Overview of Teaching English in Non English

Speaking Countries

ACC4300-1

ACC4300-1 learning module “An overview of teaching in non English speaking countries”

Welcome to this series of non accredited introductory

learning modules designed to give an overview of

teaching English as a second language in Korea and

China to ESL teachers currently residing in Australia,

young persons who are seeking to embark on a

career path in ESL teaching, and senior persons

interested in changing the current direction of their

working lives to become ESL teachers, who might also

like to teach ESL in China or Korea.

In more advanced TESOL course work

there exists a myriad methods of

both assessing and teaching the

English language to second language

(L2) students. Described here is the

most prevalent of all of the methods

which is still the main method, by

choice, of State, and private schools

(Hagwons) in Korea. Korean students

learn English through a system of

teaching cited by academic scholars

as the Grammar translation method.

The presentation of the English language in State and Private

schools in Korea is by a two teacher method, where the core English

grammar based coursework, and the rudiments of the English

language, are presented to students by bi-lingual Korean teachers.

Bi-lingual classes are often in conjunction with the student use of a

language laboratory, which is also generally supervised by senior

Korean bilingual teachers. This teaching system has a lot of merit

where the students belong to a single nation. Student in a

multilingual classroom similar to those found in Australia, can be

much more complicated for an ESL teacher.

Teaching Methods in Korea

The bi-lingual Korean ESL teacher is able to present English grammar

structures to Korean students, and then is able to reinforce the sense of

the grammatical structures with examples from the Korean language.

Coupled to these classes are the language laboratory activities where the

L2 student is then able to, with the use of language software, study much

vocabulary lists and use vocabulary comprehension testing sections, with

word insertion into language passages via multiple choice selection. For

these activities, obviously, the student must be advanced enough to take

the classes. Grammar classes and language laboratory classes tend to go

on in the background of the visiting Western ESL teacher's own timetable.

Korean Teacher

For the Australian ESL teachers then, there is a timetable

that covers prescribed text books, both for the teacher and

the students, together with a students homework workbook.

Homework is generally set at the end of each lesson, which

allows the teacher to get the students to complete any

outstanding work from the lesson, or, to handout fresh

homework using topics that will form part of the next lesson.

Australian Teacher

TEST

•The ESL teaching syllabus is a teaching progression based on the textbook's chapters. At the end of each chapter there are the grammar structures that cover the completed chapter work. These end of chapter grammar sets run concordant with the background grammar lessons being taught by the Korean teachers.

•They give the ESL teacher a chance to teach some extra “off textbook” grammar examples if required, and at the same time test the students comprehension of the any grammar structure that has been used in the chapter. Important here is that the ESL teacher does have a solid working knowledge of English grammar because there is a continuous need to reinforce the schools bilingual English grammar teachers, not all L2 students get grammar in the first pass.

Having tested the students grammar, reading writing, listening and speaking abilities at each chapters end, the ESL teacher has to compile a progress report for each student, and hand it into the school's administrator.

The report will contain the attendance record, the students learning progress, and an attributing score mark for each learning category. The general report is also use by the Korean teacher during a daily/weekly curtsey telephone conversation with each students parents giving a general report about each students attitude in the classroom, their learning capabilities, their attention span, and their contribution to the daily lesson.

Lesson plan

The ESL teacher then, is managing his/her Korean classroom and using a daily lesson plan to present the lesson parameters. The dynamics of each classroom generally bring the classroom alive as the students start to respond to the lesson plan. Lesson plans will be cover in the ACC4300-3 learning module.

Where the ESL teacher is contracted to a state school the programs can be quite different

The permanent Korean teaching staff conduct meetings to formulate lesson plans for the different age groups in the student body (e.g Korean Elementary state schools have six grade levels).

State schools are generally very well equipped with presentation electronics text books, and classroom supplies. They emphasise a much more hands on active approach to teaching and have English syllabuses that include both general English classes, and drama classes (lots of fun).

Classes tend to have larger student numbers than private schools, up to thirty students per classroom. Co-teaching, two teachers to a classroom, one bilingual Korean teacher and one Western ESL teacher. Class Lesson plans are provided to the Western teacher, by the Korean teacher, on a daily basis. State schools sometimes also employ a full time English teacher who has his/her own English classroom, and private office. They prepare and conduct their own syllabuses and lessons.

After school programs, which are run by private ESL contracting companies, are similar to Hagwons but after school programs are awarded to companies by the State school headmaster, and attract government contracts.

After school programs usually run for two to three hours after the normal daytime school finishes. Classes are run on the general English floor of the school, with each ESL teacher having their own classroom and text books provided by the private After School Program contractor. The daytime co-teaching, and the State school after school programs are part of the same contract and generally run for thirty hours a week.

After School Program

English Village

Many of the classrooms are constructed as stage sets of various shops types. There may be a restaurant, a book shop, hospital ward, a full blown theatre, and cafe that become interactive roll play classroom scenarios.

The English village school is general set on two floors with one floor for normal general English classes. The interactive shop complex floor is used by several staff teachers on a time allocation, timetable activity lesson block, basis. The theatre is used for whole school student acting competition with teacher/student story skits, and minimal student prop manufacture.

Most fun of all is teaching ESL in an English Village type private school, which are popular in Korea.

Summer and winter Camping Last but not least are the Summer and Winter camps that all

Korean school and students take part in some form or another.

These can be conducted in the actual state school, or as private fee paying venues. Often a summer camp will be held in a Winter ski resort. Wide games, and lots of artistic activities like making posters, clay modelling are the fare, with whole camp, (over 100 students) competing in knock-out musical mime pieces, often as good as SBS POP Asia performers, (some of the ten year olds have all of the mime moves for their favourite pop group, amazing!) Golden Bell vocabulary knock-out competition, and treasure hunts, water slides are also very popular.

Well, that's all for now for learning module ACC4300-1 “Overview of teaching English in non English countries”. I hope you have gained some insights what to expect as visiting Australian ESL teacher teaching in Korean Private schools (Hagwons), Korean State schools and English international Village type schools.

See you next time in ACC4300-2 learning module “Language teaching methodologies.

*This lecture gives general information about Korea's cultural profile, its culinary attributes, some reference to its Historical sites and the current exciting and youthful expressions its economic and technological verve