This guide to living and working in Korea is specifically aimed at

Crocetti
the teacher of English to speakers of other languages. It considers
the background history of both Korea and the English language
teaching organization, KOTESOL, and guides the practitioner towards
The KOTESOL Handbook:
active participation within the organization. In addition to sound Teaching English in Korea
advice on managing the classroom, no matter how many students,
field practitioners have contributed their communicative activities —

The KOTESOL Handbook

those that have worked well with Korean learners of English.
The KOTESOL Handbook contributes knowledge and builds
enthusiasm in the classroom with sound advice and exciting activities
and increases teacher knowledge and motivation by guiding them in
their professional development.

KOTESOL

ISBN 0-9673283-0-6

Gina Crocetti, Editor

Hadfield, Jill. (1992). Classroom Dynamics. New York:
Oxford University Press.

Harmer, Jeremy. (1991). The Practice of English Language

Teaching - New Edition. Harlow, England: Longman.
The KOTESOL Handbook
Teaching English in Korea
Nolasco, Rob and Lois, Arthur. (1986). “You try doing it
with a class of forty!” English Language Teaching
Journal 40/2

Nolasco, Rob and Lois, Arthur. (1988). Large Classes. New

York: Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

CULTURE
(1993). A Handbook of Korea. Seoul, Korea: Samhwa
Printing Co., Ltd. Ninth Edition.

Clark, Donald N., ed. (1993) Korea Briefing, 1993: Festival

of Korea. Colorado: Westview Press, Inc.

Hur, Ben S. & Sonja V. (1988) Culture Shock! Korea.

Oregon: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company.

THE FUTURE/UNIFICATION
Grinber, Roy R. Korea and Its Futures: Unification and the
Unfinished War. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
(1988).

132
 FURTHER READING

HISTORY
Cummings, Bruce. (1997). Korea’s Place in the Sun: A
Modern History. New York: WW Norton & Co.,
Inc.

Nahm, Andrew C. (1993). Historical Dictionary of the

Republic of Korea. New Jersey: The Scarecrow
Press, Inc.

Savada, Andrea M. & Shaw, Williams.(1992). South Korea:

a Country Study. Washington D.C.: US Govern-
ment Printing Office. Fourth Edition.

Thompson, Kenneth W., ed. (1996). Korea: A World in

Change. Maryland: University Press of America,
Inc.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Atkinson, David. (1993). Teaching Monolingual Classes.
New York: Longman.

Byrne, Donn. (1993). Teaching Monolingual Classes. New

York: Longman.

Cross, David. (1995). Large Classes in Action. New York:

Prentice Hall.

Doff, Adrian. (1988). Teach English. New York: Cambridge

University Press.

131
the Internet. Here are a few examples:
Gestures from around the world: www.webofculture.com/edu/gestures

Women in Business:www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/woman_in_business The KOTESOL Handbook

College Slang: www.intranet.csupomona.edu/~jasanders/slang/FAQs
Teaching English in Korea
Career Magazine: www.careermag.com/db/cmag_careerlinks

Folk & Fairy tales from around the world: darsie.ucdavis.edu/tales/

Korean news & issues: www.nyu.edu/acf/multilingual/korean

Rainforest Action Network: www.ran.org/ran/intro

A final note:
Technology is playing a vital role in shaping learning environments. Edited by
The Internet, in particular, is a resource for you to help meet the
cultural and linguistic needs of your students, and enable them to
Gina Crocetti
become multi-lingual, multi-cultural, technologically literate, and
competitive in the local, national, and international workplace. This
list is just a start.

KOTESOL
Republic of Korea

130
 Frizzy University Network (FUN): www.thecity.sfsu.edu/%7Efunweb/
Editor: Gina Crocetti, Tacoma, WA
Karin’s ESL PartyLand: www.eslpartyland.com/home
Editorial Assistant: Robert J. Dickey, Kyongju, Korea
English Language Links: www.comenius.com/misc/links
Back Cover Illustrator: Sharon K. Crocetti, Gig Harbor, WA
Project Management: The Creative Pen, Tacoma, WA Learning English on the Web: www.lang.uiuc.edu/r-li5/esl/
Typesetter: LaserWriting, Tacoma, WA
Non-ESL Sites:
These are educational sites intended to help out in K-12 classes.
They’re wonderful sites for ESL because of their wide and inter-
Korea TESOL esting topic ranges and, in most cases, their use of more simplified
(Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)
English.
www.kotesol.org
Discover Learning: www.bc.sympatico.ca/learning/classroom/

Discovery Channel Online: www.discovery.com/

Copyright 1999 by KOTESOL. All rights reserved. Discovery Channel School: www.discoveryschool.com/schrockguide/
Copying or further publication of the contents of this work are
E-Mail Classroom Exchange: www.epals.com/
not permitted without permission of KOTESOL, except for
limited “fair use” for educational, scholarly, and similar purposes CNN Learning Resources: www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/

as authorized by U.S. and international Copyright Law, in which TIME Magazine for Kids: www.pathfinder.com/TFK/
case appropriate notice of the source of the work should be Blue Web’n English Resource: www.kn.pacbell.com/cgi-bin/
given.
listApps.pl?English&Resource

Simultaneously Published in the United States of America English Reference Tools: www.kn.pacbell.com/cgi-bin/

and the Republic of Korea. listApps.pl?English&Reference/Tool

Printed in the Republic of Korea National Geographic: www.nationalgeographic.com/

Writing Tutorials: www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/promising/tutorials

Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders for
permission to reprint borrowed material. We regret any over- SNN Writing Skills: www.calvin.stemnet.nf.ca/snn/toolbox

sights that may have occurred and will rectify them in future
printings of this work. Sites based on Themes:
Want to do a class on inventions, business ideas, or leisure? How
about starting with a reading on the history of ice cream? What-
ISBN 0-9673283-0-6 ever your theme, you’ll find numerous resources from

iv 129
Learning and living in the global working and learning environment
requires global tools and knowledge and the technical skills to find
and use them. The global education paradigm is perfectly suited to
ESL students in their attempts to know and use their second lan-
guage successfully.

Encouragement:
“What could I possibly find on the Internet that
my students would find interesting?” For Carl “Dusty” Dustheimer (KOTESOL President
The fact is, most Koreans don’t have access to the Internet. Of 1997-1999) in recognition of your professionalism, dedi-
those who do, most are only using e-mail and chat functions, and cation, and ability to motivate and lead us all.
sifting through Hangul text sites. ESL students are eager to access
the global library available on the Internet, but they find it to be an
overwhelming task. If you take the time to provide your students
with information or handouts from the Web, they will brim over
with interest because you will have given them access to global
ideas and issues on business and culture which they previously
thought inaccessible.

Here’s a short, informative site for learning how to search effec-

tively on the Web:
Mining the Web: www.calvin.stemnet.nf.ca/snn/toolbox_search

ESL Sites:
ESL Lesson Plans & Resources: www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/eslplans

English Club: www.englishclub.net/teachers/activities/index

English Town: www.englishtown.com/en/default.asp

The Tower of English: www.members.tripod.com/~towerofenglish/index

Dave’s ESL Café: www.eslcafe.com/

Interesting Things for ESL Students: www.aitech.ac.jp/~itesls/

128 v
 LISA’S LIST
by Lisa Grebinsky

Rationale for using the Internet:

The current paradigm of learning is through global education. Evi-
dence of this is seen through the activities of international organiza-
tions such as the World Bank which backs world-wide projects to
get disadvantaged communities online. Across the Internet there
are educational programs to link learners nationally and interna-
tionally to collaborate on global projects, to raise awarness of other
cultrues and to communicate responsibly. These sites will inform
on these activities:
World Bank Group: www.worldbank.org/worldlinks/english/html/goodsite
Global Learning in the 21st Century: www.globallearning.org/
International Council for Open & Distance Learning: www.icde.org/
Alliance for Global Learning: www.global-learning.org/
i-Earn: www.iearn.org/
Schools Online: www.schoolsonline.org/scripts/toc.cfm

Innovative educators are using the Internet to help each other gain
the skills and locate quality resources to bring technology success-
fully to learners of all ages and backgrounds. Have a look at a few;
you will be inspired:
Community Learning Network www.cln.org/cln
Teachers and Technology www.chaos.com/netteach/weteach/index.htm
Using Technology in Education www.algonquinc.on.ca/edtech/index.html
Developing web-based learning environments: www.madduck.com/
Distance Learning Funding Sourcebook: www.technogrants.com/
A Vision for Distance Education in the 21st Century: www.wxfrd.com/
Local%20Root%20Folder/DistrMMLE/ttpaper

127
line. Read a “True” or “False” sentence. If the answer is “True”,
the two students in the front row from each team race to the “True”
Contents
chair and the one who sits there first gets the point. Acknowledgements viii
Examples: Introduction ix
Your sister is your mother’s daughter. (T) Submissions x
Your brother’s son is your niece. (F)
Your grandmother’s mother is your great-great- PART ONE
grandmother. (F) One 1
Your sister’s husband is your brother-in-law. (T) The History of ELT in Korea
Carl Dustheimer and Rodney Gillett
Pair Practice: Students interview their partner in pairs and make Two 13
the partner’s family tree. Professional Development
Examples: Gina Crocetti
Do you have your grandparents? Three 29
How many brothers and sisters do you have? Understanding Korea
Do they have children? Dr. David Shaffer
Four 43
VARIATIONS: Making the Adjustment
As a variation of “True/False Chair” one student thinks of one M. Katherine MacKinnon
family word, and the rest of students ask questions to guess the
word. PART TWO
Five 61
“Find the Partner”. Each student is given a flash card that has a Classroom Management
word or a definition to match. They must find their partner. This is Andrew Jackson and Peter Kipp
a good activity for organizing students into pairs to give additional Six
purpose to the activity. Classroom Activities 83
Andrew Todd
OBSERVATION: Contributers: Andrew Todd, Troy Blappert,
With more advanced classes students can ask more information Unju Blappert, Arnold Ho, Barry Shea,
about their partner’s family and also draw an extended family tree and Lisa Grebinsky
whereas beginner level students might draw only a direct family
tree. Further Reading 131

126 vii
 TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAMILY
by Unju Blappert

Acknowledgements LEVEL: Beginner/Low-intermediate

Many professionals and practitioners have been helpful in generat- AGE: Secondary/Adults
ing this volume. The initial group of planners: Han Sang-Ho, Rodney PREP TIME: 5 minutes
Gillett, Barbara Mahnen, Schuyler Roche, and Andrew Todd gave RUN TIME: Not specified
vision to this project. Dr. Andrea Resca’s research on Korean MATERIALS:An extended family tree
culture was critical in adding depth to my own understanding of the LANGUAGE:Vocabulary building
Korean people. The chapter editors did a tremendous job of meet- SKILLS: Speaking
ing deadlines, of particular note are Katharine MacKinnon, An-
drew Jackson, and Peter Kipp who were called upon to generate PROCEDURE:
their work in the eleventh hour and did. I appreciate comments Elicitation/Presentation: Teacher and students brainstorm fam-
made by my colleagues Joey Aguirre and David Shaffer who cheer- ily vocabulary, and teacher shows an extended family tree to intro-
fully proofread numerous drafts. A special note of appreciation duce vocabulary students don’t come up with.
goes out to Robert J. Dickey, who opposed the project initially, Family vocabulary:
yet tirelessly worked to make it happen. Finally, I would like to grandparents grandfather grandmother
thank all those who submitted work to this publication. Whether parents father mother
or not that work was included, your effort is evidence of your hard husband wife brother
work, dedication, and committment to your students. sister daughter son
uncle aunt niece
nephewgrandchild granddaughter
grandson first-cousin second-cousin
great-grandparents (father/mother/uncle/aunt)
(father/daughter/son/brother/sister) mother-in-law
step- mother (father/daughter/son/brother/sister)

Comprehension Check: True/FalseChair Game - Teacher pre-

pares true/false sentences to check the students’ understanding of
vocabulary he/she covers. Divide the class into two teams. Place
two chairs in the front and label each “True” or “False.” Stand the
teams an equal distance from the chairs in a

viii 125
 I CAN SEE Introduction
This book is intended to serve three purposes. First, it is meant to
LEVEL: Beginnger through intermediate establish KOTESOL as the recognized authority within Korea on
AGE: Elementary school aged English language teaching in hopes that a greater number of teach-
PREP TIME: None ers new to Korea will learn about and join the organization to the
RUN TIME: 15 minutes benefit of their professional development. Second, it is intended
MATERIALS: Poster or photograph, soft toy or ball to affirm KOTESOL’s affiliation with TESOL international by
LANGUAGE: Various documenting practitioner work and specialty knowledge of the learn-
SKILLS: Listening and speaking ers and learning situations particular to Korea. Finally, it is offered
as a working model for practitioners in other countries to emulate
PROCEDURE: and thus establish themselves as the experts in the countries in which
1. Using either the objects in the room or in the poster or photo- they work.
graph, begin, “I can see a clock.”
2. Throw a small, soft toy or ball to a student who continues, “I The handbook is divided into two parts. Part one contains general
can see a clock and some desks.” Student throws the object to information on KOTESOL and Korea. This includes historical
another student and play continues. information and guidance and advice for adapting. Part two con-
sists of two chapters and is practical in nature. One chapter is
devoted to classroom management with advice for teaching in Ko-
VARIATIONS: rea. The other chapter is a large section of activities which have
I like... been found to work particularly well with Korean students.
I want...
Follow the alphabet: This handbook should be viewed as a working model to be im-
Teacher: My friend likes apples proved upon both in Korea and in other countries. I encourage
Student: My friend likes apples and bananas groups of teachers around the world to come together and docu-
Student: My friend likes apples, bananas and ment their work and I urge practitioners in Korea to submit their
cherries ideas and teaching situations to KOTESOL for publication in fu-
Reverse: ture editions of this handbook.
Teacher: My friend likes apples
Student: My friend likes bananas and apples Gina Crocetti
Student: My friend likes cherries, bananas, and Tacoma, WA
apples

124 ix
 TELEPATHY
SUBMISSIONS (20 QUESTIONS)
To submit articles and original teaching ideas for
consideration in future editions of The KOTESOL LEVEL: All
Handbook, send two copies of your article to: AGE: Elementary and up
PREP TIME: None
RUN TIME: 5 minutes
The Handbook Committee
MATERIALS: Pencil and paper
c/o KOTESOL Central Office LANGUAGE: Various
P.O. Box 391 SKILLS: Listening and speaking
Seo-Taejon Post Office
Taejon, South Korea 301-600 PROCEDURE:
www.kotesol.org 1. One student writes the name of an animal, making sure no one
else can see it. The student then “broadcast their thoughts.”
2. The other students guess, “Does it move quickly?” “Does it
Please include the following information along with fly?” “Is it a cow?” The student can only respond “Yes” or “No”
your article or teaching idea:
VARIATIONS:
Name If the students are pre-literate, they can draw pictures and still get
Mailing Address the benefit of the listening and speaking practice. Use objects in-
stead of animals. To practice using the plural form, instruct the
Permanent Address
student to draw two of the same object and the student must re-
E-mail Address spond “No” to any question asked in the singular.
Chapter number and title for which the
article is being submitted
Word Count
Biographical data in the third person,
maximum of 100 words in length

x 123
 CO-OPERATIVE CROSSWORD

LEVEL: Pre-intermediate through advanced

AGE: Any
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
RUN TIME: 20 minutes
MATERIALS: Photocopier and crossword puzzles
LANGUAGE: Various
SKILLS: All four
PART ONE
PROCEDURE:
1. Students work in pairs. Each has the same grid, but only half of
the clues. Without looking at each other’s clues or grid, they must
complete the crossword by asking and answering questions: “What
is the clue for 4 down?” or “What is 4 down?” “I shall become a master in this art
only after a great deal of practice”
OBSERVATION: -Eric Fromm .
This is a great piece for sustained language work. Be sure and put
helpful dialogue bubbles on the board:
Could you repeat that?
How do you spell that?
What is a (4) letter word for (go fast)?

122
 THIEF!

LEVEL: Pre-intermediate+
AGE: Any
PREP TIME:20 minutes
RUN TIME: 30 minutes
MATERIALS:2 sets of photographs or magazine pictures of
people with similar features and of the same
gender
LANGUAGE: Descriptions
SKILLS: Listening and speaking

PROCEDURE:
1. Open with a fictional story of having been robbed the previous
night. A security camera recorded the thief leaving your house.
2. Students are instructed to sit in pairs facing each other, 1 student
is facing you, the other has their back to you. Flash an individual
picture for a couple of seconds so the students facing you can see
it. They describe the picture to their partner. Students doing the
describing may ask to see the picture again. Show them briefly
only 1 more time and tell them to do the best they can.
3. The students who were listening are then given a set of pictures
containing the picture you showed and others of people with simi-
lar features. They attempt to select the thief.
4. Have pairs switch jobs between describers and listeners and
repeat the activity with the second set of pictures.

OBSERVATION:
This activity improves the students’ powers of observation and
may help mitigate stereotypes.

121
 SCRAMBLE ________________________________________________
ONE
LEVEL: All
AGE: Any THE HISTORY OF ELT IN KOREA
PREP TIME: 2 minutes Carl Dustheimer and Rodney Gillett
RUN TIME: 10 minutes
MATERIALS: Cut up or scrambled text Carl Dustheimer is a visiting professor at
LANGUAGE: Various Hannam University in Taejon. He has lived and
SKILLS: Reading, speaking, and listening taught in Korea since 1988 and has served as a
member and officer in KOTESOL including con-
ference co-chair and President (1997-99). He is
PROCEDURE:
a materials writer and curriculum developer.
1. Either words or sentences can be scrambled and the students
race against the clock or each other to solve the puzzle. Students Rodney Gillett is the Director of the English Language
then read out their reconstructed texts. Program at Central Queensland University’s Fiji In-
ternational Campus in the Fiji Islands. He was a Lec-
turer in the Department of English Language and Lit-
erature at Chongju University, Korea from 1992-98.
He was actively involved in KOTESOL and served in
numerous positions on the national executive and the
conference committee.

