Korean Job Discussion Forums

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

I often wonder teaching kids (esp. the younger ones) if we learn the same amount of korean of them as they do english of us. I noticed this when I was eating lunch the other day with my 5 year old (korean age) class and they were teaching me the names of the food that we were eating.

But to be honest the more I think about it, a lot of my vocab comes from the kids. This, that, don't do that etc.

Now before the purists on the no korean talking in class, I don't let all of them do it, mostly the littlies are the ones where I don't police the rule. Which comes up with some interesting conversations at lunchtime.

'teacher, are you ready? listen and repeat. Kimchi' 'One more time, Kimchi'

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

I have learnt a far bit from all my students, not just the kids.... in truth very little from the kids, but college kids and Ajumas can be a goldmine.

canuckistan · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2003 10:38 pm Post subject:

Because the kids are at such a basic level of English (me Korean) and we wade through the dictionary together, I learn all kinds of useful stuff.

FierceInvalid · Joined: 16 Mar 2003

My biggest weakness as a teacher has got to be that I let the kids speak way too much Korean in class. I study Korean, and I'm curious about it and want to learn as much as I can. Because of that, I often find myself listening to their conversations instead of putting a stop to it. Sometimes it ends up being cool because I jump into the conversation and we end up talking about the topic in English, and I can teach relevant words and stuff, but overall I still know it ain't right.

It's probably a mixture of the complexity of the Korean they speak and the fact that I'm around them all the time, but I can understand kids' Korean much more easily than adults. Because of that, I can pick out some new words and just overall get listening practice.

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

The one that really got me was we were practicing this, that, these, those.

And I was listening to one of the kids explaining it to his friend. This igot 1, these igot 2. etc.

CLG

ratslash · Joined: 08 May 2003

mainly insults. pabo teacher. monchongi teacher. ?donke? teacher. i teach such nice children!

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

a lot!!!! Its good i feel and also if the kids get into a bit of trouble you can use the Korean to help them out.
Those people that go around enforcing a strict no-Korean speaking in their classrooms for elementary school students are language power-trippers. I allow a little when appropriate and it makes my lesson flow a lot better.

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Most of my Korean came from the kids in the hogwans I've worked at. Also having to look up words in the dictionary to try to explain vocabulary. But mostly I just know a bunch of words I don't pronounce well, and not many useful sentences. Basically i can get around in taxis, restaurants etc... not much more.

just because ... your avatar gives me the creeps!!! Laughing