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TEFL Khartoum North

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This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:

J.S. - France said:
The public education system in Korea is unique in many ways. It is a system that reflects many of the traditional aspects of Korean culture as well as its modern dynamism. My three years of experience as a esl teacher in different Korean public middle schools has afforded me some insight into the challenges facing students in this rather unique and demanding esl learning environment. I intend to discuss some of these problems and the approaches used to address them by looking at just a few areas in particular. I will discuss the overwhelming demands placed on many students by their teachers and parents and the problems this creates in the classroom. In addition, I will also examine classroom dynamics unique to many Korean public schools that can create a problematic esl learning environment. In Korean secondary schools, students begin to understand the importance of passing their final exams. A large majority of Korean students are enrolled classes at after-school 'cram schools', known as hagwons in Korean. According to Time Magazine, “In 2010, 74% of all students engaged in some kind of private after-school instruction...at an average cost of $2,600 per student for the year.” These supplementary education hours are most often used to help students with subjects they find difficult and important for success in our globalized world, namely english and mathematics. And because these classes are paid for by their parents, there is an enormous amount of pressure for students to be successful in their studies as well as for the ever-looming college entrance exam. It may seem odd that middle school students are preparing for an exam that may be five years off, but such is the case. Due to the long hours spent in hagwons and immense pressure from parents, Korean students at times suffer. I can attest to the strain this puts on students from first-hand accounts. Quite often around semester exam time, a large number of my students would be sleeping in class. Invariably when I would wake these students and attempt to engage them in the lesson, they would respond that they were tired from studying the night before. “What time did you go to bed?” I would often ask. More often than not, students would tell me that they were up until 1 or 2 am studying. For a student that has to be back at school the following day at 7:45am, this leaves little time for the quality rest needed to concentrate on their in-class work. In addition, while correcting students' english journals during mid-semester and final exam times, I would often come across entries where students expressed anxiety at not having free time to play with friends or of harsh punishments doled out by demanding parents. While its true some students can thrive under this pressure, I feel that the extreme exigency of parents and teachers more often than not places undue stress on the students who could benefit more from a holistic approach to academic life, an approach that would afford them time to concentrate on their studies while also being able to engage in other pursuits. Oftentimes even extracurricular activities, such as learning a musical instrument or engaging in sports, would also entail similar pressures of rigorous after-school practice and schooling at the expense of free time spent relaxing or socializing. In addition to the extreme pressures to exceed academically, there is another aspect of the Korean esl learning environment in public schools that pose problems for students. In the Korean public middle schools where I worked, which were typical of most schools in the country, I found the classroom dynamics and organization often made it difficult to adequately enhance students' understanding of english. In Korean public schools, students are typically kept together with the same other 35 + classmates for their english conversation class with the native speaker, irrespective of their particular levels of english. While this approach can be effective given certain approaches to lesson planning and availability of resources, in the context of most Korean public schools this system works to hinder student engagement. Native language esl teachers most often prepare lessons on very general grammar or conversation topics and either leave some advanced students unfulfilled or lower-level students inordinately challenged. To add to the difficulties, classes with the native language esl teacher are seen as supplementary immersion courses that factor very little into students' grades. Classes are canceled and changed at will and usually without notice, oftentimes rendering the esl teacher's attempts to construct a cohesive syllabus useless. These classes are also most often geared toward conversation and speaking exercises, whereas all most of the material students are tested on for their exams(the stuff that really counts to them and their parents) have to do with reading, writing and listening skills. With little incentive to participate in these conversation classes, student behavior tends to be problematic unless enormous efforts are made to teach 'fun' or 'culture' lessons, which may or may not have the benefit of enhancing their english skills. To conclude, there are a number of challenges facing esl education in Korean public schools. Overwhelming demands placed on students by parents and the society at large, coupled with problematic esl classroom dynamics, makes these students' experience learning english less effective and more stressful than it could be. WORK CITED Amanda Ripley, “teacher, Leave Those kids Alone”, Time Magazine 25 September 2011: 1. online


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