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ManintheMiddle
Joined: 20 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:39 pm Post subject: A K Herald Guest Columnist Slams Korean English Education |
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In case you missed it in our favorite newspaper, The Korean Herald, here's a recent guest column from a Western academic in TESOL:
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WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER, TO LEARN ENGLISH
By Yang Sung-jin
This is the fourth installment of a series of interviews with experts in English education aimed at offering tips, trends and information related to English learning and teaching in Korea. - Ed.
English education in Korea is a huge industry. Hundreds, if not thousands, of English study books are being published every year and a growing number of parents are sending their kids to English-only kindergartens.
But the majority of Korean learners struggle, something often attributed to the methods they use and ineffective education policies.
Benjamin Kalt, professor of TESOL Graduate School at Dankook University, says that Korea's English education system is "broken" and parties involved should admit that there are problems to be fixed.
Kalt, who earned a master's degree in TESOL at Columbia University, encourages Korean learners to seek more effective strategies in a departure from the traditional concept of "No pain, no gain."
Kalt also shares his perspective on other related topics such as age factor in learning a new language, online materials, accent training and standardized English tests.
The following is an excerpt of an email interview.
Korea Herald: In your perspective, what are the most pressing issues or problems for Korea's English education?
Kalt: No country in the world spends more time, energy or money on English education than Korea. Total 2008 spending was near 15 trillion won ($ 12 billion) and yet Korea ranked 19th out of 20 countries on the IELTS and 136th out of 161 nations on the TOEFL speaking section.
The country's English education system is broken. Despite the numbers, many students, parents, and teachers still truly believe in the system or believe only minor changes are called for. They hear stories of Koreans habitually studying English to exhaustion and getting accepted to Harvard or Yale and believe all that is needed is more hard work and more hours at "elite" academies when what is needed is much more fundamental change.
The biggest problem is denying there is a problem. Until government, teachers, parents and students can dispassionately reflect, respect one another and admit there are problems and decide to work together to address them, parents will continue to spend, students will continue to suffer psychologically and test scores will not go up.
KH: What steps or methods do you recommend for Korean students to improve their English proficiency?
Kalt: The difference between good language learners and bad language learners is not IQ or a special language ability but "love of learning" and study methods. Many students sincerely believe that English is extremely difficult so they dutifully accept the pain and tedium of memorization and "study" as a simple fact of life, almost like paying penance. The pain is unnecessary and much of the time is wasted.
I recommend students follow their own interests and try to enjoy themselves. Watch English-language movies, TV shows, read Harry Potter or children's books, read online fashion, sports, celebrity magazines, listen to music, Google "funny commercials" or "fun English" and just start looking around at any English language sites that interest you.
Once you've found things you like, do them regularly, create goals based on what you do and write them on a calendar, and track your progress, repeat words and phrases you hear, pay close attention to context and try to understand the main idea not the details and most importantly relax and have fun.
Many students may feel this is more like playing than studying but it is actually a more effective way to study. Be patient and in a few months you will see real improvement. "No pain, no gain" needs to be replaced with "work smarter, not harder."
KH: What should Korean parents know when it comes to bilingual education for their kids?
Kalt: My advice to parents is to do your research. Talk to parents, talk to kids (in English if you can, if they answer you in English that is a great sign) and see if they enjoy learning and then observe actual classes and look for student-teacher interaction and active, spontaneously speaking students as opposed to diligent students doing written work.
The clearest advantage of starting young is native-like pronunciation, so kindergartens that focus on speaking skills give you more bang for your buck. All-English kindergartens also have a major social and psychological impact on children. I recommend having a mature discussion before sending your child to an all-English kindergarten explaining why they are being thrown into an English environment.
KH: What is the latest trend or research on the limitation set by age in learning a foreign language, and what's your advice for adult learners?
Kalt: Most research shows that language learning abilities gradually decline over time, but, more importantly, studies also show that it is possible to learn a language at almost any age if you have time, motivation and study appropriately.
I am an adult learner trying to learn Korean right now and I read Korean-language Aesop fables and any story books I can find that are at my level. I have found, for improving proficiency, reading many easy books is much more effective than reading a few difficult books.
KH: Korean learners often struggle with their accent. What should be done to improve their accent and pronunciation?
Kalt: Many Korean learners feel that a good accent is a talent that some people are born with and others are not. This is not only discouraging for many but also largely inaccurate. Pronunciation of individual sounds is relatively amenable to instruction, stress and intonation are more difficult but can be dramatically improved as well, but you need teachers with "good" accents and teaching know-how.
