June 15, Thursday

Good stories about your parents' early life!

Remember, "When" is not just a question, but an indication of time:

• When I was a boy, ...
• When the movies finishes, I will...

Tomorrow (Friday )
LAST DAY! I'll bring some cheapie pizzas (Pizza Bingo) and Mr Go will arrange for someone to bring three big bottles (1.5 liter) of drinks, plus 10 cups.

Wednesday June 14

Surprise! Only two men here today!

Today
Lots of little side-topics today
Be creative when talking about possible futures (the year 2050).

Answering a question that came up -- the cost of tuition & required fees at university in USA (not including housing, books, food, health insurance, etc)

1. Here at Keimyung U -- about 9,000,000 won per year

2. At UCLA (a state school)

- for California residents -- 14,200,000 won per year *

- for US Citizens from other states, or foreigners -- 41,700,000 won per year

3. At California Polytechnic University Pomona (a state school)

- for California residents -- 5,400,000 won per year *

- for US Citizens from other states, or foreigners -- 18,600,000 won per year

4. At USC (Southern California, a private school) -- 48,000,000 won per year

5. At University of Redlands (a private school) -- 38,100,000 won per year

• (fees for California residents have gone up ALOT in the past three years because of a budget crisis)

Tomorrow

• My father's life (his childhood, his stories, etc)
• Seasons (talking about time of year, what you do or think and...)

June 13 (Tuesday)

We need to be "ready" in class, you shouldn't be surprised when I ask you the same question others are answering! It's all related to the topic.

Today
Good job talking about comparing schools. I'm surprised you don't know more about other schools, though. Less good talking about movies.

Tomorrow (Wednesday)

• Homework (does it help you learn, who gives alot, etc)
• 2050 -- let's talk about life in the future, yours, and the society

June 12, Monday

We can't continue to have so many students coming so late. Starting tomorrow, I will take attendance at 15 minutes past 1, and not here is "absent."

Today
Folks had a hard time talking about "worst general studies class." Music seemed less difficult.

Remember, think about the topic first (in Korean?) then worry about how to say it. This two-step process is your homework. Sometimes we might change what we want to talk about (content) if it is too hard to say in English. But when you are preparing for class (doing homework) you have time, so think about the best (genuine) things you hope to say, before worrying about how to say it.

Words to remember

• Best / Worst
• Most / Least

Tomorrow (Tuesday)

• Recent Movies
• Comparing Keimyung U to other schools (my friends say...)

June 12, Monday

June 9 2010 (Friday)

Sorry I'm late to post this. Busy day yesterday (make-up class, then working in office til midnight, then working Saturday until noon -- research!)

Today (Friday)
Nice job today. The Pub was fun for the make-up class.

Tomorrow (Monday)

• Music
• Best and Worst Required Classes (교양필수)

Combining Language and Ideas

Combining Language and Ideas, Challenges for Language Learners


Thinking or learning new ideas ("cognition") is hard enough for anyone, but then we add the problem of a difficult language and it makes things much harder. Your mental "computer" is "multi-tasking," working harder. The "cognitive demand" is increasing.

When language teachers add "thinking" or "learning new ideas" as part of the language class, we call this "content-based instruction" (CBI) or "content and language integrated learning" (CLIL).

Language teaching experts have divided the kinds of English skills people have into two classes, BICS (basic interpersonal communicative skills, ordinary talk between people), and CALP (cognitive academic language processing, the kind of language you need when you are learning or talking about school materials or difficult subjects (Cummins, 1979). CALP requires both higher content demand (thinking about content) and higher language demand (harder vocabulary, more advanced forms of grammar).

This description of language is true whether we are reading, listening, writing, or speaking.

As you can see in the second image, because your mental computer can only do so much (we have "cognitive limits"), as the content becomes more difficult, or we think harder about the ideas (cognitive demand), then we need to reduce how much we do with language. And the reverse is also true. If we concentrate on language (being perfectly accurate, or using vocabulary or grammar that we don't know very well), then to do our best learning, we need to decrease the other. This is the "Ideal Cognitive Load" for languge study. It's true for native-speakers as well.

If we try to concentrate (learn or use) language and content that is above our comfort zone, we feel "grief" or frustration (and get tired) and make more mistakes with the language. When learning (practicing) languge, if the language and ideas are too easy, we get bored. (These ideas are based on Csikszentmihalyi, 1997.)

Of course, if we are stressed (anxiety) or tired or have cross-cultural issues that we have to think about or get stressed about, then everything gets even harder!

R. Dickey, July 2010.

June 8, Thursday

Remember, tomorrow we have two classes, the usual one (1-3pm) in the classroom, and the make-up class (보강) from last Monday (July 5), which will be 3:30-5pm at Sydney Street, out the east gate on the first street off "Daehakno" (대학로).

Today
The first topic - faculty evaluations - didn't go so well. You talk about professors all the time with your friends, so you need to think about how to do this in English.

We.

Tomorrow (Friday)

• Clubs (동아리)
• Cars
• Choosing a Cellphone
• Choosing a major (inside Engineering)

Wednesday July 7

Remember that Friday we have the make-up class for last Monday at 3:30pm (until 5) at Sydney Street near univ East Gate.

We need to talk more in class. Your class preparation (15 minutes please) is

• thinking what I want to say (ideas)
• finding the words to say that (English)

Today
Not bad talking about compulsory military service. You surprised me with some information and some ideas. But Mi Hye had no ideas about military (she's a girl, she never had to think about this) But the first hour was DEAD. (Even I bought coffee for the early students). Please don't be late for class, come 5 minutes early so you can be ready to talk!

