Jamie Hartford

C&T 598
Dr. Cho GTA: Annetta
5/26/17
Article 1

Quote:

Christopher concurred with the author that teachers should make every effort to incorporate

students cultural identity into instruction by not forcing them to become mini-American or

someone else. (Cho and Peter 161)

In the article, Taking the TESOL Practicum Abroad, written by Dr. Cho and Dr. Peter,

examine NEST teaching English at a foreign country is examined. TESOL practicum has pros

and cons; it is good that the student-teacher can gain cross-culture experience; it is bad because

of culture shock. After the TESOL Practicum was established in Jinsung all girl middle, high,

English Business high school, the first group of KU students that went to Jinsung in 2015. Base

on the first group experience, Dr. Cho and Dr. Peter collect the data and did a report.

I chose this quote because it related to my own story, I have witness it happen at Jinsung

all-girls school. I feel like having their own culture identity added to their English learning can

be both fun and rewarding. It will encourage student to speak English because it is something

that they are interested in. Also, they will be open about it and it is easier to bound with

them. English is not my first language, I was born in China. I never had a proper education

when I was in China; I was not allowed to go to school. I was adopted when I was 13 years old

and even though I wasnt force to go to America but I had to leave everything behind. When I

came to America I was very scared and I had to go to American school and everything was

strange to me. I understood that I had to learn English very fast so I could communicate,

especially with my mom and new family. Even though I was immersed in learning English, my

mom still let my keep my own culture. She let me talk to Chinese friends and celebrate Chinese

holidays. But I did regret that my school did not offer Chinese because my Chinese vocabulary
was very limited and I could not read or write it. So, at school I did not have anyone to relate to

but those ELL students -- I was lonely a lot while I was at school. Thats one reason why I think

keep your own culture while learning is very important. First you have someone to relate to and

second, you have friends to talk to.

I have not been in Kyunghwa very long, and we have been observing high schools first

and second grade oral performance, which is led by native English speaking teacher. I really

liked how he let the first graders to pick their own topic and talk about it. I can tell for some it

was a very fun project to do, but for others not so much. After their presentation, the English

teacher broke us up into small groups and we talk about topic that they are interested in. I do not

know about other groups, but for mine groups, they asked me about KPop and KDramas. Since

it is the most popular thing in Korea, I could really relate to them because I, myself is also a

KDrama fan. I was very happy that I can relate to them and carry on meaningful

conversation. Second, I think they should keep their own culture while they are learning. If they

are just been taught or force to use English in an uninteresting way, I feel like no ones English is

going to improve. Also, it encourages them to talk about something they are comfortable with so

that they can converse comfortable. More importantly, no one should be forced to give up their

culture if they do not want to.

Question:

For the past two days, I have observed NEST teaching first and second grades high

school students. He makes the class fun and entertaining and knows how to get class

excited. My question is, what is the Korean teaching style like? I understood, during third of

high school English is not fun and games, it is serious business because they are preparing for the

college entrance exam. Do they still have time to speak English with anyone even with their
crazy schedule? When I have conversation with the students who are in first and second grade,

some really want to be able to practice English and they are just eager to learn. So, I am

wondering what is third year English is like.

Article 2

Quotes:

More and more native speakers of English have been hired regardless of their education

backgrounds. (Park 53)

In the article, English fever in South Korea: its history and symptoms by Park Jin-Kyu,

the author notes how strongly South Korea views English. Asian countries have already known

to have strict education system and after the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, English started to

boom. Parents would spend so much effort to give their children the best English education;

they were referred to as the soccer mom (51). The children as early as five and six would go

to school during the day and go to cram school at night, in addition to a private tutor. At times

the children are sent to only English-speaking countries so they get the first-hand learning. I

chose the quote above because I have heard a lot about it while I studied in Seoul, South Korea

last year. There are pros and cons of having native speaker of English to teach English in South

Korea. First of all, I believe that there is nothing wrong with having NESTs teaching in South

Korea or any country for that matter. My opinion is that it benefits students a great deal. First, it

is the place where they can hear the actual English accent. Also, I feel like having NEST, the

English classes are more relaxed because the teachers understand they are already under a lot of

stress, so the English class are just a fun way for them to loosen up and interact with their

classmates. For example, I currently teaching Jinsung all-girls school, first and second grade in

high school and their English told us that he likes to make his classes fun and engaging so they
can forget about stress. Similarly, while I was studying abroad here last summer, I did a

volunteer work for disabled children; there I met quite a few NESTs. The English church I

attended that had quite a few NESTs as well. I was amazed why there are so many. They told

me they were either being recruited or because they had volunteered, but they do not have an

education major background. So, quite of few told me that, All I have to have was a degree and

I could teach English at a foreign country. I think it is awesome to be able to do that, is place I

can fall back on if I do not have any job. But there also cons.

While it is a good thing that the Americans or English-speaking persons can find jobs

teaching in a foreign country, the downside is that those native English speakers do not know

how to properly teach in a classroom, at least at first. Because English is their mother language,

it is very hard for them to teach the grammar part of it. All the NESTs told me they are mainly

there for conversation and listening part of it and that is very good, but how long can that

last. The other down fall is that Koreans, who majored in English education are at a

disadvantage. I also know quite a few Korean English teachers, and I asked about the

competition between them and the NESTs. One Korean teacher told me that it was very hard to

keep it up because she is not in an English-speaking country. She watches American movies and

find American people to practice speaking English. She told me that she works very hard to try

to be the best English teacher. There is another Korean English teacher told me that she was

fired because they wanted more NESTs. After I heard it, I was heartbroken for her because those

Education majors who actually put effort into this major. Thats why I do not think it is fair for

everybody.

Later, I hope to be an English in Seoul, South Korea. I thought it would be a great

opportunity to practice being a professor someday. I do realize that I do not have education
major as well, so I hope South Korean schools will just use me as conversation teacher. After

this two days of speaking with the students, I do not mind just be their conversation

partner. Hopefully I can get an education certificate before I start teaching at a public school. I

definitely think this program is a great place to start.

Question:

I understand that it is very easy for native English speaker to become a teacher at a

foreign country, but it is not so easy for the Koreans, what kind of test do they have to pass to

become an English teacher? Also, for those foreigners who have never taught before, how do

they know what to do? And what kind of method do they use? Finally, would the Korean

education system let the native English speakers do the communication and listening class and

let the Korean teachers do the grammar and the reading classes? I feel like it would make a lot

sense doing it that way.