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korean University Freshman: a teachers nightmare!
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Austin



Joined: 23 May 2003
Location: In the kitchen

PostPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2003 5:02 pm    Post subject: Not universal... Reply with quote

Teaching philosophies will vary, regardless of how they impact their students.

How might a production-based learning environment benefit students in the future?

What about fostering a love for learning language, encouraging creativity and passion, rather than conformity and production?

So many of these kids have their joy beat right out of them by those that drill and kill. Some say being able to communicate and being understood is not enough. They say that it must be perfect, or it is incorrect. What is the education principle behind such practice?

People on this form make mistakes all of the time. Some Canadians from the east spell "definitely," "definately," but they are understood. According to those same people, if their students do not get it perfect, they are wrong. Should we apply the same standards here?

If you beat the love of learning out of your students, do you think you have done your job . If after your class your students are drained, down, and dead, do you think you did your job? If they never want to use English outside of class and become afraid of making mistakes, do you think you have done your job? If they seldom feel confident in attempting to express themselves for fear of being corrected, do you think you have done your job?

People can "stuff" their personal opinions of themselves! Our students are our best judges of our success.

When I enter the room, if my kids are not smiling and genuinely eager to make new discovers, I need to make some changes. If my kids are not smiling, laughing, and energized as I leave the room, I need to make some changes.

Why do some of you think that you can force your students to learn? Why do some of you think that learning has to be serious?

Sorry, but if a student is not ready to learn, all of the demerits you can give are not going to change that fact! That type of punishment leads one direction and learning then becomes a chore.

This may fall on deaf-ears, but if any of the above applies to you and you care about your students, you might want to consider making some changes.

Austin
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coolsage



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: The overcast afternoon of the soul

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2003 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Austin, with all due respect, you blow more smoke than a '56 Rambler. The jargon-speak is fresh out of teacher-school. When one hits the ground here, and especially if one is paying the dues at a hagwon, those newly-minted theories of learning often have to go out the window, followed by the materials with which one is issued. (An exception is the Let's Go series, which is workable stuff.) Teaching here is very unlike teaching in one's home country, but it can be done successfully, but it begins here from the ground up, not the other way around.
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Ody



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: over here

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2003 7:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

tonight i had two (final) oral presentations that blew my socks off.

one most humorous one was, "Is Plastic Surgery a Good Idea?" complete with before and after shots of famous Korean hotties, a Michael Jackson collage, and a demonstration of an effective make-up application as an alternative. the other, titled "Why Koreans Aren't Learning English" was a sincere and critical look at Korea's educational system and prevailing counter-productive practices. these partnered presentations had the perfect balance of dialog bouncing off each other and out to the audience. they were confident, warm, and almost flawless in their speaking rhythm/rate.

several in this week's groups have been good but these made my heart melt. they were so smooth (really well rehearsed), that i was practically forced into giving them almost all straight 5s (i evaluate everything from posture to preparation on a 5 point scale) with a couple 4.5s thrown in for good measure AND room to improve in their sophomore year.

regarding the o.p., my husband taught computer graphics in a NJ college of equal standing to the one I'm at here and when he and i compare notes, my freshman girls come out smelling like roses.
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Austin



Joined: 23 May 2003
Location: In the kitchen

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2003 3:34 pm    Post subject: Not the case... Reply with quote

Coolsage,

I first came here in '95, so I am not sure how the first part of your comments could apply.

It may be the road less traveled, but to say that it is merely "jargon-speak" hints to your own personal struggle. No person is claiming that it is the easy way.

Learning from the "ground up" is one way, but why turn these students into our own private practicum when we could do more to prepare?

Not that all mistakes should be avoided, but what is the benefit in people simply dismissing their "first-year" as a time to "figure-it-out?"

Where there is smoke...fire...

Austin


Last edited by Austin on Sun Dec 14, 2003 6:01 am; edited 1 time in total
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coolsage



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: The overcast afternoon of the soul

PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 5:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Austin: I am a certified teacher, and I taught in my home country (not just English. but a variety of subjects). And I've been here since '97, so enough about my 'struggle'. I've had some success here in this racket, but it had little to do with the methodology and experience I aquired before I arrived. That was the point I was making; one needs to toss the stuff that works at home, because it simply doesn't work here. But if one is really a teacher, and I suspect that you are, it's a matter of delivering the goods the best way possible. No apology is necessary. Have a good evening.
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different



Joined: 22 May 2003

PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2004 2:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How motivated are students at university language institutes (who volunteer for the classes) compared to students in required freshman conversation classes (whose grades matter)?
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The Lemon



Joined: 11 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2004 2:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
How motivated are students at university language institutes (who volunteer for the classes) compared to students in required freshman conversation classes (whose grades matter)?

