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tideout
Joined: 12 Dec 2010
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 Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:22 am Post subject: |
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| s.tickbeat wrote: |
Korea is beginning to reach a breaking point more generally - not just regarding education. The social contract here is that you study hard (and have natural talent, and your family had money) and you will get good grades, thus you will go to a good university and never have to worry about work again (because WORK will come to YOU). Once you have a job, you work your ass off and are able to save money, send your children to good hagwons, and the cycle continues. . .
Except that it's beginning to break down. The middle class in Korea has been growing as long as there's been an export market for Korean products. I'm not talking about Samsung and LG (though they've been the big money-makers int he past 10 years) but shipbuilding, transport, and heavy industry. Now the middle class is large, and powerful in a way that hasn't happened here before. Schools are grossly under-funded and the standard of education in a public school here is just awful (why do you think parents send their kids to hagwons?). Elderly people are left to make money where they can, picking up trash or taking in washing. Basic costs like food and fuel keep increasing, and the only way to keep up is to pull your kids out of the hagwons. . .
Which means that pressure is mounting to improve the standard of public education in Korea. Problem is, that no one knows what that even means here. |
Interesting post and perspective. I wonder if it might also be said it's simply hit some serious limits and changes that need to be made will not be easy?
I'm sorry I don't have the link or story from the last year or so that Korea would face serious limits to growth at this point. If I'm remembering correctly, it was in a report from the OECD. It was pretty specific about Confucian thinking being a stumbling block in development.
While Korea's done well since the IMF crisis in the late 90's I think they're going to have trouble continuing that growth rate.
In other country's that had workers coming into the country to work there might be better avenues for people to stay, invest or immigrate (increase domestic markets) but I honestly think these are difficult for Korea to do.
Your point on education is a good one though. I have a friend working at a university here who is strictly limited in grading by his school's reporting software. You get 10 slots for an "A", 15 slots for a "B" etc...learning is secondary to the reporting.
When we recently did some testing at our public school there was some excitement about the test results. I asked if the students did well -assuming that was reason for the upbeat mood. I was told this was irrelevant as what was really important was the spread of A's to D's fit what administration was expecting.
You can draw your own conclusions about where a system like this is heading...... |
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Emark
Joined: 10 May 2007
Location: duh, Korea?
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:26 am Post subject: Re: P.School Material -FAIL! |
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| tideout wrote: |
| chickenpie wrote: |
| Emark wrote: |
| I can't believe what the GEPIK teachers are teaching in the P.S. I'm working at. This is for the Grade 6 kids, but still, their in grade 6! |
 I sincerely hope you don't actually teach in the PS. |
Ah, the typing police have arrived! |
My bad for not proofreading everything I write. Mozilla is a little annoying correcting all my keystroke errors. My apologies. I will go to my room and write they're 100 times now.  |
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lithium
Joined: 18 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| viciousdinosaur wrote: |
| Seriously, dude. I can just see some principal or board director rubbing their hands over this. They love this stuff. They can't wait until public schools throw in the towel with regards to ESL and everything goes back to the way it was. Let's face it. The government is pandering to the public with white faces whilst actively sabotaging English language education. Why do they hire only inexperienced newbies to teach at their schools? Why do they make no attempt at all to develop a proper curriculum? Why do they let moron teachers embarrass the school while quashing any real attempt to educate the children? |
Looking at your join date....hmmmmm. |
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viciousdinosaur
Joined: 30 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by viciousdinosaur on Fri Aug 03, 2012 11:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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dmillika
Joined: 24 Nov 2011
Location: Changwon
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:13 pm Post subject: Re: P.School Material -FAIL! |
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| chickenpie wrote: |
| Emark wrote: |
| I can't believe what the GEPIK teachers are teaching in the P.S. I'm working at. This is for the Grade 6 kids, but still, their in grade 6! |
I sincerely hope you don't actually teach in the PS. |
OH NO! A random typo!