Disillusioned Korean adults who believe they will always have a bad accent might be happy to learn that, globally, outsourcing of corporate call centers, especially to India, has spawned an "accent reduction" industry that has proven quite effective in reducing or eliminating heavy Indian adults' accents in order to communicate with North American customers. Basically, with focused study anyone can improve their accent.
KH: What is an effective strategy to take full advantage of English newspaper, magazine and other media materials for learning English?
Kalt: Quickly reading an article from start to finish has minimal effect on learning. The most important thing when reading is to read actively, reading with a pen is a good start.
First, you have to find articles that are of particular interest to you and not too difficult for your proficiency level. Then pause frequently in your reading and summarize what you've read in your own words, try to guess the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary from the context, write reflective or analytical questions in the margins, circle new words, phrases and expressions and repeat them to yourself and keep a notebook of all the sentences (not just the individual words or phrases) that contain something you want to remember.
If you can't figure something out, Google it in English and keep searching until you understand and then write it in your notebook. Review your notebook regularly and try to integrate what you've learned into your actual speech.
KH: What are the most memorable episodes in your teaching experience in Korea that you want to share with our readers?
Kalt: I once tutored a 17-year-old high school student hoping to study at a North American university. He talked regularly of his visits with his psychiatrist to treat depression.
He had spent four years in New Zealand without his family and was badly traumatized by the experience and still struggling to speak English fluently. He also told me that if he was not a millionaire by age 30 he would kill himself. As a teacher trainer, his case is a constant reminder to me that what we do as parents and teachers has a profound impact on young peoples' lives and that there are things that are more important than English language proficiency and material wealth. |
So what's your reaction? Do you concur with his assessment?
Last edited by ManintheMiddle on Sat Jul 04, 2009 11:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Epicurus
Joined: 18 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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| in many many respects, yes I do. |
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SHANE02
Joined: 04 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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| This stuff is pretty obvious. |
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sigmundsmith
Joined: 22 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:05 am Post subject: |
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No country in the world spends more time, energy or money on English education than Korea. Total 2008 spending was near 15 trillion won ($ 12 billion) and yet Korea ranked 19th out of 20 countries on the IELTS and 136th out of 161 nations on the TOEFL speaking section.
The country's English education system is broken. Despite the numbers, many students, parents, and teachers still truly believe in the system or believe only minor changes are called for. They hear stories of Koreans habitually studying English to exhaustion and getting accepted to Harvard or Yale and believe all that is needed is more hard work and more hours at "elite" academies when what is needed is much more fundamental change. |
I disagree with this statement saying that English education system is broken.
The whole education system is broken.
I have been teaching in Korean for almost 4 years and have taught in other Asian countries as well. Koreans/Korean students don't know how to learn.
In any classroom (whether English or what not) they will talk with their friends and not pay attention to the teacher. Korean education is based on not continual learning but cramming before exams.
There is no interaction in the classroom. There is no opportunity for students to voice their opinion. And this is something that is so required when learning a second language.
Students need to listen to the Native teacher and see how the language works then practice it in a controlled environment and the produce it in a semi controlled setting.
But Korean education in any subject does not follow this method. So how are these students suppose to improve their language ability when they follow this method of educational endeavors.
Was told by my Korean co-teacher that when students talk in class and not listen to the teacher they don't think it is rude (go to any formal function/wedding etc and see people on the phone).
So, the Korean teachers in their own classroom (homeroom) allow this to happen and won't rectify the problem.
So to say that their ability to acquire the language is due to the ineffective methods is misleading.
It has to do with the whole approach to their methods of education acquisition that should be addressed to improve their capabilities.
And the accent BS coming up again. I am not North American but it amazes me that Koreans think that by spending 5 hours a week in a classroom with someone from North America will produce in their child a perfect California (hollywood) English accent.
The chap at Dankook University stated that Basically,
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| with focused study anyone can improve their accent. |
Well. This is quite misleading. There is no way a Korean child learning English in Korea will develop an acceptable 'North American' accent without visiting (living/studying) there.
And what is wrong with a Korean speaking perfect English with a Korean accent. Not all native speakers of English speak with California accents. Just go to Alabama and see how much of a hard time you might have understanding their accent.
Ask your self. When you go to Thailand, Japan etc for your vacation. When you speak with the local people there in English, are they speaking with a California accent. No. They a speaking English with their own accent. Do you understand them? Yes. Are there some words that you may not understand? Yes. Do you ask or repeat what they said? Yes. Then do you understand what word they were saying? Yes.
