The Utter Horror of unpaid Marking / Grading
The Utter Horror of unpaid Marking / Grading
Now, if someone is paid $10 an hour - which seems to be roughly the norm in most places in PP, unless I'm totally wrong - is it assumed that this includes a great mant hours enduring the drudgery of marking / grading papers?
So if one has four classes with 30+ teens in each, that's 120+ papers to be marked, right?
If one can manage a Stakhanovite pace of one paper in 4 minutes, that's a mere 8 hours of utterly fruitless effort.
Any comment?
So if one has four classes with 30+ teens in each, that's 120+ papers to be marked, right?
If one can manage a Stakhanovite pace of one paper in 4 minutes, that's a mere 8 hours of utterly fruitless effort.
Any comment?
You don't get paid for prep time either. It makes more sense when you're on salary instead of an hourly wage, but either way it's just part of being a teacher.
- violet
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as anna says, it comes with the territory. Even "real" teachers (Dengchao), don't get paid for marking/prep time in "real" schools.
I've got a friend who has to mark over 300 papers at a time.... the person doesn't quibble .. just gets on with it and does the marking professionally, as opposed to all those "teachers" who have already assigned a mark before even seeing the paper, or mark a paper in 4mins (as you mentioned) or less. ... those same teachers would be waffling on about the mockery their school is, without taking responsibility for the role they play in the joke.
I've got a friend who has to mark over 300 papers at a time.... the person doesn't quibble .. just gets on with it and does the marking professionally, as opposed to all those "teachers" who have already assigned a mark before even seeing the paper, or mark a paper in 4mins (as you mentioned) or less. ... those same teachers would be waffling on about the mockery their school is, without taking responsibility for the role they play in the joke.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
- Plutarch
- Plutarch
Violet is 100% right; teachers in a great many countries simply have to work like galley slaves.
For while, and as a favor to a friend, I worked in University College in Dobrich in northeastern Bulgaria at a pay-rate of 2.5 Euros an hour.
Their employers certainly think that teachers ought to buckle down and do tons of extra work, plus show up smartly dressed from time to time outside regular school hours.
And keep on smiling.
For while, and as a favor to a friend, I worked in University College in Dobrich in northeastern Bulgaria at a pay-rate of 2.5 Euros an hour.
Their employers certainly think that teachers ought to buckle down and do tons of extra work, plus show up smartly dressed from time to time outside regular school hours.
And keep on smiling.
Two decades ago I taught two days a week at International Buddhist University outside Osaka. In fact, I had gigs at several Universities at the same time, from Kansai University [near the top of the tree] to Kobe International University [a widely-ridiculed 'salon des refuses'']
Our Chief, án American called Professor George Isted, had bullied the University's computer nerds into devising or adapting a computerized multiple choice marking machine [an actual portable device] which was installed outside the exam room door and plugged into the mains.
As each student left the room with his/her completed multiple-choice paper it was dropped into the machine [in fact I think it was scanned but I'm not 100% certain, memory being fallible] and the student was told "Jolly good! You got 96%."
Just like that. No effing marking at all. None.
As we all know, multiple choicers can be made as easy or as difficult as one chooses.
Any comments?
Our Chief, án American called Professor George Isted, had bullied the University's computer nerds into devising or adapting a computerized multiple choice marking machine [an actual portable device] which was installed outside the exam room door and plugged into the mains.
As each student left the room with his/her completed multiple-choice paper it was dropped into the machine [in fact I think it was scanned but I'm not 100% certain, memory being fallible] and the student was told "Jolly good! You got 96%."
Just like that. No effing marking at all. None.
As we all know, multiple choicers can be made as easy or as difficult as one chooses.
Any comments?
- Uncle Monty
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In Cambodia the multiple choice marking machines are called teachers.
Dictated to a slave and sent by carrier pigeon.
Multiple choice has a time and a place, and yes you can make it easy or hard, but it doesn't evaluate any creative skills (speaking and writing). Only receptive skills (reading, listening, and recognizing). It's lazy teaching. As far as I'm concerned, these kids need to be evaluated way more frequently. They need feedback. If you want a job that you can leave at the "office" when the clock strikes 5 (or whatever), don't be a teacher.
- vladimir
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Your normal lesson should also involve some work by students where there is very little or no supervision required, sometimes called 'free practice' after the guided practice preparation.If you are fortunate enough to have your 4 classes of 30 students one after the other, you could try and mark some of the first tests in the second session, etc. Assuming your class is 90 minutes, an depending on the type of questions and school/ university you work for, you might be able to mark at least half of the 30 papers in 90 minutes. I think that certain jobs have aspects that are just assumed to be part of them. Most of us would expect an off-duty policeman to do something if he saw a robbery in progress, or an off-duty doctor to do something if he came upon a serious accident, for teachers it's marking and other stuff.
If you design the papers yourself, try and do so with marking in mind as well as the content testing. Set a maximum score which allows you to easily compute the score as a percentage, and layout the questions so that answers can be checked quickly, with subtotals at the end of every question and at the bottom of every page. These things might reduce your marking eating up your social time.
There are several foreign (and perhaps one or two local) universities that limit the number of multiple choice questions in a paper, because technically it might be possible, albeit improbable, for a complete ignoramus to ace a test whilst effectively not even understanding one question.
I often get asked to assess proficiency levels of new students, and from experience I have found that I can usually tell a lot more from an example of their writing and speaking to them for 10 minutes than any multiple choice test.
If you design the papers yourself, try and do so with marking in mind as well as the content testing. Set a maximum score which allows you to easily compute the score as a percentage, and layout the questions so that answers can be checked quickly, with subtotals at the end of every question and at the bottom of every page. These things might reduce your marking eating up your social time.