INTRODUCTION
The history of English language teaching in Korea began well
over a century ago when T.E. Halifax, a Scotsman who had
come to Korea in 1883 to install the telegraph, was seconded to
teach English at Tong-mun College in Seoul. Halifax’s only
qualification was that he was a native-speaker of English -- a
method of selection that is still widely practiced today at some
institutions. Fortunately, that mode of recruitment is changing
and we are witnessing a new era in teaching quality with the
recruitment of appropriately trained personnel for positions in
private foreign language institutes (known as hagwons),
schools, and universities.

120 1
Major events and trends in the history and development of En- PICASSO
glish teaching in Korea will be outlined in this chapter and a
brief account of the formation of the leading professional teaching LEVEL: All
association, Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other AGE: Any
Languages (KOTESOL), will be given. We will also endeavor PREP TIME: None
to offer an explanation for the Korean preoccupation with edu- RUN TIME: 10 minutes
cation, or rather the quest to pass examinations to secure posi- MATERIALS: Pencil and paper
tions of prestige and influence in the society. Other issues and LANGUAGE: Various
initiatives that have impacted the history of English teaching in SKILLS: Listening and speaking
Korea will be presented. A major part of the latter story is about
the people, both native-speakers of English and Koreans, who PROCEDURE:
followed in the chalk dust of T.E. Halifax. 1. One student draws a picture and then instructs a second student
how to draw the same picture. The second student must draw the
Five main waves of native speakers of English recruited to teach picture without looking at the first student’s drawing. The second
in Korea can be identified. The first phase occurred at the end student must ask many questions for clarity. The students compare
of the 19th century, when a handful of missionaries from En- drawings and then reverse roles.
glish-speaking countries were recruited to teach English. They
came with their own agenda and were successful in converting
a large number of people to various Christian faiths. Their suc-
cess was helped by the Buddhist tendancy to tolerate and ac-
cept other religions.

The second major influx of foreign teachers came after the Sec-
ond World War, with more missionaries arriving mainly from
the United States. This group helped to found or consolidate
some of the elite universities such asYonsei and Ewha Women’s
Universities.

The third major wave was comprised of members of the Peace

Corps, who arrived in the 1960s and 1970s. That wave ended
with the burgeoning growth and development of the Korean
economy, and a need in the late 1970s for English teaching
professionals to significantly upgrade the overall English lan-
guage
2 119
 ability of Koreans in industry and education. These teachers
CROSSWORDS
formed the fourth wave and were recruited mostly to universi-
ties and large industrial conglomerates (known as chaebols).
LEVEL: All
AGE: Any
The most recent group began arriving in the late 1980s in re-
PREP TIME: 2 minutes
sponse to the opportunity to make a lot of money teaching En-
RUN TIME: 15-20 minutes
glish. This group has consisted overwhelmingly of young gradu-
MATERIALS: Pencil and paper
ates mostly from North America, but also from Great Britain
LANGUAGE: Various
and the Antipodes. In response to the “IMF” economics of the
SKILLS: All four
late 1990s, we have seen a number of these fifth wave teachers
leave with the fall of the exchange rate. Nevertheless, more
PROCEDURE:
come to take their places. It is still too soon to ascertain whether
1. Demonstrate how to make a crossword. For homework, the
the environment has changed sufficiently to discern a “sixth
Students make their own crosswords which they exchange next
wave.”
class period with other students or the Teacher could collect these
and compile them into booklets for everyone to do.
THE EARLY DAYS
Halifax’s class-site, Tong-mun College, now called the Royal
School, was a government school thought to have been attended
by the Emperor. Ewha Girls High School (1886), Paejae (1898),
the YMCA (1903), and Yonsei (1915) were all founded or con-
solidated into the elite and successful institutions they are today
by the second group of missionaries. These teachers of English
were heeding the call of God to teach in far-away lands. The
Korean government, in recruiting these teachers, sought to form
a core of Korean speakers of English so as not to be dependent
on foreigners to act as interpreters in matters of diplomacy and
in foreign trade negotiations. This original motivation is a theme
running throughout the history of English language teaching in
Korea. While the Koreans need to interact with the rest of the
world in business and government proceedings, they have his-
torically wished to remain isolated. The goal of self-sufficiency
in English has been met at some levels but the need for English
language instruction has steadily increased.

118 3
MORE MISSIONARIES
WORDSEARCH
Liberation from Japan following World War II thrust Korea into
the world spotlight, particularly during the Korean War from
LEVEL: All
1950-53. In the period after the war, there was a tremendous
AGE: Any
level of support given to Korea by the world community to
PREP TIME: 2 minutes
reconstruct the country. Part of this reconstruction process in-
RUN TIME: 10-15 minutes
cluded assistance by various U.S.-based mission organizations
MATERIALS: Pencil and paper
towards the foundation of private, religiously-oriented colleges
LANGUAGE: Various
and universities. Hannam University in Taejon, for example,
SKILLS: Reading, writing, and speaking
was established in this way in the 1950s. English gained high
credibility as an established subject in university curricula.
PROCEDURE:
1. Demonstrate how to make a wordsearch. For homework, the
THE PEACE CORPS
Students make their own wordsearches which they exchange next
John F. Kennedy ’s influence on the modern world was pro-
class period with other students or theTeacher could collect these
found. One of his major initiatives was the establishment of the
and compile them into booklets for everyone to do.
Peace Corps. Young Americans were given the opportunity to
go to distant lands and assist under-developed countries with
developments in agriculture, medicine, education, and other areas
of need. South Korea, given its special relationship with the
United States during and after the Korean War, was a major
recipient of aid through the Peace Corp. Over 1,000 Peace Corps
volunteers came to Korea in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
They contributed greatly to the development and use of En-
glish in Korea, though this is not generally recognized. There
were few foreigners in Korea at the time, and the Peace Corps
volunteers gave Korean teachers of English their first chance to
speak to a “live” native speaker of English. Many of these vol-
2. Have Students draw pictures of the nouns they find and list the
unteers eventually found their way into political and trade ca-
past, present and future of the verbs. They should use a dictionary
reers between the U.S. and Korea.
to look up the words they do not know.
TEACHING PROSPERITY
The dynamic growth of the “English industry” in Korea in the
late 1980s and early 1990s led simultaneously to increases

4 117
 MIME and decreases in the economic and social benefits of teaching
(CHARADES) in Korea. Universities needed to replace their Peace Corps vol-
unteers. The contracts they offered were often not very well
LEVEL: All paying, but the work requirements were light: two semesters,
AGE: Any each 15-16 weeks in length, and only 12-15 class hours. Three
PREP TIME: None or five year contracts were not unusual in the late 1980s. These
RUN TIME: 10-15 minutes professors were highly regarded, often had previous experience
MATERIALS: None in Korea or had higher degrees in English language teaching,
LANGUAGE: Various and were generally treated as colleagues of the Korean faculty.
SKILLS: Listening and Speaking
As English became increasingly popular in Korea in the early
PROCEDURE: and mid-1990s, hagwons grew exponentially in number. The
1. One student mimes an animal such as a monkey. A second stu- number of teaching positions climbed, with an average rate of
dent guesses, “Are you a monkey?” The second student mimes pay of approximately US$1,500 per month. Hagwon teachers
an animal. taught 25-30 hours a week for nearly the same monthly salary
as university professors, and contracts were for 52 weeks of
instruction per year, not 32. With hagwons and universities strug-
gling to fill their teaching slots, selectivity dropped. Native-speak-
ers of English with and without teaching or overseas experi-
VARIATIONS: ence were welcomed as were less-than-successful teachers and
Actions: “Are you swimming?” social misfits even if they had been discharged from other
Occupations: “Are you an astronaut?” schools in Korea. The increasing pool of foreign teachers in the
2 students: “Are you scientists?” heterogeneous Korean society increased Koreans’ awareness
Advanced: “Are you eating a lemon?” “Are you of foreigners. As a result, the prestige and perceived “value” of
swimming with sharks?” foreigners as teachers declined. Concurrently, more and more
universities began to downgrade the status of their “foreign pro-
OBSERVATION: fessors” to “foreign instructors,” removing them from academic
Even the most reticent of students can become quite animated while departments and forming special foreign language education
playing charades. centers not unlike the private hagwons.

KORETTA/EPIK
A recent surge in the fifth wave of native speaking teachers of
English came in the mid-1990s with the official launch of the

116 5
Korean Ministry of Education’s Korea English Teacher Train-
MEMORY
ing Assistant (KORETTA) program, later renamed the English
Program in Korea (EPIK). This program was modeled after the
LEVEL: All
Japanese government’s Japanese English Teachers (JET) pro-
AGE: Any
gram and was designed to place native speakers of English into
PREP TIME: None
Korean public classrooms (K-12)-for the first time, to co-teach
RUN TIME: 10 minutes
with Korean teachers. While recruitment goals were aimed at
MATERIALS: Flashcards or realia
qualified “university-level” or certified teachers, the pool to draw
LANGUAGE: Any
on was limited and many people without teaching education
SKILLS: Speaking
and experience were hired.
PROCEDURE:
The KORETTA/EPIK program has been characterized by dis-
1. Place flascards face up on the floor or table. Students are told
organization. Approximately 780 teachers went through an
to look carefully and then to close their eyes.
initital summer intake, but according to the Korea Times, only
2. Remove a card (some cards) and students must identify the
463 teachers remained by the third week of October of the same
missing one(s).
year. The high attrition rate can be attributed to a lack of stan-
dardization of living conditions; late pay; poor recruitment and
VARIATION 1:
screening procedures; and a unilateral contract change adding
Students are shown a poster and told to look very carefully. They
a compulsory deduction for a pension. Lack of communication
are then shown another, almost identical poster and they must identify
and miscommunication within the schools, between teachers
the differences.
and administrators, and with the Ministry of Education (MOE)
further contributed to the high attrition rates. Though reduced,
VARIATION 2:
the attrition rate remains high. In late 1998, in response to eco-
Small objects are placed on a tray and covered with a cloth. The
nomic factors, the EPIK program was downsized to approxi-
cloth is removed for 30 seconds and then replaced. Students write
mately 25% of its former scale and teachers were removed from
down each item they can remeber seeing. Higher levels can give
the school classrooms to become trainers at regional teacher in-
locations of items: there’s a red pen near the ruler.
service training centers.
VARIATION 3:
The problems affecting the KORETTA/EPIK program are typi-
Students can be shown before and after photographs/pictures and
cal ones experienced by many people who come to Korea. The
must say what is missing. Objects can be added and the students
English language teaching institutions that recognize and deal
must identify the extra item(s). Objects can also be rearranged and
with problems are the ones that thrive, and the foreigners who
the students have to explain the differences.
teach in them are the ones who remain for long periods.

6 115
VARIATIONS: A PASSION FOR EDUCATION
Use minimal pairs: sheep/ship, tree/bee, fruits/vegetables, any cat- Throughout Korean society there is an emphasis on passing
egories. examinations at school and at work. This largely stems from
the philosophy of neo-Confucianism, which flourished during
Instead of a simple list, the students can listen to a more involved the Chosun dynasty period (1392-1910). The only upward
segment: “My son doesn’t like cupcakes, but he likes ice cream,” mobility possible in this period was through scoring well on the
“He doesn’t like camels but he likes butterflies,” “He doesn’t government test (called the kwago). Thus, from the earliest days
like cats, but he likes tigers.” Students must determine why he of a child’s life, examinations were a reality for which to pre-
doesn’t like certain things. In this case he dislikes anything begin- pare. Still today, passing certain critical examinations are con-
ning with the /k/ sound! sidered to be key to a successful career.

In both of these variations students can ask “Does he like...?” if Since the 1960s, the ultimate educational goal has been entrance
they think they know the answer. This can be played as a team into the most prestigious universities. School ties are incredibly
game. important in Korean culture. They will last throughout a person’s
life and will assist them in gaining employment. Graduation
from a highly regarded university has been a guarantee of so-
cial and economic success. Thus, the most important of all ex-
aminations is the University Entrance Exam (called the soo-
neung). This exam determines which university and department
(subject) a student may attend.

Preparation for the soo-neung begins early in life. Studying for

a test is the primary duty of all children. A middle school or
high school student rarely has a part-time job or helps out in the
family business, on the farm, or in the home. Their duty is to
study diligently and to advance at each level. Education is com-
pulsory only through elementary school, and secondary school
education is not free. Many school districts allow competitive
exams for high school entrance, with more highly regarded
schools typically attracting better students and having better uni-
versity admissions rates. In pursuit of future employment, middle
school and high school students may well study from 6:00 am
until past midnight, breaking only for meals and travel between
school and home.
114 7
Education in Korea is crucial in determining one’s future pro- ODD MAN OUT
fession. A person’s position in society is, in large part, deter-
mined by whether they attended college or not, and by which LEVEL: All
college they attended. For this reason, nearly half of all high AGE: Any
school graduates go on to enter universities, colleges and junior PREP TIME: 1 minute
colleges, and many more would if there were more spaces avail- RUN TIME: 5-10 minutes
able. MATERIALS: Pencil and paper
LANGUAGE: Various
Competition for college entrance is extremely stiff and high SKILLS: Listening and speaking
school education, except for that of vocational high schools, is
directed toward the single goal of preparing students for suc- PROCEDURE:
cessful college entrance, which means doing well on the en- 1. Prepare a few examples, such as a cow, goat, pig, or chicken.
trance exam. Failure to enter a college, or even the best college, Students must decide which item in the list does not belong and
brings disgrace on oneself and one’s family. why. Once the students understand how to play, they make their
own lists and play together. In the given example, the conversation
Surprisingly, the successful college applicant does not face four might develop as follows:
more years of even more difficult study. College entrance sig-
nifies entrance into the group of young elite. College students S1: Chicken.
and society in general feel that these students are entitled to S2: Why?
some recreation and relaxation. They begin socializing by en- S1: It has 2 legs.
tering one of the many campus clubs, organizing departmental S2: And?
activities, and dating. Only a fraction of college students’ time S1: The others have 4 legs.
is spent studying in the college they worked so hard to enter. or
S1: Chicken.
Since the 1960s, as a result of the need and desire to modernize S2: Why?
its economy, Korea has had to trade internationally. Since En- S1: It’s a bird.
glish has become the international means of communication, S2: And?
the importance of English in Korean educational and economic S1: The others are mammals
life has been further enhanced. English is now at the core of the
school curriculum and it occupies a central role in all forms of
testing and evaluation at all levels in the educational process.

8 113
VARIATION 2: INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCES
As a first day activity the Teacher writes a letter of introduction to The Japanese colonization of Korea, officially recognized as
the students. Students follow the procedure in Variation 1, but once starting from 1910, but arguably beginning as early as 1895,
they have completed the dictation they individually write letters of has had a profound effect on the social and cultural fabric of the
introduction back to the teacher. country, an effect that persists today. Education and English
language teaching are no exceptions; Japan has heavily influ-
enced the Korean study of English. Textbooks, methodology,
teaching techniques, and pronunciation were all largely imported
from across the Sea of Japan. Japan and Korea exchange teach-
ers and students now, but there is still a general feeling of ill
will and mistrust of the Japanese among Korean students. Pub-
lishers of English language texts have grown wise to this in the
past decade and have begun publishing texts featuring Korean
landmarks and characters.

CLASSROOM METHODS

“It is safe to say most Korean English language learners

have had at least 10 years of classes where grammar
was the entree’ with no garnish.”
–Lisa Grebinsky

Volumes have been written about teaching methods and meth-

odology; this section will just briefly touch upon some signifi-
cant issues particular to Korea.

The Grammar-Translation Method has been, and continues to

be, the preferred method of instruction in Korean schools. En-
glish tests tend to be based on reading comprehension, vocabu-
lary (translation), and grammar. Teachers teach to the test out of
necessity either because their ability to speak English is limited
or the students’ need to do well on the test drives them.

