After watching a movie with a Korean over the weekend, I thought about the way I explained American culture to her. I wondered if the same thing could be done in Screen English. So I showed the students three clips from "High School Musical 1". I then tried to explain the important aspects of the clips we saw.
The upside of this was that students got to see more of the movie. 75% of the students who visited this blog during the week of Chuseok expressed that they'd like to see more movies (This probably also including English Conversation students).
The downside was that students didn't have much opportunity to talk about the movie. If they could talk about it, it seems like it would be difficult in a class of 30 or 40 students to give students opportunity to talk directly to me.
I tried to give the students opportunity to talk to each other. But it seemed they had a hard time understanding what I was asking them to do.
If you were in that class (11am to 12:50pm, Tuesday, Secondary Special Education Screen English 2), I would like to know what you thought. Is this an approach that would be helpful to you learning English? How could it be modified (changed) to be more useful to you?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Free-Talking Substitute: What Event(s) Has Changed Your Life?
If you have chosen to spend thirty minutes on here instead of free-talking, here is what I would like you to do.
Talk about a special event (i.e. school, teacher, history) that changed your thinking.
Some of you may think this means you have to talk about a big event that was a matter of life-and-death. But that is not the case at all. Just think about who your favorite teacher(s) was or whom you have had the closest relationship with? Or how about which traumatic historical event you remember the most? Why does it stand out in your mind more than the rest?
Talk about a special event (i.e. school, teacher, history) that changed your thinking.
Some of you may think this means you have to talk about a big event that was a matter of life-and-death. But that is not the case at all. Just think about who your favorite teacher(s) was or whom you have had the closest relationship with? Or how about which traumatic historical event you remember the most? Why does it stand out in your mind more than the rest?
Monday, September 27, 2010
Making sentences...
I had some difficulty with a game I thought would work out well. The idea of the game is that people have to make a story based on the information that is presented to them. I started with, "I came to KNU to teach a class." The student I called on had trouble saying that she tripped over the desk. This game continued to be a struggle, so I moved on to the next activity.
In the next class, I had people get in groups. This worked a little better. But it was still difficult to get students to make a story. A lot of times students would make one sentence. But it was difficult for them to make a continuous story. I helped them by giving them an example using words like but, then and so.
This experience is something I've experienced often in the two-and-a-half years that I've lived in Korea. It seems that the most difficult thing is for students to make sentences. I tend to see my job as "forcing" students to speak in English. But in some cases, it seems that students still need me to hold their hand. That is to say, they need me to continue to teach them grammar.
This is difficult since my Korean level is still not on par with the level needed to do this. I think a common problem students have is a lack of motivation. Or perhaps it is the fact that the situation is not real. I find free-talking to be more comfortable because it is really conversation with a small group of people. I wonder what I can do between the rock and the hard place where the students and I are. I see the rock as the requirement that students take this class whether they want to or not and the hard place is the fact that students have not been trained well about how to make a sentence.
If you are one of my students, how do you rate yourself as well as your fellow students on this matter? Are there things I can do to improve your ability to communicate in English?
In the next class, I had people get in groups. This worked a little better. But it was still difficult to get students to make a story. A lot of times students would make one sentence. But it was difficult for them to make a continuous story. I helped them by giving them an example using words like but, then and so.
This experience is something I've experienced often in the two-and-a-half years that I've lived in Korea. It seems that the most difficult thing is for students to make sentences. I tend to see my job as "forcing" students to speak in English. But in some cases, it seems that students still need me to hold their hand. That is to say, they need me to continue to teach them grammar.
This is difficult since my Korean level is still not on par with the level needed to do this. I think a common problem students have is a lack of motivation. Or perhaps it is the fact that the situation is not real. I find free-talking to be more comfortable because it is really conversation with a small group of people. I wonder what I can do between the rock and the hard place where the students and I are. I see the rock as the requirement that students take this class whether they want to or not and the hard place is the fact that students have not been trained well about how to make a sentence.
