Lesson Plan Reflection: making new time

My lesson is about making new time table which make my students’ future dream closer after reading an article which says entertainer Kim will visit KAIST to comfort the distressed students there since four students and a professor committed suicide due to probably too competitive academic system. My target students are 1st grade in middle school but I tried to 4th grade in elementary school for comparison. The result is interesting.

I didn’t read article with 4th graders and simply asked how they are content with current time table. The two girls apparently didn’t show extreme hatred of current time table. A girl who wants to be a cook think current one is not good because there are many subjects she doesn’t like such as Korean, math, science, social studies.. And I asked her “Don’t you need math for a cook?” “Maybe I need when measuring ingredient”, she said. Surprisingly interesting one is in her time table there are math, social studies, science regularly with other subjects from Monday to Friday as well as cooking class three times. From her reflection “this new time table would be better even there is Korean every day.” The other girl wants to be an ambassador and is quite satisfied with current ones but she wants to learn about world and Korean history rather music. In her reflection, she wrote the new time table would be fun and will be helpful to come true her dream.

When I instructed middle school students-one boy & two girls it’s really fun. They listened to me carefully and had brief info of the news and I explained in detail. From the discussion question, they strongly didn’t understand why the Five people of KAIST killed themselves. According to “discussion Q2 What do you think their life goals?-A2: “money” or “they don’t have clear dream.” Q4 Does all have to study well?-A4: “Yes, once I study well, I can be someone I want” or “No, if people study well without any reason, it will be more competitive.”, “No, if someone doesn’t study well, it’s none of my business.”

When I ask whether they are satisfied with current time table, they have their strong & specific ideas related to their future dream. For making new time table, one boy wants to be a programmer, his table consists of English, math, computer only and all his classes are over before lunch. He comments if his time table is changed to the new one, his future will be brighter and he’ll get paid around $200 thousands. Another girl hoping to be a teacher set the same as current one in which there is no 1st class. Third student wanting to be a psychologist showed her dissatisfaction and made new time table composing of criminology, developmental psychology-based subjects, social welfare, poem, English, history, social studies, anatomy & self-study. On Thursday she has only poem class from the 1st to 7th class. From her reflection, if she studies with the new one, she can study even in weekend.

As mentioned in the class, critical pedagogy doesn’t have to be something serious but as long as it would make students think in other ways. Even elementary students can do it and since my target students are middle schoolers the results seem successful but it can depend on the personality of the students. Two students have their own strong ideas to express themselves and but the third students’ answer is similar to my explanation answers. If I implement this lesson plan to high school, university student or adult, the result would be more successful and give them chances to think or view in another perspective.

Name:                       Date:                        Grade:                    

Worksheet: Making Our Own Timetable

1.1)               Article review : warm-up

Kim Jae-dong to speak to KAIST students

2011-05-02 10:18

South Korean entertainer Kim Jae-dong plans to give a lecture at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology on May 10 to comfort distressed students there, according to reports.

In the lecture entitled “Be the Master of Your Life,” Kim will stress the importance of having dreams and hopes to students at the university in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul. 

Kim Jae-dong

Students and faculty at the university have been deeply shocked by the suicides of four students and a professor since January. Many have blamed the highly competitive academic environment under the school’s grade-based tuition-fee system.

Kim also plans to have a heart-to-heart talk with students after the lecture, his agency said.

Reports say that Kim volunteered to give the lecture due to his relationship with a professor at the school.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldm.com)

1.2)                Discussion

1.      What do you think the reason why four students and a professor kill themselves?

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2.      What do you think was their life goals?

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3.      If you’re in their shoes, what difference would you make?

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4.      Does all have to study well? If yes or no, why do you think so?

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5.      What is your reflection about this accident?

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2.1) Make your own time table for a week.

1.  If you set your life goals or future jobs, do you think current time table (or curriculum in broad view) in your school is interesting? If yes or no, why do you think so?

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2. Let’s make own time table which interests you and leads you close to your future dreams. You can choose the subjects from the given words below.

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thurs	Fri
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Given words)

Math 수학, music 음악, Korean 국어, English 영어, social studies 사회, science 과학, history 역사, cooking 요리, martial art 무술, P.E. 체육, art 미술 …

3.1) Present your time table.

3.2) Reflection or comment about my or others’ time table in terms of motivation.

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Ref: article: http://www.koreaherald.com/lifestyle/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20110501000189