Running head: IMPLEMENTATION OF TESOL IN THE KOREAN CLASSROOM

Practices and Implementation of Teaching English as a Second Language

in the Korean English as a Foreign Language Classroom
Thompson Deufel
University of Kansas

IMPLEMENTATION OF TESOL IN THE KOREAN CLASSROOM

Principles and Implementation of TESOL in the Korean Classroom

Principles and Practices of EIL
In modern times, the perception of English as an international language (EIL) has been
drastically affected by the rise of globalization, the distinct emphasis placed on developing
multilingualism, and the paradigm shift from the language being considered as a lingua franca to
one that acknowledges and supports the vast variations of the language found across the world.
By discussing the ideologies and practices of EIL in the context of teaching English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) in South Korea, we may better understand how to create and establish the best
environment for language learning students.
The diversity brought by the significant increase of globalization is the contextual
knowledge required to introduce the subject of EIL. English is starting to be redefined as,
constituting socially constructed situational norms in specific contexts of interaction, and not a
homogeneous language (Canagarajah, 2014, p. 767). An awareness of these different scenarios
of using English is vital for the development of procedural knowledge in language learning, or
the, refocus from knowledge to practices, from cognition to social context (Canagarajah, 2014,
p. 767). Accepting the many forms of English that are spoken in different geographical locations
and social situations allows for teachers to successfully communicate the flexibility and
adaptability of the language. Learning how to correctly decide the appropriate type of English to
use in different settings and the strategies used for facing the unpredictability of language
interactions in the real world are major benefits of this approach.
In close relation to globalization, the acquisition of multilingualism has come to be
expected in a myriad of cultures, the requirement for English to be taught in public schools
turning into a regular standardization in many non-native English-speaking countries. This

IMPLEMENTATION OF TESOL IN THE KOREAN CLASSROOM

cultural movement has had an interesting effect on EFL education, and a close examination of
EFL classrooms in South Korea provides a crucial insight into the implications caused by it.
Studies have shown that, there is a high-cost and low-efficiency in the English education of
Koreans...bringing about [the] negative social phenomenon, English fever (Park, 2009, p. 51).
English education is irrationally prioritized in South Korean academia, its steep linguistic capital
forcefully supported by government policy and the structuring of university entrance exams.
Research confirms the detrimental effect this has on EFL education through the hiring of
unqualified native English-speaking teachers, the unprepared English-only instructions being
taught, and the prevalent belief that the only way to achieve satisfactory English education is to
send students abroad (Park, 2009). Due to this, insufficient comprehension of the material and a
negative attitude towards English language learning in general is common. Yet the most
damaging consequence is the devaluing of the students identity with their native country and
language. Without approaching the teaching of EIL in a systematic and methodical manner, the
benefits of developing multilingualism are far too few in number to justify the clear adverse
effects that are caused.
With the many flaws currently existent in English education, which are not exclusive to
South Korea but found in EFL classrooms around the world, the determination to reform the
existing system has led many educators to reexamine the paradigm utilized for teaching EIL. In
recent years, EFL teachers and foreign language researchers have initiated a critical analysis
regarding how to change our pedagogical orientation for EIL education to exemplify a new
perception of language. Canagarajah (2014), a renowned professor in applied linguistics,
excellently articulates how, as the contexts of English usage change, together with the
conventions and practices relating to its use, our pedagogical approaches also have to change to

IMPLEMENTATION OF TESOL IN THE KOREAN CLASSROOM

reflect the values and aspirations of the users (p. 768). Viewing language as a sociolinguistic
concept that is continuously evolving creates opportunities for new research and practices of EIL
to be discovered. There must be acknowledgment that English is not a fixed discipline that has a
single correct or incorrect form. Rather, it is an international language that holds many varieties
and modes of communication, requiring both students and teachers alike to accept the neverending process of being lifelong learners (Crookes, 2003).
Globalization, multilingualism, and the perpetual increase of variations of English each
function as thorough evidence of the importance of a new direction for EIL education. Further
research from educators relates these ideas to the context of South Korea, identify[ing] how
different ideologies of language...contribute[s] to the relational construction of their identities
(Park and Lo, 2012, p. 160). If we can approach EIL in a way that supports students identities
and places the appropriate linguistic capital on English, we will become that much closer in the
development of the ideal learning environment for EIL.