112 9
Native speakers of English have almost exclusively been re- RELAY RACE
cruited to teach “conversation.” Few schools had resources to (RUNNING DICTATION)
provide audio and video equipment which left teachers to their
own devices. In the 1970s, many teachers drilled pronuncia- LEVEL: All
tion and dialogues according to the audio-lingual method that AGE: Any
was popular at the time. In the late 1980s the communicative PREP TIME: 5 minutes
approach was introduced. New books aimed specifically to- RUN TIME: 10 minutes
wards Asian learners strove to have students speak their minds MATERIALS: Sentences, matching pictures
instead of reciting pharses and dialogues. LANGUAGE: Any
SKILLS: All
Computer-based instruction has made inroads into Korea in the
past few years. Many students have computers in their homes
and they obtain English-study software. Universities and PROCEDURE:
hagwons have opened computer assisted language learning 1. Prepare a numbered list of sentences:1. The dog is in the pool,
(CALL) laboratories for their students. Unfortunately, much of 2. The rabbit is playing tennis, 3... Post copies of the list around
the locally produced computer study materials are not much the room.
more than grammar translation in a new package. 2. Divide students into teams. S1 reads the cue, runs to S2 and
tells S2 what was written. S2 runs to S3 and repeats what S1 said.
Listening skills development has continued to play a large part S1 returns to list for another sentence. S3 writes what S2 said.
in classroom lessons, video tape and audio tape-based courses 3. When finished, the team gathers around a set of pictures and
are produced by book publishers and adopted as part of the matches their cues to the appropriate picture, they take turns writ-
official curriculum by more and more schools. A number of ing sentences on the board and correcting them.
university and hagwon courses are unabashadly “test-prepara-
tion” courses. The classroom materials are sample tests. Stu- VARIATION 1:
dents will test, have the answers explained, and then take a Dialogues may be cut into strips and taped to the walls. Students
new test, over and over again. are divided into pairs. One member is the “runner” who runs from
strip to strip committing the fragments to memory then dictating
In the 1990s, the World Englishes movement has grown. Some them to his or her partner who writes them down. Together they
scholars and professors argue that Asian varieties of English reassemble the dialogue and practice role-playing it.
are no less valid than the “standard varieties of British and
American Englishes. Thus, the line between Korean-English
and “Konglish” (a pidgeon or creole English) remains unclear.
One perspective is that an acceptable variety of Korean-Eng-

10 111
 lish encompasses thoughts which otherwise cannot be ad-
TENNIS
equately expressed in the standard varieties of English, but ex-
cludes terms and grammatical constructions which can be oth-
LEVEL: All
erwise adequately expressed. Nonetheless, most Koreans them-
AGE: Any
selves hope to become fluent in a standard variety. Many learn-
PREP TIME: None
ers believe if they can use idiomatic American or British En-
RUN TIME: 5 minutes
glish expressions, they are fluent. Learners often request an em-
MATERIALS: Balls/any small objects/none
phasis on instruction of idiomatic expressions.
LANGUAGE: Discrete vocabulary items/grammar
SKILLS: Listening, speaking, and hand-eye coordination
KOTESOL -- A PROFESSIONAL ASSOCATION
The professional association of Korea Teachers of English to
PROCEDURE:
Speakers of Other Languages (KOTESOL) owes its origins to
1. Provide some categories or elicit them: sports, colors, fruits,
the amalgamation in 1992 of two separate teaching organiza-
and cities for example. Students then play tennis, throwing the ball
tions, namely the Association of English Teachers in Korea
back and forth wile speaking.
(AETK), and the Korean Association of Teachers of English
S1 (serves): blue
(KATE). AETK was established in Seoul in November 1981.
S2 red
It was essentially a Seoul-based association that held regular
S1 black...
monthly meetings and published a regular newsletter with ar-
ticles on relevant teaching issues, teaching tips, and association
2. The game continues until either one student repeats something
activities. A mix of Koreans and native speakers of English at-
or does not know another item in the given category. Points are
tended the meetings. There was a lot of enthusiasm and interest
awarded as in tennis.
in development, though presenters came mainly from the group
itself. The group provided a forum for teachers to discuss is-
VARIATION:
sues they faced in their classrooms. The organization increas-
A lexical chunk can be used making the activity into a substitution
ingly attracted members from all over the Peninsula and a solid
drill:
core of members formed in Pusan.
S1: I don’t like mosquitos
S2: I don’t like flies
KATE formed in Taejon in April 1989. This organization sought
S1: I don’t like butterflies
to form an association catering to professionals based south of
the Han River. KATE wrote a constitution and began conven-
OBSERVATION:
ing meetings around Southern South Korea to attract a large
This activity is ideal as a warm-up before a role-play or as a revi-
membership. It should be noted this organization bears no rela-
sion/consolidation exercise.
tionship to the one currently in existence.

110 11
By the early 1990s, the practical need to somehow combine 3. Next, put the students in pairs to discuss their past experiences
KATE and AETK was obvious by the numbers of teachers with illnesses and injuries. Useful language to put on the board:
who were members of both organizations. At the time, virtually “Have you ever had any of these illnesses or injuries?” Which
every community on the peninsula was experiencing an influx ones?” “How did it happen?” “What did you do when you had -
of native speaking English teachers to staff the hagwons spring- --?”
ing up all over the country. In addition, growing numbers of 4. Write an interesting home remedy for a certain illness/injury an-
Korean English teachers were taking notice of the association swering the question, “What should you do for a ___?” “It’s help-
as an opportunity to practice their speaking skills with native ful to ___.” Teacher monitors. In open class, students compare
speakers and to gather ideas, methods, and techniques to en- their home remedy and choose the most interesting one.
hance their own classroom practices.
VARIATION:
Increasing dual memberships and similarities in publications and With young children, matching vocabulary with pictures can be
meetings gave purpose to the joining of these two national groups used to play the game “Concentration.” Advanced learners could
as an affiliate of the international organization, Teachers of En- build a dialogue in pairs and then role play their dialogue for others
glish to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL). Finally, as doctor and patient.
at a joint KATE/AETK conference held at Hannam University
in Taejon in October 1992, under the theme “International Com- OBSERVATION:
munication: Meeting the Challenge,” KOTESOL came into be- False beginners need extra vocabulary practice.Have them match
ing. KATE president Kwon Oryang commented, “...the begin- illnesses with several pieces of given advice before writing a home
ning of a new era in the English teaching profession in this remedy.
country has begun...this new association will make innumer-
able and invaluable contributions to the development of lan-
guage teaching and research not just in Korea but in the world.”
And so it has, with bigger and better conferences, the establish-
ment of an academic journal, and increased relationships with
other national teacher associations and international affiliates.

12 109
 _________________________________________________
TWO

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Gina Crocetti

Gina Crocetti is a writer, public speaker and

Broken Arm teacher trainer. She has lived all over the United
Headache States, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and
Korea. She is the author of Culture Shock!
United Arab Emirates and currently operates
her own business, The Creative Pen, out of
Tacoma, Washington.

A PROFESSION
KOTESOL is a recognized national affiliate not only of TESOL,
Doctor Bloody Nose Inc. (Alexandria, VA), but also IATEFL (UK); and has partner-
ships with Japan (JALT), Canada (TESOL-Canada), Taiwan
(ETA-ROC), Australia (ELICOS), and Thailand (ThaiTESOL).
KOTESOL is a non-profit organization established to promote
scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural
understanding among people concerned with the teaching and learn-
ing of English in Korea. TESOL, Inc. serves the same purpose for
Flu the entire world.

Many countries throughout the world have an affiliate as do each

of the 50 states. Affiliates are modeled after TESOL, Inc. and
maintain their association with the parent organization by holding
annual conferences, sending representatives to other conferences,
publishing an academic journal and a newsletter, and maintaining
Sore Back membership. In large countries where there are many teachers of
Runny Nose English spread out in different cities, the affiliate will behave as the
parent and members will organize

108 13
associated chapters. Korea is organized in this way and has chap-
ters in Seoul, Taejon, Pusan, Taegu, Cheju, Cholla, Chongju,
Kyongju, and Chongbuk province. Seoul chapter meetings are held
on the third Saturday of the month. Meeting time, date, and loca-
tion are announced in the local English newspapers the week be-
fore the meeting.

Other national teaching organizations exist in Korea:

Broken Leg
KATE - Korea Association of Teachers of English
KOSETA - Korea Secondary English Teachers Association
KAPEE - Korea Association of Primary English Education
K-MALL-Korea Multi-Media Approaches to Lang. Learning Overweight
ALAK-Applied Linguistics Assciation of Korea
KAFLE - Korea Association of Foreign Language Educators
YETA - Yeungnam English Teachers Association
HETA - Honam English Teachers Association

By and large these are Korean formed and operated organizations Cut & Bleeding
with few foreign members. KOTESOL maintains professional re-
lationships with several of these. Fever

KOTESOL MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Members receive The English Connection, a bimonthly newslet-
ter. It contains articles on topics from classroom research and
methodology to reports on events in Korea and current issues fac-
ing the English teaching profession. Chapter newsletters, such as
SeoulBeat, are distributed to members monthly. They contain a
description of the upcoming feature presentation, notes on chapter
activities, job advertisements, and information on local events. The
Taejon chapter, for example, holds an annual drama festival.
KOTESOL member teachers and their students participate in this High Blood Pressure Sneezing
widely known and well attended event.

14 107
 I HAVE A SORE THROAT KOTESOL members are encouraged to attend meetings in neigh-
by Troy and Unju Blappert boring provinces and the mini conferences held in Pusan and Cholla.

LEVEL: Beginner to low-intermediate Networking is important business at the monthly meetings and the
AGE: Secondary to adults annual conference. This is a chance to compare notes, learn from
PREP TIME: 15 minutes each other, and make new friends. With nearly 800 participants
RUN TIME: varies from all around Korea, the annual conference is the perfect net-
MATERIALS: Flash cards depicting illnesses and injuries, a working opportunity. Employment clearinghouses are held annu-
stop watch. ally during the conference. Recruiters from around Korea come to
LANGUAGE: Describing health problems and giving advice, conduct on-site interviews. The employment service is currently
simple present, simple past, infinities, illness offered free of charge. The conference is also a good time to sign-
vocabulary: up for or even form a Special Interest Group (SIG) in an area of
flu cold sore throat English language teaching of interest to several KOTESOL mem-
fever cough stuffy/runny nose bers.
chills rash sneezing
hiccups hangover indigestion JOINING
insomnia infection insect bite Dues for the national organization, KOTESOL, are separate from
cut bruise pulled muscle dues paid to be a member of TESOL, Inc. Membership is open to
high blood pressure black eye those interested in English language education and who support
sprained ankel/wrist broken leg/rib the goals of KOTESOL. Education among the members ranges
bumped head/elbow/knee stubbed toe from a bachelor’s dgree to a Ph.D. and everything in-between.
head/tooth/ear/back/stomachache
SKILLS: Speaking and writing PARTICIPATING
Members participate on committees, conduct research, and at-
PROCEDURE: tend meetings. For many, professional involvement begins at the
1. Brainstorm health problems and injuries with the class and then chapter level. A chapter elects a president to represent them, chair
present additional health vocabulary by miming, explaining or show- meetings, and plan the activities for the year. The President ap-
ing pictures. points people to assist in running the chapter. Appointments may
2. Divide the class into two teams. Give each team 15 flashcards be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Vice President, Editor, Workshop Coordina-
with injuries and illnesses on them. One team mimes as many cards tor, Treasurer, Representative, Social Director, and so forth. All of
as possible in 1 minute for the other team who guesses the illness these positions are voluntary.
or injury. Teams switch roles, the team with the most correct guesses
wins.

106 15
To participate, express an interest and make yourself available to ACTIVITIES FOR ALL LEVELS
help run the organization. The more you help, the more responsi- The second half of this section contains activities appropriate for
bilities and rewards will come your way. Volunteers have expressed intermediate through advanced levels of learners. They also tend
frustration at not being able to break into the KOTESOL manage- to be fun, game-like activities though each one centers around a
ment cycle. Those in charge are also volunteers. They change fre- theme or topic. The section finishes with an organized list of websites
quently and are often overwhelmed with job related responsibili- useful for classroom purposes.
ties and culture shock. That is why it is necessary to keep offering
your assistance, or better yet, when you see a need, jump in and
help.

Chapters hold monthly meetings. A speaker is invited to give a

presentation on an aspect of teaching. These presentations can be
theoretical, methodological, or practical. Presenters conducting
research gain feedback to their ideas. Some presenters demon-
strate techniques and methods of teaching and others provide nu-
merous activities to use in a variety of teaching situations and envi-
ronments. Sometimes publishers are invited to demonstrate newly
released teaching materials. The goal for many teachers is to present
at the KOTESOL conference or at TESOL, Inc.’s annual inter-
national conference (held in one of four regions in the U.S. or
Canada) and a chapter presentation will help prepare them for
such an experience.

After the main speaker has finished (30-90 minutes), there is typi-
cally a less formal exchange of teaching ideas that have worked in
the local environment. This ranges from one teacher presenting
one idea that worked to an entire SwapShop where everyone brings
an idea and briefly explains or demonstrates it. Finally, the meeting
concludes with a social hour, this is the time to network, meet other
people and find out about social and professional events going on
around you.
Editors note: The following activities were submitted by Andrew
Todd unless otherwise noted.

16 105
5. Bring the students back together as a class and give them the Chapters may hold mini-conferences to incite enthusiasm for the
written equivalent of the farm vocabulary words they have been profession and to offer teachers further educational opportunities.
practicing. These mini-conferences are held over a one or two day period.
6. Students write these words in their notebooks. Students are Speakers are scheduled throughout the event, organizational meet-
then given a 2-sided worksheet to complete individually. On one ings are held, and socializing opportunities are available. The chapter
side of the sheet there is a farm story. Vocabulary words have hopes to encourage involvement in the organization, gain new mem-
been replaced with pictures. The students must write the word for bers, and increase dialogue with other chapters through the mini-
each picture. On the other side of the sheet are sets conference.
of 5 words. Students circle the word in each set that doesn’t be-
long. The national affiliate, KOTESOL, holds a conference once a year
7. Next, introduce the song, “Farmer in the Dell.” The students in October. The conference is scheduled so as not to conflict with
listen to the song one time. Then give the students a copy of the the JALT conference, the Japanese affiliate of KOTESOL. JALT
song on paper. The students follow along with their paper as they and KOTESOL send representatives to one another’ s confer-
listen to the song a second time. Continue playing the song until ences and members from each like to attend the other. The loca-
students are singing along and seem to know it. Have them sing it tion of the KOTESOL conference is frequently in Seoul but occa-
with and without the music. sionally is held in one of the provinces. The choice of location has
to do with logistics. Speakers are flown in from other countries to
give presentations during the two-day conference and Seoul, hav-
ing an international airport, is most accessible. However, the an-
nual conference attracts many new local members and holding it in
various locations can help build energy, enthusiasm, and involve-
ment in a local chapter. Thus, chapters do vie for the opportunity
to hold the conference in their city.

The annual conference offers many choices of presentations given

by members, authors, publishers, special interest groups, profes-
sional speakers, officers of KOTESOL and sister affiliates. Early
morning breakfast meetings are available for conference attendees
to meet with the guest speakers. These ‘extras’ are offered for an
additional charge and space is limited. The guest speakers may
also visit local chapters the week prior to the conference.

104 17
Special interest groups meet or are formed at scheduled times listed
in the conference brochure. People who attend these are inter-
ested in solving a problem, developing programs, or sharing ideas
with others teaching in similar situations. Examples of special inter-
est gorups active in 1998 were a Roving Workshop, a Teacher Tractor and plow
Development group, and the group who came together to write
this book.
COOK
Officers at the national level are nominated and elected to their BOOK
positions annually. These officers are the President, 1st and 2nd
Vice Presidents, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The presidency gen-
erally alternates between a Korean national and a native speaker
of English. The 1st Vice President succeeds to the presidency the Chicken
following year. The officers comprise the council and conduct the
business of KOTESOL. People who are elected to these posi-
tions have usually been involved in KOTESOL and tend to be well Donkey
known for their contributions to the organization. The immediate
past president and chairs of standing committees also serve on the
council and have a vote. Committee chairs are selected by the
President. Each chapter sends a representative to council meet-
ings with each representative holding one vote. All of these posi-
tions are voluntary. Sheep

PRESENTING
Whether you wish to give a presentation at a chapter meeting, a
national conference, or the international conference, certain pro-
cedures are followed. KOTESOL sets deadlines for submitting
presentation proposals. These dates are well in advance of the Farmer
conference because of the tremendous amount of work involved
in the selection process. A call for papers is usually released at the
annual conference inviting members to submit proposals for the
next year’s conference. The call for papers lists submission dead-
lines and formats. Horse

18 103
 Each conference revolves around a theme such as ‘art,’ environ-
mentalism,’ and ‘culture.’ Proposals that relate to the theme may
increase their likelihood of being selected. Proposals are given a
number and submitted to a review committee ‘blind.’ Thus, the
reviewers do not know whose work they are evaluating. Commit-
tee members read the proposals and make their selections. If you
Barn have not submitted a proposal, this is a committee in which you
& Silo could participate. Notification of proposal acceptance goes out
Duck
over the summer. You are required to notify the organization of
your intent to follow through with your presentation.

If you accept the opportunity to present, it is important that you

follow through. If after having a proposal accepted, you are unable
to participate in the conference, notify KOTESOL immediately so
your slot may be awarded to another presenter and the change
Scarecrow made in the conference catalog before it goes to print. If your pro-
posal is not accepted one year, it may be accepted another.

EDUCATING YOURSELF
Teaching English as a second or foreign language requires special
training in subjects such as linguistics, cross-cultural communica-
Farmer & Pig
tion, teaching methodology, and curriculum design. There is a wide
array of degrees available for the TESOL professional to pursue.
Options are a certificate, diploma, B.A., M.Ed., M.A., and a Ph.D.
in TESOL, TEFL, TESL, TEFLA, DOTE, ESP, or ELT to men-
Farm tion a few.

