Like most foreigners residing in South Korea, I have taught in hagwons. If you're just starting at a hagwon and don't have prior teaching education or experience, being a teacher can be quite intimidating!
Here are some teaching ideas that are either no-prep, low-prep, or fast finishers for grades K-6.
Starting Class
Activate Prior Knowledge and/or Schemata
This might seem like a no-brainer, but if you are just starting to teach, you might forget to start class with something students are familiar with doing or understanding.
Ask questions like, "Do you remember some words we used when we read ______?" or ask each student to give you one word from a category related to a prior class and today's lesson. Thinking about activating prior knowledge and schemata before you walk into the classroom can set you up for a successful teaching period!
SHORT videos before a lesson
This one may be limited by your Hagwons rules. I like to use short videos (I wish there were more short videos for kids!) to start a lesson. For Kindergarten, Scratch Garden, Mooseclumps, and Super Simple Songs are channels that I have used often. Even when students think they are only watching for enjoyment, I turn the song into part of the lesson.
For example, Super Simple Songs has a song called "Yes, I can!" I most often use this song to teach the concept of action verbs: "Boys and girls, boys and girls, can you....turtle?!" the kids have a riot laughing and pick up the idea of action verbs quickly in my experience.
So, even though a song may seem like simple entertainment, you can use it as a teaching tool!
Morning Mindfulness/Meditation
A quick Google search will tell you how meditation can help increase student success. It makes sense, spending a few minutes calming down and being taken through a journey with the audio helps stir the imagination. I notice a better class period afterward. Even if there are some moans and groans from a few students, many other students quite enjoy the practice. There are a few mindfulness meditations available for kids on YouTube!
Break the Mold
Many young students want to be the same as their friends or have correct guesses, which is completely understandable and natural! However, sometimes a lesson calls for true opinions to showcase a variety of answers and insights.
On days like this, I like to start by enthusiastically asking something like, "Who likes to eat tomatoes?" Students will either raise their hand or not. I then tell students to look at each other and see if some friends like tomatoes while others do not. I will ask, "Is it ok that they like tomatoes?" Sometimes there's a delay here, they seem to be thinking, "Is it ok to not be the same as my friend?" Encourage a yes! Then I ask, "Is it ok that they do not like tomatoes?" Yes! Then I go on to explain that having a different opinion than our friend might be needed in today's lesson, usually an opinion paragraph.
During Class
Answer Patterns
Something that many hagwons want to see from teachers is allowing multiple students opportunities to show their knowledge during each class period, something I can agree with! Even if students are shy and do not like to participate, having them answer questions during class time can help ensure all students understand the material and allow students to speak English at least once per class period.
I have students answer in rows or some predictable pattern. They each answer one question from their book, then it's the next student's turn to answer a question. Sometimes I ask students which pattern we should use to answer questions. Giving them a choice in how they answer helps with motivation and their expectations of classroom management. Perhaps you can create a classroom job and have a student be the pattern picker!
If a student blurts out an answer, I simply skip their turn in the pattern and have them answer when the pattern returns to them again. This method has reduced blurting/acting out and students stay a bit more engaged during class.
Praise
Another idea that may seem like a no-brainer, but remember to give praise to students. Even when they answer wrong, tell them how you understand how they might have gotten their answer or ask them to explain their thinking. I notice that students have more confidence in answering questions the more I show them their thoughts and efforts are valued.
I also have students praise each other when appropriate. For example, I can't have them compliment each student during a class that needs to go through a lot of answers quickly, but if there's a class that might use some extra time to think through or explain answers, I have the class praise their friends for answers.
Action Answers
This one is usually best utilized in phonics but can be used for opposite or yes/no questions as well. Have one sound/answer be standing tall with their arms up in the air, and an opposing sound/answer be a squat. The exercise that comes into my mind right away is differentiating short e and short i.
Having students move their bodies makes this idea fall under a total physical response (TPR) exercise that many teachers edify in their teaching philosophy. This is a simple TPR exercise that does not use up a lot of space, just use the space behind your students' chairs!
Wrapping Up
Game Time!
I notice that most hagwons want us to utilize the full class time, which is understandable. My go-to for when I finish class early is playing one of a variety of games that can be played at any time that are still educational. Some games are specific for phonics or spelling while others can be applied to many subjects.
—> Sparkle!
An oldie but a goldie! I love playing Sparkle with my Kinders, it's a great intro to competition (they just go to the back of the line in my version, not sit down) so they can still participate no matter what. I often used this at the end of the day as we waited the last 5 min for the bell to ring. The kids liked trying to get to the front of the line!
—> Vocab Line Up
This one gets some love and hate from my older students. I play this mostly in winter months when students need to change clothes for outside weather or when we finish class early for the day, and I need to keep students entertained while I finish cleaning up the room. I have students line up and answer vocabulary, spelling, grammar, etc. questions. I go by who raises their hand first. If it's a tie, rock-paper-scissors to answer. Correct answers go to the holy land: the front of the line. Students become engaged quickly and want to answer the questions to get to the front and stay in the front of the line.
—> Rebus Puzzles
This one could also be used to start a class or during a break time. I have a few Rebus puzzles favorited or downloaded. If your academy lacks technology, you can also print these or draw them on the board. I love using Rebus puzzles because they really make students think. Native-speaking English students can have a hard time as well, so be sure to pick out puzzles that best fit your students. One that I like to start with is "Forget it" using four get its:
Keep in mind that some phrases are not used often or at all in academic contexts. Be sure to choose the right ones for your students!
Final Remarks
I remember being a new teacher and having a lot of enthusiasm, but not enough wisdom to get students engaged and interested during class time. These few tricks have helped me so many times throughout my years teaching in Korea. I'm sure I'll gain more tricks as time goes on, but these have worked well so far!
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