Korean Job Discussion Forums

[iggyb]

I've been teaching Korean teachers in a program for a year now.

I previously taught Korean adults for 3 years or so in hakwons when I was a language instructor in Korea from 1996-2000.

Before I came, I had TESOL training and limited experience doing volunteer teaching of immigrants in the US and formal experience teaching writing in college to mostly non-native English speaking students.

Since I left in 2000, I've continued language teaching and got a MA-Teaching and have taught ESL and English Language Arts in high school in the US.

.....I had hopes when I started back in Korea that teachers would be different from the adults I taught 14 years ago...

...but they aren't.

I thought their experience teaching the language and their training to be language teachers would cut down on the constant push for "free talking, free talking, free talking...."

The only difference today is -- they call it "authentic communication."

The result is still the same ---- heavy resistance to using TESOL methods I was trained to use and which you will find repeated time and time and time again in the professional development journals and TESOL books.

And the second result is -- a lot of "free silence" and "discussion" classes that end up --- heavily lecture-based.

The teacher ends up speaking 80-90% of the time and students as a whole 10%+ - which usually involves 2 or 3 higher level and/or non-shy students using up 2-3% of the class to practice using the language for communication (speaking) while the rest of the class listens.

--- and of course, after a few weeks of this, they complain they need more "authentic communication" time ---- but they don't want to do pair and group work where they communicate with other Koreans.

It is a grind.

If you listen to Korean adults talk about what they want out of a language program they are studying in ---

--- you discover they expect to get a 1-on-1 experience with a NSET in a 1-on-5 or 1-on-10 or 1-on-15 classroom environment.

They also don't want to use all 4 language areas. They don't want to read or write - even though writing output is one key way for giving individual attention to learners.

They want listening-speaking practice, but when push comes to shove, and they are faced with being asked to produce speaking, they fall back to the comfort zone of listening.

But, they remain unhappy when they notice their language ability is not improving rapidly like they expect since they are finally studying with a NSET.

They also can't seem to accept that they are not going to get 1-on-1 treatment outside of a 1-on-1 situation: It is impossible to divide the speaking time up to satisfy students in even small sized classes.

As long as Korean adults are very resistant to allowing a teacher to use what has been popular thought in language teaching methodology for the past 20 or so years ---

--- they would be better off spending their time in expat bars in Itaewon buying foreign strangers pitchers of beer to share with them than they would be spending money to take language classes.....

[some waygug-in]

You've just discovered the reason why so many teachers have switched to elementary school. Kids are a lot more open in some ways, but it takes the right approach to get them focused.

[sluggo832004]

I wonder how teaching Adults in America differs from Adults in Korea?

[iggyb]

Teaching American teachers could be a problem. I would expect it to be, but I had to second guess myself, because I've been in a couple of programs as a student in the US that had a large section of the students made up of currently-teaching "students."

Those two programs were actually made better by it: I got as much out of listening and discussing practical and theoretical teaching issues with them as I did from the professors and books we used.

But, that wasn't language teachers learning a language.

But again, I can't picture American language teachers-as-students fighting a teacher over the issue of group and pair work or using activities that focus on each of the 4 language skill areas.

The problem with Korean adult students is their experience in public schools and university: elementary schools focus way too much on speaking-listening and much of the speaking to memorization - while higher level grades focus way too much on reading and translating with teachers who often spend most of their time teaching in Korean.

American language teachers studying their chosen language aren't likely to see speaking with a native-speaking teachers as a ---- magic cure-all that wipes away previous negative experience studying a language and to the hard work that language study requires...

[iggyb]

I switched to mostly kids hakwons away from adults my first time around in Korea - before there were public school jobs.

I found it more fun to teach kids, but it also took a lot more energy, and I eventually burnt out after 3+ years in the hakwons.

I also add ---- teaching ESL in the US (or ELA) isn't without frustrations too. I prefer ESL because the immigrant kids are more motivated in ESL class than non-immigrants in English class, but ---- they are still teenagers...

The fact I know I am teaching teenagers just makes it easier - usually - to leave daily frustrations behind in the office than it is when you get resistance to effective teaching methods from adults - especially when those adults are language teachers themselves....

