Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kermo]

I felt a bit impish yesterday, so when I walked into the classroom, I decided to speak nothing but French. I took role call, invited the children to take out their books, and did my usual routine, but all in French.

I was stunned at how little reaction it got. Nobody even noticed. I didn't realize how much they tune me out. Have you ever seen those Far Side cartoons, about what dogs hear (i.e., "Blah blah blah blah Rover, blah blah Rover...) and what cats hear (....... )? Ever wonder what hagwon students hear?

Finally, the students settled down, the incidental chatter ceased, and some brave students in the front row shook their heads and demanded "TEACHER, WHAT????" One clever munchkin even realized it was French. Phewwwwww.

[VanIslander]

"Mon Dieu!"

"Mohn de?"

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Quand j'ai enseigné une classe de jardin d'enfants à mon vieux hogwan j'ai fait la même chose. Je leur enseignais les couleurs - bleu, vert, rouge, jaune. Il n'y a pas une différence que de leur enseigner en anglais. Ils n'apprennent pas, seulement répetent. Peut-être je l'essayerai avec lycée secondaire...

[SuperHero]

[periwinkle]

Cute dog. At least Ginger is attentive!

[BigBlackEquus]

Wow, you mean none of your students torched your car in the name of jihad?

[Privateer]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[schwa]

I'd speculate that a lot of native speaker teachers here think their students are understanding them pretty well when in fact one word in ten getting through is more realistic, probably optimistic.

Random asides, phrasal verbs, & natural cadence are just noise to the majority of our students.

A simple experiment: speak 3 sentences in your normal style to the class then ask an average student (or even your best one) what you just said. The result may startle you into reconsidering what constitutes comprehensible input.

[some waygug-in]

I've noticed this a few times.......... but it's not so much me (any more) but other teachers who "over-estimate" student abilities.

(as pretentious as that sounds, what I mean is that over the years I've been here, I've gotten better at estimating students' levels, whereas teachers who are new to Korea always think the students are better than they really are)

I've had this happen to me recently, the other foreign teacher at my haggie tells me, "these kids really understand a lot, they know a lot of English. You'll be able to have some good dicussions with them."

When I get them I notice that nobody has a clue what is going on and the textbook they have is at least 2 levels too high.

I think I was the same my first year or so here. I just assumed they were learning something because we had "covered it in class".

[JeJuJitsu]