When I first got into VIPKid, I watched a ton of Youtube videos from fellow teachers. One of the major things that they had in common was that most of them taught out of a spare room in their house and had a vast amount of props. Having a lot of props is nice, but I live in only 234 square feet with four people and a dog my classroom supply is limited. First off, I am space challenged. Secondly, I am a more serious teacher. I take a different approach. Don’t get me wrong, we have fun in class and the child learns, but I don’t need a prop for every single slide. Chinese parents also have a different perspective when it comes to teachers. Especially if they have older children they want their child to learn first, having fun is second. So don’t worry if you are not the most fun teacher out there. If you are covering the material, making a connection with the child, and the child is improving you will do well.
Basic VIPKid Props to Start
After I signed up for VIPKid I went to the Dollar Tree to find my props. I did not want a huge investment in something that I did not know if I would get approved to teach or it just was not a great fit. So, I bought a boy and girl doll, cheap dry erase board and markers, memory cards for a reward, letter flash cards, index cards and a cookie sheet to put magnets on. I also purchased magnetic tape and a color assortment foam sheets. With these props I passed my demo lesson and started teaching my first classes.
Now once you start teaching actual classes you start to see what could make your job easier. Remember these props are used to build a connection or association between an object or action with a word. One prop that I did add was gold stars as rewards. I chose gold stars because the students earn gold stars as rewards during the lesson. Their goal is to earn all five stars each lesson. I cut out foam stars and used the stick-on magnets to put them on. As I taught more lower level students just starting I made stars of different colors to have extension during the lesson. This was a great addition. Another thing I made was a verb conjugation board from a sheet protector and card stock. I can put this on a clip board and I can easily erase it. This a great basic prop.
Flat props
After teaching many classes I had a wish list of props that would make things easier in the various upper level lessons where basic props were becoming difficult to use. So we made full color 2D laminated sheets by categories: food, shapes, clothing items, and emotions, days of the week, months of the year, and a clock. These have great helped my ability to teach these lessons. We would create these sheets and have them printed and laminated a Staples. The key to remember is that I only create a prop if I know it will be helpful in multiple classes and not just one. Again, I am space challenged and I like to keep things simple.
TPR
Props are nice and convenient to teach with, but you are not going to have a prop for everything. This is a where TPR(total physical response) helps tremendously. TPR is using yourself either through facial expressions or acting out a verb to associate a word with an action so the student associates in his language so he can tie together with the new word he/she is learning. VIPKid has a lot of resources to show the basics of TPR and I challenge you to learn these.
It’s nice to have all of the new, fun props/toys to teach with. I’m sure that they have a lot of fun in their classes. My students and I have fun during class and I don’t have a room/desk full of props. I challenge you to start out with the very basic items and build from that. You can teach VIPKid and still have a minimalist lifestyle. To see how we maximize our tiny space check out Making the Most of 234 Square Feet.
