Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Hamster]

If a student does not understand something in english then another student will ask me for permission to explain it to them in korean. I have no problem with this. However, by outlawing un-needed use of korean in my classroom my students english has vastly improved. It has made my teaching them more enjoyable--especially now that the students can banter with each other in english.

[tomato]

Hello, Whatthefunk!

I asked the same question on another forum and I got a pretty good answer: keep a list of the hangukmallers and treat all the other students with dismissal five minutes earlier.

When a student hangukmalls, I chant "Terry! English yes, Korean no!" and invite the rest of the class to chant with me.

I occasionally pause in the lesson, look to see which names are not on the list of hangukmallers, and cheer for those students: "One, two, three, four, who are we for? Suzy, Suzy, Suzy!"

At the end of every kindergarten class, I choose three students whom I had not had to reprimand during the class. Those students are rewarded with "up-downs." I do squats, push-ups, and curls using those three children as barbells. The kids think it's hilarious.

[whatthefunk]

Thanks for all the advice.
As to those who say that outlawing korean is unnecessary...them speaking korean isn't helping them any. I don't speak korean, so what good can come of them asking me all sorts of things in korean? I will give permission for kids to help each other in korean, but other than that, i would prefer that only english is spoken...it creates a need for the language.

[Cedar]

There is no reason not to use Korean or allow them to use Korean at reasonable junctures. The problem is only if they are talking to each other and not paying attention, right? So that has nothing to do with Korean, and everything do with classroom management. Keep a firm grip on the class at all times, or allow goofing off for a short time and then make it clear goofing off time is now over. sometimes children need to blow off a bit of steam, they do have awfully structured lives here in Korea!

[tomato]

[kylehawkins2000]

Perhaps a distinction should be made between low level learners and high level learners.

I agree that as the students progress in ability their use of Korean should diminish. For teaching elementary aged students or students at low-levels of speaking ability, relatively more Korean use should be tolerated.

I have never reprimanded students for using Korean in my classroom becuase they have rarely used it in a disruptive manner, or in a manner that I think is working against their English Language aquisition.

Basically, I guess it's a judgement call.

Teachers should probably take some time to think about their own reasons for disallowing the use of Korean. Is it becuase it is working against the aquisition of English, or does the teacher feel underminded/self conscious/suspicious, becuase they don't know what their students are saying?

[Sliver]

Tomato wrote

That's why I resent Koreans speaking to me in English on my own time.[/quote]

Tomato get over it. Yes, it is an emotional response as you have said so logical argument won't help you change your mind but try to get over it.

By the way I love your webpage and like reading your posts so I am not just trying to bait you. It's just that I think this attitude (read: RESENTMENT) towards Koreans speaking to you in English seems more like your pride talking than a major hurdle to you learning korean.

Back to the topic I agree with Kyle. It depends on the level. In my classes (I teach at Elementary school) at the end of the week we play a game to practice target language learned. Should some students explain in korean to those that are confused about how to play it saves more time for the actual activity. I only have 40 minute classes.

In my Elite Classes no korean is allowed (or russian for that matter) because they are language art classes. The punishment if korean is spoken is the yellow card system. If they get a red card I call the parents.
It has happened twice this year that I have called Mum and now the students in the higher level classes stick to English.

[The Hamster]

I have no problem outlawing English in my level 1 and 2 classes. They are young yes, but they still understand a majority of things being taught.
If they do not understand then, yes, I explain it to them in Korean, this is very rare. In my opinion a student will pay more attention if he/she knows that their native language is not going to be allowed.

Also, in my opinion as far as a teacher asking themselves why they have banned Korean in class (becuase they feel it is more helpful, or because they are paranoid) is bunk.
A good teacher does not care what the student says about him/her. If the teacher is paranoid about what the students are saying then the teacher will begin to cater to the students every whim. Thus creating a not so happy teacher.

I enjoy my students and yes, before I outlawed Korean they would makes comments (in Korean) about how boring class was (workbook), they don't want to take tests, they want games. I taught them how to say these things in English. Which is coming back to haunt me in a funny way. But I enjoy it. Why? Because they say it in english an understand what they are saying.
I have noticed that my students and their parents seem pleased with the policy of no Korean. Even the younger kids. At first the parents questioned it because their kids were so young (6-. But pretty soon these "young" kids were talking better than their older siblings who were allowed to speak Korean in the classroom. This pleased the parents.

