Korean Job Discussion Forums

[amason]

How good does your spelling have to be to teach?

Hi I'm heading over to Korea in the next couple of weeks I have TEFL cert but I have no idea what sort of thing a hagwon would expect in terms of teaching.

Obviously I understand that spelling is vital to teaching English but I wonder (and probably slightly paranoid) about having to spell a range of different words on the board 'off the cuff' in front of students/observers.

Would this sort of thing be required regularly? or would I be able to tailor lessons beforehand and thus have time to check through any spelling uncertainties with a dictionary? I want to make sure I am teaching the students properly!

The level of students will be elementary and middle school.
Any helpful comments would be great

Cheers

[xingyiman]

[ChopChaeJoe]

My spelling is terrible. nickel/nickle? calendar/calender? I never know. I concentrate on speaking and grammar.

[Kikomom]

Xingy, I think you mean your director is hoppy with you.

Here's a neat little pocket size book that you could keep handy on your desk. We used it years ago in secretary class and amazingly, it's still in print today.

http://www.amazon.com/Spell-Editors-American-Heritage-Dictionaries/dp/039575691X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252277958&sr=1-2

You can buy it for $3 and it's $4 for shipping (before you leave home). Probably 3x that if you order it from Korea.

I sent one to Zippy in a care package. As much as I hate to admit it, his spelling is atrocious too. But it hasn't held him back any.

[D.D.]

My spelling is bad and I have survived. The few times they picked it up it was just I was using the Canadian/British version and they were taught the American way. It's strange how some days I struggle to spell when I am around poor students and find it easy around good students. Don't worry you will be fine.

[misschel]

If you do spell a word incorrect pretend that you meant to and it was to see if the students would pick it up.

[nero]

[Fishead soup]

Use Powerpoint. Avoid writing on the board.

[Triban]

I just don't understand how native speakers slaughter the English language on a regular basis; it isn't that hard if you've grown up with it for your entire existence. I do not mean to sound condescending or holier than thou, but whether it affects your teaching or not (it probably won't unless you cannot spell basic words such as APPLE), please...learn to spell.

[AgentM]

[Kuros]

When I was teaching in Korea, a friend, another foreign teacher, used to call me in the middle of class to ask how to spell a word. Pretty funny. I was the better speller but I think ultimately he the better teacher.

[Fox]

Given in most cases you will be planning your own lessons, you should not run into problems particularly often. Just check a dictionary before class regarding any words you are unsure about. If someone asks you how to spell a word in the middle of class and you don't know for certain, just check; most classrooms have computers in them.

Spelling in English is inconsistent, and English has an immense vocabulary. No one (reasonable) expects you to have the proper spelling of every word perfectly memorized, just do your best. If you know you're prone to errors, keep an internet dictionary window open during class so you can refer to it quickly.

[Kikomom]

[roll_eks]

[AgentM]