Finding ways of motivating students
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Teachers of the Seoul Secondary English Teachers’ Association (SETA) attend a lecture on new teaching methods during a regular workshop. / Courtesy of Jo Ji-hyung
English teachers' association devising better methods, classes
By Bahk Eun-ji
Finding ways of learning English more effectively while having more fun is a matter of great concern for both students and teachers.
For Jo Ji-hyung, a manager of the Seoul Secondary English Teachers’ Association (SETA), it is absolutely important to discover how to motivate students in ways that will sustain their interest in learning English.
“In order not to be overwhelmed by a long list of learning material and excessive zeal for learning English, teachers are responsible for providing the right guidance to their students,” Jo told The Korea Times.
He said the catchphrase of SETA is “Teachers, grow up with students to share knowledge,” adding that teachers join the association to find ways of developing better teaching methods and more effectively engaging students during lessons.
SETA was established in 1984 by English teachers from middle and high schools in Seoul, who wanted to provide lively and meaningful language education. It now has 400 members.
Jo, an English teacher at Yongmoon High School, runs an on-line community for SETA, which serves as a platform for members to share information as well as teaching materials.
“The group is obviously not about socializing among English teachers in Seoul. It is about planning better classes for students who struggle with English to get good scores,” he said.
A recent poll conducted by a local daily newspaper showed that students are divided about how they feel about learning English.
The survey polled 95 sixth graders in Seoul about English for a period of 11 days from July 10. The participants were asked “What is English to you?”
Forty of the respondents said, “I don’t want to study English anymore because it used to be interesting, but I lost my interest, as I have to do too much work for it.”
Jo admitted that the view expressed by the survey respondents is consistent with what most teachers have observed among students.
“They said it used to be fun and easy when they were at the beginners’ level, but later on, it is one of the most difficult subjects that impose heavy burden on them. Our teachers gathered to find out how to keep students interested in learning English,” he said.
For this reason, teachers are now adopting very innovative methods from textbooks to encourage students to become more enthusiastic about learning English. One recent example is the use of the Korea Times newspaper, that comes with a short video lecture on its articles. Since the beginning of this year, 50 schools in Seoul have been each provided with 20 free copies of The Korea Times.
“Our member teachers have been using the newspaper for their classes proactively, and as a result, students have now found the joy of English reading and how to follow ongoing issues in English,” he said.
He also cited another worrying trend within the nation’s public school system, which is the correlation between the family income status of students and their academic performance, especially in the learning of English. Students from high income households are able to afford private tuition to supplement their regular school lessons whereas those from low income backgrounds are left out. This trend, he contends creates a gap in competencies even among students within the same class. This disparity often demoralizes those from low income households who eventually fall behind.
Jo said the member teachers are fully aware of the current situation and are keenly seeking ways to address this.
“That’s why we have to make our lectures more fun and enjoyable. Furthermore, curriculum and classrooms have to be divided by students’ achievement level so that the classes cater to student’s needs,” Jo said.
He summed up saying “We believe this is the right direction that public education has to follow.”