Of course this is all just my opinion.

[The Hamster]

Oh yes, I forgot to add that I agree that their lives are very structured and they need time to let off some steam and act like children.
I try do fun things with my babies, because they go to a lot of hagwons and are burnt out by the time they get to me.

I call "Classtime" the little ones run into the room as fast as they can. I walk really slow. This allows them to greet each other or whatever they want to do in korean BEFORE I actually start class. Once I Close the door and say "Hello" they know Korean is not allowed. For my beginner classes I reward them with a lesson of fun now and then. We do all the fun english activities they like. The catch is they are really tests but the kids have yet to catch on. Simple things like a spelling contest, sound constest or chat day--they love it.

With my older students we have question days, where they get to ask each other questions and story days where they get to make up a class story. Or, the usual: hangman, sentence race e.t.c. Of course their rights to these days disappear if they use Korean in class or do not pass a test.

[kricket]

Not allowing Korean in class?? When you were learning Spanish in high school didn't you use English words to define and understand the Spanish ones?

Seems to go against educational principle to deter allowing Korean (L1) to be used as the means to learn and UNDERSTAND English (L2).

[whatthefunk]

When I took French in High School, my teacher spoke no English.
I agree that for really young kids, korean should be used, but for older kids, I don't think they need it. By not allowing them to speak Korean, they have a need for English and they are forced to use. I actually think the kids enjoy speaking english and it seems like they have fun trying to use it.
Also, I think it is the responsibility of the teacher to teach them in a way that allows them to understand without having to use korean.

[tomato]

Hello again, Whatthefunk!

I hope you stick to your guns in enforcing the L2-only rule.

Here are some reasons why I advocate the rule:

A foreign language student needs practice in hearing L2 definitions, not L1 equivalents. Most native English speakers could tell a foreigner that a cat is a furry critter that goes "meow," but they can't tell them that a cat is a koyangi.

Using L1 equivalents usually isn't necessary anyway. Even a Martian would understand you if you say "horse" and hold up a picture of a horse. You say you need more than nouns to make a sentence? All right, then, you can either run, walk, and jump while saying the appropriate verbs, or you can show appropriate pictures.

Use English picture books, use Korean picture books, or try the Altavista search engine.

A foreign language student must get in the habit of thinking directly in the second language, with no detours. If the teacher tells the students that "dog" means gae, they might get the notion that they have to think about gae before they think about "dog."

A student who practices speaking a second language is discovering which important words he or she does not know and therefore must look up and learn.

The words which you think and use frequently may not be the words which I think and use frequently. Therefore, you and I could both get a valuable benefit from Korean speaking practice which we couldn't get from any Korean language textbook.

I keep a Korean-English dictionary on hand in case anyone in my class has to use it. That way, a child will never have to say, "Teacher, I'm about to upchuck" in Korean.

Banning L1 could allow for miscellaneous goodies in the unofficial curriculum. Without realizing it, I've gotten in the habit of saying "There you go" for positive feedback and "Not quite" for negative feedback. The kids tease me about it.

Speaking of teasing, the kids have been calling me tokki ddong because they like to be chased and tickled. One day I said, "If you're going to insult me, insult me in English. That's 'rabbit s h i t.'" So they have been calling me "rabbit s h i t" ever since.

If you allow even a little L1, you are putting yourself on a very slippery slope. In high school my first year French teacher mandated that only French would be allowed in the classroom. But then she allowed a little English, then a little more, and then a little more--until there was no vestige of the rule left by the end of the year.

In college, I lived in a dormitory in which the students on the first floor were to speak only French and the students on the second floor were to speak only Spanish. Ha!

I find the L2-only rule feasible and desirable in any age group. If you would like to discuss operating on the rule in preschool, please write back.

[Zyzyfer]

[whatthefunk]

To teach them abstract ideas like 'creativity' and the like, you first need to build up a large vocabulary of words you can show them (run, play etc.) I think that after a time you can then converse with them and tell them what it is in plain english.
How do you show a Western child the word 'creativity'? A three year old in America may not know what creativity is, but by the time they are five or six, they have built up a large enough vocabulary to understand more abstract ideas.
And also, there are some words that have no Korean equivilent, so you cannot teach them those words trough a dictionary.

[tomato]