Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Derrek]

My evening elective high school TOEFL classes have each lost half of the original students. Basically, it's too hard for them. They don't want more homework. They can't learn how to write if they don't do the work I assign. Some assignments have only required one paragraph. Others required writing a 1 page essay once per week. Perhaps 75% of the students who enrolled for my TOEFL class cannot complete a simple paragraph, much less write an essay. If I scale back the class to make it more simple (suppose it's what I have to do) I risk upsetting the students who took the class because they seriously plan to take the TOEFL. Some of them write quite well.

I correct all of their work and hand it back at the next class. I even provide examples for the class to review common mistakes, with correctoins. We go over them.

I have no idea what to do, and hope the numbers don't dwindle further. The students who dropped were never motivated. Their parents just stuck them in the class.

[Tiger Beer]

I think you'll have to simplify it.

I have a couple conversation classes with some much more advanced students than the 'appropriate level' students.

I go over stuff that I know half of the class already knows just because the half that don't will learn. The half that already know it are getting a very good and thorough review, and they'll still get stuff out of it as well.

Also no matter how well you think your 'good' students already know stuff.. they are there to probably review and brush up on their language skills already.

Plus if half of your class already dropped.. definetely teaching at too high a level.

[Derrek]

Ugh... I hear you. I just wish I felt like I could teach them something USEFUL. I want them to learn by DOING, and to learn, they must DO.

I suggested an easier book (we don't actually use a book) for composition basics, but I was told that these are our top students, and they would feel their pride would be broken if they did something easier like that.

So basically, they want to learn how to write without doing the work, and without working at a level which might damage their pride.

Ugh...

[tzechuk]

[Incognito]

tzechuk wrote:

Without sounding I am generalising or stereotyping - isn't this typical Korean student behaviour? They don't want to learn.. they just want to be spoonfed knowledge!!!

After just a month of teaching here in Korea, I realize you are absolutely right tzechuk! Although, I would ADD that KTs rely heavily on spoonfeeding methodologies to teach their students. So, I'm of a mind that it probably isn't the fault of the students.

I devised a very good "student centered" strategy for teaching my students English. During the first few lessons, I could not believe how ALL of my Korean co-teachers wanted to just give the students answers!!! Jesus, let them make an attempt first!!! I finally broke down and explained what I was trying to do and backed it up with a crash course on Bloom's Taxonomy.

I wonder why KTs think they must use "teacher centered" teaching techniques? Maybe they think administrators will view them as slackers? It is very frustrating to see mucho classroom hours wasted. I want to say, wake up people...get with the program.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I don't know if this speaks to your problem or not, but consider it.

The heart of an essay is the paragraph. How about concentrating on how to write a good solid first paragraph with a thesis statement?

Require all students to actually write the first paragraph. Let the stronger students also write the other paragraphs.

Continue what you are doing with mistakes.


At least part of the problem is the natural attrition that takes place at the beginning of each month at a hakwon. Lots sign up for 6:30 classes but only the truly motivated survive the first week or so.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Zyzyfer]

[canukteacher]

First I would take them to the official TOEFL website. Here's the link:

http://www.ets.org/toefl/

This will show them exactly what they have to do. They can even pay 20.00 and do a practice test. It will be marked. The test might be too much a slap in the face for them at this point. However, going through the site with them and showing them exactly how the test is organized, etc. might wake them up a bit.

The fact that they cannot write is not surprising. Why not begin by focusing on how a paragraph is structured. Have them read good paragraphs and identify the main idea and the supporting statements. Once they are comfortable doing this type of an exercise try some writing.

Just some ideas for you to think about. Hope they help.

Good luck!

[ajuma]

Wow! Some great ideas here! I've been working with my students on writing the first paragraph and, while some of them get it, quite a few of them don't. The suggestion about reading a few good ones in class is a great idea...as long as they don't try memorizing them!!

[crazylemongirl]

how about getting a copy of discussion topics for korean teenagers. They could see a real life essay and then perhaps work on mind mapping with them and turning that work into an essay.

Also perhaps work on summarizing films like titanic. It's a long film but it's a good way to practice extended writing and to start thinking about key ideas rather than just any idea.

[JacktheCat]

[JacktheCat]

At least here in public school system, they can't just fire us on a whim. So what if half, or two-thirds, of the extra class drops out because the waegukin is being a real teacher and not a foreigner monkey\clown entertainer.

I've had it up to here with this whole waegukin entertainter bull crap. They hired me to be a teacher and that's what I am going to do. If they don't like it, they can just fire me and I'll move to another country with real schools. My dignity and self-respect are not worth the, admitably high, money.

Of course, it helps if you can draw up a competent syllabus and show to your higher ups what you are doing and why this will help the students. That's what I did with my current school and so far they have accepted it.

[stalinsdad]

I just started doing Toefl tests 3 weeks ago, thankfully only an hour a week.
What a load of bollocks, but I did find the composition about inflation really helpful.

Really, just play the tape and let them cheat.
They'll probably be doing it for real in a few years.