Comments on: 폭탄영어 #2 - New English Education Policy

By: hyunjung

hyunjung — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 12:11:18 +0000

Thanks for proving us so helpful and interesting materials.
I will be listening to all of the episodes over and over.

I’m so happy since there are so many materials provided for free on the internet, like your program.
So, I’m sure I can improve my english proficiency someday soon.

감사합니다, 너무 좋아요^^*

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:58:27 +0000

and hello again . . . (I’m doing this in two parts because I think this is seperate from my response to your comments on the Korean English education system) . . .
This podcast is to present our opinions in a way that can help people study and learn English. We welcome dialog, and love to discuss everything, but we’re not the news. Our responsibility is to give people a fun show that presents what we think about issues so that people can listen so something interesting as they study. Sometimes listeners will agree with what we say, sometimes they won’t. Sometimes Micheal and Yujin and I will think the same thing, sometimes we will each think something totally different. If everybody agreed life would be really boring, wouldn’t it? But during the program, I think it would be dishonest for us to take a position we don’t really believe in, just for the sake of being “unbiased”.
If you don’t think what we said is right, well . . . that’s why we have a comment board, and we try always to respond to comments.
Let the conversation begin!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:24:21 +0000

Hi Lena~
I wanted to address a few issues you’ve raised very briefly, starting with the current state of English education classes here in Korea.
While a great many incoming and current teachers do in fact have a good mastery of English, but that doesn’t mean they actually teach their classes in English. Recent surveys (see the Korea Herald, etc.) have indicated that 60% of teachers oppose teaching their classes in English . . . probably because according to the tests you refer to, only 49.8% could teach in English for a full hour!
I welcome more testing to make sure students are recieving the best quality of instruction. But testing only investigates, it doesn’t fix the problem. Incoming teachers and student teachers on the whole speak and use English more fluently than older teachers, and I think that bit by bit this will influence how well Korean students learn. But for now, we can’t pretend that the problem isn’t there! People should and do worry about the level and quality of teaching. After all, it is common here for somebody who has learned English for more than 10 years to be unable to communicate in the language.
Which would you rather teaching your children: Someone who understands only in theory, or somebody who can apply their knowledge and show others how to use it? No school in America would hire a Korean teacher who couldn’t speak in Korean or teach the class in Korean.
As for who I’d like teaching my (nonexistant) children? I think that a talented person who has lots of relevant education and cares for students probably makes a better teacher than a talented person without the same education. BUT ~ I’d be happy to have someone talented who can help kids understand but without all the same education over somebody who has lots of education, but is not really good in the classroom.

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:03:52 +0000

I’m so glad to know such a wonderful site.
And I’m pleased during listening because of the topic I am deeply interested in.
I hope to see you guys over again.
Thank you for your invaluable effort.

＊스크립트 작성해주신 배은결님께도 너무 감사드려요^^*

By: Lena ^^

Lena ^^ — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:28:58 +0000

I love listening to this radio show and I really thank Michael and Jennifer for your efforts to make good radio show all the time.

But please be careful dealing with social issue, like English education policy. Your show is influential mass media to listeners. Making them be biased is not desirable especially with wrong information.

The focus of today’s discussion was wrong. There are no English teachers in public schools who disagree to teaching English in English. They have already predicted that educational change would come. Also, there are many enough pre-teachers speaking English as good as Yujin.(Today’s guest) If pre-teachers are not entitled to English teacher, the goverment’s test can filter them out, so people don’t have to worry about teacher’s ability or requirements.

By last year, teacher’s exam evaluated testees’ reading and writing skill but from this year, questions evaluating speaking and profound writing skill will also be included. It means students can learn from good English speaking teachers.

Therefore, the government don’t have to give a chance to take a teacher’s test even to the people without public teachers’ certificate which can be received by completing regular bachelor’s or master’s degree in English education.

Teacher in public school is not just a person who gives knowledge.
They are like parents of the students.

Michael and Jennifer, I have a question.
From whom, do your child learn English?
From person who only completed 1 to 5 months Tesol program? or
ones who completed 4 year regular Education College (사범대학교) course including Pedagogy, Englsh pedagogy, teaching internship, teaching methodology, Education psychology, linguistics, school grammar, Teaching Englsih through Multimedia and so on.

Thank you again for your radio show. and if I am rude, I’m very sorry. But I think the listeners have rights to know the opposite view points and I leave a reply.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:38:21 +0000

Interesting point about the TOEFL scores . . . I think that part of the reason they appear so low is precisely because so many people take the exam ~ everybody and their mother seems to take it at some point because of school or business requirements. In fact, you can expect to have to submit TOEFL or other test scores for jobs and work that have nothing whatsoever to do with speaking English. Thus, you have a lot of people, many of whom have no real need nor background in English taking the test, resulting in a lot of really low test scores.
I’m also quite skeptical of the use of these tests to measure people’s actual ability to use English to communicate. I know people who have nearly perfect scores who still can’t speak with anything approaching fluency, nor understand me in English. On the other hand, I also know people who have mediocre scores even though they have absolutely no problem communicating in English.
But you’re right that there’s something really, really wrong when you have so many people taking a test that they can’t pass. The current educational method just isn’t cutting it. If they want to produce better English speakers . . .well, this is a start, at least. I think some of the proposals have gone overboard (um, ALL classes in English? Heck, I could barely get through trig in my native tongue. God help me if I’d had to do it in Japanese . . . And besides, 60% of the English teachers can’t speak English, so who is going to teach Geography that way?)

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:17:20 +0000

Hong Sik -

http://www.bombenglish.com/2008/01/31/11-we-da-bomb/

By: Hong sik Cho

Hong sik Cho — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:06:32 +0000

what is ‘you da bomb’ ??
i dont get what it means…^^

i am enjoying to hear this episode…
and re-playing more that 3 times…

poor my listening skill…^^ haha

By: 유헌

유헌 — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:00:07 +0000

Hi, Mike. You look so fine in Korea. I have enjoyed your talking. It is very good idea to talk about sensitive issues of Korea.
Can I suggest one thing? During your conversation, there are some difficult words like inconceivable or pedagogy. If you explain meaning of the words shortly, it will be helpful to pronounce and remember the words. Inconceivable was really good.
일본에서도 응원할께요. 빠이띵!!

By: Das Englisch-Dilemma II « Madang

Das Englisch-Dilemma II « Madang — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:57:19 +0000

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