Korean Job Discussion Forums

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

"a minimal amount of unit language for the students to practice"

I respectfully disagree, even though this seems to be what the Korean textbooks are based.

It is better, I think, to have a core set of words or phrases and sentence patterns the students should have mastered before the end of the unit, but you include around it significantly more words and options you expose the students to. Then, over time, you give them repeated exposure to the extra material you've provide here and there, and reward students for using that material when you do activities that give them more freedom in using the language.

My biggest complaint about how Korean teachers teach the language is that they limit the students to a small amount of vocabulary and restrict them to just a couple of sentence patterns in each unit. The focus is clearly on mastery and comprehension, but students are able to absorb SO MUCH more material over time if you give them repeated exposure and freedom of usage in more open-ended activities from time to time.

When you are teaching mixed level classes, it is vital that you give a significant amount of vocabulary and patterns and allow for more open practice....I'll follow this up later...

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

Follow on the last comment, the younger the student, the more they are able to absorb this extra material and use it if you give them opportunities to see and use it.

The focus on mastery and comprehension is too limited. 10-20 years ago, immersion language learning was all the craze, and it is the best way to learn a language, especially for young students, but it was pushed too far back then. I can remember they didn't even want to let you use a bilingual dictionary in class. In an EFL situation, you can't have immersion exposure, but the basic idea is still sound and based on how toddlers learn their native language. You understand that the students are going to be confused at times and not know some things at times, but through overlapping lesson plans with built in repetition, and as students fight through the confusion and practice more what they do understand, they learn the language in a functional way (in a way they can use it) and learn it faster.

That is the only reason students seem to learn more at the hakwons than they do in these public school classes.

The Korean teachers are better teachers than hakwon instructors, and there is much that isn't good enough in hakwons, but the work they do there requires them to fight through confusion and gives them much more exposure to the language and freedom to use it than public schools.

The current government is right to push TEE, but the textbooks need to include more material, and I don't see how they are ever going to enforce TEE....

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

some waygug-in, that is why I think we do little more than warm students up for the hakwons. And what bothers me more about it is that those lowest level students could be learning much more if we'd give it to them.

This co-teacher I complain about explained to me that the textbooks and class should be geared to those students who can't afford hakwons. I tried to explain to her that research shows students can learn faster especially the younger they are, but she wouldn't budge. I also told her I have taught survival level English before and had an idea of how much students can manage, but again, she wouldn't budge.

The fact she won't even accept my pronunciation of L and R as a native speaker shows what I've been up against, and it hasn't been worth fighting it out.

14 weeks until Winter Break and then I'm basically done....

ThingsComeAround · Joined: 07 Nov 2008

Sounds like a problem in marketing.

Instead of telling her what "experts" (that she doesn't know of) say, why not bombard her with questions?

Would it be better to teach children this or that?
Can children learn now or later?
What do you think is best for this class?
Will it be okay to use this activity?
When do we introduce the new vocabulary?

At first it seems like giving up control, and that is what she wants. Soon it will overwhelm her. She will want quiet and tell you to do whatever you want. Then you can retort when she interrupts you with an interrupt: "This is what you wanted" and freeze. Let the class stare at her. If she leads you into a pit, she will rely on your experience. When she feels superior again, she will want control again, but she will respect you.