Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bogey666]

I was wondering about this today

how could you make any real progress teaching a person who basically knows ZERO English without being able to explain things to them in Korean?

I think it'd be hopeless, almost a waste of time.. and the other person's money.

thoughts?

[BrianInSuwon]

I would start with phonics. Its a well structured learning method that will allow the student to see real progress in a short amount of time. At the same time, I would be working on picture-based flash card vocabulary. And at the same time, playing card games (using the flashcards) to use the vocabulary and some basic sentence structures. ("Do you have..a TV..?) You can also work on numbers using flash cards. You can work on telling time. You can use TPR which you model until the student can pick it up. (Sit down, stand up, left hand up, touch your nose, go to the window)

[bogey666]

[BS.Dos.]

As part of Trinity College Cert. TESOL you have to undertake 6-hours of target language instruction, which when I did it involved learning Dutch. None of those on the course spoke any Dutch and aside from the teacher introducing herself and outlining what we'd be doing in English, the 6-hours of instruction was conducted entirely in Dutch.

[IAMAROBOT]

You can probably teach them some functional phrases like hello, goodbye, and introductions completely in English.

What I like to think about is how crappy it must have been for people who were stranded in another culture without the help of any aids like teachers or dictionaries. Learning a new language like that must be really painful.