Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jrwhite82]

A lot of praise is given to Korea and their education system. They consistentaly score in the top rankings on standardized test. Students spend more hours in school than most countries. It can also be argued that families value education more than many other countries. Do these three factors add up to create the achievement gap in test scores between the US and Korea for example?

I know teaching to a test is not the right approach.

But, what POSITIVE and EFFECTIVE things are done in the Korean trenches (the classrooms) that are not being done back in the US?

I'm not really interested in hearing about coporal punishment either.

I'd like to find something unique and interesting that I could present to a future employer stateside. Something that I could apply to a US classroom that might be effective.

[jvalmer]

- uniforms
- the possibility of single-sex schools
- way more school events and trips (in my junior and high school days I didn't get to go on any field trips) and not having to worry about parents suing if their kid get hurt because of their own stupidity
- students seem to be closer to each other
- I find teachers are closer to students (at least the younger teachers are)
- I find the homeroom system where the students stay in the same room interesting
- sometimes nice computers and monitors in classrooms
- PE is still mandatory in high school
- school cafeteria actually serves non-junk food
- teachers, sometimes, actually give senior middle schoolers and high schoolers alcohol on those graduation trips, since they don't want them looking for liquor on their own
- virtually everyone coming into the school system knows the language, so little resources are needed on Korean as a Second Language classes (but I guess it sucks for those rare non-Korean speaking kids entering the school system)
- not worrying about teaching pc material and trying to cater every major ethnic group

My main suggestion is instead of making students study core subjects in high school into the night, allow the first two years of students to pursue non-academic areas at night at school. Of course you'd have to convince parents before anything changes. In the end it's the parents that will decide if they want less stress for their kids by not sending them hagwons. However, hagwons, in differing forms, have been around for centuries, so I don't see it happening anytime soon.

[methdxman]

Korea creates a group of students that have a ... let's say... lower "standard deviation". Everyone is basically literate and well-educated by the time they're 18. Very few drop outs, etc.

The U.S. will create extremes. Even in Los Angeles, the public school system is terrible with a high 30-40% high school drop out rate. But the American school system also tends to create more visionaries and outside-of-the-box thinkers.

[happiness]

I worked in a high school and the teachers always asked me why Obama praised the Korean system. That must have been a clue.

The school system maybe is good, but the results..iffy. I like my creativity and curiousity and my personality.

[Perceptioncheck]

[SeoulNate]

1. Cafeteria food is arguably better

The other things are not a product of the school system but the culture and laws.

Think about it. If drugs, guns and work were as restricted back home as they are here, would we have the same number of dropouts? Hell no.

The students here do not come out of high school more educated here, more of them just finish or are swept under the rug.

In most western countries it is not so taboo to talk about mental problems of students. Try talking to a Korean about a person in their family who has some kind of mental problem and see how far you get.

On the surface that may not look like it has much impact on the education system, but it surely does. The amount of money spent on special education in the states is massive compared to what happens here. Take that money and put it into the 'smart' kids and see what happens to test scores. That is not a positive aspect of their education system btw.

[silkhighway]

You can't really separate a country's education system from it's culture, one is a product of the other, but there are some things I think Koreans get right:

1) The school lunch is healthy and every kid gets one (at least at the schools where I worked.)
2) Children are not unique snowflakes to be handled delicately. There are negatives that come with this too, but no special treatment means the system runs smoothly.
3) Effort is not undervalued and natural ability overvalued, especially in math. Basic arithmetic and algebra is not hard at all, it's just following the rules and it just takes practice. There's no excuse for the Canadian system to be allowing reasonably intelligent kids to go through it without acquiring these basic skills.

[jonpurdy]

[vermouth]

I feel like it has to be possible to get a system in which people aren't so bad at basic skills that doesn't drain them so throughly of creative and more importantly critical thinking skills.

There are numbers between 1 and 100 right? Right?

I think the way Korean public schools handle vacation is much better. Summer vacation was always pretty rad but it really drastically broadens the gaps between poor kids and rich kids.

I'm not sure that I understand the idea of sending kids to intensives, but whatever.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Special education, as well as elevator use for handicapped students.

EDIT: Sorry, I meant Korea was lacking in the above two.

What Korea does better:
The kids sure are motivated.

[Ice Tea]

I kind of like their exam/university system. Basically whoever gets the highest score, goes to the best university, and gets the best job making the most money. If that had been the case in Canada, then I probably wouldn't be working in Korea right now. Even though I had a GPA above 4.0, I have to compete with the hoards of other grads who just skimmed their way through university. Everyone and their dog has a degree these days. I think a system that separates the men from the boys can have its benefits. It's more of a meritocracy than our so-called meritocracy. Doesn't matter what people say, these days hard-work and intelligence doesn't equal success back home. It just doesn't. It's all about connections, established wealth, and plain luck.

[whiteshoes]

[silkhighway]

Deleted..not relevant.

[cragesmure]

corporal punishment

[jvalmer]