Korean Job Discussion Forums

Ody · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: over here

i like Grammar Smart
'A Guide to Perfect Usage'

matthewwoodford · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Location: Location, location, location.

matthewwoodford · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Location: Location, location, location.

bosintang · Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 7:08 pm Post subject:

This poll reminds me of a quip I once heard, about how 85% of people believe they have an above-average IQ! Confused

For those of you who voted that you are the best around, ask yourself the following:

- How well-rounded are you: Are you experienced, and prepared to teach any age/ any level? With minimal resources?
- How much theoretical knowledge do you possess about TESOL, linguistics, education, etc.? How well have you applied this knowledge?
- How many languages can you speak?
- How many publications do you have?

Sticking to the ESL game, with some second sober thought many of you who voted that you are the best around would probably realise you are only average. (And there's nothing wrong with that!)

If we expand beyond ESL, the majority of us teachers here in Korea would be below-average. This is not due to lack of potential or capability; we don't have the education, experience, and diversification to be anything beyond that.

Ody · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: over here

Blind Willie · Joined: 05 May 2004

I'm a hagwon chimp, and I'm an above average teacher for this industry.

But this is simply not important... Well, not nearly as important as learning to be a good office politician and learning how to get along with your boss and Korean coworkers.

I have all the skills I need.

My cynicism has been well earned.

mithridates · Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:06 pm Post subject:

Yeah, you can do it. Um...take the first or second digit of your finger and put it in between your lips, but not in between your teeth. Now it's possible to put your teeth on your lower lips but you can't close your lips together to make a p sound. Koreans will try to sneakily close their lips behind the finger so keep an eye on them or they'll screw it up.
If they still insist on closing their mouth then you'll have to go to level two. Make them grab their whole upper lip and pull if out front so that there's no way in hell they could make a p sound. Then tell them 'Look! Even like this you can still pronounce f!'

When telling them the difference between l and r I always mention that I could cut off their tongues and they could still pronounce r, but that l would be forever lost.
r = NO TONGUE!
l = TONGUE!

I write that on the board and if they pronounce an r with their tongue I take a ruler and rap it on the board where it says NO TONGUE and kind of bulge my eyes out, shaking my head slowly while still keeping a firm gaze on them.

I found an excellent site before that had a lot of l and r, f and p &c. exercises.

matthews_world · Joined: 15 Feb 2003

I hope everyone who answered above average or excellent has some sort of TESL certificate such as a CELTA, etc.

Teaching methods can improve drastically if you've had the training.

I'm an average teacher.

I teach hagwon kids and my weaknesses are coming up with a teaching method which supplements the books that they use.

Teaching the book is no problem, but if you don't have the proper supplements prepped - handouts, exercises, games, etc., then it's hard to manage your classrooms and keep the kids interested.

I agree with one of the posters who said teaching is a lot different from classroom management.

mithridates · Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 9:29 pm Post subject:

Nope.
No university, no CELTA. Excellent teacher. ^^

d503 · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Location: Daecheong, Seoul

hey about that p and f thing, so I have a class where i am in charge of getting them to hear and say English sounds. I have gotten them to use the f sound when it is the initial sound of the word--like finger, fish, Friday, etc. (using a method similar to Mithridates) however I still can't break the habit of them saying it as a p mid-word, so they still say Jenniper. If we are specifically practicing it they will say it right--Jennifer, but as soon as we stop it's back to jenniper--any tips?

mithridates · Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 12:51 am Post subject:

Hm...that's tough. Usually if I've taught then the difference between f and p and they know it, I just pretend not to understand when they make a mistake.
Jenniper.
Who?
Jenniper?
Jenniwhat?
(realization dawns)
Je-ni-fer.
Ah, Jennifer...

You might also want to show them one of those brain scans if you can find one - I saw one before that showed the reaction in an American's mind when they heard l and r - they were each divided into their own place, and the graph looked like two small mountains standing next to each other (every time a part of the brain recognizes a sound the line on the graph leaps up and they record that). However, in a Japanese person's brain, when they say the same words that start with l and r the brain mostly processes them in the same place, and instead of two small (but steep) mountains it looks like one big one.

I'll tell you if I can find it, but it might be interesting (unless they're kids) to show them, because you can give them a pep talk by showing them that they aren't just learning how to babble in another tongue, but that they are actually restructuring their neural network.

d503 · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Location: Daecheong, Seoul

ahh they are kids, but i might go looking for it for my own interest.

Also hmm not responding, they have me trained fairly well to answer to Jenniper, but I shall try hard for the sake of their English not to answer. We shall see who's training has been more deeply imbedded Very Happy

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

I chose below average.

But it has been written after research that the more competent are more likely to doubt themselves, and

the less competent more likley to overrate themselves.

polarbearbrad · Joined: 06 Dec 2004

In truth I have no idea.

I figure I have to be below average because I have no TESOL, TEOFL, or anything like that even though I should have enrolled in one by now. I have been here 14 months and I still am not sure if I am doing the best for my students.

I have kids that "love" me and there are kids that consider learning Japanese when they find out they have me as a teacher. I assign a great deal of homework (60-120 sentences to be written a day due in 7 days) I give a spelling quiz a week and a reading test once a month. If a student does all their homework they get a satisfactory grade on homework. You want excellent, I want it early and I want more than I asked for. In short I demand discipline, effort, concentration, and dedication. I know kind of a lot for a glorified piano teacher which is basically what we are right?

I have kids that do the work and appear happy to see me in the class. I have kids that don't do the work and are still good kids but would be happier than bugs in a bake shop if I just packed up and left for Canada today.

I prepare my classes. I prepare homework and I do my best for them. I sincerely love my job and am happy here. I take the bad with the good. Now how do I rate as a teacher? History will tell. I can say this however no matter how "good" I am, I can always get better. I don't think I could care more because my kids are already the most important thing in my life right now. I submit myself to judgement.

Cheers,
PBB