Korean Job Discussion Forums

peppermint · Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 4:33 am Post subject:

I agree that using the fluent kids as interpreters is great- on paper. For once, Mr. Pink has a point though. Korean kids are under extreme pressure not to show off their skills when it comes to English. Many kids might be uncomfortable in those situations.

Take your cues from the kid, if they are okay with it, then it's a win-win situation, otherwise, journal writing is lower profile, but still educational.

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

It should be cool to speak English, like a fad, but I understand why it is hard for a teenager to show off intelectual abilities.

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

PEIGUY · Joined: 28 Mar 2004 Location: Omokgyo

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

i have enough trouble getting my students to stay somthing as simple as 'it's very hot today'

q. what are you doing?
a. hmm, ahhh, (sucking sound), emm.......... lunchy! ha ha ha he he ha ha .

my job is to get these guys to use simple sentences with a bit of confidience. I only have each class once a week, there is definately no time to try to get them to say more than things like
'I'm going to eat lunch'
'I enjoy listening to music'
'Do you like to play soccer?'

it might be different if i actually taught english everyday but it isn't so.

besides, at this level they already have a large vocabulary.... they just don't know how to put it together.

i'll ask them today if they know the meaning of

CanadaCommando · Joined: 13 Feb 2004 Location: People's Republic of C.C.

I am in the same boat as Wylde, as in one class/week, so a question like condensation just has TOO much build up to be too effective, though I do appreciate the idea.

To be effective, I think I will have to run some sort of seperate program for these kids...maybe an article review or journal writing, or something else to that effect; where a majority of it can be done in class, even if seperate from the rest of the group. Then, maybe a little after class follow up for the sake of verbal communication. Thanx for some of those suggestions.

It always seems stupid to me though to watch these fluent kids walk into their other English classes, where their English is 10 times better than their Korean English teachers'. I can just imagine how hard it is for those teachers!

Len8 · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Location: Kyungju

Isn't it a cultural thing for Korean students not to speak. Even for the fluent ones. They aint going to be bored, and they aint going to help period. Korea is collectivistic and homogeneous, so they communicate with each other without language. They know what and how everybody feels, so speaking is considered redundant.

Us westerners are from an individualistic culture, so we have to speak up to make a point, or to understand a point. We don't have the homogenity that enables us to intuitively grasp concepts or the thought procesess of the next person

matthewwoodford · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Location: Location, location, location.

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

CanadaCommando · Joined: 13 Feb 2004 Location: People's Republic of C.C.

It's true! Some of my kids seem barely able to say hello, yet they're more than eager to point that i have spelled colour "wrong"!

"Teacher! Color has no U. Why do all Canadians spell wrong?"

I try to teach my children that the american verision is a mere corruption of the original English text, but that, like the proper name of a beanie (toque) seems somewhat beyond their comprehension.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

'What do you do with fluent kids?'. Arrange for them to have 'a little accident' so that they don't make it to adulthood and reproduce spawning more fluent kids and so putting me out of work. Doing my bit to eliminate the 'successful English student gene' in Korea.