We teach both. With few exceptions, the former are far more motivated.
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ajuma



Joined: 18 Feb 2003
Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2004 5:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In my experience, it depends on the major. Education/Special Education and Social Work Students are the BEST!!! Business Admin and Medical are the WORST! Some of my favorites though are PE (NO expectations of ANY kind of English...but they're FUN!) and New Materials (for some reason, this major really seems to bond with each other and it makes the class fun!)
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rok_the-boat



Joined: 24 Jan 2004

PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2004 5:50 am    Post subject: cheating Reply with quote

Just read the thread ...

When I taught freshmen, homework was always an important factor. A few times I discerned that rather than even bothering to copy their classmate's homework, they photocopied it. The ultimate sin was committed by one who actually copied a paper that I had corrected - it had my comments on it. Unbelievable, and to cap it all - no shame!
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Kwangjuchicken



Joined: 01 Sep 2003
Location: I was abducted by aliens on my way to Korea and forced to be an EFL teacher on this crazy planet.

PostPosted: Wed Nov 17, 2004 8:42 pm    Post subject: HEY WEATHERMAN Reply with quote

Weatherman. This is the thread I was telling you about. This one has many interesting posts.


Chicken.





.
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The Lemon



Joined: 11 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 5:41 am    Post subject: Re: HEY WEATHERMAN Reply with quote

Kwangjuchicken wrote:
Weatherman. This is the thread I was telling you about. This one has many interesting posts.


Chicken.

.

Hey, I like this thread too, though it's over a year old.

Have things changed in a year there?
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Derrek



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Lemon wrote:
Quote:
Now they are making us give an oral exam despite the fact the book we use has very few oral activities nor it doesn't really allow you to develop oral stuff if you want to cover the material for the standardized final.

I'm quite happy to give oral exams. I don't have to deal with a mountain of test papers. 5-7 minutes per student, evaluated on a rubrick. I find it draining for the couple of hours per class, but it has so many advantages. It's also pretty much impossible for them to cheat on an oral test - everyone gets slightly different questions, and there's no one to copy from.

When I've tried to do paper tests, the cheating has been atrocious.


How many studetns per class?
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Kwangjuchicken



Joined: 01 Sep 2003
Location: I was abducted by aliens on my way to Korea and forced to be an EFL teacher on this crazy planet.

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 8:36 pm    Post subject: Re: HEY WEATHERMAN Reply with quote

The Lemon wrote:
Kwangjuchicken wrote:
Weatherman. This is the thread I was telling you about. This one has many interesting posts.


Chicken.

.

Hey, I like this thread too, though it's over a year old.

Have things changed in a year there?



I think all is the same as it was when you were here. But compared to the students I had at my first 2 colleges, this is so much better. More mature acting.

They say that starting next semester the max. class size for Freshman course will go from 40 to 25.

Maybe you saw the job add. Several are leaving.

As for me, I am having eye problems. The "normal" font at this site is too small and pale for me. And if I just go up one size step, some of the posters get mad. Well, I guess we do have some very childish posters here. Hagiman, c'est la vie.

I just made a correction I first wrote "say la vie."

I want my ����
. Crying or Very sad

Look at a comparison between "normal" size and just the next up.

This is a size test sentence.

This is a size test sentence.

And is the tiny size really needed. Can anyone read it?

This is the tiny size test below.

This is a size test sentence.

Well give your wife and daughter a "peck" from me. Embarassed

Chicken


.
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The Lemon



Joined: 11 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 7:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Derrek wrote:

How many studetns per class?

It was between 20 and 40. Depended on how many dropped out/stopped coming.

KC: Good to hear they're going to cap it to 25. Even that's a bit silly for a freshman conversation class, in my opinion.

I'm teaching classes of 15 these days, roughly the same age as the university students in Korea, but they're still in the local version of high school here, trying to pass the British "O"-level exam. So it's all writing/composition/summaries/grammar for me now, not conversation.

Quote:
Well give your wife and daughter a "peck" from me.

Will do. Take care!
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katydid



Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...

PostPosted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow...are they doing that because they realize the quality of the class would improve with smaller numbers, or is it due to a lack of enrollment, I wonder? Hmmmmm.... Wink

I can't believe you're saying that school is the best one you've taught at at all unis. Wow. Are they going to shrink the staff size as well?
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