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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:03 pm Post subject: Frustration with Koreans and level appropriateness..rant! |
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Why is it that Koreans so often insist upon foisting teaching materials (textbooks, reading material etc) on us that is ridiculously inappropriate for the students we are teaching?
I thought I was free from this kind of idiocy when I left the hagwan world, but just recently my co-teacher handed me a reading book and said this is what you will be teaching for the winter camp. 
The camp is for grade 5 students, so I know their level will be about level 3 - 5. The book she gave me is for adults, I wouldn't even want to use it for middle or high school students.
So I'm just wondering, do Korean have any understanding of pedagogy and level appropriate materials?
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thegadfly
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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That sucks -- I'm sorry...and it has happened to me too....
Do you have time to find/suggest a more appropriate text? Just curious -- in the past I have "tweaked" the textbook choice for winter camp at the last minute, and gotten stuff that was closer to the appropriate subject matter/interest/level of ability...been shot down about half the time, forced to use the bad choice, but been able to scurry about half the time and use the book I suggested...couldn't hurt too much to ask, right? |
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nomad-ish
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:29 pm Post subject: Re: Frustration with Koreans and level appropriateness..rant |
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| some waygug-in wrote: |
Why is it that Koreans so often insist upon foisting teaching materials (textbooks, reading material etc) on us that is ridiculously inappropriate for the students we are teaching?
I thought I was free from this kind of idiocy when I left the hagwan world, but just recently my co-teacher handed me a reading book and said this is what you will be teaching for the winter camp.
The camp is for grade 5 students, so I know their level will be about level 3 - 5. The book she gave me is for adults, I wouldn't even want to use it for middle or high school students.
So I'm just wondering, do Korean have any understanding of pedagogy and level appropriate materials?
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who cares if she gave it to you. here's what to do: (1) try to explain to her that the level isn't appropriate, if that fails, then (2) teach whatever u want during camp and tell her afterwards that u lost the book (if she wants u to reimburse her, miraculously find the book under some papers on your desk) |
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Fishead soup
Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:48 pm Post subject: Re: Frustration with Koreans and level appropriateness..rant |
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| nomad-ish wrote: |
| some waygug-in wrote: |
Why is it that Koreans so often insist upon foisting teaching materials (textbooks, reading material etc) on us that is ridiculously inappropriate for the students we are teaching?
I thought I was free from this kind of idiocy when I left the hagwan world, but just recently my co-teacher handed me a reading book and said this is what you will be teaching for the winter camp.
The camp is for grade 5 students, so I know their level will be about level 3 - 5. The book she gave me is for adults, I wouldn't even want to use it for middle or high school students.
So I'm just wondering, do Korean have any understanding of pedagogy and level appropriate materials?
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who cares if she gave it to you. here's what to do: (1) try to explain to her that the level isn't appropriate, if that fails, then (2) teach whatever u want during camp and tell her afterwards that u lost the book (if she wants u to reimburse her, miraculously find the book under some papers on your desk) |
An even better option is tell her you don't have the Korean ability to translate the book(Which is what the Korean teacher would do if she were teaching the course) and suggest she joins you and team teach the lesson.
You'll be surprised how quickly a new more appropriate teaxt will appear. |
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nomad-ish
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:50 pm Post subject: Re: Frustration with Koreans and level appropriateness..rant |
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| Fishead soup wrote: |
| nomad-ish wrote: |
| some waygug-in wrote: |
Why is it that Koreans so often insist upon foisting teaching materials (textbooks, reading material etc) on us that is ridiculously inappropriate for the students we are teaching?
I thought I was free from this kind of idiocy when I left the hagwan world, but just recently my co-teacher handed me a reading book and said this is what you will be teaching for the winter camp.
The camp is for grade 5 students, so I know their level will be about level 3 - 5. The book she gave me is for adults, I wouldn't even want to use it for middle or high school students.
So I'm just wondering, do Korean have any understanding of pedagogy and level appropriate materials?
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who cares if she gave it to you. here's what to do: (1) try to explain to her that the level isn't appropriate, if that fails, then (2) teach whatever u want during camp and tell her afterwards that u lost the book (if she wants u to reimburse her, miraculously find the book under some papers on your desk) |
An even better option is tell her you don't have the Korean ability to translate the book(Which is what the Korean teacher would do if she were teaching the course) and suggest she joins you and team teach the lesson.
