Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jdog2050]

...in Korea, what would it be?

Personally, I'd completely end mandatory English classes and give the government a choice. Either teach *all* elementary classes in English, or don't do it at all.

[spliff]

4 mill per mo salaries..

[RACETRAITOR]

I would close all hakwons and give kids more time to pursue their own interests.

[Kimchi Cowboy]

All kids should be taught to end their sentences with:

- eh?

- Gawddammit!

or

- YEAH, BABY!

[Ya-ta Boy]

* Leave English as a required course in elementary and maybe middle school but make it an elective in high school.

* Have a set vocabulary list and grammar points for each year of high school. Students that do not demonstrate mastery do not advance to the next level.

* High school classes would include writing and speaking as well as reading and listening.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I would change the testing methods, pure and simple. If students had to write and speak English to pass a course a lot of Koreans would be out of a job.

[pkd4trvln]

I would get rid of any test which could be memorized and regurgitated and scored in a standardized method pure and simple. It would never fly here though from what I have seen because every parent wants to know how their child compares to every other student. The only way to teach English which is useful is for the child to learn English that they will learn. I am not sure how other Hawgwans compare to mine but I know that the stuff I am teaching my students is useless and from my understanding I am teaching these words and phrases because they are specifically the words and phrases which will be on their school tests. I wish the test was watching a movie they liked in English and explaining it to a native English speaker, or something along those lines according to each kids interests. Its not like it would be so hard at certain ages because most kids interests are so similar...boys like sudden attack girls like super junior.

[jdog2050]

[RACETRAITOR]

It's a hard balance. Remember that three years of English for an elementary kid will get them a lot farther than three years for a high school student, whether or not they are motivated.

[babtangee]

Remove all Korean involvement in English education - except as teachers (those teachers who are capable of functionally utilizing English).

[Newbie]

ENGLISH IMMERSION....

Young students have very basic English 1- 2 times a week. Then, Immersion starts at about 10 years old. Half your day in English (Eng, Science, Society, Art etc.) Half your day in Korean (History, Korean, Math etc.)

Works damn well in the parts of Canada that do this with French.

[SPINOZA]

Yeah, I second newbie's suggestion. If they have 2 or 3 science/math/social studies classes per week, I'd have one of them in English.

Another thing I'd change - and this is sexist and offensive unfortunately - get rid of useless young women teachers who are too weak, too timid, too freaking dumb, to be in charge of a 38-kid class. These people turn great, enthusiastic middle school classes into uncontrolable, unmotivated rabbles. They're actually scared of the bigger boys (there are some very large boys in middle school) and let the more powerful girls just walk all over them. Older women teachers don't take any crap, but the ones under 40 are of the utmost uselessness and should be at home looking after babies and watching duh-ram-ah. I've yet to encounter a male teacher who's as weak and lax. Lax discipline = lax morals, not caring. Overly strict teachers bring a different problem, but at least in a very strict classroom, where the threat of corporal punishment abounds, at least uninterested kids are quietly uninterested and those who want to learn can do.

I hate weak, soft people. Education at teenage level is a mixture of fun and force. If you can't cut, *beep* off and get a job as an Emart parking lot bower I say.

[coolsage]

I'd lose the grading curve. At the uni, 30% of students must receive a C+ or lower. In extreme circumstances (and this has happened), a 90% grade rates an A(zero), while 89% gets a C+. That simply sucks, and I'm powerless to do anything about it.

[twg]

[ChuckECheese]