British educational systems have instituted highly standardized cer-

tificates and diplomas in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign
Language. The most highly acclaimed programs are offered through
the Royal Society of Arts/Cambridge

Milking the cow

102 19
University/UCLES and Trinity College. Both have training centers THE FARM
throughout the world including Korea. The certificate program, by Barry Shea
intended for people who have no previous EFL experience, pro-
vides over 80 hours of instruction over an intensive one month LEVEL: Beginner +
period or a part-time three month period. After completing the AGE: Secondary up to Adults
course, teachers gain entry level jobs and work in their field for a PREP TIME: 20-30 minutes
couple of years. RUN TIME: 45 minutes
MATERIALS: 48 flashcards, 2-sided handout
Many teachers then attempt the more challenging diploma course. LANGUAGE: Vocabulary
The diploma, offered to experienced teachers only, is an advanced chicken
teaching qualification. It is biased towards practical application rooster SEE ITEMS
though it does cover theoretical aspects of language learning and horse NEXT PAGE!
includes a supervised practicum. It teaches methods and techniques
for working with language learners of all ages, backgrounds, and And the phrases:
abilities, demanding both precision and versatility of its teachers. “What’s this?
The 150 hours of coursework can be taken intensively over three “It’s a(n) ___“
months or can be spread out over the course of a year. The hurdles “Does your farm have a ___?”
to be overcome in the program are in-progress evaluations, teach- “Yes, it does.” “No, it doesn’t. Go fish.”
ing observations, written papers, and the dreaded final exam. Can- SKILLS: Listening, speaking, reading and writing
didates sit a six hour written exam and two externally assessed
classroom teaching observations, one at a begining level and one PROCEDURE:
at an upper-intermediate or higher level. Candidates must pass 1. Announce the new unit on farm animals and asks the students if
both externally assessed observations and do well on the written they know the names of any farm animals in English or if they have
exams to earn the diploma. The average pass rate for this chal- ever visited a farm. Write their responses on the board and intro-
lenging course is about 60%. duce the new vocabulary from the list above which the students
did not already name.
The diploma is well known and highly valued in Europe, the U.K., 2. Using picture cards, drill the new vocabulary.
Australia, and by British Councils all over the world for developing 3. Form groups of 3 to 5 students and give each group a deck of
master practitioners. Its value as a well-regulated degree which 48 farm flashcards, each item in the deck occurs 4 times.
produces quality teachers is increasing and growing particularly in 4. The students play “Go Fish” using the phrases: “Does your
Asia. There are now numerous centers across the US offering the farm have a ---?” “Yes, it does.”/”No, it doesn’t. Go fish.” Write
certificate and the diploma. Individuals these phrases on the board and explain them before play begins.

20 101
VARIATION 2: who wish to teach overseas for a year or two typically complete
Using flashcards as prompts, one team asks a question which the the certificate. Those who wish to become professional practitio-
other team must answer correctly before throwing their airplanes. ners may go on to complete the diploma.
When one team is out of airplanes, the game moves on to the word
making stage, thus, one team has more letters with which to work. An M.A. in TESOL or TEFL is an academic degree focused more
This variation makes for a more complex and less chaotic game. on theory than on practice. In addition to teaching, master’s de-
gree holders often become teacher trainers, curriculum and mate-
rials writers, or administrators or they go on to complete doctoral
degrees. Graduates who choose to teach must still gain experience
and entry level jobs are more likely to be found overseas. Teach-
ers with master’s degrees compete with teachers who hold certifi-
cates and diplomas and they may find that sometimes these are
preferred for their practical nature over the master’s degree. How-
ever, a master’ s degree is more likely to land a candidate a job at
a college or univeristy where contact hours, pay, benefits, and re-
spect are generally better than at language schools.

Colleges and universities in the US usually require a master’s de-

gree as a minimum qualification. Full-time ESL teaching positions
in the US are scarce particularly in higher education and there is an
over-abundance of qualified degree holders to fill them. Often
teachers hold several part-time teaching positions and low pay and
no benefits are all too often the reality.

THE JOB SITUATION

Korea has a high demand for English teachers. Many unqualified
and inexperienced teachers from native English speaking countries
have found jobs in Korea perhaps because of the belief held by
some Koreans that no skill is required to teach English. Many in-
experienced teachers do exert a great deal of effort to improve
their teaching skills through peer observation, conference atten-
dance, and independent study. Despite

100 21
the economic recession, the demand for quality educators is on the AIRPLANES
rise.
LEVEL: Beginner
HAGWONS AGE: Elementary school aged
Hagwons are private study schools catering mainly to children. PREP TIME: None
English is one of the subjects offered. Many Korean parents be- RUN TIME: 10 minutes
lieve that for their child to be successful on the college entrance MATERIALS: Paper for airplanes, chalkboard or whiteboard
exam, which contains a section of written English, the child must LANGUAGE: Vocabulary
take expensive private lessons at an institute. The children do not SKILLS: Reading, writing, speaking
necessarily understand this driving force and teachers need to keep
the classes exciting and entertaining to hold their attention. PROCEDURE:
1. Have the students make airplanes out of paper. While they are
Some hagwon owners are more interested in making large profits occupied with this task, draw a grid on the board and in it write out
than they are in the quality of education offered. Westerners hired the alphabet in BIG CAPITALS.
at these institutes are often equipped only with a B.A. and are 2. Divide the students into teams. Have a student from each team
getting their training by fire. Horror stories abound about low and throw their airplane at the board. The letter it hits belongs to the
lost pay; dirty cramped living quarters; and verbal abuse experi- team. Students from each team continue taking turns until all stu-
enced by teachers at these poorly regulated institutions. However, dents have thrown their airplanes.
these situations are not considered to be normal. 3. Next, the teams try to construct as many words as possible
using their letters. Each letter can be used over and over in differ-
HIGH SCHOOL ent words but can only be used once in a given word (if the team
If possible, high school students take even more private classes only has one “C,” they cannot make “chicken”). Points are
than younger students to prepare for their college entrance exam. awarded for the letters used (cat=3 points, chicken=7 points).
This exam will determine the major they will study and the college
or university they will attend which in turn will influence the job VARIATION 1:
they obtain upon graduating from college. Until very recently, a Place alphabet flashcards on the floor and have stduents flip coins
person could expect to have that one job for life. In the wake of onto the letters. Combinations of letters can be used with more
the IMF and globalization, this is no longer true. Koreans are ex- advanced students. Instead of airplanes, a variety of toys with suc-
periencing a transition of industries and tightening of belts under- tion caps can be used. The advantage to using airplanes is that they
gone in many other industrialized nations already. bounce off!

22 99
 STEPPING STONES Some high school students are extremely interested in Western
culture and trends. When in private institutes they may ask for dis-
LEVEL: Beginner cussions on American movies or Western music. They usually com-
AGE: Elementary school aged prise a minority in the class though the other students will begrudg-
PREP TIME: 1 minute ingly agree and later may complain to their parents or the adminis-
RUN TIME: 5 minutes tration of the institute. A single complaint from a class of 15 stu-
MATERIALS: Chalkboard or whiteboard dents is enough to be called in for a discussion with an institute
LANGUAGE: Any administrator. Korean students will complain to administrators, but
SKILLS: Listening and speaking they rarely confront the teacher. In paying attention to the students’
motivation, prudence would suggest keeping test preparation in
PROCEDURE: mind.
1. Draw a wide river on the board (or make the river on the floor).
2. Place flashcards like stepping stones across the river. If there LANGUAGE INSTITUTES
are 4 teams, have 4 sets of “stones”. The teams cross the river by University and college language institutes and good quality hagwons
responding to the cues on the flashcards. are safe bets for making a good living and having a pleasant expe-
3. Students ask each other questions. A correct answer advances rience in Korea. Most require at least a TESOL or RSA certifi-
to the next stone. cate, but when qualified teachers are scarce, some teaching expe-
rience will be accepted instead. Students may be college students,
OBSERVATIONS: housewives, or businessmen.
This is a fun way to end the last class of the day. Teams are not
allowed to leave until they have crossed the river! Adults in private language institutes are often financed by their com-
panies to attend classes to improve their conversational skills. They
have families and jobs, work long hours and commute long dis-
tances to class. They are often tired and distracted by their work,
but may look forward to class as a way to unwind or as a way to
avoid the rush hour traffic home. They are often motivated by meet-
ing others in similar situations and by having fun after a long day.
Classes can become social clubs that do not end when class does.
These students realize the importance of English to perform their
jobs and for gaining promotions, but they may be the most relaxed
of all categories of students because they only have to improve
their scores slightly over their previous TOEIC results.

98 23
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES RED MOUSE, BLUE MOUTH
Teaching English conversation in university academic departments
comes with a suprising degree of status, but classes are large with LEVEL: Beginner
as many as 80 students per class and thus, personal contact with AGE: Elementary school aged
students is limited. Historically, contact hours ran from 9-15 credit PREP TIME: None
hours per term, with slightly above average pay and three to four RUN TIME: 20 minutes
months of vacation per year. These benefits appear to be eroding MATERIALS: Chalkboard or whiteboard
in the late 1990s. Eighteen to twenty-two contact hours per term LANGUAGE: Minimal pairs
and inter-session teaching responsibilities for special programs have SKILLS: Listening, speaking, writing, reading
become more common. Academic standards are usually lax, few (scanning)
students fail, and athletes are often given passing grades whether
or not they ever attend class. Western teachers may face anti- PROCEDURE:
western and nationalistic attitudes from both the students and the 1. Two students go to the board to write exactly what the Teacher
professors. Better working conditions all around including being indicates. They write anywhere on the board. Teacher and stu-
considered a part of the faculty are more likely to be found at rural dents should use different colored chalk or markers.
universities but this must be balanced against the isolation one may 2. Teacher says “mouth” and “mouse”. Both students write these
encounter in the countryside. words. By gesture or drawing, teacher elicits more minimal pairs:
ship/sheep; rice/lice; coat/goat; and so forth.
CORPORATE IN-HOUSE PROGRAMS 3. The class is then divided into teams. The class is divided into
Some large businesses offer corporate in-house language programs teams. Individual students from each team come forward and when
for their employees. The following excerpt, contributed to this hand- the teacher says “blue mouth,” the first student to underline “blue”
book by Barbara Mahnen, describes the high stress involved when and “mouth” gets a point for their team. Students change roles
English becomes business: after 3pairs of words have been underlined.
4. Initially the teacher gives the command but as soon as possible,
Many large overseas corporations have set up and administer control should be given to the students. Incidental language in-
their own corporate training centers. The northeast Asian cludes “left,” “right,” “up,” and “down” as the teams try to help
conglomerates of Korea are a perfect example. When a their friends.
corporation decides to operate a language training program,
they risk viewing the language training as a product and the VARIATION:
employee learners as customers to be satisfied. The training Students unable to read can draw pictures which are then lami-
center is evaluated in terms of how it functions as a business,not nated for repeat use. Stacks of cards are produced and a caller
in terms of how it educates learners. However, the effects of reads from them (one stack for colors, one for minimal pairs).

24 97
 DICEMEN language training can be difficult to demonstrate and often
the benefits do not immediately affect the bottom line.
LEVEL: Beginner
AGE: Elementary school aged Contact hours as product. Contact hours are definable and
PREP TIME: None concrete, thus they appeal to the corporate-minded. It does
RUN TIME: 15 minutes not follow though that because students have been taught,
MATERIALS: Chalkboard, pen, paper, dice, flashcards they learn. Equating language instruction with the product
LANGUAGE: Vocabulary or spelling practice fails to include countless factors involved in language learn-
SKILLS: Listening, speaking, reading, and writing ing. The more intangible aspects of language teaching such as
the curriculum, lesson plans, learner differences, and task hours
PROCEDURE: are not necessarily seen as part of the product. Thus, while
1. Draw a figure on the board. The body parts are idenified and qualified educators may deliver a quality product, they can-
numbered 1 through 6. 1=head, 2=legs, 3=fingers, 4=toes, 5=trunk, not assure the learner will exhibit quality performance.
6=arms.
2. Students ask and answer questions using vocabulary flash cards Quality Assurance. Reliable methods of testing and evaluat-
as prompts. After a correct answer, a die is rolled and the student ing are well developed in the field of language education. Cor-
is allowed to draw the corresponding body part(s) on a piece of porate programs often ignore established testing methods and
paper. The first student to draw the complete figure is the winner. proper procedures because they require too much staff and
If the same number is rolled twice, the stu dent does NOT time. Training expense per student in these corporate programs
get to draw or roll again. is high and must be justified. Thus testing is done at frequent
intervals to determine whether the product has been received.
VARIATION: If it has not, a student is expelled from the program for ‘not
Any initial drawing can be made such as a tree with leaves, flow- doing his or her best.’
ers, roots, a trunk, branches, and a bird.
The learners in corporate training programs have extremely
OBSERVATION: high expectations regarding quantifiable improvement because
This activity enables you to make a vocabulary drill into a com- the results of the language programs affect the attainment of
petitive game. promotions. In Asia, where the corporation is seen as the em-
ployer for life, many employees expect to attain certain levels
of advancement according to the number of years they have
put into the company. When knowledge and proficiency of
English language become an obstacle, many of the learners
view the training program as yet another hoop they have to

96 25
jump through in order to achieve the next level within their DOMINOES
company. Moreover, since they view the advancement almost
as if it were a right, the hoops are seen as something they can LEVEL: Beginner
and will get through. The employees thus approach the learn- AGE: Any
ing experience with the attitude that if they do their part as PREP TIME: 10 minutes (done by students)
students: attend class and do homework, the teachers will do RUN TIME: 15 minutes
their part: provide the necessary scores for advancing to the MATERIALS: Card, pictures from magazines, markers
next level. Time after time students enter their programs with LANGUAGE: Various
unrealistically high goals for a ten-week term. When their ex- SKILLS: Reading and writing
pectations are not met, they become frustrated with their lack
of progress and they may complain to the administrative staff PROCEDURE:
that their teachers are not providing them with sufficient help. 1. The students make their own dominoes on rectangles of stiff
card. The cards can have [pictures/pictures], [pictures/words],
Teaching in the corporate in-house language program requires [words/words], [numbers/words], and so forth.
extreme attention to ‘customer satisfaction.’ And just as an 2. Students start with 5 cards each, the remaining cards are stacked
employees’ promotions are dependent on receiving a certain between them with one card placed right-side up.
score in English, the instructors contract renewal and poten- 3. One student attempts to match a card in hand to the one facing
tial raise are dependent on student evaluations. The Korean right-side up. Matching cards are placed together. If a student cannot
corporate English training environment can be a valuable place a card, they should take another. Play continues until one
environment for gaining teaching experience, but one must be student has no cards left.
prepared for the politics and the possibility of feeling like a
salesperson rather than a trained educator.

EXTRA WORK
Many full-time English teachers work part-time to augment their
income. Canadians and Australians, among others, are eligible for
a 6-month tourist or working holiday visa and may find work un-
der the table. Teaching is specifically excluded from the authorized
activities of these visas. Teachers and tourists tutor privately, work
at second institutes (legal only with permission from the teacher’s
sponsor and the second employer), do copy editing, or appear on
television or radio. Much of this work is illegal and foreigners are
responsible for any

26 95
 BATTLESHIPS violations of Korean law they commit. KOTESOL does not en-
dorse any outside or illegal work.
LEVEL: Beginner
AGE: Any CONTRACT DEMANDS
PREP TIME: None The conditions of your contract need to be in writing. Anything
RUN TIME: 10 minutes that is promised that is not written into your contract is unlikely to
MATERIALS: Pencil and paper materialize after you arrive. Further, contracts are viewed by Ko-
LANGUAGE: Various reans as rough, working documents subject to change. Your em-
SKILLS: Listening and speaking ployer may need your passport from time to time to take care of
visa matters, but never give up your passport for the duration of
PROCEDURE: your stay. It is yours and should be in your possession no matter
1. Both students have identical empty grids labeled “a” through what an employer might tell you. Make and keep plenty of copies
“g” along the top, and “1” through “7” down the side. The stu- of your passport as well.
dents draw a variety of agreed upon objects in their respective
grids. When an offer is made, you may request names and phone num-
2. Students use questions to find their partner’ s objects: bers of current or former western teachers. If the answer is ‘No,’
Student 1: Do you have anything in C7? you probably do not want to work there. Many placement agen-
Student 2: Yes, I do. cies will find employment for prospective teachers for no fee.
Student 1: What is it? KOTESOL does not endorse any particular placement agency or
Student 2: It’s a kangaroo. employer. Salaries are not usually negotiable. If you do not like the
Student 1: Do you have anything in A5? offer, keep looking. I kept saying ‘No’ to a university and they
Student 2: No, I don’t. Do you have anything in B4? continued to offer me more money. That is the exception rather
3. Turns alternate after negative responses. the same student goes than the rule.
again after a positive response. Play continues until one student
has located all the other’s items. Some things you can expect in a contract and certainly need to ask
for are: return airfare; minimum 10 days of vacation; health insur-
VARIATION: ance; maximum contact hours (25-30 hours a week); 5-day work
Instead of numbers and letters, the students have small icons. In week; 8-9 hour work day from start to end; multiple re-entry visa;
each row the students mark one box. Language use becomes more paid holidays; an apartment available when you arrive; your own
complex. furnished bedroom (ask for a detailed description of your apart-
Student 1: Is the cat up the tree? ment over the telephone and for assurance it will be clean and
Student 2: No, it isn’t. Is the dog in the house? available when you arrive); and a one-month bonus at the comple-
tion of your contract. Employers

94 27
may try to avoid paying the end of contract bonus, which in es- HIDE AND SEEK
sence is your retirement pay, by cutting your hours such that you
are unable to complete the agreed upon contract. LEVEL: Beginner
AGE: Any
Horror stories about teaching in Korea are numerous. However, if PREP TIME: None
you have done your homework, attempted to speak directly to a RUN TIME: 10 minutes
former employee, read books such as this one and others about MATERIALS: Posters/pictures
the culture, then you have minimized your risk and prepared your- LANGUAGE: Various
self for a good experience in a fascinating culture. SKILLS: Listening and speaking

PROCEDURE:
1. Most classrooms do not offer enough space to play the tradi-
tional game of hide and seek. Using posters or pictures, someone
hides in the poster or picture. Language used: Are you under the
TV? Are you in the goldfish bowl?

