my sophomore year of collage working the graveyard shift, washing dishes at Denny's. Talk about "starting at the bottom", but that's exactly what it was... at starting point. The start of a 7-8 year career that would teach me so many valuable lesson, besides just cooking. By the time I graduated from my university I had made my way up the working ladder, from graveyard shift dishwasher at a fast food style family restaurant to fine dining dinner sauté cook. I decided to keep cooking instead of using my degree in Psychology. I was making more money utilizing the trade that I had learned than I could of with my degree. My final year of cooking before coming to Korea, I viewed my self as a chef. Not in the way that I was the lead in the kitchen, but the style and level of food I was producing and putting out and I usually was the only one in the kitchen, that didn't go to Culinary school. I learned through trail and error, hands on experience and from my colleagues(other chefs) how to properly cook certain ways, different style of cuts, when to use them, and shortcuts/tips to become faster and more efficient. I prided myself on this, but always felt that I was lacking the knowledge/skill to take my cooking to the next level that school would have given me.
I guess that I'm a creature of habit... This story is exactly the same for my journey with becoming a teacher. I have been teaching in Korea for a little over 5 years never thought twice about it. Thinking back on my first year teaching, I'm horrified about the way I taught. Making worksheets to kill time, showing movies when I was too hungover to teach and the lack of songs, games and overall CIs no wonder why my class didn't excel in ELA. I was a horrible teacher.
I hate being bad at anything (that's why I don't noribang, can't sing) and love teaching. For me, this is what drives, pushes. motivates me to become a professional teacher! These days I feel that I'm an extremely good teacher, but lack the knowledge and insight to develop myself any farther from this point without guidance and direction. I'm looking for the next level!
Planned Warm up For Next Week
I am currently working in a kindergarten with students from the ages of 4 to 7. I have been at this particular school for quite a long time now, that my 6 and 7 year old classes used to be my 4 and 5 year old classes. Being with them for so long, I've been able to (through trial and error) learn what works best for each class. Because they are so young, I try to always have them moving, with either song and dance or a game.
My warm up will be the song Row Row Row Your Boat.
First I will start by sitting up straight in a chair (tables are positioned in a square and seats around the tables, so that all the students can see me), hands down by my sides and say, "start position". Usually they don't catch it at first, so I repeat the action again, but exaggerate the start position action by slouching down and moving my arms away from my side before I say SP. This models the desired action and pose for the students. The students that have now seen and done the target behavior, I tell them good job or look at them with a smile and a nod to reinforce that they are correct. I will repeat this until all students have done the target behavior.
Once the class has all come to SP, I will tell them, "It's time to sing a song. We are going to sing Row Row". (Later with this phrase (especially with the older class) I want to do a Q and A with them. T: What time is it? Ss Time to sing a song. This can all be down through TPR and acting out time, what and sing.)
Next I will say and do, "hands out(put my arms out with hands open), fits(close the open hands into fits), one, two(move my fits, one on top of the other)". I will do this one more time and have the kids follow me by repeating and doing the motions. This action gives us our oars to row the boat.
We will see the song a total of three times. The first time we sing the song, we will do it at a normal speed. The second time, I inform the students that we will do it again, but we are going to do it slow. I/we then go through the same SP and oar actions to begin at normal speeds, then at the start of the song I/we start to sing and move like I'm in slow motion. Finally the third time, I inform them that we are going to sing the song fast. Once again, go through SP and oars action at a normal speed, then when I/we start to sing super fast.
The goal of this warm up will be the target language slow, fast, hands, fits, sing, song, time and have the become aware of start position.
I think you're on the right track here, John -- I look forward to reading a reflection of the actual warm-up (and a video). One thing here about goals -- we'll discuss this later, but generally, the only Accuracy-based language goals for a warm-up tend to be recycled language, while the goals of the warm-up focus mostly on relaxing, ice-breaking, and other things that enhance the Fluency-side. I'm sure you understand this already, but you listed a bunch of vocab there at the end.
ReplyDeleteLove the use of the Dr. Seuss quote :)
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