Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Manner of Speaking]

Folks, I need some feedback.

Three months ago I quit work at a dodgy gig to come to Seoul to study Korean. Things have gone pretty good, did two months of classes 2 hours a day. Had a test last month, got an A in spoken Korean and I am top in the class (out of 4 people ).

This month, I have a new teacher who knows a great deal about Korean grammar, but doesn't know how to teach. She spends 65% of every class explaining a new grammar point in Korean, to lots of blank looks. I have a week to go before I finish and go back to work, and I'm pooped. I've learned a lot in the last three months but I'm seriously pooped. I don't want to go to class or study anymore.

Am I lazy and need a kick in the backside, or do I need a break?

[Gollum]

Take a break, but plan on when you will come back. Otherwise you'll be like me and stay away for a year at a time.

[peemil]

Coming from a hyperactive Peemil... You sometimes have to stop kicking yourself in the bum and give yourself some time for your head to just get itself back togethor. Is there anyway you can give yourself a couple of days R&R?

[Mashimaro]

I think you need a better teacher more than a break. There is nothing wrong with teachers using only korean... but only if the students understand.. yeah, find a better class/teacher

[shakuhachi]

Dont take a break. Instead along with your classes, increase the amount of time you spend self studying, along with actual conversation in Korean with Koreans while deliberately using the grammar points that you learned at school. You know you are making progress when you 'feel the burn'. Dont give up now.

[the_beaver]

It's a week. You can do it.

[mithridates]

When you're feeling burnt out, just listen to song after song, reading the lyrics and without caring too much about what they mean. Just follow along and chill. Korean songs, of course.

[steelhead]

Wow, well you must be in my class. I feel exactly the same . We take 2 months to pound through a 200 page textbook, and an 80 page work book. We get an hour of homework a night. But its all grammar repetitions. I never get a chance to sit down and hammer out the vocabulary which is seriously limiting my conversational skills.

Personally, I am taking 2 months for self study, and 3 hrs a week with a tutor. I will concentrate on reviewing what I have learned and vocabulary that I previously glazed over at best. I will also meet with my Korean friends and force them to speak Korean despite the fact that really they just want to practice English.

I am half way through the 2nd book at school. I am going to stretch out the last half over the next 2 months, then challenge the course test. Might even challenge it after a month if I am keeping up.

I am no expert but I am also bagged from working and studying.

If you can find a tutor that might be an option. I have figured you can find one for about 15k an hour.

Its a grind even trying to finish this week.

[Mashimaro]

learning a language should be fun, don't stress too much about learning reams of vocab or or endless grammar 'exercises'. Get through your class and then concentrate on things you enjoy studying (and do lots of it!)

[Manner of Speaking]

[ladyandthetramp]

[articulate_ink]

No one has mentioned exposing yourself in English again, periodically, to give your mind a break. I don't know if there's any research on this, but the two times I was acquiring new languages (American Sign Language and Spanish, for the curious) and was in situations where I had to function in them, I found myself exhausted. I seemed to progress faster if I gave my brain time to cool off -- that is, if I had a chance to get back to English for a little while. Even just a few hours. The brain shuts down once it's overloaded, right, and can't take in or process new information? If you're feeling overwhelmed, I wouldn't say to drop the class necessarily, but don't bombard yourself with Korean without taking periodic rest breaks for your mind, just as you'd do (I hope) for your hands and eyes when working on a computer for a long time.

[SarcasmKills]

What programs are you two taking in Seoul to study Korean?

[tomato]

Manner of Speaking, welcome to Korea!

There are many wonderful things in Korea, but second language education isn't among them.

I'm dropping out of my Japanese class a week early because I can't keep up with the furious pace. Every day we get a truckload of complicated grammatical constructions with no chance to practice any of them. And it was only two months ago that we started on the basic letters.

[canadian_in_korea]

Wow it sounds as though some of the teachers are taking the "university lecture" approach....introduce the point and leave it up to the student to practice and apply what they have learned....which is probably fine if you aren't studying a language....if I'm not mistaken even university French has some kind of a language lab or something. Have you found that going to a class has made a big difference? Of course the teacher makes a difference also...I have the book "elementary Korean" I bought it in Canada but i kind of got hung up on the "phonetic english alphabet"....good god...what a mess that is.. I learned the Korean alphabet but now I can't motivate myself to look at the book again.....I was thinking of taking a class before I go home. I'm just curious what those of you who have/are taking classes think....are they very helpful?