OBSERVATIONS:
This activity requires a wide variety of vocabulary. Pictures chosen
to meet a theme or subject matter with lots of detail would be most
appropriate. “Am I warm/ cold/hot?” is useful language when us-
ing very large or highly detailed pictures.

28 93
 _________________________________________________
ACTIVITIES FOR BEGINNERS THREE
This section contains many game-like activities that have proven
successful with both children and adults. Why use games in the UNDERSTANDING KOREA
classroom? What advantage do games have over more traditional Dr. David Shaffer
methods of instruction? Somewhere between learning to crawl and
learning to drive, most of us have forgotten the experience of learning Dr. David Shaffer is a professor of English Lan-
through play. Our teachers and parents tell us to study or we risk guage and Literature at Chosun University in
failure in examinations now and our later adult lives. Play is for Kwangju, Korea, where he has worked for more
recreation, but the serious matters in life require diligent study. This than 25 years. He is involved in EFL instruc-
presents us, as teachers, with something of a paradox. Watch chil- tion, teacher training, and materials develop-
ment. He is the author of books and newspaper
dren when they are not studying or being held captive by a video
and magazine columns on the English and Ko-
and they will be playing. Something worth remembering is that when rean languages and Korean culture and poetry.
we (adults) have free time, we too, like to play.
PATERNALISM
Confucianism has profoundly influenced Korean culture and soci-
ety. Confucious, born in China in 551 B.C., was a teacher and
philosopher who believed society should be lead by highly edu-
cated people rather than nobles and that everyone in society had a
role. If all roles were carried out correctly, then society would be
just and good. While Confucious’ principles were introduced to
Korea shortly after they took hold in China, they did not begin to
become widely accepted until the 15th century when Buddhism
was experiencing a period of unpopularity.

Confucianism, when adopted, became a strict set of rules for so-

cial conduct. The harmony of social relationships as set forth by
Confucious were:
1. filial piety between father and son
2. loyalty between ruler and subject
Editors note: The following activities were submitted by Andrew 3. distinction in position between husband and wife
Todd unless otherwise noted. 4. respect between elder and younger
5. trust between friends

92 29
When everyone follows this correct social order, the flow of soci- VOCABULARY EXERCISE: “hairdresser”
ety is harmonious.
1.
Within this largely paternalistic social order, the network of rela- 2.
tionships is vertical, save for the last, which is horizontal. Thus, all 3.
people, except friends, are either higher or lower in status to one
another. Status in Korea tends to be highlighted in daily interac-
tions through such mechanisms as honorifics added to verb stems,
depth and duration of bows, relative amount of eye contact, use of
titles, and deference to elders and superiors. Americans, on the
otherhand, highlight status through speech to reflect levels of po-
liteness: “Excuse me, but would you mind opening the door, IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION EXERCISE: “hit the road”
please?” versus “Please open the door,” but not to the extent and
complexity that Koreans do in their language and actions. “I didn’t realize it was so late. I guess it’s time we hit the
road.”
Different levels of affection and responsibility are accorded to a
person depending on their importance within the network described. 1.
It is essential for a Korean to identify their relationship to another 2.
person within this system in order to know how to interact. Tradi- 3.
tionally, these relationships were so significant there was little space
for individual personality. An individual would suppress emotions
sooner than disrupt the flow of society. In exchange, people de-
rived satisfaction from relationships through a sense of group mem-
bership. Koreans continue to respect this hierarchic order in the
family, the educational system, and the workplace.

INSECURITY
Geographic, economic and political factors have lent a sense of
insecurity to Korean society. Agriculture, until recently, has been
Korea’s main economic resource and agricultural economics are
subject to climactic conditions. When floods and

30 91
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION EXAMPLE: droughts affect production, this provokes economic difficulties. The
“a sight for sore eyes” uncertainty caused by climactic conditions has deeply influenced
Guy: Beth Wikowsky, you’re a sight for sore eyes! I haven’t the sense of insecurity in Korean society.
seen you in a long time. I missed you while you were
gone. Politics also influence the sense of insecurity due to an uncertainty
Beth: Thanks, Guy. I’ve missed you, too. as to how authority will be applied. Leaders, following Confucian
principles, apply authority to cases and situations according to their
1. Do Guy’s eyes hurt? No own interpretation, leaving individuals
2. Is Guy glad to see Beth? Yes without consistency in the application of justice. As a result, cor-
3. Has Beth seen Guy recently? No ruption was, and still is, a cultural trait of Korean society.
It is not without its merits, however, as it does provide a means of
Now you try! checking power of authority. An individual’s sense of insecurity
GRAMMAR EXERCISE: “used to” (discontinued past represents the guide and motivation for continuing their
state) relationships.
“She used to be fat.”
1. PERSONALISM
2. With paternalism defining the structure of Korean relationships and
3. insecurity driving them, personalism as the link to an individual’s
social network became all important. Personalism stresses the in-
FUNCTION EXERCISE: dividual personality as the central concern. Loyal subjects, filial
“Can I come in for an interview?” (requesting) sons, and faithful women are admired, honored and venerated. As
a result of striving for these qualities, love and duty between family
Ann: I’m calling about your ad for a secretary. Is the job still members are usually strong. These values arise out of the social
open? network and delineate good and bad, just and wrong. The impor-
Boss: Yes it is. Can you type? tance of the values are manifested in the avoidance of shame and
Ann: Yes, I can. Can I come in for an interview? the dignity and prestige to be had and maintained. There was a
Boss: Yes. What’s your name? time when loss of face was considered so shameful, it was to be
Ann: Ann Kramer feared more than corporeal punishment.
Boss: Can you come in on Monday at 10:00 am?
Ann: On Monday at 10:00 am? Yes. Thank you. GROUP ORIENTATION
1. The meeting point of the three elements: paternalism, insecurity,
2. and personalism, is the family. Paternalism requires a head of the
3. family and all moral principles, levels of affection and

90 31
responsibility are reflected in each family relationship. Insecurity GRAMMAR EXAMPLE: Present Perfect
ensures the family will be the most common place to seek shelter. “He has been to London.”
Personalism is illustrated by the deep interpersonalized knowledge 1. Did he go to London or Paris? London
family members have of each other. The family structure is repeated 2. Is he in London right now? No
in all organizations within society. The family, the school class, the 3. Was he in London for a long time? No
company, the country - all are important units of which the indi-
vidual is merely a member, and to which primary loyalties should FUNCTION EXAMPLE: Inviting
lie. Thus, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the indi- Mark: Would you like to go to a movie tonight?
vidual in the minds of most Koreans: when conflicts of interest Helen: I don’t feel like going to a movie. Do you have
arise, the individual bows to the needs of others. another idea?
Mark: How about going bowling tonight?
In return for their support of and loyalty to the group, members Helen: That’s a great idea! I haven’t been for a long time.
receive care, protection, and help when in need, in ways beyond Mark: Great. Can I pick you up at 8:00 o’clock?
what most Westerners would consider sufficient for the circum- Helen: Alright. See you at 8:00.
stances. Something considered a sacrifice above and beyond the
call of duty in the West is frequently a systemic, institutionalized 1. Helen invited Mark to go bowling. False
obligation in Korea. For example, in Korean hospitals, most of a 2. Helen will go to a movie tonight. False
patient’s care is left to family members, almost all of whom are 3. They are going bowling tonight. True
expected to take time off from work or school to attend to the sick 4. Mark will arrive at Helen’s house
or injured person. at 7:00 o’clock. False

The hierarchic structure pertains to the work environment as well. VOCABULARY EXAMPLE: “tent”
Managers retain power through diffusing information, stressing 1. Is a tent a building? No
aloofness, and maintaining a superiority typical of masters. They 2. Can you lift a tent? Yes
take care of daily work problems for employees and oversee re- 3. Do you sleep in a tent? Yes
tirement and welfare issues. Decision making is centralized into 4. Do you take a tent jogging? No
leadership hands and decisions are made autocratically in solitude
because an extension of decision making to others might provoke
a loss of prestige for the leader and negatively affect the organiza-
tional hierarchy. Even the work environment is characterized by a
strong sense of insecurity, mistrust and competition.

32 89
COMPREHENSION by Arnold Ho “It was frustrating not to be able to express my
ideas. All ideas came from above.”
“Do you understand?” would seem a logical question to follow a -Christine Lowell, Yeungnam University
presentation. Many Korean students would respond by nodding
their heads in agreement. Even students who do not understand RELATIONS
will nod their heads to prevent a loss of face for the teacher for not In order to interact and develop economically, businesses follow
having explained it well enough, or for themselves for not having the family structure. Entrepreneurs try to use family links to carry
understood. When students are directed to begin an activity, their out economic activities. They place their trust on the shared values
level of understanding is soon made clear. and traditions made common by such things as same birthplace,
school, university or club. Alumni from the same college or univer-
To circumvent the time, confusion and frustration this method is sity, especially from the same class, have a much stronger bond,
likely to bring about, Arnold Ho encourages the use of compre- and greater obligations, than in most Western countries. Employ-
hension-check questions: those requiring simple “Yes/No,” “True/ ers often prefer to hire new employees from the same schools as
False,” or a choice of “Either/Or” answers. This is not as easy as the ones they attended because the bond makes for greater har-
it may seem as evidenced by most textbooks that claim to have mony in the workplace.
comprehension-check questions, but do not.
Because of the emphasis on strengthening group ties, Koreans
Here are some general rules to follow: expect to participate in many social gatherings and events outside
1. Ask relevant questions about the concept. regular work or class hours; Westerners may find such require-
2. Make sure the concept you are checking is not ments overly demanding on their private time.
too difficult.
3. Ask the right amount of concept check ques- “When I mentioned I lived alone, my students
tions, not too many, not too few. expressed concern I might fell lonely or isolated
4. Avoid checking the same concept twice by ask- at home, but I saw my apartment as a haven of
ing the same question worded differently. privacy from the many intrusions I felt were
made on my time at school.”
Concept-check questions are crucial early in the lesson during the -M.K. MacKinnon, Flagstaff, AZ
warm-up. You do not want to lose the students from the start. It is
also a good habit to check understanding of instructions before ELITISM
beginning an activity. Concept-check questions can be used to Class and connections are another preeminent determiner of place
check understanding of grammar, functions, vocabulary, and idi- in Korea’s social hierarchy. In the past, Korea had five main so-
omatic expressions. Following are examples and practice exer- cial classes which were fairly impermeable. Though these have
cises. nominally disappeared since the Second World War,

88 33
many families that were of the upper class still take pride in their ACTIVITY #3: Intonation Practice Through Dialogues
history and expect a certain amount of deference. A person’s con- In dialogues, the main features to consider include opening and
nections to powerful individuals and groups also greatly influence closing strategies, questions, interrupting, and agreeing and dis-
their status. agreeing. All of these features belong to the province of discourse
analysis. Pronunciation, in particular intonation, is a key aspect of
SAFETY this linguistic area of study.
One of the nicest effects of the Korean respect for authority is the
general attitude of honesty and respect for other peoples’ belong- The teacher can provide dialogue models, either written or re-
ings. While crime is rising in Korea, it remains much lower than in corded on a casette, or both. Learners then mark what they think
many other countries. Leaving your bags unattended for a few min- is the appropriate intonation on the respective parts of the conver-
utes or asking a stranger to watch them is a safe practice in small sation using such marks as arrows to represent rising and falling
or rural cities. Pickpockets are rare outside of Seoul and Pusan. intonation patterns.

One can walk alone fairly safely in most areas until late at night, A: He’s going to Paris in the Fall.
and even then if one keeps to well-travelled public areas it is a B: Really?
much safer risk than in many other countries. Women can travel
alone with reasonable caution. Possession of firearms is illegal and /////
even the police carry nothing more than a gas gun.
A: I heard Joan returned from her trip to India.
Despite the relative safety found in Korea, secure your living quar- B: Yes, I saw her yesterday and she...
ters. Foreigners are thought to have a lot of money and valuable C: Excuse me, this was in my mailbox, I think it
foreign-made articles. Complexes with security guards at the en- is yours.
trance are fairly safe, but in the absence of security personnel, your B: What? Oh, thank you. Where was I?
chances of being robbed increase. A: You saw Joan yesterday...

LANGUAGE /////
There are several different Romanization systems used for writing
Korean in the Roman alphabet. For those with limited exposure to A: Would you like coffee or tea?
non-Roman scripts, sounding out Romanized versions of words is B: Coffee.
difficult as is connecting the written version with a work known
aurally. This is because many Korean sounds and sound combina-
tions have no direct equivalent in English,

34 87
ACTIVITY #2: Sentence Stress Practice and the Romanization systems must therefore have slightly differ-
To practice sentence stress, one fun technique is to present an ent phonetic rules than they do in English. This also means that
improbably but amusing sentence such as “My wife doesn’t look there are frequently several Roman spellings for one Korean word.
like a sack of potatoes.” Students are encouraged to read the sen- For example, one Korean family name is spelled variously as Li,
tence aloud giving emphasis to a particular word. The teacher then Lee, Rhee, and Yi. Conversely, you may find yourself sounding
answers with an appropriate response. For example: out a word written in “hangul” (the Korean writing system), sev-
eral times before suddenly realizing that it is a word borrowed
Student: My wife doesn’t look like a sack of POTA from English or another language.
TOES.
Teacher: O.K. what about carrots? Extra vowels and syllables are often added to words borrowed
from English because the English consonant blend is not possible
or in Korean, turning an English consonant cluster into two or three
syllables. Further, hangul spellings are often based on English spell-
Student: My WIFE doesn’t look like a sack of pota ings rather than on the actual English pronunciation of the words.
toes. Therefore, in order to make the correspondence between the spo-
Teacher: O.K. what about your brother? ken and written versions of words, learning the basics of the Ko-
rean sound system and how it relates to the less familiar phonetic
rules for the Romanization system is necessary. Oddly enough, learn-
ing to read and write in Korean can literally be done in a matter of
hours. Hangul, devised by scholars at the court of King Sejong
(1418-1450), is considered to be one of the most scientific scripts
ever devised. It consists of forty symbols and was invented with
the purpose of promoting literacy among common people. This
goal has been achieved: at almost 98% literacy, South Korea boasts
the highest rate in the world.

NAMES
Korean names are usually comprised of three syllables, each syl-
lable is a Chinese word represented by a Chinese character though
of late more and more native Korean names are being used. The
first syllable is the family name and the next two are the given name.
There is a predominance of same last names.

86 35
The most common family names are Kim, Lee and Park. When ACTIVITY #1 Contrast Drills with Minimal Pairs
written in roman script, the two syllables of the given name may In this activity, the teacher creates two lists of words containing the
often be hyphenated depending on the romanization scheme used. sounds to be contrasted. The words in one list have a correspond-
One of the two Chinese characters in the given name, the genera- ing word in the second list containing the contrasted sound. The
tional name, is often the same for each son in a family and their first contrasting sounds should be the only difference in pronunciation
cousin also. In most families, generational names are not given to between the two words.
daughters. Parents will consult fortune tellers when choosing a name
for their child because names are thought to bring luck if they con- /r/ /l/
sist of Chinese characters with the right combination of strokes race lace
and a radical signifying one of Five Elements. right light
rim limb
ADDRESSING OTHERS row low
It is essential in Korea to learn the appropriate forms of address
relative to your status versus those to whom you speak. For ex- The lists can be manipulated in more than one way.
ample, various forms of “hello” according to whom you are speak-
ing would include at minimum “anyong,” a very familiar form said Repetition Drills: the students simply repeat the words modeling
to small children and very close friends of equal status. “Anyong- the teacher’s pronunciation.
haseyo,” the informal polite form, is said to everyone from stu-
dents to immediate superiors to strangers and casual acquaintan- Auditory Discrimination: the teacher says a word from one of the
ces. “Anyong-hashimnika,” the most formal form, is said to the lists and the students determine which list the word came from by
president of your school, the mayor of your city, people over 60, holding up one or two fingers. Individual students may take over
and other respected figures in society. the role of the teacher when they are confident enough.

Korean formalities often disguise familiar, even intimate, relation-

ships to Western eyes. Addressing someone with the use of an
honorific suffix does not mean that the speakers do not know or
like each other well, in fact, it may indicate profound respect and
mutual affection. Formality should not be assumed to be a lack of
intimacy; in the West, the two are often connected, in the East,
they are not.

