The Korean imagination

I try not to complain about this matter to strenuously or publicly but, in my honest opinion, the English language curriculum currently in place is rather ineffective. This past week schools across Jeollanamdo completed their annual student assessments with a series of day long tests. Not something that I would look forward to as a student, but it is expected and I never heard any complaints from students.

English is a mandated course for students in grade three and above. Students in grades three and four receive forty minutes of English language instruction from a Native English speaker each week. Students in grades five and six receive eighty minutes of English language instruction, however I only see my grade five and six classes for forty minutes a week as I work in two seperate schools. The odd thing is that I have no place in student assessment.

Now, previously I did write about giving five of my eight grade six classes a two minute oral examination, however those results go nobody and do not make it to their report cards. The grade that they receive in English comes solely from their home room teacher, who may or may not be comfortable with English.

So it was somewhat surprising when on Wednesday a young girl in one of my grade five classes came to me and excitedly and proudly informed me that she had received a mark of 100% on her English test. I of course congratulated her and was genuinely happy for her. The problem though is that she can't speak much English. But that is the way of English education at this point, and there is little that I can do to change that fact.

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One thing that is fun about English education is hearing student responses to different situations presented in their lessons.

Each student is given a text book at the beginning of the year. Students in grades three and four will study eight units of four forty minute lessons over the course of the year. Students in grades five and six will study sixteen units of four forty minute lessons during the year. Each unit follows the exact same formula as does each lesson.

Lesson one is always a 'look and listen' exercise followed by a 'listen and repeat' exercise followed by a rather unfun game. The 'look and listen' exercise is simply a cartoon where the students are to be introduced to that unit's core concept. This is done with varying degrees of effectiveness.

The past couple of weeks, for my grade five and grade six classes I used the 'look and listen' portion of the exercise and printed out the dialogue for the students, then made up a dialogue of my own and then had the students write one for themselves so that they could explore the language and concept.

One of my classes took to this concept with gusto and while working in small groups, the class wrote ten seperate dialogues which they presented the class the followign week. It was a lot of fun.

I thought I'd share with you one particular piece that some grade six students wrote. This was based on a dialogue about it being time to go home.

Enjoy.

Boog Boog E: Let's die together.

Snoopy: Wow, great!

Crazy Rabbit: I can't die well.

Boog Boog E: Come on. I'll help you.

Crazy Rabbit: Where is Snoopy?

Boog Boog E: She's over there. She is a good killer.

Crazy Rabbit: Snoopy, don't go that way. Watch out! Snoopy come here. It's time to go to the roof.

Snoopy: What time is it?

Crazy Rabbit: It's 4:40 already. Let's go to the roof.

Snoopy: Not now. I want to live more.

Crazy Rabbit: Come back snoopy!

Boog Boog E: Oh no!