Teach English in Fancun Zhen - Jinzhong Shi

The topic of this essay is motivation in the classroom, especially as it relates to South Korean secondary school pupils, who will be my students in the upcoming academic year. I am interested in a problem which was not explored in the ITTT course, namely the issue of students with too much motivation or the “wrong” motivation. The ITTT course book spoke to the importance of students’ motivation levels on several occasions. In all of these instances, the focus was on the importance of maintaining sufficient motivation, and the dangers of students having too little. It advises that “a motivated student has a greater chance of success than a student without motivation” (Unit 4, page 8) and warns that “Younger learners … have rarely made [the decision to attend classes] for themselves and may be somewhat lacking in motivation” (Unit 1, page 6). The only advice that ITTT provides with regards to motivation has to do with maintaining high motivation in those who would otherwise have low motivation (this is most apparent in Unit 19’s section on teaching beginners, which I will touch on below. See Unit 19, page 3). From what I have read about Korean secondary schools, however, lack of motivation does not seem to be a problem. Reviews and reflections by other Americans who have taught English in Korea consistently emphasize the effects of “stress culture” on their students, who generally suffer from too much external motivation rather than too little (see “What I Wish I Knew Before Teaching English in South Korea” from Greenheart Travel). In the case of South Korean students, hyper-motivation seems to be a more pressing concern than insufficient motivation. The level of stress and academic pressure experienced by these students has wide-ranging ramifications, none of which are addressed in the ITTT course book. In an article titled “The Scourge of South Korea” in the Berkely Political Review, author Ana Singh writes: "South Korea’s work and school cultures are lethally toxic … South Korea has the highest suicide rate in the world for children ages 10-19 … For children, most suicides are caused by stress relating to education." So, how should a teacher address the issue of students who are too motivated, or motivated too strongly by stressors and external pressures? ITTT’s program is lacking in this area, which is unfortunate because hyper-motivation is a problem in many regions of the world beyond South Korea. Fortunately, the tips which ITTT provides in addressing low motivation may also be useful, although not comprehensive, in addressing hyper-motivation. The ITTT program warns in the first page of the first chapter about the effects of correcting students on their motivation, implying, of course, that if you over-correct a student they may become unmotivated. But what about a hyper-stressed, hyper-motivated student? Over-correcting them could have totally different ramifications, ranging from a redoubling of their attention to a total breakdown of their ability to work and focus. Although the effects of over-correcting are different for students who are prone to insufficient motivation when compared to those prone to hyper-motivation, the lesson is the same: over-correction should be avoided. The following tips come from ITTT’s section on teaching students who lack external motivation beyond the teacher: • Do not over-correct • Be sensitive to your students • Respond to your students as individuals • Create a relaxed and supportive atmosphere • Praise and encourage • Focus on what is easy, not what is difficult (These tips are excerpts of the full list, found in Unit 19, page 3). All of these tips are useful also when dealing with hyper-motivated and over-stressed students. Although ITTT does not address the issue of hyper-motivation directly, it does emphasize the need to reduce stress generally: “Anxiety and stress need to be low for effective language learning” (Unit 3, page 4). Additionally, some of its tips for maintaining a healthy level of motivation can be used to help students with too much motivation just as they can be used for students with too little. Bibliography: Singh, Ana. “The ‘Scourge of South Korea’: Stress and Suicide in Korean Society.” Berkeley Political Review. October 31, 2017. https://bpr.berkeley.edu/2017/10/31/the-scourge-of-south-korea-stress-and-suicide-in-korean-society/ Williams, Caroline. “What I Wish I Knew Before Teaching English in South Korea.” Greenheart Travel, posted 2017. https://greenhearttravel.org/blog/teach-abroad-south-korea/what-i-wish-i-knew-before-teaching-english-in-south-korea ITTT course book.