36 85
 Barry Shea is the director of studies at a presti- WORK IMPRESSIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
gious private language school in Ilsan. He has a When I ask Koreans to rank professional status they consistently
special interest in Howard Gardner’s theory of rank university and college professors in the top three. Historically,
multiple intelligences and is constantly looking
anyone who was a teacher or scholar held a prestigious position.
for ways to apply the theory in the classroom set-
ting.
Teachers at other levels usually rank in the top five. Doctors and
civil officials are also highly regarded; these positions have a long
Lisa Grebinsky taught at Hanyang University in record of prestige in Korean history.
Seoul. She now develops and teaches business
and computer classes in Victoria while pursuing The importance of status and hierarchy has implications for West-
a master’s degree in Public Administration. ern teachers. As a teacher, you would traditionally have very high
status. As a foreigner, however, you do not fit anywhere within the
PRONUNCIATION traditional hierarchy. Your age, marital status, and gender also go
One of the most challenging aspects for teachers of English to speak- into the equation. Most Koreans upon being introduced to you will
ers of Korean lies in pronunciation. What follows is a summary of probably begin conservatively by addressing and treating you re-
the most salient pronunciation difficulties for Korean speakers and spectfully as they would a Korean instructor of similar rank in the
some ideas for overcoming them. Most English teachers overwhelm- same situation. They will adjust their behavior according to the
ingly agree on the areas of pronunciation that are the most prob- signals you give them. Therefore, if you want to keep this respect,
lematic for Korean learners of English. These areas can be sum- you have to learn the right signals and project an appropriate im-
marized as follows: age. The easiest way is to observe and imitate the behavior of your
Korean colleagues. Note how they address their students and other
1. the sounds /r/ and /l/ as in /royal/ and /loyal/; faculty and staff; what names or titles do they use? Where do they
2. the sounds /p/ and /b/ as in /park/ and /bark/; look and how often do they make eye contact? Note how formally
3. the sounds /f/ and /v/ as in /fast/ and /vast/; they dress. If you have an opportunity, ask to observe their classes
4. the /th/ sounds, voiced and unvoiced as in /this/ and /thin/; to see how they manage class business like calling on students and
5. stress accent such as DESert versus deSSERT; disciplining them. Where do they stand or sit? What are the roles
6. sentence stress and intonation as in /Ian has BLACK of teacher and students in the classroom?
trousers/ versus /Ian has black TROUSERS/; and
7. word initial consonant clusters /strand/ and /black/ As a teacher, you will be examined and judged harshly when you
fail to meet Korean standards of behavior such as modesty, man-
A great number of useful techniques have been developed to prac- ner and group orientation. However, as a foreigner, you will have
tice pronunciation. The three activities that follow have proven to more freedom than your Korean colleagues since
be helpful for English teachers in Korea.

84 37
 _________________________________________________
you are given the benefit of having good intentions where SIX
cultural knowledge is lacking. You can increase the level of toler-
ance you receive by showing your efforts to respect, learn, and CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
adjust to Korean language and culture. On the other hand, any Chapter Editor: Andrew Todd
major breaches you make will also be magnified. Avoid inappro- Contributors: Andrew Todd, Troy Blappert, Unju
priate behavior and any appearance of impropriety. Sometimes, Blappert, Arnold Ho, Barry Shea, and Lisa
despite your best efforts, you may offend someone anyway. Grebinsky
Status is not a one-way street. In Confucianism, those of lower Andrew Todd is the marketing manager for
status are expected to show respect and obedience to their supe- Macmillan Heinemann ELT in Korea. He has
riors, but in return those of higher status have obligations to pro- taught elementary through university level stu-
vide guidance and protection. Elementary and secondary school dents in Japan,Taiwan and Korea. Andrew is
teachers have a parental role in their interactions with students. KOTESOL’s British Council Liaison and the edi-
They are responsible for each child’s overall development, and tor/writer of “Buzzwords” in The English Con-
moral and social character as well as the child’s intellect. Indeed, nection.
some Koreans joke that discipline is the teacher’ s job, not the
parents! Troy Blappert is an English Enhancement Tutor
and the Coordinator of Testing and Assessment
in the English Language Centre of City Univer-
College and university professors also have extended responsibili- sity of Hong Kong. He is currently writing an
ties. They are expected to attend and guide the many class and ESP tourism series for Thompson International
department activities, even if they participate only as witnesses or entitled “First Class.”
overseers. They are also expected to socialize regularly with stu-
dents in activities outside of class or off campus. This means hours Unju Blappert is pursuing independent research
and days, even weekends, of commitment beyond that required in in bilingual education. She is a freelance EFL
a Western situation. A regular week for Korean professors can materials developer.
run 60 hours and more, with the day at school starting between
8:00 and 9:00 am and running until 10:00 or 11:00 pm. Many in- Arnold Ho earned his TESL degree from
structors and professors work regularly on Saturdays even if there Vancouver Community College. He teaches in
Korea and is an active member of KOTESOL.
are no classes. Further, professors are expected to maximize their
time with and availability to students by being in their offices as
much as possible in addition to their posted office hours.

38 83
In the West, the student holds primary responsibility for learning.
In Korea, the teacher has traditionally held this responsibility: a
students’ failure is also the failure of the teacher and the school.
Western teachers often face pressure to pass students who have
not met their, or even the school’s own academic standards. Stu-
dents who fail reflect badly on the school and a school will protect
its status and reputation at the expense of lowered academic stan-
dards. Schools are ranked and the fame of the school one gradu-
ates from is much more influential in landing a job than the grades
received at that school.

AGE
The primary determiner of status in Korea is age. This is due partly
to the influence of Confucian ideals which place emphasis on filial
piety, or loyalty and obedience to the oldest male member and
head of the household. Many titles of respect have origins in the
family structure and are age-related. For example, “nuna,” older
sister, is used by a younger brother or close male friend or even
work associate and “halaboji,” grandfather, is used by anyone
addressing an elderly man. Younger people are often called by
their given names, but not always.

Because of the Confucian respect for age, a person’s sixtieth birth-

day, called “hwangap” or “hwegap,” has long been an occasion
for a huge family celebration, with relatives and friends coming
from far away to honor the elder. These days, with more people
living longer, families often celebrate both the 60th and 70th birth-
days in high style.

GENDER ROLES
The Koreans say, ‘man is sky and woman is earth.’ This reflects
the Korean attitude toward gender roles. Both sexes need and
support one another, but historically men have been in the superior
position, certainly since the advent of the Confucian-
39
based Chosun Dynasty in the late 14th century. Prior to this, Ko- Some students are hostile towards the language and cul-
rea had a much more egalitarian culture than many now realize. tures represented by the language. Their sole motivation is
Even as late as the 1890s one queen consort, Queen Min, was so to learn the language in order to surpass or best its people.
politically powerful that she was targeted for assassination by the Meet with the student outside of class, do what you can to
Japanese. Her death is memorialized as martyrdom at Kyongbuk break down the barriers, but ultimately establish class rules
Palace. Men and women and their roles remain strongly segre- and boundaries and insist they be respected. Discuss the
gated, reinforcing inequalities built into the system. situation and your actions with your supervisor and rely
on the supervisor’s assistance if the problem persists.
Eldest sons have traditionally supported their parents, with their
wives providing all household services and daily care, so a pre- A few final words of advice:
mium has been placed on having sons rather than daughters. Ko- 1) deal with problems and disruptions before or after class when-
rean women do not want to marry an eldest son because of the ever possible. There is no sense in punishing those who are on
sons’ obligation to care for his parents. In recent years a gender task and ready to learn with an interruption from an unruly
imbalance of male/female births has emerged as a result of selec- student.
tive abortion. Korea now has a law intended to prevent medical 2) as much as possible, do not allow interruptions to disrupt what
personnel from revealing the sex of fetuses in an effort to right the you are doing, wait until you have a break, pause, or transition
imbalance. in the lesson.

Women are increasingly entering colleges and universities, but their You will need to identify problems accurately to apply the right
job prospects upon graduating remain limited to entry and lower behavior altering tool. If you misdiagnose the problem, it will per-
level positions. This is because many families pressure young wives sist. Consult a colleague and perhaps invite them to your class. If
to have children and businesses know that when a woman be- that is uncomfortable, trade classes so that you teach your col-
comes pregnant, she will also be pressured to quit work. Yet the leagues class while your colleague observes your teaching and then
relative positions of men and women in society are not so clear- you will have the opportunity to observe your students being taught
cut, nor women as powerless as they might first appear. While by another teacher. If your colleague is a good evaluator, you will
women have traditionally been required to defer to their husbands receive beneficial teaching tips and you will also gain invaluable
and limit their work to the household, men have been expected to information about your students from the back of your classroom.
hand over their entire salary to their wives to manage! Handling the
money was considered part of household and family management.
Today, many working and middle-class Korean women operate
small family businesses alone or in partnership with their husbands.
There

40 81
 Adapting materials for one student is an unfair addition is a smattering of women in political office, and a small but growing
to a teacher’s preparation time. If possible, move her to a number of female professors. Men who stay home to care for the
class more suited to her level, if not, use her as an aide to children and the house exist at least as characters on television and
help the other students and you or meet her half way by in movies though seldom in real life. While nontraditional roles are
adapting materials to her level when you can. You will find still limited for both sexes, there is an increasing trend toward shar-
some excellent resources in the reference section to this ing duties and responsibilities.
book on working with multi-level classes.
3) Hye-Jin has a personal problem outside of the class affecting Though Korea’s constitution stipulates equality of the sexes, its
her performance. laws and courts do not. Until recently, men have enjoyed a distinct
Speak to Hye-Jin privately. You may find she has a class advantage under the law. This is now slowly beginning to change.
prior to yours that is too far away to arrive in time for In recent years, rulings have been made in favor of females in in-
yours. Allow her to be late, but assign her an additional heritance disputes, divorce and adultery proceedings, and in child
project. Enlist the aid of a Korean colleague willing to help custody cases. Progress in the area of women’s rights is expected
in determining the issues if your efforts fail. to continue at a slow but sure pace.

Situation 4: Hyuk-Lee frequently challenges you

about grammar explanations and meanings of words

1) Hyuk-Lee really wants to understand the fine points of gram-

mar and vocabulary and does not realize the inappropriate time
or manner of his questions.
Tell Hyuk-Lee his question is a good one but not relevant
to the lesson. Invite him to visit you during office hours
for a thorough explanation.
2) He lacks confidence in your teaching and wants to reconfirm
what has been taught.
Know your stuff. Give brief detail of the grammar point,
perhaps diagram a sentence, enough to impress Hyuk-Lee
and the class and point out that you are there less for the
mechanics of the language which they have studied end-
lessly and more to devise ways to get them to USE the
language.
3) He actually distrusts or disrespects you and is challenging your
authority.
80 41
 Situation 2: Students remain silent when an oral re-
sponse has been requested.

1) Students do not understand the question or what to do

Either write the question on the board or dictate it to them,
have them ask and answer the questions in chorus; dem-
onstrate how parts of the question can be substituted with
other information, and have the students drill in pairs if
time permits.
2) The question is too easy, students feel the answer is
obvious.
Maybe it was. Move on
3) The question is too personal and students are embarrassed.
Explain why you asked the question, modify the question,
or assign it as written homework so students may reply
privately

Situation 3: Hye-Jin, one of your students, is gener-

ally late to class, she does not do the homework as-
signed, and she does not participate in class
activities.

1) Hye-Jin feels she is unable to keep up with the classwork and

has given up trying.
Pair Hye-Jin with a more advanced student who can help
her with instructions in L1 and keep her on task in En-
glish. If she is intimidated by the more advanced learners,
pair her first with lower level learners until she grasps an
activity and then with a more advanced student. Express
interest in her progress, encourage her to visit during of-
fice hours.
2) Hye-Jin is bored with the class and work because she feels it
is too easy.

79
 ________________________________________________
Situation 1: Students use Korean almost exclusively FOUR
while working in pairs or groups.
MAKING THE ADJUSTMENT
As Occasional Problems and Solutions: M. Katherine MacKinnon
1) Students do not understand the exercise and have resorted to
chatting among themselves. M.K. MacKinnon is a teacher of English and a
Stop the activity, run through the instructions again fol- scholar of applied linguistics. She has taught
lowing Susan’s method above for several years at the post-secondary level in
both the U.S. and overseas. Her research inter-
2) Students are not on task because they think the language is too ests include second language acquisition, aca-
difficult for them demic literacies, and intercultural communica-
Stop the activity, evaluate the language level and change tion.
activities, cover vocabulary, or do the task with them
slowly DEFINITION
3) Students discuss how to do the task in Korean. Culture Shock is the term used to describe the psychological reac-
Recognize the lapse into L1 and give students time to tion of an individual encountering a new culture for a prolonged
switch into English; listen to one or two groups to ascer- period. It is a process of adjustment though it has been described
tain the problem before stopping the activity. Stop only if as a disease. In general it is characterized by three stages: an initial
necessary. “honeymoon” period; a downward slide of increasing stress and
depression; and an upward acclimatization to the new culture. The
As Constant Problems and Solutions: length of the process varies with the individual, but generally lasts
1) Students generally find the class or materials too difficult and three to six months. For many the process is cyclical rather than a
have acquired a habit of avoiding all work one-time adjustment.
2) Students generally find the class or materials too difficult, but
are trying to cope with it through use of L1 Excitement, exaltation, and enjoyment of all the differences be-
For both of these, review the section above on adapting tween one’s former culture and the new one characterize the hon-
materials, slow down, simplify lessons, and use supplemen- eymoon period. Over time, however, the glow of the strange and
tary materials. Be creative with the first group by intro- unfamiliar eventually gives way to the discomfort of having to live
ducing music or video, but make them work or the behav- with the differences. Communication problems, feelings of help-
ior will not change. lessness, childlike dependency on others, and consciously thinking
about and planning processes that were automatic at home result
in heightened stress. Reaction to the stress can be excessive, but it
is an integral part of the process of culture shock.

78 43
 Good. But this is too easy, you are too close. Move apart
Different people achieve different levels of adjustment. Some be- (Susan has the same two students as before move about 2
come completely at home in their new surroundings; others never meters apart and waits while the others follow the example).
really adjust at all. Most, however, fall somewhere in-between, Now this is how to do it… Let’s watch how these two do it
(the same two students model the activity)… Now “A”s turn
learning to live with a certain level of ambiguity while becoming
to page 18 and begin…GO!
increasingly able to function independently. Some factors which
affect one’s ability to adjust include preparation, previous experi- Robert’s instructions are clear and appropriate for advanced level
ence with other cultures, ability in the new language, goals and learners who do not need as much time to digest and understand
reasons for going overseas, age and maturity, personality, risk- information. Susan’s instructions are excellent for beginning and
taking ability, length of stay abroad, and availability of a support intermediate students. She has broken her instructions into com-
system. People who enjoy taking risks and can handle ambiguity prehensible “chunks,” provided students with a model, and given
usually adjust more quickly. them time to execute instructions, having them demonstrate their
comprehension before moving to the next instruction. Susan’s in-
COPING structions will take longer to deliver than will Robert’s, but they
So how does one cope? The key is to balance recuperation with are likely to result in the successful execution of the activity. Finally,
coping. Sticking to your routine can pull you through hard times.
Susan has told the students the goal of the activity,“…totrain…how
Korea offers a host of relaxation opportunities: a hot bath at a to speak loudly in English” and why, “…because you speak so
public bathhouse; a quiet hour reading a book in one of the many softly in English I can’t understand what you say.” Stating the goal
coffee shops; a hike up a mountain - 70% of Korea’s landscape is provides students with a reason to do an activity.
made up of mountains; taking a sightseeing trip; or visiting a friend
in another city. Many of the things you do at home to relieve stress, DEALING WITH PROBLEMS
you can also do in Korea. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol No matter how carefully you plan; how well you understand your
and complaining with other foreigners are also ready options, but students; or how lucky you are, you will be faced with an occa-
most find them counterproductive. sional problem class or individual student. While the classroom
management techniques discussed elsewhere in this chapter will
For many people, ability in the new language can really make or certainly be of use, the topic deserves some discussion.
break the experience of living abroad. If you are fluent, or have a
good base in the language to develop fluency, you can prevent The following four situations are ones you may encounter with
much, though not all, of the isolation and helplessness common to Korean students. The first two address problems encountered with
so many. Spoken Korean is admittedly difficult for native English a class as a whole and the latter two address problems encoun-
speakers to master, but learning some basic words and phrases tered with individual students. Reasons for the problem and solu-
along with the Korean alphabet can go a long way toward estab- tions are provided for each situation.
lishing rapport with Koreans and a sense of inde-

44 77
Consider the following two examples in which Susan and Robert pendence for you. The payoff for learning a little Korean is signifi-
are directing their students to do a shouting dictation, an activity to cant. Students are impressed and pleased to hear a foreign teacher
encourage students to speak loudly. One student dictates a pas- using their language. It shows them that you value their culture. It
sage in English while seated far away from their partner, forcing also lends insight into the English language learning difficulties of
them to speak loudly. Korean students. Above all, pushing yourself to take a risk or to
Robert: go a step further into the new culture and thus expand your ability
OK everyone, listen to me… yes… OK are you listening? to function boosts your spirits, preventing and combating the worst
Right, OK, this is what we’re going to do… Move into pairs, effects of culture shock.
A and B. (Robert has two students sit facing each other as
an example) Now you’re going to work together, OK? LACK OF PRIVACY
You’re going to do a shouting dictation. A, you will read and Korea is densely populated. Houses are built extremely close to-
B, you’re going to write. But I want you to sit far apart so gether, few have yards, and most share common walls. Living in
you have to speak loudly.
such close quarters, you may wish to escape to one of the numer-
So, A, read from page 18… Everybody understands… Right?
ous nearby hills or mountains. Do not be surprised when you run
Off you go.
into hundreds of other people trying to do the same thing!
Susan:
OK, everybody, look at me. Good. Today I’m going to train The population density contributes to a smaller personal space than is
you how to speak loudly because you speak so softly in comfortable for Westerners.You will be bumped regularly while walking
English I can’t understand what you say… in public. Apologies will neither be offered nor expected. A word of
We’re going to do a shouting dictation. I want you to work caution, if the door to your residence is unlocked, maintenance work-
in pairs. Choose a partner. (Susan waits until the students ers may let themselves in unannounced.
have found partners).
Good, one of you is A, the other is B. (Susan waits as stu- The Korean concept of society also contributes to a lack of pri-
dents confer).
vacy. While Western cultures place importance on the individual
OK. A’s, hands up! (Susan looks). Good, hands down. B’s,
and a person’s independence from others, Koreans are group ori-
hands up!
Good. OK. A’s, you are going to read. B’s, you are going to ented. Their collectivism places the importance of group concerns
write, so get out a pen and some paper. No, no, just the B’s over individual ones. Westerners typically say, “my country,” my
have a pen and paper, A’s, you are only going to read. OK? school,” “my house,” and “my friend.” Koreans are more likely
(Susan waits while the students get out their materials). to refer to the same concepts with ‘our’ as in “our country,” “our
Now, everyone sit face to face, like this… (Susan has two school,” “our house,” and “our friend.” The possession of a mem-
students at the front of the room turn their desks so they ber of the group is easily seen as belonging to the group as a whole.
are facing each other, and waits while everyone follows the
example).