Pedagogical Practice
My personal experiences at the Kyunghwa Girls High School in Gwangju-si, South
Korea provided evidence of the change in pedagogical practice for EIL education and supported
an improved understanding of its teaching in EFL classrooms. I had the opportunity to apply
these concepts in my own philosophy when given the chance to teach in the EFL classroom. I
observed several lessons prior to teaching and discovered students to be highly motivated in their
learning because of the effective implementation of Content-Based Instruction (CBI) for their
English Language Development (ELD). In the following discussion, I first define the principles

IMPLEMENTATION OF TESOL IN THE KOREAN CLASSROOM

and practices of CBI. Then I outline the specific context of Kyunghwa and conclude with
explanations of the lessons I developed.
The concept of CBI employs a combination of content goals (the conceptual learning of
the subject), language goals (the learning of vocabulary words and sentence structures), and
general skills goals (the learning of how to connect language and content together) to construct a
dynamic learning environment for teaching EIL (Hernndez, 2003). These concepts are
reinforced through student-centered activities and expository learning techniques that teach
content in purposeful contexts. The students comprehension of EIL increases when lessons,
demonstrate how the critical thinking used in their personal lives can be transferred to academic
thought (Hernndez, 2003, p. 133). The students at Kyunghwa are familiar with this approach to
language learning because their teacher, Gregory Cibulka, utilizes it extensively for his
instruction of Communicative English class and has found great success in its application.
Knowing this, I worked to build my own lesson plans on this foundation and attempted to
maintain the structure that students expected.
The educational experience provided in Communicative English at Kyunghwa is much
like that of a standard EFL classroom, but the context differs considerably from American high
schools. Cibulka teaches 24 different classes of students each week, 12 consisting of 1st year
students and 12 consisting of 2nd year students. A Korean teacher is also present in each class to
facilitate understanding and aid in comprehension. The average class size is 35 students, and
based on the ELP Standards their proficiency levels range from low-intermediate to highintermediate. Students have Communicate English class once a week. Two grades are given per
semester, one for an English speaking presentation and one for an English writing project. These
make up 10% of the students overall semester grade for their English language learning. While

IMPLEMENTATION OF TESOL IN THE KOREAN CLASSROOM

at Kyunghwa I was given the responsibility to teach 15 classes, the lesson plans taught allowed
to include content of my choosing with the condition that it must support English language
development.
Organizing my lesson plans consisted of reviewing content and techniques of recent
lessons taught by Cibulka, taking into consideration the expectations of the students, and
determining how to effectively utilize CBI to stimulate participation in the learning experience.
The first lesson concentrated on phonics and pronunciation, more specifically focusing on the
phonemes /p/, /b/, /f/, and /v/. Class started with an activity that centered on the students ability
to verbally pass along English words that had commonly mispronounced phonemes. Introducing
the subject in this way not only employed inductive learning, but also set the pace and
motivation that would be kept throughout the entire class. Transitioning into the actual content
for language learning, the lesson had a multifaceted approach with an informal quiz at the end to
assess the students comprehension. When the majority of the class displayed a clear
understanding of the phonemes, the lesson concluded with a highly energetic and competitive
activity that combined performed action with the newly acquired linguistic understanding. If a
mispronunciation was encountered during the game, a repeating of the correct pronunciation by
the entire class was applied to reinforce the learning objective. Constructing the first lesson in
this way supported English language development while remaining interesting and relevant to
the personal lives of the students.
The second lesson approached the learning of the students in a similar way, a fast-paced
and energetic competition employed to increase students interest in the content and connect it to
meaningful contexts. The strategy was designed around the theme of the Olympics, a topic
extremely relevant with South Korea hosting the Winter Olympics in 2018. The learning

IMPLEMENTATION OF TESOL IN THE KOREAN CLASSROOM

objective was to expand the students knowledge of Olympic vocabulary and then fortify the
understanding with the completion of writing and speaking activities. This approach effectively
supported the improvement of students comprehension of English because of the varied
strategies employed and emphasis placed on achieving the desired language goals. Designing the
activities to have high collaboration between students and constant movement around the
classroom further encouraged participation and motivation. These two lesson plans worked to
enhance the educational experience of the students by presenting the content in original and
innovative ways. The purpose for each concentrated on the students understanding and
development of the English language, the result being the successful creation of a positive
environment for learning language.

IMPLEMENTATION OF TESOL IN THE KOREAN CLASSROOM

References
Canagarajah, S. (2014). In Search of a New Paradigm for Teaching English as an International
Language. TESOL J TESOL Journal, 767-785. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
Crookes, G. (2003). A Practicum in TESOL: Professional development through teaching
practice. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
Hernandez, Ana. (2003). Making Content Instruction Accessible for English Language Learners.
English Learners Reaching the Highest Level of English Literacy. Retrieved June 28,
2015.
Park, J. (2009). English fever in South Korea: Its history and symptoms. English Today ENG,
50-50. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
Park, J., & Lo, A. (2012). Transnational South Korea as a site for a sociolinguistics of
globalization: Markets, timescales, neoliberalism1. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 147-164.
Retrieved June 28, 2015.