Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[ramblinghun]

hi all,
i am new here and i am not sure if this is the right place for this, but here it goes:
in korea, english education is a faliure. out of a hundred students about 5-10 can actually converse after years of studying it.
here, the g'ment does mistakes in english education; the teaching system has a few; the school owners do some; the teachers and the students as well.
just about everyone makes serious mistakes that makes it so hard for koreans to learn the language which is probably the easiest/simplest in europe.
i would like to know, in your opinion or in your experience, what mistakes are there as the cause of this bad result.

thanks for your contribution.

[ieltsonly]

Hello.

I have 18 years experience teaching Korean students English here in the UK. I must say that the general level and ability of Korean students has changed considerably over that last 10 years.

18 years ago, students would generally be placed in our lower level classes on arrival and would be unable to cope in a classroom culture in which each individual was expected to contribute fully to all classroom activities. The Korean students I taught back then took weeks to adjust to this classroom culture and hated the "spotlight" on them : they hated being asked for opinions because they seemed to have never been in a position where their opinion was sought. This opinion seeking is a huge part of EFL classroom culture in the west.

Nowadays, Korean students are generally in the top half of the school as a rule. Some still have difficulties with the classroom culture but it is not as it was 18 years ago. Korean students are finding success in the Cambridge exams and push to succeed in the IELTS exam. Korean students integrate really well. They are hard-working but, once they trust the system at our school, they realise that they can "play" and learn at the same time.

Are you thinking about Koreans in Korea or Koreans out of Korea? I suspect there is a difference - as there should be. Once you are away from the restraints of your own culture, you are free to experiment.

I do think that Korean students are better equipped for learning English abroad than they were. Perhaps something has gradually changed over the years in the Korean education system?

Stephen
http://www.ieltsonly.co.uk
_________________
www.ieltsonly.co.uk
--getting the grade you need--

[ramblinghun]

hi stephen,

yah, i was thinking about he koreans back home, but it is nice that you let me know your views on the koreans in the uk.

i suppose you only get the good ones or the higher average ones there in your class room because for the vast majority of the students here going to england would seem like a suicide - considering their level of english. so, those that are really going there prepare it well in advance, i think.

actually, to tell you the truth, after being here for about 9 years i have to tell you that the local english education is a bad joke in korea. it's something you supposed to handle and smile at, but it really makes you scream inside.

the country doesn't have a reliable program for the classrooms, but they have very high requirements for passing exams. it seems to me that the ministers in this country think that sanctions actually work.
so many students here pass the exams because they power through, but they cannot speak a proper sentence on the street. you also find english major students here who cannot converse(!).
i think due to the push from the education ministry the students are working much harder and so the tip of the iceberg looks more successful to the institutions in the western countries.
if you would see what effort has been made and what result followed, you also would think that english education in korea is a flop. most ppl know this and say it openly here.

the reason why i know this is because i have solved the english misery for this nation and along the way i discovered some major factors that hinder the students from learning to converse in english.

my question to you is: How do you teach it in the UK, do you have a bilingual teacher for them or it is english straight away from day one?