76 45
HEALTH AND MEDICINE and fairly quickly. Instruct the students to write the words they
When slightly ill, most people go directly to the drugstore rather hear under the category they think is appropriate
than to see a doctor. A doctor’ s prescription is not required to without worrying about spelling or the correctness of their an-
buy medicine at a drugstore. Describe your symptoms and the swers.
pharmacist will give you what you need. 3) Have the students compare their answers with each other, give
them a dialog model on the board if they need it:
While a doctor’s advice may be necessary, an appointment is not. Student 1: “Where did you put ( waiter)?”
Doctors see patients on a first-come, first serve basis. Most doc- Student 2: “I put it under (not sure).”
tors are specialists and have their own clinics. Large hospitals ca- Student 1: “I put it in (manual labor).” OR “So did I.”
ter mainly to outpatients. Nurses have limited duties and patients Student 2: “Why?”
require someone to act as their caretaker during a hospital stay. Student 1: “Because...”
For a Korean, this would be a family member or friend. 4) Have them look at the exercise in the book to check their
spelling. Discuss different ways words can be classified and
Foreigners can expect to encounter language difficulties in describing the reasoning behind their classifications. Have them reclassify
exact symptoms and these are further exacerbated by the authori- the words according to the categories in the exercise.
tarian approach of some doctos. Many Korean doctors are not as 5) Expand the categories of jobs through brainstorming (artists,
patient-oriented as are health practitioners in the West. Getting entertainers, jobs using English, and so forth).
answers to questions and the right treatment may not be possible
because a doctor could perceive you to be questioning his author- A class with low motivation needing a sense of progress, may re-
ity. An interpreter can help with the language but may not be able quire a fast pace. By occasionally adapting exercises, it is possible
to bridge the cultural differences in this situation. to surprise a higher level class and convince them to look at a
textbook more closely. All of the examples given are quick modi-
TIME fications to illustrate the different ways the same text can be adapted
What to foreigners may appear to be a lack of advance planning, to the levels and needs of learners.
may actually be a lack of advance notice. Invitations to weddings,
family celebrations of babies’ 100-day and first birthday parties, GIVING INSTRUCTIONS
department meetings and dinners are commonly issued verbally Instructions are critical as a major source of comprehensible lan-
right before the event. To foreigners who are accustomed to claiming guage input and the orderly progression of a class. If instructions
their time as their own, this seems inconsiderate at best. Koreans, are not clear, students will be confused and will use their native
however, do not have the same view of time as a personal com- language to seek clarification from other equally confused students.
modity or possession. Placing Instructions must be demonstrated and chunked in manageable
parts.

46 75
4) Repeat the choral reading and answering for one or two more the group or place of work before oneself takes precedence over
examples until you are sure the students are following the for- the importance of time. Consequently Koreans are not as likely to
mat. Have them continue working in pairs, asking and answer- be bothered by last-minute notification and may not understand
ing questions about the chart. why Westerners are.
5) Follow the procedure for the more complex questions which
follow and return the students to pair work. In the West, if you have an appointment for a set time, you are
expected to be there at the time or earlier and being late can be
The same drill format or a variation could be used for exercise 2 considered an insult. Not so in Korea. Today’s city dwellers lived
with the question “What category does architect belong to?” Find in rural areas not long ago where clocks and watches were rare.
a balance in the length of the drill between confidence building and Appointments were made for times like ‘the middle of the after-
boredom. noon.’ One person often had to wait for the other. The practice
has carried over into the more quickly paced urban life as ‘Ko-
Class B) is already confident and would benefit from variety. rean time,’ the habit of showing up late for one’s appointment.
1) The students were assigned homework to keep track of the Koreans are often prepared to wait an hour or more. As Korea
number of hours they spent in classes, at work, and doing sev- has industrialized and modernized, the necessity for promptness
eral other activities between the last class and this one. and business efficiency has increased. However, you should still
2) Ask your students whether any of them know how to calculate be prepared to wait longer than you would in the West.
averages, have them gather the information from their classmates
and calculate their average. Compare theirs to the book. THE VISIBLE MINORITY
3) Hold a discussion on the possible cultural reasons for the dif- One of the most difficult aspects of Korea for the foreigner to
ferences, e.g., “Why do Americans take so few holidays?” adjust to is becoming a member of a visible minority. Koreans are
“Why don’t Brazilians or Americans attend school more of- a racially homogeneous people who have repelled many invasions
ten?” (Note: the American school schedule is based on the and suffered occupation by neighbors. To maintain its cultural, eth-
agricultural seasons). nic and national integrity, Korea closed its doors to the rest of the
world for many years, earning the name “the Hermit Kingdom.”
Class C) is possibly the most difficult with which to work. The
teacher must demonstrate to the students not only that the text-
Along with China, Korea has long considered itself to be part of
book contains new material, but also that the book can be intellec-
the cultured center of the world--all others were inferior. The com-
tually challenging.
monly used word in Korea for “foreigner” was once “barbarian,”
1) Before the students open their books, ask them to take out a
showing how distrusting and wary Koreans once were of outsid-
piece of paper and divide it into three columns, titled: “Office
ers. Korea’s isolation and homogeneity has given
Work, “Manual Labor,” and “Not Sure.”
2) Dictate the words from exercise 2 on page 8 one at a time

74 47
its people little opportunity to experience people of other races The following examples use p. 8 from chapter 2 of New Inter-
and creeds. Even today, the Westerner is somewhat of a novelty change, Book 1 (Richards, et. al, Cambridge Univ. Press: 1997)
to many. to illustrate how the same material can be adapted in different ways
to satisfy the needs of these three sets of learners:
Outside of Seoul, particularly in smaller cities, towns, or rural ar-
eas, any physical differences a foreigner has is likely to bring open A) A very low level, unmotivated class. The text seems
stares and comments. One hairy American man at the beach en- difficult for them and you want to give them a lot of guid-
ance as they grow accustomed to the book’s format.
countered two old men who poked and prodded at his abundant
chest hair and full beard. Because of their exoticness, foreigners
B) An average level, motivated class. The text is at their
will often be told they are beautiful or handsome whether they con- level, they participate in class and activities. To match their
sider themselves to be so or not. No matter how long a foreigner spirit and encourage their motivation, you wish to do more
lives in Korea, how well that person knows Korean, and or how for them than merely teach the book.
acculturated that person becomes, they will always be viewed as
different, an outsider. C) A class with high level reading and vocabulary skills,
they could use more conversation practice. You sense the
DAY TO DAY LIVING students have a tendency to ignore the activities in the book
Daily life in Korea has a distinctly different feel from that of most because they think the activities are too “simple.”
Western countries. Korea, as a relatively newly-developed coun-
try, is still learning to manage the problems of rapid industrializa- Class A) priorities are to make the material as easy as possible to give
them access to the textbook. Establishing class routines with few varia-
tion. Little attention has been diverted from economic growth to
aesthetics and environmental concerns. With over 45 million people tions will help. A sample presentation for exercise 1 is:
in a space roughly the size of England, cities and the countryside
1) Write on the board: What is the average number of working
are crowded, and pollution is a growing problem. hours per week in Brazil?
2) Looking at page 8, exercise 1, the students read the question
The crowding can become claustrophobic. You may get up in the in chorus and then read the answer in chorus.
morning and go to a small bathroom, eat breakfast in a small kitchen, 3) Underline parts of the sentence on the board to demonstrate
leave home through a narrow alleyway, get on an overcrowded the possibility of substitution as follows:
bus or subway, go to work at a workstation not much larger than
your desk, eat lunch at a tiny restaurant where the tables touch What is the average number of working hours per week in Brazil?
each other, and go to bed in a room not much larger than the bed- the average number of national holidays the U.S.
ding. On the otherhand, many things are nearby. Within walking the average number of working days per year Italy
distance of where you live, you are

48 73
 likely to find a grocery store, an open market, a restaurant, a phar-
macy, and a post office.

SOCIAL DRINKING
As a newly-arrived foreign guest being entertained, alcohol will be
a concern. Alcohol has for centuries been a central part of Korean
social interaction and ritual, including business and mourning as
well as pleasurable occasions. The per capita rate of alcohol con-
sumption in Korea is one of the highest in the world. Although only
men drank publicly in the past, now social drinking is acceptable
for both sexes. Non-drinkers are considered unsociable, or even
anti-social. Even nominally tee-totaling Christians may consider,
or be coerced by social pressure into accepting, beer or wine as
an exception to their generally stringent religious restrictions. If you
don’t drink, or don’t want to drink any more, a religious or medi-
cal excuse is about the only one that will excuse you from imbibing.
Otherwise, you will be expected to participate in Korean drinking
rituals fully.

Fortunately, food is generally served with alcohol, and beer rather

than the traditional “soju,” which is 50 proof alcohol, has become
popular. To cut down on the amount of alcohol you consume, drink
slowly, Koreans generally wait until a glass is empty before refilling
it. Also, with recent crackdowns on drunk driving, one can plead
the necessity to sober up to drive or ask to be the designated
driver. Otherwise, expect to drink a LOT, and don’t be surprised
if at least one of your party overdoes things. Drunk in Korean
terms only happens when a person throws up or passes out, and
getting drunk in Korea is perfectly fine in the interest of unity, har-
mony, and general good feeling. Alcoholism is considered to be a
From New Interchange, Book 1, Richards, Jack C., et al Western problem, though many Korean men drink almost daily.
(Cambridge Univ. Press: 1997) pg. 8

72 49
Your Korean hosts are sure to explain drinking etiquette to you. progress. If Susan prepares exercises and activities well in ad-
You will find variations to the following: the host generally pours vance, presents articles in a progressively difficult manner, and ac-
(and pays), beginning with the eldest or most senior person at the companies them with supporting cassette or video materials, she
table. This person holds the bottle with two hands, or with the right will be better able to sustain student interest. The preparation time
hand supported by the left at the elbow. If the guest is of similar for her would be extensive.
status, they should hold the glass in a similar fashion and if of higher
status, they should simply hold the glass with the right hand (using Robert faces difficulty in sustaining student interest as well. Ko-
the left hand is generally considered to be insulting). Wait to drink rean students generally take so many English classes that no matter
until everyone has been served. A toast is common. which book is introduced as the class text, one or two students
have probably already studied from it. Each textbook typically fol-
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION lows the same sequence of activities in each chapter. Boredom
Building construction and use is uniquely suited to Korea’s history sets in when there is too much predictability. Robert can stimulate
and environment. Traditional Korean houses are very different from his learners by occasionally introducing authentic materials (simpli-
Western-style housing, and modern construction incorporates as- fied to the students’ ability) relevant to the theme of a chapter.
pects of both. You should take your shoes off at the front door of
a Korean house in the alcove set aside for that purpose. Often Language Input. Authentic materials tend to be not only more
there is a pair of house slippers waiting on the raised floor for you. interesting than made for the classroom ones, but they tend to pro-
vide far more language input because of the amount of new lan-
The floor is raised to accommodate the heating system, called guage presented. If the amount of input is too high, the learner will
“ondol.” In older houses, heat was provided via ducts circulating be lost and receive no input and their motivation and self-esteem
smoke and heated air from coal or wood fires, so open windows will suffer. Students may, especially at lower levels, actually get
and frequent airing were necessary to eliminate harmful fumes. Al- more useful language input from the use of a textbook. Authentic
though many modern heating systems use hot water pipes, Kore- materials introduced on occasion may then be seen as a safe op-
ans continue to open windows and doors even in the coldest weather portunity to apply skills and vocabulary studied in a more formal
to air rooms in the belief that this maintains good health. Some manner.
older traditional-style houses still use fume-producing charcoal
briquettes, and electric or kerosene space heaters to supplement ADAPTING CLASSROOM MATERIALS
floor heat. Choosing and adapting materials for classroom use is a wider is-
sue than one of pure classroom management. Yet classroom mate-
Older Korean houses had windows and doors covered with pa- rials have such a strong impact on student behavior that it is worth
per, so windows were double-framed to improve insulation. exploring in depth. Materials that are well suited to the students
make successful classroom management easy, while mismatched
materials will lead to student apathy, chaos, or both.

50 71
has the students read and discuss it in groups. The students then Panes in newer houses are made of glass, but the double sliding
ask her questions about the article. Robert has chosen a textbook frames remain. The inside panes are generally frosted for privacy.
with pre-selected, thematically arranged readings, listening activi- Sliding doors, also common, are built the same way.
ties, and accompanying exercises. He uses the textbook during the Rooms in the past were not restricted to a single use, so furnishings
entire class period beginning with listening, proceeding to group were minimal and portable. A padded mat called a “yo” was used
discussion of the reading which was assigned as homework, check- for sleeping, then folded and put away during the day; tables and
ing comprehension of the reading, and finally checking answers to writing desks were built low to the floor, and cushions were used
the exercises. for seating. Most Koreans today use some combination of tradi-
tional and Western furnishings in their homes, and you will prob-
Student level. With very low level language learners, finding authen- ably do the same.
tic materials your students can understand or learn from will be diffi-
cult. Higher level learners have access to many more authentic materi- APARTMENT LIVING
als. However, in non-native English speaking countries, the task of Most apartments in Korea come unfurnished, with no refrigerator
finding interesting materials that also match lesson objectives can be or cooking range. Fortunately, used appliances and large furniture
challenging. Textbooks provide ready material written to the level of can be found fairly cheaply through classified ads or second-hand
student ability. appliance stores. Clothes dryers are relatively unknown in Korea.
Most people dry their clothing on portable folding racks or clothes-
Preparation time. Using a textbook clearly reduces preparation time lines strung on their balcony or roof.
because you do not first have to find the material. Even if you do
extensive adaptations or provide supplementary materials, a textbook If your housing is not provided, try to negotiate with your employer to
will provide you with a steady progression of skills or themes around at least provide “chunsae,” a hefty deposit of “key money.” You can
which to structure your syllabus. The progression textbooks provide, expect to pay your own utilities, and in some cases you may have to
such as easy to difficult readings, or simple to complex tenses, coupled get them hooked up as well. This will most certainly need to be done
with the fact that students possess the textbook and can use it to re- with the help of someone who speaks both Korean and English. Heating
view, gives the students a sense of security and progress in their lan- and cooking is generally natural gas- or kerosene-based. The gas is
guage learning. supplied in tanks ordered by you as needed and delivered to your
apartment, unless you live in a complex that charges a utilities-and-
Interest Level. The current events articles Susan brings for her maintenance fee (kwalli-bi) and then it would automatically be sup-
students are very likely intellectually stimulating and the students plied.
interest level will be high initially. Korean students seek “authentic
English” experiences and enjoy debating issues, but their interest Public restrooms bear mention here. Although this is changing, it is
level will wane if materials are consistently too difficult for them or very common for toilet tissue not to be supplied in the stalls, or
they cannot measure their towels for drying hands; most people carry small pack-

70 51
ets of tissue expressly for this purpose. At smaller business estab- method, Robert gives each student individualized attention and he
lishments the restroom may be used simultaneously by both sexes, may well hear students practicing for this particular test as he walks
with urinals on one wall and stalls along another. If the restroom is across campus, a heartening experience for a teacher.
not located in a business’s office, it will most likely be somewhere
in the stairwell. Larger or more recently-constructed restrooms Susan, in less rigorously structuring her test, has more closely simu-
may offer a choice of Western- and Asian-style toilets. The Asian- lated what takes place in “real” conversation. She is also able to
style is a short porcelain trough in the floor, with a flush handle to test large numbers of students by taking them in groups of three.
be pushed with the foot. Due to periodic low water pressure and/ She cannot, however, control the length of the conversations be-
or habit, toilet tissue is often not flushed down the toilet, but dis- cause they are so open. Also, in simplifying her preparation at the
posed of in a nearby waste basket. outset, she has a set of evaluation criteria that is considerably more
subjective than Robert’s.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Korea is a wonderfully easy country to get around in without a It is crucial to establish your testing procedure and how and why
private car. In fact, public transportation is often faster than private you chose it. Then communicate your evaluation criteria to your
auto because auto traffic is typically heavy, particularly during holi- students. There will still be questions and requests for higher grades,
days. Despite price increases caused by Korea’s recent financial so communicate your expectations in writing and keep them handy
strain, you can get almost anywhere by some combination of taxi, at the end of term along with your well kept records.
bus, subway (in the Seoul area, Pusan, and Taegu), train, air, and
ferry, for much less than you would pay elsewhere. Routes, desti- CHOOSING MATERIALS
nations, and fares are posted near ticket windows for regional and One of the subtler components of classroom management lies in
express buses, trains, and subways, and on the outside and inside the nature of the materials used. Materials affect not only what the
of city buses. Only subway routes, and sometimes train schedules students learn, but also how they learn. That “how” is both a peda-
are likely to be in English - another reason to learn at least rudi- gogical issue and a classroom management issue. Assuming you
mentary Korean. A good guidebook will also provide detailed in- do have complete control over the materials used in your class-
formation. room, how do you decide which book to use? Will you even use a
textbook? Several factors to be considered in your decision are:
If you are planning to travel by train on weekends or holidays, buy the level of your students; preparation time; student interest level;
your seat tickets as much in advance as possible (though no more and amount of language input for students.
than 30 days advance purchase is possible on the train). You can
travel “ip sok,” (standing), on all but the “saemaul”-class trains, Susan and Robert each teach a current events class in addition to
but you probably don’t want to do so for trips longer than an hour. their conversation class. Susan has chosen not to use a textbook
You can also purchase train tickets through with her advanced learners. Each day she brings an article (au-
thentic material) from a newspaper or magazine and

