Teaching > High-School

Disciplining and Rewarding High School Students

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Mr.TDE:
I teach in a low level high school. Some students have the opportunity to go to Hagwons while others can't speak or read any English.  I try and motivate them with fun games, activities that relate to their lives. Most enjoy but there are some students who constantly talk, disrupt others and really show no interest. What are good ways to deal with them?

redchillipepper:
I have exactly the same problem. What kind of games do you use?

Yu_Bumsuk:
If they're second-years then they'd still be academic students, wouldn't they? In that case, likely a lot of them have just fallen hopelessly behind in English (and possibly math, too), see no point in investing any more energy into this subject, and are hoping instead to get into a third-tier uni or good technical college on the basis of their other marks. Take a look at their government exams; they're way, way above their abilities.

So with that in mind, what do you do? I go to the old stand-by of planning one component that will challenge the brighter lights, one that's easy enough for almost anyone to do, and the rest aimed at the middle. Use as many visual aids as you can. As for the ones who constantly disrupt class, I'll sometimes walk over and teach standing right beside them. If that doesn't work I'll just pick one or two of the most disruptive and make them stand in the corner for a while. Usually it doesn't take much more than that, but my second-years have generally not been too difficult and all had my in first year and thus know what my limits are.

Jozigirl:
Every class will have students who are disruptive, talkative and/or disinterested regardless of their proficiency level.  I teach (second grade only) at a foreign language high school and I pick on the students who I can see are not paying attention by asking them to answer the next question.  I usually ask for volunteers and if no one volunteers, I pick the students who don't seem involved in the lesson or the first student who makes eye contact with me.  They then pick the next student to answer or do an activity.  If they're looking really tired, I tell them that if they all participate and try to the activities, I'll give them some free time at the end of the lesson - they usually push through their work fairly well and end up with around 10 minutes to sleep.

I also frequently start the week with a quick question about everyone's weekend.  If I've done anything particularly interesting (like gone to a festival/concert or had a funny experience), I share this with the students - this seems to really get them excited most days. At the end of the week, I ask them who is going home for the weekend and what their plans are - again, I'll talk about my own plans if I think it's something they'll respond to.

I make a lot of jokes in class, poke a lot of fun at myself, do ridiculous things to regain their attention, etc.  Sometimes they're just really tired and don't want to hear anything.  Since I see my classes four times a week, I give each class one free pass a week: I know which lesson I won't get much out of certain classes so I don't push them on those days but they know that the other three lessons a week, they're expected to try their best. 

Juicealicious:
I've posted this many times before, but I also teach in a high school and for my students, my class is worth a part of their final grade. Even if it wasn't, the teachers have many forms of punishment. In my school, they have these yellow cards that remove points from their final grade. I was given a few to give to the bad students. I hold them up when they're being bad and you pretty much wouldn't believe how hard they work.

High school is a difficult time. They're preparing and studying so hard for the college entrance exams, it's not worth it for them to care about our class (or art and music) ... the things that don't really help them, I guess. I guess we all come here hoping they'd want to learn, but some of them are just so focused on other things. For me, keeping them in check means reminding them that I have a say in their final grade and that usually straighens them up.

If you've exhausted all other options (as I have... I try to be energetic, funny and fun) just ask your co's if there is any way you can have say in their grades, or ask what form of punishment they use for disruptive students (other than making them kneel on the ground with their arms in the air)

I have terrible, terrible student who actually doesn't care about her grades or school in general, they say she's really close to dropping out of school. I just leave her alone. With THOSE kinds of students, doesn't matter what you do, they're just going to do their own thing.

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