Page 26 - ELG1710 Oct Issue 451

RESOURCES .
REVIEWS & RESOURCES

judged by their English ability. There is a lot
Beware feel judged or worried or self-conscious
of pressure to be ‘perfect.’
My sense is that many Korean students
about their pronunciation (including
suprasegmentals) but sort of have the
expectation that simply being in contact
‘busywork’ 11
with ‘native speakers’ will sort out these
issues.
Koreans are supposed
be good at grammar.
Before I’d even set foot in
and about how Korean students excel at grammar
Korea I heard a great deal
but just have a hard time putting sentences
together orally. I will easily agree with the
statement that the average Korean high
grammar school student has been exposed to copious
amounts of grammar. However, I can also
safely say the grammar ‘rules’ that they
have been studying are not always aligned
with what I would consider to be modern
appropriate usage.
Tips: Gently help students see that
geeks USAG- Humphreys English is a ‘ are in fact rules of thumb or might not be
perhaps many of the ‘rules’ they ‘learned’
applicable in all situations. Teachers might
want to tread lightly on this, rather than
implicating every teacher the students have
big deal’ in Korea
previously had in the crime of teaching the
wrong grammar.
As part of an occasional series about the quirks of teaching different English is a big deal ‘Face’ matters Koreans are not
Of course, face matters
Understatement of the year. What
nationalities, Seoul-based teacher and trainer Michael Griffin outlines some 7 9 supposed to be creative
or critical thinkers
some people call ‘English fever’ has
everywhere. Students all over the
spread all over Korea.
useful things to know if you have Korean students in your class In order to get a job at a big company humiliated. However, I can’t help but think that creativity is not focused on in standard
world don’t respond well to feeling 12 I think it is one thing to say
students must have a high enough Toeic, that the concept of keeping face is especially public schools and quite another thing to
SOUTH KOREA is now the fourth largest Tip: Consider doing something you might Tip: Don’t feel guilty about assigning a Toefl, Ielts score. important in Korea. say that a whole nation of people are not
market for international students in the not normally do as a teacher just to help lot of work. Students might expect many From my view, English ability is a (newish) Tips: Give students thinking time, and creative!
US and Australia – and learning English is students see you are on their side and ready assignments so you don’t need to worry measuring stick used to determine the use the ‘Think-Pair-Share’ technique. Give Tips: Disregard this stereotype. Give
exceedingly popular on the peninsula. to work for them. Examples include spending about giving too much. Students will be suitability of people to enter schools and students ample preparation time before they students time to think and plan. Be clear
So as numbers grow, it is all the more more time correcting their written work even accustomed to doing a lot of work.” jobs. are expected to speak in front of others. about your expectations. Consider exactly
important for teachers to understand how if you are not totally sold on the pedagogic Continually preach the importance (through why you are expecting creativity or critical
their Korean students tick. value of it. a variety of means which might include thinking and what you mean by it.
All statements are based on my personal Plagiarism is different ‘Native Speakerism’ is alive quotes and anecdotes) of using mistakes as
and well in Korea
impressions from working with Korean 5 8 learning opportunities n Michael Griffin is an
In my view, this is closely connected
Students might expect white teachers 10
students, and the usual caveats around Hard work is valued to Point 4. Native speaker English (specifically English language teacher
stereotypes and generalisations apply. (differently) If schoolwork is busywork and North American) is highly prized. Pronunciation can be a who works at a university in
My sense is that in Korea hard not really connected to learning but just This ‘native speakerism’ also correlates sensitive issue. Seoul. This article has been
3work itself is valued in a different something that the teacher has to assign and strongly with issues related to race. I mentioned previously adapted from a
School is a big deal (stronger?) way than most Westerners are the student has to submit, why not copy from that English is a big deal. I post on his blog:
This might be obvious to some accustomed to. A good friend and former someone else or the interwebs? when they go to Australia. mentioned that people are judged and feel http://bit.ly/2jJSgFG
but education is valued by society training course participant mentioned that Tips: Do your best to ‘plagiarism-proof’
1as a whole and parents specifically. she was confused when I kept talking about your assignments. Make sure you are not
Education is seen as the driving force behind ‘working smart’ rather than ‘working hard’ assigning busywork.
Korea’s rags to riches story and is seen as the because I didn’t seem to value working hard Show students the value in what you are
ticket to succeeding in life. The amount of as a goal in and of itself. Tip: Don’t be afraid assigning. Give useful feedback on students’
time Korean students spend in school (both to highlight how hard your students are written work.
during and after regular school hours) is working.
legendary. Busywork is almost expected 6
Tests are a big deal
This is another one that might
Expectations are high for seem obvious to those familiar with
the education system in Korea. The
teachers It is my impression that Korean possible cultural difference I see here is that
Teachers are highly respected, students have a much higher tests are seen as much more ‘valid’ than my
2but this respect comes with great 4threshold for what I might consider sense of how they would likely be viewed in the
responsibility and a lot is expected of them ‘busywork’ – work for the sake of it, rather West. This is to say that I don’t see nearly as
to do right by their students. than any great pedagogic value. much skepticism about tests as I might expect.
26 October 2017 editorial@elgazette.com 27