With my limited Korean I can order food, buy smokes, get home in a taxi ask simple questions. Do I speak with a Korean accent. Nope. Do they understand me. Most of the time and if they don't I repeat it again.
Don't know about what experience the interviewee has had in English education (Korean or other countries) but really, some of their perspective about English education in Korea is quite limited. |
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Straphanger
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Chilgok, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:39 am Post subject: |
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I may be mistaken, but this article is one part of a four part series on this same guy, and he makes some really good points.
Problem is, I read it SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.
This is so old it's got hair. Old news, buddy. TRY AGAIN!!!! |
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halfmanhalfbiscuit
Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:26 am Post subject: |
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Sigmundsmith,
Good points
1, Yes, Korean students tend not to listen. My KTs solution to that was to use a microphone! I often found myself having to rush in an explanation the first 5 minutes, basically cramming it in as best I could, knowing it wasn't understood then going group to group and starting again.
Partly it's student training. Partly the fault of studying passively.
2, Yep, I find the accent thing BS too. Maybe it's an extension of the cringe towards regional Korean accents? A Brit can understand an Aussie can understand a Canuck....really is a non-issue. Nonetheless, instruction based on individual sounds, word-linking and sentence stress can make Koreans sound much more unambiguous than they may otherwise think they could. I certainly have no issue with their retaining a Korean-ness to their pronunciation, the key thing is that their English is not being obviously filtered through their Korean, resulting in an opaque accent. |
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jamesteacho
Joined: 11 Jun 2009
Location: Non of your business/somewhere in shibuya Japan
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:31 am Post subject: |
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everything is retarded! who cares?!  |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:50 am Post subject: |
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Ultimately Koreans will only learn English when their attitude to the outside world changes.
When they start to view the world outside this country as something positive with a lot to offer..then things will improve. At the moment they just rote-learn stuff to pass exams. |
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hugekebab
Joined: 05 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 3:14 am Post subject: |
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The Korean education system is so unbelievably bad, that I can't even be bothered to analyse why that is. I just don't have the time or the patience for the Korean attitude to learning.
Sorry, I just don't care any more. |
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anjinsan
Joined: 26 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 3:48 am Post subject: |
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I agree--the problem is the whole way they "educate."
Basically:
Teacher talks--1. students listen for a limited amount of time 2. pretend to listen 3. talk to teir friends and ignore the teacher 4. send phone messages as the teacher talks.
Having been a student in Korea, I totally have found myself tuning out after about 10 minutes of the teacher's talking talking talking.
I want to listen and learn, but the teacher doesn't care about anyone but him or herself; so, they end up talking or an hour or so to nobody but themselves, losing any students who genuinely want to pay attention and learn.
This method of "teacher knows all--listen--ask no questions" simply doesn't work. |
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chemicalblur
Joined: 30 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:09 am Post subject: |
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| I just love it here on Dave's. Blame the students, not the teachers! |
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SHANE02
Joined: 04 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:41 am Post subject: |
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| chemicalblur wrote: |
| I just love it here on Dave's. Blame the students, not the teachers! |
can u read? |
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sigmundsmith
Joined: 22 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:42 am Post subject: |
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| chemicalblur wrote: |
| I just love it here on Dave's. Blame the students, not the teachers! |
Yes. Please read what is being posted. The discussion is the the children are educated - or lack there of - and what ramifications it has on the students and how they learn or what little they learn.
There doesn't seem to be a great blame on the students. |
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ManintheMiddle
Joined: 20 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:43 am Post subject: |
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Shane02 replied:
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| This stuff is pretty obvious. |
Perhaps to you and most Western educators here but not to Koreans in a position to do something about it, evidently.
Just for some perspective:
The most popular optional coursebook for 2nd year high school students in Seoul (actually a graded reader) is of a comparable level of difficulty as 2nd year junior high school coursebooks in China. I've seen both and used both in graduate courses I've taught.
Julius snapped his jaws:
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| Ultimately Koreans will only learn English when their attitude to the outside world changes. |
Yes, that's precisely the case. It's very sad, really, because Korean students devote more hours to study in general than perhaps anywhere else in Asia. |
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gregoriomills
Joined: 02 Mar 2009
Location: Busan, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| hugekebab wrote: |
The Korean education system is so unbelievably bad, that I can't even be bothered to analyse why that is. I just don't have the time or the patience for the Korean attitude to learning.
Sorry, I just don't care any more. |
This sums up my attitude. The drive to learn English here is way out of proportion AND misdirected, but as long as its there, I will continue to cash in on it (for anohter year). I'm not a Keducation policy maker, nor do I desire to be one. |
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