Korean Job Discussion Forums

horang · Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Location: Seoul

I never wanted to come back to this forum and wasting my time, oh well, make this one an exception.

I am writing my master's thesis in regards to "Problems of English education in Korea". Don't worry I am not here to badmouth foreign teachers, I mostly point out inabilities of Korean teachers who can't even speak in a complete sentence.

1. In your opinion, what would be the big problems or main issues in this country when it comes to English education?

In my opnion, there are many problems but one problem really stands out amongst others is that this country does not have qualified (Korean) English teachers who can really teach our children "proper" English. In other words, most Koean English teachers can't even be good students themselves in any high school level English class not to mention being a good teacher. How can they possibly teach? I feel very sad every morning to see them at school. My fellow English teachers at my school are flat-out horrible, pronouncing 'z' like 'jetu', 'v' like 'bui', saying the Korean alphabet 'ㄹ' for both 'l' and 'r', and going on and on and on. Pity!At least I am not like that... believe me on this. Embarassed

A couple months ago, I took my students to Paju English village and we participated in some programs. One of them was to experience what it was like being in a post office in the USA. Unfortunately, the person in charge of the post office program was a Korean lady. She graduated from a good college majored in English education but her English was terrible, pronounciation was not better than my mother (pronouncing ppanana for 'banana', ing-gul-lishi' for 'english'), her speaking grammar was totally messed up. But the irony is that she makes same or more money than foreign instructors, and definitely way more than those eastern European ladies working at the shops and restaurants in the village.

She will be one of the teachers teaching our children English, and they constantly blame the government for not supporting them enough or not paying them enough. They make 2 - 4 million a mounth plus bonus, or 30-60 million a year, and decent pension program. It doesn't make anyone rich in Korea, but guarantees a comfortable middle class life if their spouse has a job. So the Korean people spend so much money on these rubbish English teachers. What waste of tax money. In my thesis, I am pointing out the schools in Korea should interview those English teacher-want to-be candidates carefully and intensively and the interviewers should be nativer English teachers. Or throw out all Korean English teachers once and for all, replace them with native speakers.

2. So for those who have lived and taught in Korea for long, could you please input your ideas and thoughts as to how to improve this situation and help our children speak English in a complete sentence? I'd appreciate your time if you'd throw in your two cents.

reactionary · Joined: 22 Oct 2006 Location: korreia

I have no interest in improving Koreans' English skills. Then they'd stop wearing those hilarious tshirts I love so much. People would stop calling male underwear "panties." My students would stop saying things like "English makes me hard."

No, I don't want to live in a world like that.

horang · Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Location: Seoul

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

lowpo · Joined: 01 Mar 2007

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Major problem 1:

Too much reliance on teachers and classrooms. Autonomous learning is the way to go.

Major problem 2:

No concept of the sheer amount of time it takes to get to different levels of English. With 5 hours of classroom study a week, with no other practice/study, it would take a lifetime to get anywhere impressive.

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

The main problem is the test. Students spend most of their time studying for multiple choice style exams. When they actually study conversation with a native speaker. They don't regard it as a real class. They arrive late and expect to be entertained. This puts lots of pressure on Native speakers to be Dancing monkeys.

Also when the Korean teacher teaches their class is geared to the exam.
They use lots of Korean and teach using grammar translation methods.
When the students finally get into a class where there is a Native speaker they assume that it will not help them with the exam so they either sleep or misbehave. Most Native Speakers don't use corporal punishment so the Korean students don't really respect them.

Demophobe · Joined: 17 May 2004

Koreans learn about English, but they don't learn English. Also consider learning vs. acquisition.

seoulsucker · Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 3:41 pm Post subject:

I feel it all stems from the content of the university examinations. Vocabulary and grammar are a heckuva lot easier to measure via exams, but still...it's useless outside of that.

Okay...I take that back. Not useless, but for the average Korean who isn't going to be having in-depth conversations on a daily basis that will determine the course of the free world, identifying a dangling participle shouldn't be an academic priority.

jhaelin · Joined: 30 Aug 2006

i have to say your argument is less than convinving as the only general proof you provide is that korean teachers have bad pronunciation. if teaching english only required native pronunciation as a prerequisite than perhaps korea should take your advice and higher only foreign/native speakers.
but having taught in public middle schools for more than 3 years, i have to say IMHO the greatest difficulty that the korean system faces for teaching english is student teacher ratio, and the reality of english being truly only a test subject, as opposed to a language to be used...

if you had to teach 40+ kids in each class to pass a test that determines the path of their entire adult life, you may have a more sober and balanced opinion of the difficulties and pressures faced by the korean english teachers...

reactionary · Joined: 22 Oct 2006 Location: korreia

crazy_arcade · Joined: 05 Nov 2006

Language should be learned and practiced, not memorized. This is the first problem.

Second problem, students need to be encouraged to try without worry about making mistakes.

Third problem, Korean teachers need to develop interactive and modern teaching methods.

Fourth problem, Curriculum. At middle school, at least, it's awful.

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

crazy_arcade · Joined: 05 Nov 2006

Scotticus · Joined: 18 Mar 2007

A lot of good points made in this thread. And it hasn't turned into a flamewar yet!

1) Korean teachers' English is generally not fluent - I can understand most Korean teachers, but people back home would have a hard time of it. I'm used to the Konglish and the lack of articles, etc. However, from a technicaly standpoint, their English is not very good. This is especially perplexing, as Koreans spend so much time studying grammar.

2) The college test - As someone else mentioned, Korean kids don't take their convo classes very seriously because, as far as their lives go, it doesn't matter. There is no convo part of the college entrance exam, and the college entrance exam is ALL that matters. Plus, even if there was a convo part, it would be administered by a Korean teacher whose English isn't very good, and thus it would just be a Broken English/Konglish test.

3) Class-size - You CANNOT run an effective convo class with 30+ kids and one teacher. You just cannot give the kids enough one-on-one practice with you for them to get getting any real worthwhile English convo education. The key to fluently speaking a language is to practice speaking.