Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cbclark4]

So you've got them I've got them.

Some students seem stymied in their attempts at speech, stuck on a
thought as they struggle to speak with their well learned grammar.
(Mr. Accurate)

Then their is the rare student who spouts forth English nonsense in a sort
of verbal game of charades. (Mr. Fluent)

Mr. Accurate is puzzling because I am pretty sure they have the answer
and they are stuck in that maze that is grammar translation learning, the
bane of Korean education.

Mr. Fluent is at least fun to work, usually quite animated maybe
hyperactive sometimes a nuisance trying out the latest slang from the
movie seen last weekend.

Have you got them?

How do we reach them?

How do we strike the balance?

I have decide to strive for Fluency with my students.
Let the natives deal with Accuracy (As they see it).

Give me the crazy kid spouting English nonsense without a
care any day of the week thank you.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

When it comes to students speaking I'm more interested in fluency 90% of the time. When it comes to listening excercises I usually focus on accuracy, as just listening to me talk in class involves listening for the main idea most of the time.

[Easter Clark]

Accuracy isn't so important unless it's so bad that it impedes conversation, as in my Korean ability, when I mistakenly said "I took a shower" when I meant to say "Enjoy your meal." But it's either that or wait for the grammatically correct language to come to mind, and by that point the conversation has moved on without me, making what I'd planned to say useless.

IMHO, speaking a language freely, without fear of making mistakes, is the quickest way to learning it. I tell my kids that mistakes (errors?) are good because they will learn from them (if a mistake is big enough you'll likely only make it once!).

[BS.Dos.]

Accuracy is the gloss, fluency is the primer. Spending a disproportionate amount of time on pronunciation and stress etc is all very well, but if they don't poccess the vocabulary etc, it's pretty pointless.

I think our efforts are better spread building up their vocab and, more importantly, their confidence and to try and condition their cognitive learning skills.

[Dome Vans]

Interesting question CB,

Like before I think fluency 90%. With the accuracy on top.

What I find strange with the Korean Language is that it's very much a sound alphabet so accuracy is the main aim. One sound out of place and you are not understood at all. In the West I think it's easier to understand a non-native speaker giving it a go at speaking your language, because you can predict what they are saying even if there are a few pronunication mistakes. Korean is different to me, because I can say something that I think is right but a Korean will give me a puzzled look and the "Huh?" look.

Being fluent in French and Swedish I've never really noticed this problem when speaking those languages. Fluency to me in those has been more important for as a beginner, which is probably why I'm still trying to get my head round Hanguel.

B.S.Dos wrote:

[Whistleblower]

I like to concentrate on pronunciation. It is the most important and it increases fluency and understanding.