What EFL classrooms in the states can learn from the Korean private school model

            My teaching experience in Korea entailed me having a Korean partner teacher. Together, she and I had ten classes, and we each saw five of our classes per day. The next day we would switch. I would begin by teaching a topic in English, and the following day she would teach the same topic, but predominantly in Korean. This way, the students were exposed to the concept through English, and then the following day they could discuss the topic in greater detail using Korean for support.

            This unique teaching context was not only creative, but highly effective! Our students were able to first totally immerse themselves in English while learning a new concept and then later were able to use Korean to practice and work out the kinks.  This framework was not only beneficial for my students, but it was also a really awesome professional development experience too!  I have heard that teaching is considered an “egg carton” profession, because we are so isolated in our practice. Having a partner teacher was eye-opening because we were able to collaborate and give one another feedback. This was a truly unique experience because I had the opportunity to break away from the sense of isolation experienced by teachers, and learned so much from my partner teacher in the process.

            My experience in the TESOL program has been extremely valuable and I have learned so much. The only aspect of the program I would call to question is based around my aforementioned experience in Korea. My program is comprised of predominantly Chinese students, and I notice that our professors push for a “Western” teaching model. I definitely see the value in a student-centered, task-based teaching approach, but I do feel that this push has left some valuable methods in the dark. In the program’s drive to emphasize “Western” methods and move away from teacher-centered classrooms that they so strongly associate with “non-western” culture, I feel that the program has neglected some really valuable teaching approaches.

            When I think about foreign language in the United States and compare it to foreign language acquisition abroad, I often ponder how students in other countries seem to master English and our students are still struggling to string sentences together after taking Spanish for 8 years. I realize that part of this is that English is a language of power and students are therefore highly motivated to learn. I am not saying that I am pro a teacher-centered learning environment. But I am saying that I think that education that takes place in foreign countries may have a lot more to offer than what we automatically assume here in the “west.” For this reason, I think that it is worthwhile to open to some of the teaching models that have proven successful in other countries, such as my co-teacher experience in Korea. Instead of being quick to discard ideas that came from elsewhere, maybe we could benefit from some oftentimes, in my opinion, revolutionary methods.