52 69
 some travel agents. Regional and express bus tickets are available
Robert gives his students a list of 50 conversation ques- for same-day travel only. It is expected that you give your seat to
tions based on the material covered in the textbook. For an older person, or someone carrying a small child. If someone
their test, students will have one-on-one interviews with
standing near you is carrying a heavy package, you can offer to
Robert who will ask each student five questions, randomly,
hold it for them. Koreans often simply point to or tug at the pack-
from the 50 on the list. The test is worth 10 of 100 points
comprising their final grade. A correct answer to each ques- age so the person carrying it knows to release it to their care.
tion is worth two points, answers are either right or wrong
without distinctions being made for fluency or grammar. If you are prone to motion sickness, take preventative measures
before getting on the bus for long trips. Korean bus drivers are
Susan’ s test is also worth 10 points towards a total of 100. pressured by their companies to keep extremely tight schedules,
She tests students in groups of three. Each group is given a so passenger comfort is not a high priority. Heavy traffic can also
previously unseen picture related to the content of the chap- cause major delays during peak travel periods, and roads are some-
ters they studied. Students were told they would need to times in poor repair or under construction.
talk about the picture among themselves with each student
asking and answering questions. Susan grades them in three
WALKING
categories: grammar, fluency, and vocabulary.
If you are a pedestrian, be extremely careful, even if you are crossing
Robert and Susan both have well-planned and well-organized testing in the crosswalk with the signal. Drivers in Korea bend traffic and
strategies with several good qualities in common. Both planned their parking regulations considerably more than Western drivers, so acci-
tests carefully; developed materials (questions and pictures); estab- dents are frequent. Also, motorcycles and mopeds often use side-
lished grading criteria (points per question/categories in focus); and walks. There may even be a special lane for them there! Automobiles,
informed students in advance of the testing procedure. From the point too, travel short distances down sidewalks to park in front of their
of view of fairness, both teachers have done well. homes or business establishments. Pedestrian traffic can be heavy in
the Seoul area, and buses, subways, and trains are tightly packed
Robert’s test would not be ideal for large classes due to the time during rush hours. Pushing and shoving should not be taken as deliber-
involved in interviewing one student. However, he has assigned a ately rude or insulting.
fixed set of questions for students to respond to and it is relatively
easy for him to decide whether or not to award points. Each exam LOCAL BUSINESSES
is short and fixed in duration. If Robert has written his test ques- There is likely to be a small post office within walking distance of
tions carefully to provide students with a chance to speak naturally home and/or school, maybe even on the college campus, where
about the topics they studied, his test will be a “useful” measure of you can mail most letters and packages - regular, express or regis-
their ability and achievement and will reinforce their motivation. tered mail; get stamps, and pay your utility bills. If you wish or your
With his employer chooses, you can also open an

68 53
account for your money through the post office, which has its own Ultimately, a teacher’s personal style and the class composition
ATMs on site. If you need to use a packing service to box and will affect the method of attendance taking. Two other methods of
wrap something, the main post office in your area can do this for attendance taking are: 1) appointing a student attendance monitor
you. It helps to take a translator or write out what you need in to take it while you attend to other class business, or 2) collecting
Korean in advance until you and the staff get to know one another. homework. Students who have not done homework can write their
names and ID numbers on a piece of paper to give to you. More
BANKING time tends to be spent on attendance at the beginning of a term
Banking is also fairly simple once you get the hang of it. You need when names and faces are still unfamiliar. A teacher’s method may
a residence card as well as your passport to establish an account change as the term progresses. Experimenting with various meth-
or convert money. If your school uses direct deposit they will often ods is easy with small classes. If your class is large, think through
take care of your account for you, including getting your first pass- the method you will use before you implement it as it will be more
book set up. If you will be sending money home on a regular basis, time consuming to change during the term.
you should shop around for the best exchange rate and service.
Although all banks use a set basic exchange rate, some keep up RECORDING GRADES
with it better than others, and fees and commissions can really Without entering into the debate on whether grades promote or inhibit
make a difference in the actual value you get. The Korean govern- language learning, it is a fact most teachers must evaluate students at
ment does set limits on how much of your salary you may convert the end of each term. It is in the teacher’s best interest to be very clear
each month. This amount varies but is often 66% of your stated about grading policies and, as with the issue of attendance, make those
contract salary. Money can either be wired or mailed home via a policies more than a required inconvenience by giving them a role in
bank draft. Wiring generally takes 3-5 business days and is a bit classroom management. Do take the time to record grades (and at-
more expensive than mail; also, some Western banks charge a tendance) neatly, consistently, and accurately. It is hard to imagine any-
hefty incoming wire fee. Wiring is generally dependable, but once thing more demoralizing for a student than receiving a low grade by
my home bank failed to credit a deposit to my account for almost accident - because the teacher forgot to enter a grade. And how does
three weeks. Bank drafts are cheaper, but you run the risk of the a teacher explain a low grade to a dissatisfied student, however fair
draft being damaged, stolen, or destroyed. Whichever method you that grade may be, without clear records to back it up?
choose, be sure to keep your receipts from the bank and post
office in case something goes awry. Worst case scenarios aside, how you keep your records can have
an important impact on day-to-day classroom management. Rob-
The level of English spoken at most foreign exchange counters is suf- ert and Susan teach English conversation at the same school and
ficient for basic transactions, but you may need to bring help use the same textbook. Their examples will be used to illustrate
for more detailed queries. Korean banks are electronically oriented record keeping considerations.

54 67
advantage over the other methods in its ease of use for the teacher. You can electronically deposit money into other domestic accounts
It does not require any special planning or record keeping, and the for very low fees, pay your utility bills with cash or your passbook,
teacher’s official roster is accurate at all times. Moreover, it dis- get a complete up-to-date record of transactions printed in your
courages lateness. If late students do not report to the teacher passbook on demand, and access your money and balance through
after class, they are not marked on the roster. “After class” is a ATMs all over the country. Also, you can get “soopyo,” (bankers’
key phrase. Late students will interrupt class to announce their checks) for set amounts - similar to travelers’ checks, through the
presence until they learn another way. ATMs, which is helpful when handling large amounts of money.
Personal checks are not used in Korea; cash or credit card are the
In using ID cards, Karen must sort through her cards after class to usual methods of payment.
mark her official roster, a definite disadvantage for a harried or over-
burdened teacher. Karen is also not likely to receive pictures from all It is possible to get cash from sources outside of Korea but only
the students. There are several hidden advantages to Karen’s method. through the HanNet ATMs. These can be found in subway, train,
By looking at her ID cards, Karen has an additional opportunity to and bus stations. The exchange rate is based on wholesale com-
review students’ names and win her students’ respect. The students mercial rates and reputedly can actually be a better value than a
were involved in the process by making the cards and they completed conventional bank. This can be handy to know in a fiscal emer-
a truly communicative language learning task by telling the teacher some- gency. If you cannot find a HanNet machine, you should be able to
thing personal about themselves. They view attendance taking as a get an advance on your credit card at most banks.
learning tool for the teacher rather than a mindless requirement. Fi-
nally, the task provided the teacher with an initial writing sample from MARKETS
each student. One of Korea’s more interesting features is its numerous under-
ground malls. Under the main thoroughfares of almost every city
John invested time up front in creating an assigned seating chart. He and town, often in the city centers or near the train station, is a
then had the advantage of being able to start class more quickly than series of underpasses connected by a veritable maze of small shops.
either Mark or Karen. This can be a great advantage with students These shops sell clothes, shoes, accessories, dishes, stationery,
who have a limited attention span or where calling a hundred names electronics, lamps and lighting, books and magazines, food, and
can take much longer than noting down five or six empty seats. De- so forth. Many of these businesses are in close proximity to one
pending on the type of class and the teacher’s style of teaching, this another, making comparative shopping easy and interesting for the
method can also result in a much less personal class than either Mark’s shopper. Above ground, too, it is very common to find a large
or Karen’s. Students in even the largest classes expect some personal number of small shops selling the same types of items in the same
attention from the teacher and taking attendance may be the only way general area.
to guarantee they get it. John could assign a quiet activity for students
to work on to fill the “down time” of taking attendance.

66 55
You will probably be able to walk to several grocery stores or dance encourages students to take class seriously and to come on
small supermarkets near your residence to get basic groceries. Some time. This in turn increases students’ ability to work together by
also have a butcher in-house, or there may be a separate butcher building trust that others will be present and prepared and increas-
shop nearby. There are also numerous bakeries, most of which sell ing their ability to work independently of the teacher. Several teach-
surprisingly good French bread among other treats. If you are re- ers’ attendance taking methods are described:
ally lucky you may live near a “shijang,” or large open market
selling food and almost everything else, too. The markets frequently Mark greets the class at the beginning of each period. He
have better prices and fresher goods as well as the convenience of then produces the official class list issued by the school and
reads through the names in order, checking off each one for
everything being close together, but be prepared to bargain. If you
that day as the students respond, “present.” He then begins
don’t know what a fair price is, you can try comparing with super-
class.
market prices or listen to another customer’s deal.
Karen has instructed students to make “ID cards” with
If you establish a relationship with a particular vendor by returning their picture and some personal information. After greeting
often to their stall, the vendor will usually reward you with a little the class, she reads through the ID cards in random order,
extra: a better price or a special treat. If you are looking for West- placing cards for absent students aside. She completes her
ern goods or other specialty items, the basement floor of most formal register later.
department stores (“paekhwa-jom”) has a larger, more West-
ern-style food market. Frequently there are reasonably-priced small John begins class immediately after greeting the class. He
restaurants and lunch counters as well. has given students assigned seats and makes a mental note
of the empty places as he is teaching. He then goes through
his register after class, referring to a seating chart to verify
DINING OUT
which students were not present.
Restaurants in Korea are a boon to the single person. It is possible
to eat well for 5,000 won or less per meal in most areas. You can You Write a description of the attendance procedure in your
get seconds on most side dishes for no extra charge, and some- class before continuing.
times even extra rice. Barley tea is often served in place of water;
your drink may be hot instead of cold in the winter. Many restau- Each of the methods described has its advantages and disadvantages.
rants have a choice of Korean- or West ern-style seating. The Mark’s method reinforces the importance of attendance and gives
menu (in Korean) with prices is usually posted on the wall. Non- each student a chance to be individually addressed by the teacher at
Korean food can be a bit hard to find in some areas, but Western- least once during class. It works well in small or medium sized classes
style fast food, Chinese food, Japanese food, and pizza are plenti- with students of any age. However, with very large classes or very
ful in the city centers. Pizza may have some unfamiliar toppings and young students, the amount of “down time” in reading through a long
sauces. In larger cities you can find Western-style list of names would be too much. It has a definite

56 65
stand up and move around straight away, out of nervousness and chains like Bennigan’s and TGIFriday’s along with Korean coun-
confusion they will speak only to the people closest to them any- terparts. Most other ethnic food, like Thai, Indian, Mexican, or
way. The comfort of a few “practice rounds” clarifies the activity Pakistani is limited to Seoul. Beer, “soju,” and other alcoholic bev-
and gives students confidence to stand up and use the language. It erages are available at most restaurants.
also gives the students a reason to move since they have spoken to
all the people around them. The Korean diet consists of a bowl of rice three times a day, less
red meat than in Western diets, and more fish and greens. There is
Late Students. Students will be late and their lateness will be a also the ever-present spicy pickled cabbage called “kimchi.”
minor disruption. The key to minimizing the disturbance is to make Whether eating Korean food or going out for Chinese or Japa-
it clear to the late students exactly where they should go. Keep a nese, you will be expected to consume your food with chopsticks.
few empty seats near the door designated as late seats. This will Skill is required to manipulate them well, but once you are good at
keep them from distracting others by walking around the class and it, you will be able to pick up even a single sesame seed.
they can move to another seat at the start of an activity where
everyone is getting into place. GATHERING MORE INFORMATION
Korea’s recent political past, current economic situation, and the
RECORD KEEPING increasing influence of outside cultures make for a culture in flux,
Teachers keep records of students’ attendance, work, exam scores, with rapidly changing conditions. Much of what you read about
and grades. Records are almost always required by the school and Korean culture will not apply to your particular situation, so try to
are usually expected by the students. Grades motivate students to get information from several sources both before going and while
work harder and it gives them an evaluation of their performance in Korea. Again, the most accurate information will come from
throughout the term. Using grades to assess the effectiveness of teach- Koreans and expatriates with ties to the area where you will be
ing on the whole class can help in planning future lessons. Keeping living. You may be able to find helpful people through connections
attendance records emphasizes the seriousness and importance of your with your past and future schools and teachers’ organizations.
class; gives you an opportunity to greet each student at the beginning
of class and learn names; and signals to students that class has begun. Many cities have Korean immigrant community interest groups listed
Record keeping can also be used to communicate with students about in the local paper or phone book. Your country’s embassy and
their ideas and progress, giving the students language input and prac- state departments often have information on countries with further
tice. contacts listed. Finally, several media sources including the Korea
Herald, the Korea Times, Arirang television station, and the Ameri-
Attendance. Korean schools, even at the university level, place rela-
can Armed Forces Korea Network (AFKN, both TV and radio)
tively more importance on attendance than do schools in the West.
can provide information and insight into Korean culture.
Attendance can be used by the teacher with a positive effect when it is
made part of the classroom dynamic. Requiring atten-

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activity, students could be placed in pairs or small groups to design
a furniture layout. A pyramid decision-making process could en-
sue. Two groups join together, present their layouts to each other,
and vote on the best or preferred design. The winning design moves
up to the next level. The group joins another, the two layouts are
presented and voted on. The winning design moves to the next
level and so forth until two layouts remain. These are presented to
the entire class and are voted on. Since the students determined
the furniture layout, they are more likely to take responsibility for
setting up the classroom at the beginning of each period. Another
good application of the pyramid decision-making procedure is to
establish classroom rules. If students set them, they may be more
likely to follow them.

When furniture is immovable, there are still numerous methods for pair
and group work. Students tend to choose and occupy the same seat
for an entire term. With immovable furniture, this causes them to work
only with the same people who always sit near them. Rotate rows.
Have the person in the first seat go to the back and have all other
students in the row move forward one seat. Students then work on a
task in their new pair. Rotate them again just before they finish. Keep
doing this until students are back in their original seats or are showing
signs of boredom. You can rotate entire rows and in group work where
one pair is sitting backwards in their seats to work with the pair behind
them, you can rotate pairs to keep mixing the students.

When organizing a mingle activity (for example, a “find someone

who” activity in which the students must ask different people in the
class the same questions) it is worth having the students work first
with the students seated near them before asking them to find some-
one new. When students are made to

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situations described in this chapter are meant to help new teachers
build “experience” in advance and cause experienced teachers to
reflect on their own practices. While the examples given come from
adult teaching situations, the principles outlined apply at any level
of teaching and to any age group.

SEATING ARRANGEMENTS
Distance. In large classes where 30, 50, 80 or more students pack
the room, visibility and audibility become issues. Students at the back
of the room cannot see the board, hear the teacher, or hear each other. PART TWO
They will go off task and will talk among themselves. Insist students sit
as close to the front as possible and have those at the back rotate to
the front mid-way through the lesson.

Improve students’ ability to see the board by writing in large let- “Anyone who thinks that there is much difference
ters in clear ink or chalk. Provide students with handouts contain- between education and entertainment,
ing the information you are covering and make certain the informa- knows very little about either.”
tion on your overheads can be seen from the back wall of the -Oscar Wilde
room. The overhead projector is a great tool to use in large classes
because it is usually projected above the chalk or whiteboard and
thus serves to focus student attention.

Furniture. The furniture may be too heavy to move or may even be

bolted to the floor. Seldom are classrooms designed or furniture pur-
chased by practitioners. Your physical environment will more than likely
hinder pair and group work. It may also prevent your students from
standing for a mingling activity. The frustration you may have is also felt
by your students who may resist your attempts to have them move
around the classroom.

If the furniture is movable, try moving it yourself before class be-

gins or assign several students to arrange the furniture regularly.
This could be a rotating responsibility. As a term-initial

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_________________________________________________
FIVE

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Andrew Jackson and Peter Kipp

Peter Kipp taught composition and language

arts in the U.S. before coming to Korea. He
presents his ideas on classroom management
to English teachers from around Korea. He
currently teaches at Ewha Women’s University.

Andrew Jackson has taught French in the

United Kingom and English as a Foreign
language in Quebec, Italy, Spain, and Korea.
He is currently an instructor of English at
Ewha Women’s University and a teacher
trainer in Cambridge University’s RSA Di-
ploma program offered at Yonsei University.

INTRODUCTION
Classroom management is a process of imagination. It requires imag-
ining critical stages of the lesson, what the teacher will do, and what the
students will do in response. It requires imagining the end result of an
assignment and the tasks students will do to complete the assignment.
It also requires imagining and preparing for the possibility that things
will go wrong. This is not easy.

Good classroom management involves experience, a repertoire of

responses to potential problems, and a bit of experimentation along
the way. This chapter focuses on five key variables in planning and
conducting classes: seating arrangements; record keeping; select-
ing and adapting materials; giving instructions; and dealing with
problem students and classes. The

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