There are several foreign (and perhaps one or two local) universities that limit the number of multiple choice questions in a paper, because technically it might be possible, albeit improbable, for a complete ignoramus to ace a test whilst effectively not even understanding one question.
I often get asked to assess proficiency levels of new students, and from experience I have found that I can usually tell a lot more from an example of their writing and speaking to them for 10 minutes than any multiple choice test.
ירי ילדים והפצצת אזרחים דורש אומץ, כמו גם הטרדה מינית של עובדי ההוראה.
- Lucky Lucan
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I'd expect him to order another iced coffee.vladimir wrote: Most of us would expect an off-duty policeman to do something if he saw a robbery in progress
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
- vladimir
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I was thinking more of something more proactive, like asking for a cut...Lucky Lucan wrote:I'd expect him to order another iced coffee.vladimir wrote: Most of us would expect an off-duty policeman to do something if he saw a robbery in progress
ירי ילדים והפצצת אזרחים דורש אומץ, כמו גם הטרדה מינית של עובדי ההוראה.
- kinglear#1
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Amen to about 80% of that. That's not quite all I have to say, but got to dash off back to work (Yeah, I know ). Placement testing is much more reliable when concentrating on the productive skills rather than the receptive ones. More to say about 'real/unreal' teaching later.vladimir wrote:Your normal lesson should also involve some work by students where there is very little or no supervision required, sometimes called 'free practice' after the guided practice preparation.If you are fortunate enough to have your 4 classes of 30 students one after the other, you could try and mark some of the first tests in the second session, etc. Assuming your class is 90 minutes, an depending on the type of questions and school/ university you work for, you might be able to mark at least half of the 30 papers in 90 minutes. I think that certain jobs have aspects that are just assumed to be part of them. Most of us would expect an off-duty policeman to do something if he saw a robbery in progress, or an off-duty doctor to do something if he came upon a serious accident, for teachers it's marking and other stuff.
If you design the papers yourself, try and do so with marking in mind as well as the content testing. Set a maximum score which allows you to easily compute the score as a percentage, and layout the questions so that answers can be checked quickly, with subtotals at the end of every question and at the bottom of every page. These things might reduce your marking eating up your social time.
There are several foreign (and perhaps one or two local) universities that limit the number of multiple choice questions in a paper, because technically it might be possible, albeit improbable, for a complete ignoramus to ace a test whilst effectively not even understanding one question.
I often get asked to assess proficiency levels of new students, and from experience I have found that I can usually tell a lot more from an example of their writing and speaking to them for 10 minutes than any multiple choice test.
O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven
Depending on what you're teaching, try to get hold of the test booklet for the book series. It can save you an awful lot of time, and, for the good publishing houses, it will have been produced by a team of people very experienced in testing procedures.
- kinglear#1
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When I first came to Cambodia, I worked at the first private 'University' in the modern era, started up by a former attendee of RUPP (please don't press for more details!). They used to pay (and I believe still do) a sum for each assignment (once a term statutory) and each term exam marked. With large classes, it could add up to quite a sum, though paid some months later.
As for schools, of course they're not going to pay extra for doing what is expected of a teacher anyway, for heaven's sake. In 'universities' here, I suppose it's regarded as an extra perk.
I'm glad someone raised the point of EFL teachers often not being categorised as 'real' teachers as I feel that EFL teachers are so often maligned, both on this forum and in general life. Perhaps I've been fortunate in my TEFL career to have worked alongside some great teachers (naturally, there are always some who slip through the net), but generally speaking, I've encountered many honest, hard-working, skilled EFL teachers with a genuine desire to impart knowledge and skills to their students. I've been lucky enough to have been involved both in mainstream teaching and TEFL and I can honestly say that the latter is much, much more demanding. Teachers have to constantly think on their feet, devise means of creating and maintaining interest, build resources, create their own activities, correct errors in a subtle way, encourage total class involvement, monitor progress in (usually) a mixed-ability environment and much more besides.
Yes, there are some complete time-wasters. These invariably don't last long, though. In the main, most EFL teachers I know are good, honest, diligent teachers. Some of the cheapo, cheapo schools might be cowboys, but you can usually smell a rat within about a minute of stepping through the door. No school is perfect, but they should at least stick by what they promise and pay on time.
Sorry to go on a bit, but please stop knocking TEFL as a profession (some people). Thank you!
As for schools, of course they're not going to pay extra for doing what is expected of a teacher anyway, for heaven's sake. In 'universities' here, I suppose it's regarded as an extra perk.
I'm glad someone raised the point of EFL teachers often not being categorised as 'real' teachers as I feel that EFL teachers are so often maligned, both on this forum and in general life. Perhaps I've been fortunate in my TEFL career to have worked alongside some great teachers (naturally, there are always some who slip through the net), but generally speaking, I've encountered many honest, hard-working, skilled EFL teachers with a genuine desire to impart knowledge and skills to their students. I've been lucky enough to have been involved both in mainstream teaching and TEFL and I can honestly say that the latter is much, much more demanding. Teachers have to constantly think on their feet, devise means of creating and maintaining interest, build resources, create their own activities, correct errors in a subtle way, encourage total class involvement, monitor progress in (usually) a mixed-ability environment and much more besides.
Yes, there are some complete time-wasters. These invariably don't last long, though. In the main, most EFL teachers I know are good, honest, diligent teachers. Some of the cheapo, cheapo schools might be cowboys, but you can usually smell a rat within about a minute of stepping through the door. No school is perfect, but they should at least stick by what they promise and pay on time.
Sorry to go on a bit, but please stop knocking TEFL as a profession (some people). Thank you!
O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven