OP7 Think about your own experiences as an English language learner.

[OP7] Think about your own experiences as an English language learner. Based on this experience, what would you like to implement and achieve as a teacher of English in the Korean public school context?



If I am asked to talk about my precious experiences during school life, I'll say it is circle activities. For three years, I attended English discussion circle called AFAED-Assembly For Advanced Enlgish Discussion. In that circle, I learned a lot especially about how to discuss and the close relationship with seniors and juniors. At the first time when I attended English discussion, there were many trials and errors in the way to present my opinion for or against opponents, but my speaking ability was gradually improved thanks to that activity.

Actually it is almost impossible to implement discussion activity into public school setting. Because current middle school Enlglish education is focused on grammar drills and University enterence exam in high school. Thus there's no room for numerous activities. If I wanted to put it into practice, the activity has to be revised-which would be helpful to prepare university enterance exam, the ultimate goal.

As a English teacher, I'd like to teach students the ability to think about a specific topic with various viewpoints and the way to put the same expression in other words. In addition, students' speaking ability. In order to adapt extracurricular acitivity to enterance exam, the activity must be modified to have connection with it. Actually present-day preparation to enterence exam in high school is to improve reading ability. Thus choosing discussion topic concerned with reading material can broaden students' backgrounds so that it will shortenthe time for students to understand the passage.

Besides, if teachers help students try not to use easy words but to use equivalents or synonyms during discussion, they will learn various words and understand slightly different meaning of each words. Moreover, practicing new words speaking and listening during discussion, they are easily kept in studets' mind so that they easily get the words. Memorizing a word through textbook and reading passage is not enough to learn real usage of words. In this aspects, English discussion is helptful in both improving speaking ability and learning the real situation whene the word is used.

According to my experience English discussion was enjoyable and beneficial activity. However adapting discussion activity to public school class is difficult to realize because of the aim of high school English education and the gap of students' abilities. The matter how difficult it is, we cannot deny the usefulness of English discussion activity in the facet of improving students' speaking ability and vocabulary building. To narrow down the difficulties are the thing that present teachers have to do for the practical English education.

Your disscusion circle sounds very helpful and exciting. Students need interesting ways to study English like what you mentioned. I have never had extra activities in public school- middle and hifh schools. Korean English education is about to jump into the better one. By the time you become an English teacher, you can practice the way you like to teach.

You had so precious experience. Can you believe that my high school seldomly allowed us to join extra curriculum activities? Your school's got Discussion club! It sounds wonderful. had I joined those club activites, I wouldn't be so hesistating speaking English now. Moreover, I could have builted up thinking ability to speak right away. Everybody knows English acquisition takes much time, which might be a never ending work. I got to start learning English late, English conversation class played an inportant role to learn English just like your active Discussion Club. I'm considering joining quality English program during the summer vacation. If you have good information,let's share it