Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JacktheCat]

For those of you with at least a basic understanding of Korean, how much Korean do you speak in your classes?

I have a strict no-Korean rule in my classes (for myself, not the students) and my students know that I will not answer any question if it is not in English.

However I have noticed a fair number of waegukin long termers here in Korea conduct a lot of their classes in Korean.

[Zark]

I don't use Korean in class. Except for the occasional laugh or to ask a question for my own benefit.

Don't need it. But. . . I do have to say that I have no objection to a student using it - to get a synonym or a more complex idea across. A fast one word usage doesn't bother me when it clears up a problem and creates understanding that the student might never get.

My experience has been that the less uptight you can get the classroom to be (talking adults here . . .) the better things go.

[crazylemongirl]

I occasionally lapse into korean.

There's a few kids that just can't understand english so I have to give them commands in Korean.

Occasionally as a joke. Like when we were asking we're doing for vacation and ir say 'go to bbangko)

If they are driving me crazy or compeltly off task then I might say 'yah sam ban'

When we study homophones its helpful to toss out a few korean ones so they can understand the concept.

But I really feel that some of the ways that native teachers add value is in the 'hidden cirrculcum' so I try and introduce a new word or phrase for them every week.

For example:
Attention (we yell it back to eachother until every one is on task)
'we are the champions'
They are losers (complete with loser L)
Are you ready? Yes we are/I am ready.
Teacher I can't see.
How many papers do you want? five please, there you go, thank you

My kids know I have a decent command of basic korean so they'll often talk to me in Korean so I 'say that's good , now tell me in english'. Often I find they are missing a word or two so I can help them out.

My pet hate is that a lot of Korean teachers over translate. With a half year gone all my students should know 'ok get your english books out please' I always write the page number on the board for them too. So there is no need to translate that.

[Zark]

When you do use Korean (and I certainly understand that there may be times when you find it useful) I would recommend using what we used to call "Total Communication" when I worked with handicapped kids - a long long time ago.

Pair Korean with English and physical gestures. Put all three together to maximize learning and eventually you can fade the Korea and the student will understand the English and gesture and eventually you fade the gesture . . .

[crazylemongirl]

[the_beaver]

When talking about the importance of pronunciation I mangle some Korean words in typical foreigner fashion and then pronounce them again into something intelligible.

And on the last day of class for the last 10 minutes I have a bull shit session with the students in Korean.

[Zark]

Well . . . to me - it sounds like you are doing all you can do. Big classes are nigh on to impossible. I only ever worry about the folks in the front few rows - figuring the rest don't really care anyway.

I know that doesn't solve your problem though . . .

[Neil]

I don't, I can see the benifits of it especially with beginners but the problem is if you make a mistake in Korean (which will happen often unless you're at an advanced level) the students go crazy and it takes a while to calm them down.

[just because]

My Korean is pretty good...maybe high intermediatte so i use it a lot in class when they don't understand the the english....

I will say it first in english...if they don't understand then in Korean so they do understand......

Once they understand the concept I will explain it again in english so they will know exactly what i want them to do next time...

[Homer]

I use it to explain new vocabulary or sentences.

I also use it with new students to explain the rules in class.

[tomato]

Hello, Jack the Cat!

You posted this thread at just the right time.
Today, I had a knock-down, drag-out fight with my director--right in front of both her class and mine--in which she attacked me for every activity that could not be found in her class. According to her, the students were dropping out like flies because they hated my class so much.

I tore down all my �ѱ������� ������ signs and told her fine, from that moment forward, I was going to teach just like a Korean teacher.

From now on, I will instantly translate anything the students don't understand. My director decided that while she was at it, she may as well attack me for being deficient in Korean pronunciation. So I'll write anything in Korean on the board that I need to. That way, she can't get me that way, either.

There will be no fun activities in my class without a plurality of votes. That way, if the director complains that "the students hate your class," I will have an instant rebuttal.

This experiment will last until:

1. the director admits that I'm not such a bad teacher after all
2. the students complain to the director that my way is better
(One student has already told me that she liked my no-English rule.
I'll reinstate that rule in that class when and if her opinion becomes the majority opinion.)
3. I can't stand it any longer

[pet lover]

The only time I use Korean is when I repeat something that a student said to draw attention to the fact that it WAS said in Korean. And I usually say it in a silly way to make everyone, including the student who just spoke in Korean, laugh. Other than that, I do not use Korean at all.

[SweetBear]

I would agree with what zark said but would also add that it may be wise to be careful of your use of Korean, especially if you're not fairly profficient in the language. I once had a class that just could not get what I was trying to say. I substituted with bad Korean and it just made things worse. Now I would rather take a dictionary to a class than use mediocre or bad Korean.

[d503]

I teach kindie. They like to through in new students every couple of weeks it seems. So I have some kids who can handle all the classroom stuff in English. ANd then WHAM I get a kid who has never spoken english before. And they cry and scream when they don't know what is going on. Some of them turn violent and hit other kids.

So I use Korean until the kids know. With kids who are aware of how a classroom acts I don't need it. But it is better than having to explain that Nayeon decided to irrate Junho, because she had no idea what was going on, which caused him to freak out and crawl under the desk (I only wish it had never happened)

[Lizara]