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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:42 am Post subject: English Teachers to Be Sent Abroad |
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English teachers need better skills
Korean English teachers will be required to take writing and listening exams and give a class demonstration "all in English" for qualification starting 2009, the Education Ministry said yesterday. Beginning next year, the ministry will annually select 1,000 teachers to receive intensive English training and send all English teachers abroad at least once every three years for a more hands-on experience.
By Cho Ji-hyun, Korea Herald (November 4, 2006)
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2006/11/04/200611040034.asp |
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Junior
Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: the eye
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:46 am Post subject: Re: English Teachers to Be Sent Abroad |
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| Real Reality wrote: |
| send all English teachers abroad at least once every three years for a more hands-on experience. |
the policy could backfire! The teachers could wind up marrying foreigners and not coming back ever. or worse still, they might come back with foreign spouses and mixed race kids!!!! |
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laogaiguk
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:48 am Post subject: |
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Once they get the estimate back for the costs, this will die pretty quickly. Do they plan on sending people into space if they teach about space  |
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mateomiguel
Joined: 16 May 2005
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:51 am Post subject: |
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| they can come to my house! well, 2 or 3... |
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:59 am Post subject: |
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| Now they just have to find teachers that actually want to be English teachers. They all want to be homeroom teachers. |
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charlieDD
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 3:53 am Post subject: |
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| From my experience, it's the ones who have already been overseas - - and come back with a PhD in ESL . . that really wreak havoc on the ESL profession in Korea ! |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 3:56 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, they'll all go to the same place overseas, a language school or retreat, where they will spend 95% of their time talking to each other in Korean (and eating the gimchi supply they bring over) and 5% (if that) with the native English speakers. |
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stevieg4ever
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Location: London, England
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 4:15 am Post subject: Re: English Teachers to Be Sent Abroad |
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hahaha
| Junior wrote: |
| Real Reality wrote: |
| send all English teachers abroad at least once every three years for a more hands-on experience. |
the policy could backfire! The teachers could wind up marrying foreigners and not coming back ever. or worse still, they might come back with foreign spouses and mixed race kids!!!! |
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ChuckECheese
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 4:24 am Post subject: |
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It'll be a paid vacation in English speaking countries for K-teachers .
I wonder where they'll go?
Hawaii is very nice with large Korean population. They can all hang out there. Maybe Guam but it's kinda boring there.... |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 8:38 am Post subject: |
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| ajgeddes wrote: |
| Now they just have to find teachers that actually want to be English teachers. They all want to be homeroom teachers. |
Really? Why is that, do you suppose?
| VanIslander wrote: |
| Yeah, they'll all go to the same place overseas, a language school or retreat, where they will spend 95% of their time talking to each other in Korean (and eating the gimchi supply they bring over) and 5% (if that) with the native English speakers. |
 I can totally see that! |
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jaykimf
Joined: 24 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 10:32 am Post subject: |
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| laogaiguk wrote: |
| Once they get the estimate back for the costs, this will die pretty quickly. |
As for sending teachers abroad, I would think they already have a pretty good estimate of the cost because these programs are already pretty common and have been going on for many years . What is new is that all English teachers will have to go.
| ChuckECheese wrote: |
It'll be a paid vacation in English speaking countries for K-teachers .
I wonder where they'll go?
Hawaii is very nice with large Korean population. They can all hang out there. Maybe Guam but it's kinda boring there.... |
There has been a program for many years at the U. of Hawaii. It lasts for about 3 weeks during the winter break. (I met my future wife back in 95 when she was in Hawaii.) She later also attended a workshop at Fairleigh Dickinson U. in New Jersey. Other teachers I know have gone to Portland, the UK, Canada and the Philipines. There are quite a few formal progams set up by the government educational system. In addition, for those interested in an advanced degree, they can attend almost any university that has an appropiate program.
| VanIslander wrote: |
| Yeah, they'll all go to the same place overseas, a language school or retreat, where they will spend 95% of their time talking to each other in Korean (and eating the gimchi supply they bring over) and 5% (if that) with the native English speakers. |
It depends on the program, but there are often many hours a day of English classes in addition to home stays with host families.
| ajgeddes wrote: |
| Now they just have to find teachers that actually want to be English teachers. They all want to be homeroom teachers. |
Most of the teachers I know don't really want to be homeroom teachers because its extra work they have to do in addition to teaching their subject classes. |
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ChuckECheese
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| ChuckECheese wrote: |
It'll be a paid vacation in English speaking countries for K-teachers .
