Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JacktheCat]

What is the Korean idea of "a good teacher?"


your thoughts and observations.

[JacktheCat]

Seems to me the Korean idea of "good teaching" is a bit different from what I have learned in my teaching courses and self study over the years.

Koreans in general prefer a teacher who is bombastic and slightly hyper-active. One who monopolizes the class and talks more than the students. One who likes to tell ribald stories about their personal lives and is "entertaining."

[Yu_Bum_suk]

As with a lot of things in Korea it seems that louder = better.

[phaedrus]

Often the "preferred" teacher type/style is the loud and sociable teacher, the type that likes telling their story and who likes the sound of their own voice.

A lot of students think they are learning if they are enjoying themselves, but their enjoyment is mostly from the fact they don't have to think or put in an effort, just listen to the funny person.

[Bunnymonster]

Someone who spends lots of time at school 'preparing' and fidling around making handouts which contain nothing useful. Someone who produces reams of 'lesson plans' which are copied word for word from the teachers guide and then left in the teachers room whilst actually teaching. Someone who will make students repeat the same sentance repeatedly regardless if they have any idea what it means...............

[diablo3]

All previous writings sum up about right.

Also, students (especially girls) like kind teachers.

It is strange that we must sometimes be entertaining, which means sometimes we are not teaching. Koreans like to listen to stories that do not eat up the lesson.

Koreans also really like it when you show knowledge of the country. For example, the culture, the names of a few Korean famous people, some vocabulary, etc. This is so useful if you socialise with them, because teaching English in Korea is down to a personal relationship between you and the students. If the students don't like you, they do not come to your class.

[Son Deureo!]

From management's perspective, the ability to make students sign up again next month.

[VanIslander]

[Apple Scruff]

You can't be ugly. Can't believe no one mentioned this.

[captain kirk]

'Outgoing'.

Last job I had there was my going away party. Roast pig meat, noraebang, then the bosses' house for coffee and pommegranites for an hour, until 3am. It was nice. Everybody was talking in Korean like mad. The newbie, my replacement, was looking bored, while this went on, like he wanted to go. Everybody rattling away in Korean. Suddenly the boss said to him, 'you're not very outgoing, are you?'. Haha. I said, 'he doesn't speak Korean, or understand what anyone's talking about, that's why he's not 'outgoing' at the moment'.
I was outgoing, he my replacement, so I could be less than outgoing, and go, lucky for me. He's probably striving to be unaturally outgoing right now, just going for it.

[diablo3]

Maybe I expressed myself differently, but does:
entertainment = teaching? If so, to what extent?

[syclick]

Entertainment can definitely educate.

It's sometimes a good idea to use an entertaining story or anecdote to drive a concept home to the students. However, all things in moderation...

[T-dot]

1) speak loud
2)give plenty of homework
3)check the homework, so the parents know if they got their child's homework correct.

[eamo]

What I wrote on another thread...


Watch how the Korean teachers 'work'. They can show you how to appear to be a model worker without doing much at all.

Don't casually walk around the hagwon. Run!! You're so busy you have to run everywhere.

Use the photo-copier until there's flames coming out the back of it. Always have huge piles of copies on your desk. In fact, make your desk seem like a huge tower of books and paper. Your boss will love that.

Give each class so much homework that Moms actually start to complain about them having too much homework and that even making their 11 year-old stay up to 2am doesn't get it finished. Your boss will love you for that.

If your brain can stick it make a large part of each class drill and repeat. Loudly!! Your boss will love that.

If you get a five-minute break put your head on your desk and close your eyes. You're so tired because you're working so hard. Your boss will love that.

Give each class a 900 word vocabulary list to memorize the spellings of ( don't worry about the meanings) each week. Your boss will love that.

Make Kindergarten kids learn to spell words like, anti-disestablishmentarianism. Your boss will love that.

[Chopstix]

hilarious - yet so true!!!

a good teacher deffinitely needs to be a great presenter of information which means sometimes entertaining, motiviating, coaching, caring, demanding, disciplining, rewarding, .......