Korean Job Discussion Forums

[1_3x1St]

Hi everyone,
I'm not in Korea right now but joined this forum in order to learn what the country is "actually" like and to gather some useful info on various things korean.

You see i've been tackling the language for about a year and a half now, as a hobby and also because i have many korean friends. I plan to travel there next summer to visit friends and to satisfy my intensifying travelers itch.

Anyway, aside from the contents of the above, i've been doing very well connecting with the local korean community to better understand the language and culture. As such, i have also come across many who are fresh from korea, and are. . .let's say. . .not very skilled at english, but are eager to learn. Herein lies my problem and need for help. . .

Due to my somewhat basic knowledge of the language, i was recently offered to work as a tutor for a korean lady that speaks VERY little english. She hopes to learn "situational english", as in what to say for the various common situations we come across day by day (i.e: in a store, meeting someone new, asking for help, etc).
I understand that many on this forum are english teachers in korea, having been teaching english for many years, and so you may have done 1 on 1 tutoring before with people who probably speak even less english than my lady does. My general question is HOW SHOULD I GO ABOUT DOING THIS??? specific questions are:
1) What situations do you think i should cover and in what order of importance?
2) Do you have any ideas how can i break down each of these situations as a topic of discussion with her?
3) How can I communicate effectively with her? (i can understand about 30-60% of korean spoken to me, but am very weak at responding in korean. She on the other hand doesn't understand much of what i say unless the content is very basic and said in a very basic way, with lots of gesturing)
4) Is there anything you recommend i prepare to make things easier?

She is paying me pretty well per hour and I can feel that she is very eager to learn, so I really want her experience with me to be as beneficial to her as possible. Also I have no prior language teaching knowledge, except for how i taught myself korean, so i'm really relying on your (people who do this as a living) responses. I think i could come up with something regardless, but it would be much better to have ideas from you guys.

Thanks!!
xD
*i kinda rushed through typing this, so if anything needs clarification let me know and i will.*

[VirginIslander]

There are a lot of resources on eslhq.com

[ilovebdt]

A really good American English textbook for beginners, like your lady is
http://www.amazon.com/Conversation-Book-English-Everyday-Life/dp/0131500457/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6911067-5299805?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179887783&sr=1-1
You can get it from Amazon, but you can get it in most bookshops I am sure or maybe your local library?

It is aimed at groups, but I am sure you can adapt it for your one on one class. It also has cassettes to go with it.

ilovebdt

[jmbran11]

You should also give her some sort of grammar or structure exercises for homework. Yes, communication is the most important thing, but everyone needs some foundation. You could cover one simple point each lesson (e.g. "he","she","it","they") and have her do some simple worksheets to reinforce the points. Then, you incorporate these points into your next lesson while you're doing "situational" things. As part of this homework, you would also give her a reasonable list of vocabulary words to learn beforehand, and then you can practice them in context.

The fact that you can't really communicate well is a big drawback as far as ease of teaching, but it will help her learn much faster. Pick a situation, focus on several vocabulary and phrases, and repeat many times per lesson. Don't concentrate on translating. Good luck.

[Jizzo T. Clown]

The tutors at my old uni used Out and About:

http://www.altaesl.com/detail.cfm?catalogID=11886

It's REALLY basic but works well in groups and for 1-1s. Should be right up your alley, and you can download the teacher's guide for free!

[1_3x1St]

Thanks a lot for the responses!!! Very Useful!
I hope that my first meeting with her goes well. . .

Thanks Again!

[Qinella]

Some general tips.

1. Rely heavily on role plays to meet her need (situational language). You can teach her some necessary vocabulary before practicing it (even give it to her in advance so she can study).

2. Don't forget the importance of bottom-up role plays, as opposed to top-down. This means that you will begin an exercise without any introduction at all, meaning no context clues. Don't use this method exclusively, but certainly don't neglect it.

3. Try not to be too picky and detailed with your explanations. Just keep in mind the most cliche acronym of the 90s: KISS.

4. Encourage her to speak only English as much as possible. Chances are she will try to speak Korean to you for regular conversation and only use English during established exercises. This would of course be a case of her cheating herself. The ultimate goal should be for her to be able to ask you questions, and understand your answers, exclusively in English.

5. If she is like most Korean students I've tutored, she will not question you unless you tell her to do so. Even if she doesn't understand something, she'll probably pretend she does, so you have to question her a lot. At the end of the lesson, be sure to ask if there's anything specific she would really like to know, such as how to say key Korean phrases in English.


As a final note, your knowledge of Korean should be somewhat irrelevant. My advice would be to use Korean only when something vital must be understood. In my classes, I've very rarely resorted to Korean, even though I could easily do so in many cases (teaching elementary and middle school ). Using this immersion technique, I've seen drastic results in students.