I wonder where they'll go?
Hawaii is very nice with large Korean population. They can all hang out there. Maybe Guam but it's kinda boring there.... |
There has been a program for many years at the U. of Hawaii. It lasts for about 3 weeks during the winter break. |
So it is indeed a nice vacation program for K-teachers. What can you really learn in 3 weeks?
Last edited by ChuckECheese on Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:46 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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laogaiguk
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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| jaykimf wrote: |
| laogaiguk wrote: |
| Once they get the estimate back for the costs, this will die pretty quickly. |
As for sending teachers abroad, I would think they already have a pretty good estimate of the cost because these programs are already pretty common and have been going on for many years . What is new is that all English teachers will have to go.
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Sending every English teacher. I am betting someone high up has not thought about the cost yet?
| Quote: |
| ChuckECheese wrote: |
It'll be a paid vacation in English speaking countries for K-teachers .
I wonder where they'll go?
Hawaii is very nice with large Korean population. They can all hang out there. Maybe Guam but it's kinda boring there.... |
There has been a program for many years at the U. of Hawaii. It lasts for about 3 weeks during the winter break. (I met my future wife back in 95 when she was in Hawaii.) She later also attended a workshop at Fairleigh *beep* U. in New Jersey. Other teachers I know have gone to Portland, the UK, Canada and the Philipines. There are quite a few formal progams set up by the government educational system. In addition, for those interested in an advanced degree, they can attend almost any university that has an appropiate program.
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Like ChuckECheese said, 3 weeks is a vacation. As for the university degrees, is that going to be covered?
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| VanIslander wrote: |
| Yeah, they'll all go to the same place overseas, a language school or retreat, where they will spend 95% of their time talking to each other in Korean (and eating the gimchi supply they bring over) and 5% (if that) with the native English speakers. |
It depends on the program, but there are often many hours a day of English classes in addition to home stays with host families.
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The host family thing would work well, I get the feeling most of them won't though. Heck, most of us wouldn't, let alone these teachers.
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| ajgeddes wrote: |
| Now they just have to find teachers that actually want to be English teachers. They all want to be homeroom teachers. |
Most of the teachers I know don't really want to be homeroom teachers because its extra work they have to do in addition to teaching their subject classes. |
Every English teacher I know is the opposite. You do know they get extra money for being a homeroom teacher??? |
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Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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I've known quite a few teachers who've done this in rural Canada and Wisconsin - not exactly your world-famous travel destinations. It made a big difference in not only their English ability but also in their educational philosophy -- I was able to browse through a book composed of essays written by teachers who went on these programs, and an astoundingly high % of them wrote about how stunned they were to see well-behaved kids who listened to their teachers despite not being beaten and forced to wear uniforms, and teachers who cared about the kids opinions and didn't get embarassed if they didn't know the answer to a question.
So, in conclusion --
1. I see no evidence that these are vacations which involve speaking lots of Korean and eating lots of kimchi.
2. The Education Ministry could be inadvertently setting up a time bomb for massive educational change. |
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Son Deureo!
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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This is actually a good idea, and I am surprised to see so many teachers slamming it. Korean English teachers with poor English skills have always been a problem here, and it's good to see the government addressing the problem.
Maybe some people here see this as a threat to their jobs, but these are only the public school jobs. Not long ago there were hardly any FTs in the public schools, but that didn't exactly mean a shortage of jobs for foreign teachers here. |
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