If you are one of my students, how do you rate yourself as well as your fellow students on this matter? Are there things I can do to improve your ability to communicate in English?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Preparing for Class
I started to prepare for class this morning (Chuseok Day). I only got as far as finding ideas for English Conversation class. Whereas last semester, it seemed easier to teach Screen English, it seems easier to teach English Conversation this semester. Perhaps part of that is because I have tools for English Conversation.
I'm not quite sure how to approach teaching Screen English. Last semester, I chose two movies. But I think that got to be redundant for the students after a while.
Today I watched "I Am Sam". This seemed like a good movie to show to students majoring in Elementary and Secondary Special Education. The Korean I watched this movie with didn't seem to understand all of the cultural cues. So I think I might add this to the list of movies.
But how do I teach this? Do I try to explain all the idioms? Do I try to explain the culture behind the movie? Do I focus on Sam and what the students think the solution is to this dilemma? Or do I focus on grammatical factors or key issues students can use in everyday conversation?
I'm not quite sure how to approach teaching Screen English. Last semester, I chose two movies. But I think that got to be redundant for the students after a while.
Today I watched "I Am Sam". This seemed like a good movie to show to students majoring in Elementary and Secondary Special Education. The Korean I watched this movie with didn't seem to understand all of the cultural cues. So I think I might add this to the list of movies.
But how do I teach this? Do I try to explain all the idioms? Do I try to explain the culture behind the movie? Do I focus on Sam and what the students think the solution is to this dilemma? Or do I focus on grammatical factors or key issues students can use in everyday conversation?
Monday, September 20, 2010
How Are We Doing?
I'm pleased with how everyone is doing so far on this blog.
However, I'd like to see you comment on what other people have written as well as on what I have written.
If you don't understand something or a lot of what I have written, please ask and I will try to explain it in easier words or in Korean if that helps.
If you don't want to waste your time having to go to this blog to see when someone makes a comment, I recommend the following.
1. Start your own profile on Blogger.
2. Subscribe by e-mail.
If you want help with either of these things, let me know.
I'm enjoying corresponding with you all in this manner.
For those of you who have started, keep up the good work.
For those of you who haven't started yet, get going.:)
Once again, I hope you all have a blessed Chuseok.
P.S. You should've received e-mail from me about the free-talking schedule. This is a direct response to two students who expressed frustration regarding free-talking. Lesson: If you want to change something about class or free-talking this semester, THIS IS THE PLACE TO TELL ME.
However, I'd like to see you comment on what other people have written as well as on what I have written.
If you don't understand something or a lot of what I have written, please ask and I will try to explain it in easier words or in Korean if that helps.
If you don't want to waste your time having to go to this blog to see when someone makes a comment, I recommend the following.
1. Start your own profile on Blogger.
2. Subscribe by e-mail.
If you want help with either of these things, let me know.
I'm enjoying corresponding with you all in this manner.
For those of you who have started, keep up the good work.
For those of you who haven't started yet, get going.:)
Once again, I hope you all have a blessed Chuseok.
P.S. You should've received e-mail from me about the free-talking schedule. This is a direct response to two students who expressed frustration regarding free-talking. Lesson: If you want to change something about class or free-talking this semester, THIS IS THE PLACE TO TELL ME.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Blogging Instructions for My Students
Here are the instructions for my students during the Korean Thanksgiving Holiday (Chuseok).
