Korean Job Discussion Forums

moosehead · Joined: 05 May 2007

I honestly think so - it's just not enough anymore for little Su min to learn the alphabet - they have to have the same textbooks as are used in countries such as the U.S. for native english speakers. our school is dropping the esl books for regular textbooks - never mind the students who don't even know their alphabet.

this seems to be a growing trend brought on by the students who attended kindergarten overseas and came back w/excellent E - any of you who have checked the job board must be aware of how E kindy has pretty much taken over everything else.

oh we still have some phonics books, mind you, but get this - they are used mostly by the K teachers whose E pronunciation - and competency in general - leave much to be desired.

this group mentality thinking - that if one can do it we all can do it - is absurd and borders on insanity.

other countries aren't so ridiculous about their esl classes - why K ? seriously why do they continue to try and buck the system?

Xuanzang · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Sadang

Yeah they're trying to run before they walk. Even in the English kindies, not all of the students would be prepared for full immersion. Not all of them have lived abroad either. Some ajummas just have deep pockets. They need the phonics help. Hell, even native speaking child need the phonics books in the beginning.

Korea is building a house of English without a proper foundation.

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

Reminds me of a certain hagwan owner/director that I used to work for.

When I started working for him, he asked me what books I thought he should use. I gave him my advice as best I could. He proceeded to do the exact opposite of everything I suggested. It was like he was trying to rub my nose in it or something. He insisted on trying to use books that were wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy beyond the students' level and move wayyyyyyyyy too fast without any of the support materials that the books are supposed to come with. I guess he thought he could impress parents with the supposed "high levels" that we were using.

Talk about an arrogant bonehead.

2 years later, I'm in the PS system and his hagwan has vanished.

Go figure. Perhaps I had the last laugh after all.

Xuanzang · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Sadang

I know Oxford and Cambridge ESL book publishing loves Korea. They're probably keeping their profit margins in the black even in these hard times.

lifeinkorea · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China

I agree with what everyone is saying. The question then is, when do you teach what the schools want? Is there material in 3rd grade that should not be taught until 5th or 6th?

If so, it might be in our best interest to talk to schools about teaching these 5th and 6th grade students at one school, and then we would go to a middle school to teach older students.

This might be good because both schools wouldn't have to pay a full salary. It has it's good and bad points for us, but I think the pros of teaching lessons to the appropriate groups would outwigh the cons of staying at only one school.

moosehead · Joined: 05 May 2007

NoExplode · Joined: 15 Oct 2008

Yonsei tries to teach Shakespeare to 8 years olds that do not even know the alphabet via computer or something.

I don't teach there, but advised on the project for one of their Professors. She asked my opinion on "how awesome" their program must be because of teaching (*ohhhh shakeUHspeaUH*) such _dippicult_ material, and I went on a rant to her, basically telling her that I've encountered this attempt by non-thinking Ed Majors before. As mentioned above, it's running before walking.

Even if the kids were fluent, it's a relative waste of time to "teach" (if you really intend to teach what teaching Shakespeare is) the Bard to any 10 year old. They aren't going to understand 98% of it. Not the vocab, not the content, not the subtext, not the feelings, not the emotion, not the use of symbolism, not the meaning. Death, love, rage, jealousy, revenge...Perhaps they will figure out the plot, but that's extremely inefficient, therefore terrible, teaching.

red_devil · Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Location: Korea

This is what happens when the parents run the schools, not the owners/directors. I've found if the CEO of the school has a lot of good credentials, the parents will typically defer to whatever method or practice they suggest. If the school is small, the CEO doesn't have a lot of cred, the parents end up taking over...