Korean Job Discussion Forums

[withnail]

This'll set fire to some asses I'm sure. But this board is getting very very boring with all those crap posts of the "I hate my principal"/How do I get a visa"/"Should I quit my job" variety.

Let's have some fun and see how quickly I can get flamed/accused of being pompous/having delusions of grandeur...

As a university teacher, do you lecture from the front all the time?

Do you never wander more than 2 feet from your lectern?

Do you stick mostly to the book?

Are your students never asked to rearrange their desks into microgroups for discussions and communicative tasks?

Do you keep them in that wall-hugging U-shape?

Is your only effort at St-St interaction bland pairwork to check answers together?

Are you scared stiff of small group discussions/whole class discussions in case you get embarrassing silences which make you look foolish for trying?

Is setting up discussions and giving feedback too much like hard work?

Do you enjoy boring your students to death by lecturing them on grammar rules?

Are your lessons more less concerned just with preparing students for the task types needed for their grade?

Are you fanatical about student punctuality/attendance, frequently breathing fire about the consequences of this for grades?

Do students with better discipline get higher grades than those with better English?

Do you enjoy showing 'em who's boss?


Then you my friend, are a Whiteboard soldier!!!!

Just kidding!

If that phrase becomes popular, then I copyright it here and now!

Withnail 2009.

[withnail]

Wow. Ripped off by Gangwonbound within minutes of posting this. That's gotta be some kind of record..

[gangwonbound]

[Tjames426]

Are you scared stiff of small group discussions/whole class discussions in case you get embarrassing silences which make you look foolish for trying?

***

The only small group discussions and whole class discussions I've every seen are Korean students speaking KOREAN in an English class.

I have never seen a Korean student speaking English in English class unless it is under a teacher controlled exercise environment.

Period.

[makemischief]

[Fishead soup]

The method should always match the situation. Most of the teaching methods the OP mentioned are pretty easy with small groups of adults or advanced middle/high school students.

Cultural difference topics are pretty hit or miss.

[kiwiduncan]

[frankly speaking]

Do students with better discipline get higher grades than those with better English?

I wonder what you mean by discipline.

Personaly I always give better grades to students who work harder and spend more effort in class. I don't always give students with better ability a better grade. Students who have a good prior ability in English that come late and don't work to learn more shouldn't deserve full marks.

Why should a teacher give a grade based on what prior knowledge the student has. Of course students with better ability will be able to communicate more, but what if they don't make any improvements on their accuracy. A fluent sounding student who can discuss many topics but is uses poor structure is awfully difficult to listen to. I personally like shorter more accurate answwers.

Don't worry about the phrase becomeing popular, I think it is quite forgettable.

I am a strong proponent of constructiionist methodolgy but in a foreign language environment, the students need to be at least intermediate.

Group work and pair work for oral communication is good but rarely works for comprehension or written communciation. While the teacher is out of earshot the groups go back to communicating in their native tongues. It is just easier for them. It is hard to break that habit.

Personally, I would rather my students build a strong comprehension base before worrying about communication. The few foreign languages that I learned were in context and I could comprehend both oral and written forms a lot more than I could communicate at first. Then after I had a good base of the language from comprehension, I could easily string together more accurate and natural responses.

[withnail]

I agree with a lot of what you say about a comprehension base. I do! I just reckon that by the time they come to us as freshmen, they already have that! Ever seen the reading comp books middle and high school sts have been through. It's extensive and I'm a big fan of extensive reading in the early years. But for Heaven's sake, when will they ever get the push to communicate if not from us??

Your attitude although sincere and well-meaning, is rooted in realpolitik and no little kworldweariness/ cynicism.

Now don't get angry and flame me! We've all been there. We are all there regularly.


Read a little about Dr Andrew Finch's theories on Korean sts. That comprehension base is already in there, its just so damn easy not to see that in a bleary eyed, late coming freshman st.

I want you to have a shot at teasing it out that's all!!