Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Arthur Dent]

I went to Compass Day at Seoul National University on Saturday. I quite enjoyed it and wondered what everyone else there thought of it.

There were quite a few expat teachers, though the crowd seemed overwhelmingly Korean. I thought this was a great thing as the methodologies each speaker introduced were both practical and cutting edge, or widely used in more developed ESL (or 'other language SL') markets such as Europe.

I had enjoyed seeing David Paul when he visited two years ago. I use his texts and his approach and find it very effective in promoting a desire to learn. Unfortunately the Korean publisher and Macmillan are having trouble coming to an agreement and the K. publisher has recalled all of the Finding Out series. His texts are now impossible to find here, and it seems that this will be true for several months. A bookseller told me that they may have a new publisher next year. I wasn't able to speak to David about this as he left quickly to catch a flight to Japan. Perhaps someone else spoke to him in the morning?

Of course the methods meet with resistance here, but the results are undeniable.

The other speakers were also very good. I particularly enjoyed Jason Renshaws' unabashed criticism of the style and overuse of tests here as well as his examination of good writing test techniques and writing class formats. Kudos to him.

I wonder (doubtless futilely and with vain hope) if this will mark a sea change amongst the younger Korean teachers and mothers - some of whom may start schools of their own - to change the approach in language learning here. The methods, rubrics and attitudes towards language learning in Europe are a far distant dream perhaps, but maybe a step in the right direction has occurred.

The blind adhesion to American (or Canadian) style language learning - and content - should become a thing of the past. I say "should" in the "desirable" sense not in the "willful" sense.....


I also felt that the speakers' style and approach in presenting their methodologies was a message in itself - one that is so obvious as to be beyond mention to the Western mindset, but not as prevalent here.

Their use of humour and ability to arouse curiosity in order to maintain interest and develop active participation was inspiring - not to mention a much needed morale booster for most teachers.

Of course this needs to be applied at a different level here but it is still possible. The main stumbling block as always is the perceptions of the parents and the level of cooperation of the schools administration - among other aspects.

The other area that was touched upon - directly and indirectly - by most, if not all of the speakers was the need for a more gradual approach for the learners. This was especially well represented by David Paul, Jason Renshaw and Paul Nation. A shallower incline of language acquisition - to paraphrase their point - is useful not only in solidifying what they know, but in gaining confidence and a sense of achievement.
We all know how easily that can be lost here.
With proper supervision, clear goals for each student (which areas they need to improve), and a consistent follow-up on their improvements, a writing course can be very effective, even for the low level learner.

I look forward to the posting of the video of these presentations on the Compass site. I hope they turn out well.

One thing strikes me as blindingly obvious. We need to clone David Paul.

In another surprising turn of events - I don't drink it - but my friends said the coffee was good too!

Anyone else who attended have comments or views about this event?