1. Read through any or all of what you see on this blog.
2. Click on "comment".
3. Type in the box to the right.
4. Click the box next to "anonymous" (Or you can set up an i.d. with Google or another source).
5. Click on "submit".
6. As more students post, please respond to what they write.
7. Please don't use your dictionary for this activity.
8. If you don't understand, ask, "What does ~ mean?"
9. The important thing is for you to read and write.
10. When you don't know how to say something in English you can use Konglish.
11. I will post examples on each of the articles I have written for you.
12. Here is what I mean by "Konglish": I 먹었다 rice.
1. Read through any or all of what you see on this blog.
2. Click on "comment".
3. Type in the box to the right.
4. Click the box next to "anonymous" (Or you can set up an i.d. with Google or another source).
5. Click on "submit".
6. As more students post, please respond to what they write.
7. Please don't use your dictionary for this activity.
8. If you don't understand, ask, "What does ~ mean?"
9. The important thing is for you to read and write.
10. When you don't know how to say something in English you can use Konglish.
11. I will post examples on each of the articles I have written for you.
12. Here is what I mean by "Konglish": I 먹었다 rice.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Trying to Speak in Korean in Class
It seems that I am always humbled regarding my Korean skills during the semester. Person to person conversations in Korean are much more comfortable than when I try to speak Korean in class. And there is still a percentage of students who can understand me while there is also a percentage of people who can't seem to understand me. When this happens (Being humble as far as my Korean ability is concerned) there is always a process of soul-searching for me.
So I'd like to invite my students to join me in this quest. What do you think of my effort to speak Korean? Does it help you understand what I am trying to say in English, better? Is it sometimes as difficult to understand as when I speak in English? Does it keep you from learning English? Do you feel like I am trying to learn more about speaking Korean than I am trying to teach you in English?
So I'd like to invite my students to join me in this quest. What do you think of my effort to speak Korean? Does it help you understand what I am trying to say in English, better? Is it sometimes as difficult to understand as when I speak in English? Does it keep you from learning English? Do you feel like I am trying to learn more about speaking Korean than I am trying to teach you in English?
Free-talking
This is the second week that I have free-talked with all of my students in English Conversation and Screen English classes. I decided to do this instead of assigning homework that they have to write and I have to read and correct. I am mostly satisfied with this process. I am finding that I have far too often misjudged my students.
The challenge of this is that it is difficult to have natural conversation but playing "games" works much better. This seems to help students focus more on speaking without being overwhelmed by difficult conversation. As this blog demonstrates, it is very difficult for me to speak in simple English.
I would like to know what my students think of free-talking. How does it compare to class-time? Do you feel like this is helping you improve your English skills? How do you perceive me during this time as opposed to class time? What do you think of the methods I have used so far to free-talk with you?
The challenge of this is that it is difficult to have natural conversation but playing "games" works much better. This seems to help students focus more on speaking without being overwhelmed by difficult conversation. As this blog demonstrates, it is very difficult for me to speak in simple English.
I would like to know what my students think of free-talking. How does it compare to class-time? Do you feel like this is helping you improve your English skills? How do you perceive me during this time as opposed to class time? What do you think of the methods I have used so far to free-talk with you?
Correcting Newspaper Headlines
I was surprised in my English Conversation classes how difficult it was to correct headlines. Students were supposed to correct newspaper headlines that omitted the "a", "the" or no article at all. I thought this would be a breeze but it was more difficult than I thought. Thinking that there was no such thing as "the" in Korean, I didn't talk about it from that perspective. But I learned in my second conversation class that this does in fact exist in Korean. One of the ways it exists is with "그". This can mean "that house (그 집)" if a person can see the house. But it can also mean, "The house" if the house is not visible.
During this Chuseok holiday, I'm asking my students to think about how to talk about the food they eat. For example, rice cake, kimchi, the table (Koreans don't eat tables of course, but here is an example of "the").
During this Chuseok holiday, I'm asking my students to think about how to talk about the food they eat. For example, rice cake, kimchi, the table (Koreans don't eat tables of course, but here is an example of "the").
What's in your home?
It seemed rather difficult for my Screen English students to talk about the arrangement of their dorm rooms or the home where off-campus students live. I suppose this was for two reasons. The first is that they had to think about how their homes or dorm rooms are arranged. The second reason is that they had to think about how to say this in English. The difficulty of this exercise is in using prepositions. But in many cases students didn’t know how to translate prepositions from Korean to English. For example, 옆에 (next to), 아래에 (under), 미테 (down). I would like my students to try this again on this blog while they are home with their families. They can pick any room and write about this as a comment. I want to see if this will be easier if they are in the room than it is trying to think of how the room looks. Don’t forget to describe aspects like “The couch is in front of the window” as well as arranging issues like, “There is a stack of laundry on the floor in my room.”