You'll be surprised how quickly a new more appropriate teaxt will appear. |
much better!  |
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sojourner1
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Where meggi swim and 2 wheeled tractors go sput put chug alugg pug pug
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:03 am Post subject: |
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I know I am having this problem too. Very little leveling of students was considered either which presents behavior problems due to boredom or frustration. A 6th grade English book for kindergarten. This just bores them to death, because it's way above their heads and few teachers could enjoy this situation. Kids get bored and just talk and ignore you if you are presenting things above their level. If it is too elementary for them, then they just talk in Korean, act too cool for school, and ignore you. I call this wasted time and effort.
I have also taught 12 to 15 year olds adult college debate course which they just don't understand regardless of how much I try to dumb down the subject matter. Korea wants the most for it's kids, but it is cutting itself short by being too impatient and in a big hurry to get there. You must be patient and progress in levels, before grasping and taking advantage of more advanced material just as I did during my years of learning.
Korea seem like such a young country due to all this English and westernizing being somewhat new to them and it will take many years to get organized and established. I think they are taking baby steps right now and have great potential. By that time, it will require a masters degree and a bachelors of education just to get a teaching job as Korea is aspiring big, but still in it's infancy. As long as the economy and development keeps progressing, then one day, they will have it. This has presented a great entry level job for college graduates though and you have to give it a great deal of credit for that as few employers in western countries today offer what an honest hagwon is offering you to teach despite this education system having serious flaws that sell the kids short on what they really can do. Get em' talking instead of lecturing all the time. |
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Handsome Boy
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:57 am Post subject: Yes! I remember this problem well! |
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Reading between the lines! I would say this is not so much a problem of incompetence, but more than likely it is a question of corruption.
I remember our head of dept, at Uiduk University, used to insist on giving the students, who were basically knuckle grinders, including himself, inappropriate texts because he was making money out of it!
That's just my take on this situtation!
Cheers. |
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Fishead soup
Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:01 pm Post subject: Re: Yes! I remember this problem well! |
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| Handsome Boy wrote: |
Reading between the lines! I would say this is not so much a problem of incompetence, but more than likely it is a question of corruption.
I remember our head of dept, at Uiduk University, used to insist on giving the students, who were basically knuckle grinders, including himself, inappropriate texts because he was making money out of it!
That's just my take on this situtation!
Cheers. |
There is something fishy going on with most government approved textbooks. Most of them are terrible. Why can't they fire the people who write them. |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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She is planning on co-teaching during the camp, so I pretty much have to use this book. She also demanded that I have lesson plans for said course completed by Monday.
It's actually not as bad as I first thought. There will only be 2 days of the grade 5 students. Whew! I thought it was a whole week of this crap.
And she says I can use other material for 3/5 classes per day.
So I just have to drag through 4 - 40 min classes of it. |
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Fishead soup
Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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| some waygug-in wrote: |
She is planning on co-teaching during the camp, so I pretty much have to use this book. She also demanded that I have lesson plans for said course completed by Monday.
It's actually not as bad as I first thought. There will only be 2 days of the grade 5 students. Whew! I thought it was a whole week of this crap.
And she says I can use other material for 3/5 classes per day.
So I just have to drag through 4 - 40 min classes of it. |
She plans to use you are a human tape recorder. The lesson plans are just something your Vice principal requires. He won't and must likely can't read them. Just make sure they look professional. Try to include a lot of Esl style jargon in them. Like ,Task based. Student centered. So no one understands them. In that way no one can request that you rewrite them.
The lesson will most likely be dominated by her translating the material into Korean just so the students understand it. Its a real waste of taxpayers money. You might want to suggest they play a short trivia game involving some of the material covered in the book. This will at least get you more involved in the class. |
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The_Conservative
Joined: 15 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:18 pm Post subject: Re: Frustration with Koreans and level appropriateness..rant |
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| some waygug-in wrote: |
Why is it that Koreans so often insist upon foisting teaching materials (textbooks, reading material etc) on us that is ridiculously inappropriate for the students we are teaching?
I thought I was free from this kind of idiocy when I left the hagwan world, but just recently my co-teacher handed me a reading book and said this is what you will be teaching for the winter camp.
The camp is for grade 5 students, so I know their level will be about level 3 - 5. The book she gave me is for adults, I wouldn't even want to use it for middle or high school students.
So I'm just wondering, do Korean have any understanding of pedagogy and level appropriate materials?
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Hand it back to her and tell her YOU will decide what you teach the students during camp. If they don't like that then tell them they can find a new teacher. Regardless of what they say proceed with what YOU feel needs to be taught when camp rolls around. |
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