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ytuque
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
Location: I drink therefore I am!
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skeeterses
Joined: 25 Oct 2007
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 Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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| At the heart of the controversy is the issue of how the language should be taught to Koreans. At least 2,500 hours of language classes are needed to make basic communication in English possible, according to experts. Korean students take just 730 hours, including lessons in elementary, junior and senior high schools. And the English classes themselves do not promote the improvement of conversational skills. Expanding the number of English classes is crucial in order to improve the level of English language proficiency among Koreans. |
The Koreans spend way more time learning English than 730 hours. Think of all those hours they spend going to hagwons. The amount of English studying the Korean kids actually do in their childhood and teen years is far more than 2,500 hours. The amount of time they spend in the classrooms is excessive.
And as far as watching English language TV programs are concerned, the majority of Korean kids have Internet Access but choose not to watch American TV on youtube. I think the real issue here is that they simply don't want to learn English. Think about it. If you spend 6 hours in a public school and then another couple hours being force fed someone else's foreign language, would you want to watch TV in that foreign language?
The Korean Government needs to leave the kids alone for God's sake and let them decide for themselves if they want to learn English or not. |
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ytuque
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
Location: I drink therefore I am!
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| Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| skeeterses wrote: |
The Koreans spend way more time learning English than 730 hours. Think of all those hours they spend going to hagwons. The amount of English studying the Korean kids actually do in their childhood and teen years is far more than 2,500 hours. The amount of time they spend in the classrooms is excessive.
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Of all those hours in a classroom studying English, what percentage of time is instruction actually in English? From my kid's experience, it is about 85% Korean 15% English. The result is studying English in a Korean school is a great way to learn Korean. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Is there enough English education? |
Not enough for the people that need it, too much for the people that don't. |
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skeeterses
Joined: 25 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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I agree that a lot of the teaching methods and textbooks used are not exactly efficient ways to learn English. However, before there can be any talk about English fluency on a large scale, there must be some limits set in place.
For starters, there must be a strict limit on the amount of time the kids are spending in the classroom. 1 or 2 classes after school is reasonable. Staying at a hagwon past dinner time is not. With many hagwons operating up to midnight, it should be obvious that the last thing Korean children need is more English classes. The kids need 8 hours of sleep as well as some time to play outside and be kids.
Second of all, Koreans need to seriously rethink about the need for every Korean schoolchild to learn English. Sure, some occupations like the Education profession and Chaebols need some English speakers. But other occupations like Taxi Driving and Construction don't. What business does the Government have telling all the children that they have to learn English?
I don't expect too many English teachers to question the need for so many Korean schoolchildren to attend ESL hagwons. And the reason is that ESL is big business in Korea. As Jon Huer said, this is one business where fortunes are made and lost. Native English teachers, Korean English teachers, Hagwon owners, textbook publishers, they're making money off the ESL horse. Why should they question the whole rationale behind the ESL Industry? After all, all the students are going to grow up, get good TOEIC scores, and then land a job at a Chaebol and live happily ever after. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 3:40 am Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
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| Is there enough English education? |
Not enough for the people that need it, too much for the people that don't. |
This is a very much to the truth. |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 8:42 am Post subject: |
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| skeeterses wrote: |
Second of all, Koreans need to seriously rethink about the need for every Korean schoolchild to learn English. Sure, some occupations like the Education profession and Chaebols need some English speakers. But other occupations like Taxi Driving and Construction don't. What business does the Government have telling all the children that they have to learn English?
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and what business is it of yours to say taxi drivers don't need E ?? 
my goodness - if anyone needs E it's a taxi driver!!
and yes, store clerks need it also - and police and er people - jees - stop trying to separate people into SEC and decide who does and does not need a foreign language -
as for someone saying it's +2000 hrs of E edu to learn basic communication - my god where did they get that from?? maybe it's because E edu in K is such a miserable failure as so many Ks have been studying E (allegedly) in school for 10 or more years and STILL can't utter a word of it.  |
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skeeterses
Joined: 25 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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| moosehead wrote: |
| skeeterses wrote: |
and yes, store clerks need it also - and police and er people - jees - stop trying to separate people into SEC and decide who does and does not need a foreign language -
as for someone saying it's +2000 hrs of E edu to learn basic communication - my god where did they get that from?? maybe it's because E edu in K is such a miserable failure as so many Ks have been studying E (allegedly) in school for 10 or more years and STILL can't utter a word of it. |
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If many Koreans questioned the need for every Korean school-child to get fluent in English, it wouldn't exactly be good for the ESL Industry in Korea, would it? Sure things would be a little helpful for the non-Korean speaking foreigners if the taxi drivers and store clerks to do basic stuff in English like give directions and count change. But to expect every Korean to be able to read the New York Times or watch CNN is a little ridiculous. You and I both agree that the state of ESL education in the public schools is a failure. But if Korea were to actually fix their English education in the public schools, there wouldn't be a need for so many English teachers, would there? Basically, you and many other English teachers could be out of a job. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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| skeeterses wrote: |
| But if Korea were to actually fix their English education in the public schools, there wouldn't be a need for so many English teachers, would there? Basically, you and many other English teachers could be out of a job. |
And so I agree.
If public education does not suffice for the general public, private industry will take over.
Public and private are not competing, but private takes over what public is leaving on the floor.
That is why many of you have a good job in Korea (and in some ways it could be described of as wasted resources). |
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Jane
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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