Monday, September 13, 2010
Teaching with Tools
Next week marks the beginning of the third week of the semester. I'm feeling better about classes this semester with the books that I purchased. It's unfortunate that I didn't do this sooner. I am learning about some better methods to use to teach class. In former days, I didn't do much with games, partly because it is difficult to explain them. Instead, I would stand up in front of the class and try to get people to talk. This would often result in frustrating the students as well as myself. It seems that the students are more interested in English than I thought. They just need to have more opportunity to "release" at their own pace when everybody in the class is not watching them.
Another aspect outside of the class that I am playing with is free-talking. The university where I work only requires 6 hours of free-talking. This could mean that I only have to meet 6 students outside of the class. I decided to free-talk with my students, all 110, instead of giving them a writing assignment. I think it is important for students to practice speaking English outside of class. But I don't think writing is the way to help students improve English Conversation skills, for instance. This is a tiring task but it seems to me to be a valuable one.
Feel free to leave a comment about whatever class you are taking, or if you are a student or whatever. I'll try to post the names of these books that are making these classes more delightful, or so it seems to be.
Another aspect outside of the class that I am playing with is free-talking. The university where I work only requires 6 hours of free-talking. This could mean that I only have to meet 6 students outside of the class. I decided to free-talk with my students, all 110, instead of giving them a writing assignment. I think it is important for students to practice speaking English outside of class. But I don't think writing is the way to help students improve English Conversation skills, for instance. This is a tiring task but it seems to me to be a valuable one.
Feel free to leave a comment about whatever class you are taking, or if you are a student or whatever. I'll try to post the names of these books that are making these classes more delightful, or so it seems to be.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Homework: Freetalking
This is my first entry on this blog since the semester started. I'm hoping to do more work on this blog so that you students can leave your comments.
So far I am very pleased with free-talking. Although this is difficult for students, I am enjoying getting to meet my students and feeling more fulfilled this way than if I were to assign you all kinds of projects that I would have to read at night which would take away from the time I can spend free-talking with you.
I'm sorry for the long sentences. I'll try to keep them shorter so you can understand me better.
I am also pleased with the classes I have taught so far. My only complaints are the difficulty of getting students to understand how the activities work and the fact that I couldn't show more videos in class today due to technical difficulties. I hope to have that problem fixed by the time my next class rolls around.
I also want to recommend the Cambridge Language Learning Library. I received some positive feedback from a student on behalf of other students regarding the new format. I'm not using an English Conversation textbook. I'm also not doing my usual "stand in front of the class to get people to talk" format. I usually protest being put in a classroom with no computer but I've decided to try using a classroom without a computer and I think it is working well so far. If I can continue what I've started I think things will go well.
I hope you students will be honest with me about your perspective on this class. Thanks for listening and hanging in there between my high-level English and my poor Korean pronunciation and grammar. I'm excited to see what happens with your English and our teacher/professor-student relationships.
Don't forget. YOU CAN DO IT (Speak English well, I mean)!
So far I am very pleased with free-talking. Although this is difficult for students, I am enjoying getting to meet my students and feeling more fulfilled this way than if I were to assign you all kinds of projects that I would have to read at night which would take away from the time I can spend free-talking with you.
I'm sorry for the long sentences. I'll try to keep them shorter so you can understand me better.
I am also pleased with the classes I have taught so far. My only complaints are the difficulty of getting students to understand how the activities work and the fact that I couldn't show more videos in class today due to technical difficulties. I hope to have that problem fixed by the time my next class rolls around.
I also want to recommend the Cambridge Language Learning Library. I received some positive feedback from a student on behalf of other students regarding the new format. I'm not using an English Conversation textbook. I'm also not doing my usual "stand in front of the class to get people to talk" format. I usually protest being put in a classroom with no computer but I've decided to try using a classroom without a computer and I think it is working well so far. If I can continue what I've started I think things will go well.
I hope you students will be honest with me about your perspective on this class. Thanks for listening and hanging in there between my high-level English and my poor Korean pronunciation and grammar. I'm excited to see what happens with your English and our teacher/professor-student relationships.
Don't forget. YOU CAN DO IT (Speak English well, I mean)!
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