Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tomato]

I heard that the new President is planning to set up a new English program in all the elementary schools.
By 2010, every elementary school in the country will have English classes conducted entirely in English.

Have you ever seen a Korean English teacher who doesn't patter continuously in Korean to the students for 50 minutes?
I haven't.

Korean English teachers won't even speak English to each other.
I have heard of a director who decreed that the English teachers would speak only English to each other.
Since this was inconceivable to them, they stopped speaking to each other entirely.
Some of the teachers even quit because the notion was inconceivable to them.

I can't wait to see what transpires in 2010.

[chachee99]

I heard about this new program too. I feel it is a good idea, but the schools need to start planning for it right now and not wait until the last minute hoping all the pieces will fall into place. The president must also take into consideration the new visa laws. If there is a huge drop in foreign teachers then there will not be enough people to actually get this program off the ground.

[Real Reality]

[tomato]

The program is more ill-fated than I thought!
It got killed before it even started!

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/266275.html

[Hyeon Een]

[tomato]

It's not Korean English teachers' competency in English I take issue with,
it's their unwillingness to conduct a class without speaking Korean.

[Hyeon Een]

[Atavistic]

[PRagic]

This is a plan that should indeed be implemented quickly. The important thing is for legislators to understand and voice to the public that results won't be tangible for another generation! This is a long-term goal.

Why? Because the current teachers still rely on the pedagogy comfortable to them. Also, the teachers being currently trained, while considerably better at a wider array of English skills, and apparently more confident in their abilities, is untested. They will be hired and they will be a shot in the arm to the system. Students will hopefully learn in a new way, and be able to utilize their English. The real results will come about when the young students trained in a new way grow up to be teachers themselves. They will represent the break from the old methods.

Personally, while I understand the push for English, I think there are better alternatives. Korea is going to have a tough time making up ground and competiting with Singapore and Hong Kong already, so why play a game with the cards stacked against you? Why not think out of the box?

In my opinion, Korea should mold itself into a multi-lingual society, which, given the geographical proximity to several countries, would be an excellent marketing tool. Foreign lanugage would be mandatory, not English, and education would continue from elementary school through to university; think engineers who speak Farsi, designers who speak French, programers who speak Chinese, ship builders who speak Russian.

English is the quick pill, I understand. But again, the government is ignoring the market function (an activity that is itself culturally embedded). Those who absolutely need English, or who feel that it will increase their marketablility and value in the work force will learn it. How many Canadians had French forced upon them, but can't function in the language? However, those who need French, or those who choose to study it for pleasure or travel purposes do quite well.

[maingman]

re train them

simply re try and then retrain

!