Korean Job Discussion Forums

sunspot · Joined: 01 Jan 2004

Why do Hogwans love bad English teachers?

Y'know the kinds that overly annunciate every syllable. The kind of English that takes 5 minutes to make a complete sentence. No one in Korea is ever going to learn to speak English if they learn from those kinds of teachers.

What do you think?

Corporal · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

Butterfly · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Location: Kuwait

If you walk into a low level class and speak in your normal patter the students will get nowhere fast. My Korean is limited to conversation with those who over enunciate, and are very expressive. I have difficulties understanding those who talk to me like I'm a native. Thank to those willing to show me enough patience by speaking slowly and expressively, I am slowly learning this language.

What's so BAD about speaking slowly for beginners? Their ability to understand and communicate with you, will raise their confidence and they can practice things they want to say, and get gradually faster at doing so.

ryleeys · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, MD

Am I mistaken or do American kids have to crawl before they walk too?

Or maybe they pop outta the mom giving discourses on open heart surgery...

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

I agree with Butterfly. The students can get all the listening practice they want/need with tapes, TV and movies when they want people speaking at normal speed.

They are in the class to learn how to do that. It's important to model regular speech for them, but it is vital to use vocabulary they know (or are being taught in that lesson) at both slow and fast speed. A good teacher can gradually speed up as students ability to understand increases.

Guest · Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2004 12:32 am Post subject:

Don't knock cardiac surgery !!!

Mad

ryleeys · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, MD

Heck, I have to speak slowly just to make sure I am pronouncing the word correctly... you shoulda seen me trying to explain to my middle school classes that I say "ya" cause I'm from the south and that it's the same thing as "you"

All my kids have a Korean accent with a southern twang... I love it.

kiwiboy_nz_99 · Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Location: ...Enlightenment...

Do Hagwons like teachers who teach BAD Englilsh? No.

Do Hagwons like teachers who teach properly? Yes.

Does teaching properly mean spealing slowly and clearly? Yes.

ryleeys · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, MD

Damn... I hate agreeing with the Kiwi.

jaderedux · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Lurking outside Seoul

Butterfly · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Location: Kuwait

Well this is weird isn't it?

Anyone articulate enough to express their view on this topic (qualified and experienced teachers it seems) has expressed how necessary it is to speak slowly and clearly so the students can understand, however the majority of people who voted have equated 'over enunciation and speaking slowly' with BAD teaching.

To me this is testament to the low quality of some teachers in Korea, who seem to develop their own theories without even reading anything.

Come on Sunspot, what are you talking about? I'd like to hear why you think enunciating clearly and speaking slowly for low level English students is so very very BAD. And as Corporal punishment pointed out, you can't even spell enunciate.

Ahh, does your boss think your 'overly annunciating' colleagues are really good, while he/she thinks you are really bad? But you're right aren't you? and everyone else is wrong. You're right....

bellum99 · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: don't need to know

Sometimes students know 10 words in total and some idiot is speaking as fast as possible and screaming how his students are stupid. Nothing is worse than that kind of teacher.

ratslash · Joined: 08 May 2003

buddy bradley · Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: The Beyond

The Man known as The Man