Teaching classes of up to 18 students in Korea for two years brought back a worry that has been nagging at the back of my mind for years – that many of the things we do in class have the most effect on precisely those who least need it, and little or no effect on those who we were hoping to change.
The classic example of this is error correction. Those who have fluency but no accuracy usually pay no attention to even personalised correction, and those with accuracy but no fluency can spot one of their own errors even when it is carefully disguised and so are reduced to a nervous and endlessly-self-correcting wreck for another two weeks.
Here are some more:
– Those little boxes of useful language next to speaking tasks, e.g. in Cutting Edge (People who need to ignore it and express themselves in their own language read the phrases out of the box, while those who use “I agree” and “You should…” over and over again completely ignore the other options that they are given)
– Learner training (The people who are conscientious enough to try the self-study tips that you suggest are usually those who already have their own ways of studying that suit them much more)
– Grammar explanations (If you have the kind of brain that finds them useful, e.g. are a fellow Physics graduate, then your grammar knowledge is probably already better than most of your classmates. If you are the kind of person who has never got grammar explanations you probably need more help, but that ten minutes was a waste of time for you and a moment where you fell even further behind)
– Unstructured whole class speaking (The people who are happy to speak out need least practice in it, and probably need teaching how to shut up and listen for once!)
TEFLtastic 
Re: Unstructured Whole Class Speaking
I am horribly depressed over my apparent inability to get students to discuss things with EACH OTHER and not WITH OR THROUGH me. I teach adults at a hagwon (small groups, 1-8 at time, depending on who pitches) and I have tried everything that I’ve come across to change this, including discussing the situation with students.
I am tired, sick and tired, of being “speeched” at (the speaker completely ignores the other students) and of CALLING ON adult students to contribute to discussions.
I am fed up with searching the Internet for (more of the same) explanations for and solutions to this problem.
The topics are not the issue – when I CALL ON students, they have lots to say. But WHY WHY WHY do they speak only to me and so very seldom to each other.
HOW can I (really) change this?
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When I was in Korea (was that really only just over a month ago?) I basically did away with whole class speaking. Not all the students were happy about it (https://tefltastic.wordpress.com/teach-abroad/asia/japan/losing-my-best-students/) but I really think it worked
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Hi Alex,
Thanks for the reply and it obviously made me feel better to know that even experienced teachers have difficulties with this kind of thing. I honestly don’t know what else to try. What fascinates me (in a very grim way) about this phenomenon is what I perceive as the utter selfishness and rudeness of it all. The student(s) trying to turn the 50 minute lesson into a one-on-one exchange with the native speaker teacher KNOWS that there are other students in the room, KNOWS that they ALSO paid to “improve their English skill” and despite explicit suggestions / instructions to the contrary simply continues to ignore everyone else. And “everyone else” also just sit there and don’t open their mouths…
If this happened in only a few cases, I could file it under “personality disorder” or some such in my mind. But it happens all the time.
Tried pair work a few months ago. I thought it went well BUT students complained to the manager that they did not pay to come to the hagwon and speak English to another Korean (as per the post you refer to in your comment above). So I was instructed to stop doing pair work.
Another problem (OK, challenge) is that I never know how many people will pitch on any given day. One? Or Eight? Makes it hard to plan ahead.
I actually don’t think there is a solution to all this, but I keep on hoping…
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Adult Korean students need a lot of control. You cannot let the whole class participate in an open ended speaking activity – only two or three will speak and the others will just let them. It is Korean culture and you can’t change 5000 years of it in a few hours of class time. In fairness I don’t think this is a purely Korean problem. The same will happen in Japan (just classes are much smaller there) and it would happen in a mixed L1 class in the UK – if you tried the same ‘plan’.
I always broke them into small groups and often left the room briefly to let them get started. Then I sneaked back in and eavesdropped to make sure they were on task/topic. I usually gave them tasks with questions to ask each other. This meant the more confident ones started out by asking the weaker ones questions….
At first I made a big deal of error correction but after a while did this less and less, they mostly didn’t want to be corrected and it didn’t seem to help anyway. If I did do this it was just to kill time.
Mostly, I found Koreans – at whatever level – needed help with speaking skills such as turn taking, active listening and so on much more than with vocabulary or grammar.
As for Aliceinwonderlands situation it is pretty dire. In your place I would just do the pair work anyway – while nodding and saying ‘OK fine’ to the management when they tell you not to. All they can do is fire you and having invested so much money in you – chances are they won’t. They do like to try ‘constructive dismissal’ tactics by giving you the runaround – changes of schedule etc – until you jump ship of your own accord. If your classes change every month (as is often the case) you can start off on the right track with a bunch of new faces far easier than you can change the habits of the old mob – who’ve got used to having it all their own way.
I arrived in Korea when I was forty and I already had my TESOL dip and upwards of 5 years EFL experience in France and the UK – so it was easier for me to stick to my guns than it is for many younger and less experienced teachers just starting out. You may find that the complaints came from just 2-3 and the majority didn’t mind or actually enjoyed the pair work.
There is a large contingent of the adult Korean hogwan market that just want a white monkey they can harangue or bore to death about how Korea is the best in the world etc. etc….don’t let them make a monkey out of you.
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@Andy,
I fear it’s too late. The “performing (white) monkey” persona has already established itself as a life-saver in some situations (but fortunately not all).
It’s also true, as you suggested, that only a few students complained about doing pair work – but it’s all about rank, as I’m sure you already know. If one “senior” student complains to the manager about something: that’s it. The whole program changes, whether the other ten or eleven “junior” students were enjoying it or not.
I suppose I am frustrated and fascinated in equal measures by a totally different way of being, thinking, and doing things. (And I also suppose I’m not saying anything new here.)
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@Alice
How long left on your sentence – sorry contract? Next time try to get a better working environment – they do exist in Korea but the majority of jobs teaching ‘adults’ are at YBMs or similar establishments.
You might consider a shift to teaching kids. Better hours and it’s easier to accept childish behaviour from an 8 year old than a 48 year ajoshi…
I used to teach adults and miss it a bit, but I’m happier teaching kids now. It’s easier, more routine and far less stress. Contrary to the line fed us by recruiters and perspective employers – teaching adults is actually far harder than they make out.
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Should proof read better before submitting – PROspective employers.
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Not many solutions, but this might help you reach a zen-style state of acceptance…
https://www.tefl.net/elt/articles/home-abroad/korean-cultural-differences/
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@Andy,
‘Sentence’ sometimes describes the situation accurately :)
I have three months and two weeks left. That’s 106 days (don’t know how I knew that).
I don’t have much experience teaching children, but it sounds like you’re probably right. And about teaching adults – who could have imagined that it would be this difficult. Maybe the powers-that-be should consider only trained and experienced psychologists (better yet, psychiatrists?) for Adult Conversation Class positions.
During the first six or so months, when you don’t have a clue, things aren’t that bad. It’s when you start becoming aware of the undercurrents and (not-so-very-well-disguised) personal and political agendas that things start falling apart. (‘Political’ because in my opinion everything to do with English here is political (in the broad sense of the word), but best not open up that particular can of worms…)
Thanks for the suggestions anyway :)
@Alex
It really helps to know other people feel and see the same kinds of things – I’m relatively isolated where I teach.
And….this might be a good time to mention that I like your blog.
:)
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