Jesus Christ, get over yourself. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 2:57 pm Post subject: |
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| It doesn't look like a random typo to me. A random typo would be writing 'theyre' or 'the're.' It looks more like a grammar 'slip' to me rather than a grammar 'error'. IE the writer is aware of the rule but forgets to apply it when aiming for fluency. In the same way as a Korean speaker might say 'he don't like cheese.' |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:45 pm Post subject: |
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| s.tickbeat wrote: |
the standard of education in a public school here is just awful (why do you think parents send their kids to hagwons?).
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Korea could have the best education system in the world and parents would still send them to hagwons. Why? Because Mrs. Kim's son next door has better grades than my kid, so I must send him to a hagwon. |
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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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My co-teacher asks the students questions in English and tells them that, if it's easier, they can answer in Korean. So of course they answetr in Korean. I tell him that they need to learn to answer in English. "In Korean is fine," he says. No wonder English gets nowhere in Korea. I know quite a few Koreans who can understand some spoken English, but couldn't formulate a sentence to save their lives. Now I know where that problem stems from.
Last edited by Smithington on Wed Jul 18, 2012 5:54 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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randall020105
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Location: the land of morning confusion...
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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| jvalmer wrote: |
| s.tickbeat wrote: |
the standard of education in a public school here is just awful (why do you think parents send their kids to hagwons?).
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Korea could have the best education system in the world and parents would still send them to hagwons. Why? Because Mrs. Kim's son next door has better grades than my kid, so I must send him to a hagwon. |
+1
It's all about aeapanrpces, all abuot who has what to say at the gim or at the next parental vssiit - ergo the insistance on certain shades in the main-lands... just syain (bet the grammar nazi's will troll this to hell and gone)
Kudo's to all the helpers (not so much the perpetual haters...  ) |
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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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| ^ what on earth? |
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randall020105
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Location: the land of morning confusion...
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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| ↑ you wouldnt undertsnad ... only 3 - 7 % of the wrols'd poupalutoin wuodl. |
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viciousdinosaur
Joined: 30 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by viciousdinosaur on Fri Aug 03, 2012 11:44 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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sml7285
Joined: 26 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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| jvalmer wrote: |
| s.tickbeat wrote: |
the standard of education in a public school here is just awful (why do you think parents send their kids to hagwons?).
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Korea could have the best education system in the world and parents would still send them to hagwons. Why? Because Mrs. Kim's son next door has better grades than my kid, so I must send him to a hagwon. |
Half the kids' parents send their kids to hagwons because they want their child to beat everyone else. The other half send their kids to hagwons because they're afraid that their kids won't have friends if they stay at home alone.
I've spoken at length with many employees at Hyundai where I've been interning for the past few weeks. Most of what I've been told is from a male perspective, but from what I've gathered while speaking with employees is that they're not afraid that their child will fall behind academically if they don't go to hagwons, but rather that they will fall behind socially. |
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Emark
Joined: 10 May 2007
Location: duh, Korea?
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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When I made this thread, I was actually criticizing the materials on moral grounds.
I know Korea is a drinking culture, but should that lifestyle be promoted by GEPIK to children in the classroom? Yes, a degree of culture is exchanged in ESL, but should it be drinking culture?
The lyrics are abstract;
"a bottle of Jack"
"guys touching my junk"
"getting tipsy"
but how does a teacher answer a question asking clarification about that?
When the words "beer", "drunk", and "party" come up, I'm sure the kids start to clue into what the video is about.
I'm questioning if it's appropriate on a moral scale.
As for it's English teach-ability, I can hardly wait to start teaching the new word "I'mma" (I am going to). |
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sml7285
Joined: 26 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Emark wrote: |
When I made this thread, I was actually criticizing the materials on moral grounds.
I know Korea is a drinking culture, but should that lifestyle be promoted by GEPIK to children in the classroom? Yes, a degree of culture is exchanged in ESL, but should it be drinking culture?
The lyrics are abstract;
"a bottle of Jack"
"guys touching my junk"
"getting tipsy"
but how does a teacher answer a question asking clarification about that?
When the words "beer", "drunk", and "party" come up, I'm sure the kids start to clue into what the video is about.
I'm questioning if it's appropriate on a moral scale.
As for it's English teach-ability, I can hardly wait to start teaching the new word "I'mma" (I am going to). |
I agree. I'd think that High School Musical or other Disney-esque sources would be appropriate for middle schoolers. |
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