Korean Job Discussion Forums

[curlygirl]

Begin rant---
A Korean hagwon teacher asked me to help out a student of hers. The student has made applications for entrance to a number of high schools and needs to submit a written English composition. The topics are chosen by the school but, get this, the hagwon teacher wants me to write the composition for her student so he can memorise and regurgitate it as his own. What?!? When I said 'hang on a minute, that's cheating' she told me that this is standard practice and 'all students applying for high schools do this'.

I know that in my own classes I frequently have to stop my co-teachers from giving my students answers - 'Wait a moment son saeng nim, point out where the mistake is and see if the student can self-correct'.

What is it with this culture that Korean teachers do all the thinking for the students? Why aren't students allowed to think for themselves?
End rant ---

[renzobenzo1]

Begin add to rant:

Exactly. My co-teachers do that as well- I tell them not to as well...they still do...

It seems Korean students are incapable to think on their own.
When I ask one of them a question they look around to their friends and band together for support. It's pathetic how they all go around in groups that way for support.
Just like when they fight as well apparently.
They need to harden up and be more independent.

[renzobenzo1]

Begin add to rant:

Exactly. My co-teachers do that as well- I tell them not to as well...they still do...

It seems Korean students are incapable to think on their own.
When I ask one of them a question they look around to their friends and band together for support. It's pathetic how they all go around in groups that way for support.
Just like when they fight as well apparently.
They need to harden up and be more independent.

[curlygirl]

[quote="renzobenzo1"]
It seems Korean students are incapable to think on their own.
quote]
Well I agree with you on that, but it's because their teachers don't let them. How are the students supposed to develop their creative thinking skills when the teachers insist on doing the work for them? I don't understand how any learning ever takes place.

[tzechuk]

Heaven forbids! Think for themselves?!

Korea is too much a *Confucius*, listen to your elders society for people to be allowed to think for themselves.

In the olden days, people weren't allowed to think because those in charge were worried that they would rebel against the authority. It's become the way of life now.

[Dome Vans]

Yep, I have one school that everything is spoon fed.

I get the students to do the thinking and the working with easy prompts. It's usually always ruined by my co-teacher at the back whispering to them the answers.

These kids know the answers and if they always know that if they keep quiet then the teacher will tell them then they never will learn.

I'm pleased that I get to teach at elementary level because I'm in charge of their learning and can get them thinking from a younger age so hopefully they'll continue that into Middle school.

I've never understood the massaging of the head by the co-teachers if the students are asleep. If that was me at my primary school, I'd have got a swift smack to the head, or a beating and then a shouting at. If someone didn't know what is an obvious answer then it'd be punishment. Ah! Good days.

[The_Conservative]

[Dome Vans]

[renzobenzo1]

[quote="curlygirl"]

[mindmetoo]

My GF applies for flight attendant jobs and basically rote memorizes the answers to possible interview questions. My brother (a computer programmer for Ford) works with this Korean guy. The guy seems to have really poor english. Email he seems to understand (probably sending it to a friend for translation) but when you ask him questions face to face he draws a huge blank. My brother chided his boss for hiring a guy with such poor communications ability. The boss swore up and down when he interviewed him his english was really good.

They figured he sent a friend to do the interview (asians all look alike, right?). I suggested that he probably just rote memorized answers to a range of questions.

[Juregen]

I had a discussion with a Korean once, it became clear to us one main difference in education the younger.

Westerners use Guidance to teach their young. Koreans tend to Control their young.

At first it might seem the same, but it isn't.

With Guidance, you do not avoid pitfalls and mistakes, you make them realize that they are responsible for their choices, and therefore have to be careful to do things. But it also shows them the emotional satisfaction of having done it on their own, to be independent.

Control is for people who are afraid or feel insecure. They do not want anything bad to happen and everything has to be "perfect". So they control their young, the young never make decisions or learn the power of decision making, and this goes on and on, because none of the following generations will know the satisfaction of being independent.

Independent is really a word that insecure people despise.

[Atavistic]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[quote="curlygirl"[Why aren't students allowed to think for themselves?[/quote]
Because there is no call for opinions on a multiple choice test. Why learn it if you don't need it? It's all a waste of time better used elsewhere.

[Ya-ta Boy]

A: I'm thinking of going to Korea for a year to teach English.
B: Oh yeah? How do you think you'll handle the differences in culture?
A: I've been eating sweet and sour pork with chopsticks for a couple of years now. No problem. What else is there to culture?
B: Well, none that I know of except for bowing.
A: I won't bow to anyone, but I'll still be polite. It should be a breeze.


End of Cultural Differences Discussion and Preparation

[pest2]