Korean Job Discussion Forums

[oldtrafford]

Stalin84, don't bite. There's some good advice on this post, take the good advice and you'll be fine.

[edwardcatflap]

[Stalin84]

I haven't been at the job very long but I do know that I'm a good teacher. I take a lot of pride with it, I get to know the students, I work hard and above all I enjoy it (and design my classes so that they will too). I agree with Edward about grammar being important although not the be all and end all in the classroom. With teaching adults, being personable (as they tell us at Pagoda) is more important than a lot of things and I agree with that. It's not teaching in the strictest sense and it is nothing like my experience teaching at ES/JHS and HS.

So yes, I'll try not to argue with the troll.

I've only been working here for a few weeks. I discovered grammar is much more important here (whether I agree or not) so I'm going to dig my feet into it for the next few weeks and hopefully come out more knowledgeable. As for my knowledge about the correct application of grammar, I'd say I was well within the "deserves to be an English teacher" range.

[repeatpete]

since no-one else has mentioned it yet...... (sorry to not offer online material but these are very solid resources and if you think this is a job you'd like to do for a while, a pretty worthwhile investment)

Raymond Murphy, 'Grammar in Use.' (Very easily get-hold-of-able.) (The Blue one, Intermediate.)
Michael Swan, 'The Good Grammar Book.' (Orange, aimed at Elementary to Pre-Intermediate.)

You should be able to find these just about anywhere. (Kyobo, YP, What the Book etc.)
Either of these would be very handy as a reference, they are packed with examples also. Many of your students have no doubt used the former (both are aimed at students) but they are very useful for teachers/instructors too.

If you feel you need more, as a previous poster suggested, Michael Swan's 'Practical English Usage' will give you a great deal more.
And if you really want to go to town....Advanced Grammar in Use, Martin Hewings. But...well, have a look at it before you buy it and you'll see why i left it till last.

Grammar takes a while to get familiar with but, (and again a previous poster made this point) just brush up on the bits you will be covering for that class.
Don't feel you have to have the whole lot down pat by next Monday.

And good luck with those transitive verbs.

[diver]

[diver]

[oldtrafford]

Ok. Edward they were taught wrong in 'some' aspects of grammar. What they certainly didn't do is open their gobs. They sat there being lectured mindless grammar points and memorizing vocabulary. They neither used the grammar nor vocabulary in context. They literally translated korean words into English words which were lost in translation. This explains that after spending years studying the language they've made zero to little progress.

In my experience I have found grammar is the least of their problems. In my class the activities are based around the students, I instruct them on the activity and give help, when it's needed. My classes are well prepared and due to the many years of teaching adults, I can often anticipate the questions they're going to ask in advance. Grammar is only one aspect of the language and Korean adults often complain that English is difficult because of grammar. Those who say that are merely hiding behind an excuse, they're the ones who are only in my class for a one year jolly (holiday). If they don't put the work in then they'll learn zip!! I work on a 70/30 ratio of them working and thinking in English, and yes it's bloody hard work. What I say to my students is you reap what you sow, now there's good old British proverb for you!! Ta!

[oldtrafford]

Diver you and I are singing from the same hymn sheet me old mucker!!

[some waygug-in]

I highly recommend the Murphy book, for most things it's all you need.




What I've found is that often students get caught up in

analytical grammar, and feel they need to know all the labels for each word in every sentence.

While this can be useful for a grammarian, too much of it can get in the way of actual language learning.


I've had students who could label all the words in a sentence and all that, but could not form a correct sentence on their own, or sometimes could not even understand the meaning of that sentence.



What good is that?


I often am left with the impression that students are trying to stump me with grammar questions because they want to show off or something rather than having a genuine interest in learning.

[oldtrafford]

Waygug-in, spot on, completely correct. Grammar overload most definitely gets in the way of actual learning and progressing.

[brauggi]

pm'd you, stalin

[Thiuda]

I think grammar is important, just as important as speaking, reading, listening and writing. However, when teaching grammar, it is helpful to compare and contrast the grammar of English to the grammar of Korean, because differences between the languages are especially difficult to process for language learners. Instead of simply providing a grammar point about English, point out how English and Korean are the same or different.

The English plural marker -s, for example, is a common problem for Korean learners; they frequently omit it where it is obligatory. When teaching plural marking on nouns, therefore, it is helpful to point out to students that the Korean plural marker -들 is used differently than the plural marker in English. In Korean the plural marker is used mostly with humans, less so with animals, and almost not at all with inanimate objects, whereas in English the plural marker is obligatory on all plural count nouns. Interestingly, Korean students transfer the settings from the L1 to the L2 and consequently omit plural marking in English more frequently where they would not use it in Korean.

This type of explicit grammar instruction is very helpful for making students aware of linguistic differences, which allows them to focus attention on them and, consequently, improve more quickly than if they remained unaware of them.

I agree with other posters who suggested identifying the lesson's grammar point and boning up on it, though I would go one step further and then ask a Korean colleague to explain the Korean counterpart, so that in my lesson I can show how it is either similar of different. Difficult at first, but you get pretty good at it quickly.

Good luck.

[Blackthorne]

For learning/brushing up on the basics, I'd recommend Painless Grammar by Rebecca Elliott. What the Book? carries it, and you can also buy it from amazon. It's a very easy to read reference book, although it would be better if it covered some of the more advanced stuff.

[brauggi]