[Wai Mian]

I think another problem is the level of expectation that Korean clients have towards their business interactions. If they're paying, they want results that may be clearly impossible to both themselves and the teacher. No matter, roles must be played.

[oldfatfarang]

There is a reason why Korea spends trillions of dollars on English education - for arguably some of the worst results in the world.

All these reasons have just been covered by the OP, and other posters.

However, things aint gonna change round here (not while the Confucian boys still hold the stick).

Good luck OP. It won't get any easier, and it won't be changing anytime soon.

[RMNC]

Yep, in English schools, people want to just absorb the language through osmosis.

I guess setting the guidelines down early is the best way to teach it. You have to let them know it's a discussion class right off the bat and you expect them to ask questions and discuss, otherwise they won't see any benefit.

People get angry with discussions because they feel if they're paying money, they should be completely catered to and not have to do any work to improve. They just don't get that it's not like a restaurant.

Of course, getting a good schedule is important too. It's hard to try and teach when your brain is fried from being at a school for 12 hours a day.

Adults always will have high expectations, despite the fact that kids pick up language easier. They take less energy, however, pay attention, do their work (most of the time) and never interrupt. Teaching adults is nice once you've realized it's not important how you teach them, as long as you teach them in some way and get through each day with them learning something new. They're more free-form than kids, for better or for worse.

I find that being approachable and funny is the best way to get them to come out of their shells. You have to be the initiator and make each student feel like they've got a unique personality. You have to smile a lot and make them feel comfortable, and when they don't get stuff, make fun of the situation a bit. I used to wear fake glasses and when the lesson get confusing I would tilt them askew and go "wuhhh???" and people would laugh and then I'd explain what we were doing again. Funny, tongue in cheek powerpoints also made the lessons more interesting. Again, they need to feel comfortable. Being able to foster the right environment is the only way to success with adults.

And of course, knowing some Korean helps in leaps and bounds, if you can explain something with basic Korean, it will help them immensely when it comes to making associations.

[Wai Mian]

I currently work for a big for-profit ESL school in the US, but we are very quick to explain to every student that ESL is like a gym:

"you can improve on your own, without us, for free. It's also possible that you could use us, pay a bunch of money, and not improve at all. The x factor is you the student. If you don't work at it, you won't see any improvement."

I love teaching adults in the US because most of them get it. The ones that don't are usually just there for a visa. If they dont' disrupt, I don't sweat it. It's the 1% that don't do anything but actually expect to improve. Luckily my manager did 6 years in Asia and has wonderful contempt for that kind of "no effort, maximum reward because I paid" thinking so it never causes a problem. It really depends on the setting.

[mj roach]

"...you discover they expect to get a 1-on-1 experience..."

yes, you become the 'foreigner' friend they aren't able to meet/make in life to practice eng. with

"...no matter, roles must be played..."

yes, you're the 'for hire' foreigner friend

<<iteslj.org/questions>>
put the onus on them -they ask and answer in turn- you join in

'true stories' - a picture based reader by sandra heyer (longman)
seems to work well with beginners divided into groups of 3 or 4 - you ask expansion questions

always up for new items for the bag o'tricks needed to keep the headaches to a minimum

any others greatly appreciated

[Hotwire]

I disliked teaching adults in Korea.

1. You imgine they will be better studetns. Not true. A lot of them as equally unmotivated as K kids and expected to learn through osmosis. Very dismaying to have a group of mid 20 yr olds complaining that you don't play enough games and sulking like they were teenagers and persistantlly not doing homework.

2. Split shifts are soul destroying.

[Man on Street]

Love teaching adults here. Not kids. Not at all.

[Who's Your Daddy?]

[ThingsComeAround]

I like adults- they give a refreshing air to the work I slave at, teaching English.

The above poster is right, try and reach their personal side. Ask what kind of music they like, if other countries have spicy food, why do Korean women wear heels on ice, etc. Give them reasons to smile in class, and it will go by much more smoothly for you and for them.

Adults also possess the ability to pretty much teach themselves. You need to be there as a proctor, but some classes have been just them speaking to one another about a given topic in English. Then they go home happy, that's when you know you've done well.

I'd prefer a mix, adults and kids. If I ran my own business, that's probably the way it would be done.

[misher]