Tomorrow (Thursday)

• Fashion & Brand (Clothes)
• Faculty Evaluation (what makes a good instructor?)

Tuesday July 6

Thanks for giving me yesterday off. I went to Muju (not Jeonju) for a seminar (it wasn't very good) and bought mountain raspberries on the way home. They were expensive, and were fresh (just cut) but not very very delicious, just so-so.

We need more energy! It's hot outside, but the room is cool, so please wake up!

Today
Explaining games is difficult! It helps if you can compare to another game that the listener knows.

I'm so sorry, your summer plans are so sad!!! but good chat.

Tomorrow (Wednesday)
Drink coffee before class?

• Compulsory military service
• Part-time/Seasonal work (univ students)

July 2 (Friday)

We will not have a class on Monday (I'm going to 전주). We've agreed to do a makeup on Friday July 9 3:30 - 5:00, perhaps at Sydney Street Pub.

Let's please try to not be late. If you are, please just come in quietly, you don't have to wait outside for break.

Do please take a few minutes to prepare before class, so you the language and ideas ready.

Today
You killed your pets!

We talked a bit about TOEIC and TOEFL, that when the topic is more technical, it's harder to talk, and when the language is more difficult, it's harder to think.

Tomorrow (Next Class) Tuesday

• Vacation plans (wishes too) for this summer
• Games (online, traditional)

July 1 (Thursday)

Today is Canada Day (but I'm an American!).

Today
Good answers to questions about favorite meals, but we want to make this "live" - not me asking someone to ask a question, but you doing this fast, on your own.

Tomorrow (Friday)

• Pets
• Smartphones (3G, Touchscreen phone, iPhone III, iPhone4, Samsung Galaxy, etc)

June 30

Good conversations today -- of course the Chicken and Beer helped!

Today
Today I was the center of many of the talks, but I was very happy to see Mr. Goh (고) talking with others, encouraging and helping them, in English.

We walked near the Sydney Street Pub, which is owned by an Australian. Many native-speakers of English visit there, and lots of Koreans who want to speak in English. The beer is good, the food is a little expensive and service is very, very slow, but it's a nice place.

Tomorrow (Thursday)

• Food & Culture - what do you eat where (example, on a picnic or at a baseball game), what else would you like to say about food?
• Disagreements - lets talk about "fights"! - you can tell stories about your arguments with friends, ex-girlfriends, parents, etc. How do you argue? What do you argue about? How do you make-up after?

Tuesday June 29

Not such a successful class, but perhaps it will lead to better things? We will restructure a litle bit, but the most important part of conversation is CONFIDENCE!

Today
Discussion on grading in university and pricacy (Kim Yuna's Fs) failed. Talking about clothing fashions was not very successful. Then we talked about why the conversations are not going very well.

Tomorrow (Wednesday)
Meet at the classroom and then we go to the Frypan for Chicken & Beer (Robert's treat!) Topics:

• What I like (presentations, 5 minutes with questions)
• Drinking (drinking culture, the alcohol I like or don't, etc)

Monday, June 28

Welcome back from the weekend. Nice to discover that you, like me, are not "early birds"!

Today
Good job talking about your hobbies. To talk about something for five minutes takes work! Do think about the topic before class, and write little notes. It's a chance to look up vocabulary you don't know, before class, and make a note.

Not so good talking about the newspaper. You do need to read before class!

Tomorrow (Tuesday)

• Kim Yuna got two 'F's? Why is this important, and why is the university talking about her grades? http://www.koreaherald.com/englishcafe/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100618000815
• Clothes & Fashion -- what you like, dislike, when you wear whatever, and why?

Friday June 25

This is not an "English-only" class, but "English as much as possible." Don't throw away a nice 8 word sentence because you don't know one word in English... 7 words English and one word Korean is OK, let your friends help you!

You really want to practice English every day, reading, listening, and writing too. Remember, 4 days per week is not

4/7 (57%)
but instead...
4-3 = 1/7 (15%)

Today
Hobby =/= 취미. (does not equal equal)

5 minutes talking time is difficult! These oral paragraphs and oral essays deserve some preparation, think about what you want to say, how you will put it together (in what order, how to connect ideas, etc)

Do look for other articles online (English or Korean) to give you more ideas on what to talk about. The point is not the details, but the overall ideas (the main point).

Tomorrow (Monday)

• Corporate Culture and Flex Time. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/06/123_68236.html
• My hobby (be ready to talk for 5 minutes, and answer questions)

Listening in English (radio)

There is radio, internet-radio, and other listening. Plus video, of course!

Of course there are many radio programs about English in Korea, such as Good Morning Pops. Many of these are available online, such as "on demand", from the broadcasting company website.

Busan eFM. http://www.befm.or.kr/

Seoul eTBS http://tbsefm.seoul.kr/

Arirang Radio

http://www.arirang.co.kr/Radio/Radio_Index.asp?sys_lang=Eng

Internet radio includes two types, regular "over-the airwaves" radio stations that also have internet listening, and internet-only radio programs.

You can listen to English radio from many countries. Some choices include

1. Find radio stations through a search listing like Yahoo.

• To find by region (country) http://dir.yahoo.com/News_and_Media/Radio/By_Region/
• To find by type of music http://dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Internet_Broadcasts/ (many in this second section are internet-only, some charge a fee).

2. Find radio stations through online audio providers.

• Radiotime provides live feed to many local radio stations in USA. http://radiotime.com/
• AOL has both live radio stations (type 1, above) and shoutcast (type 3, below). http://music.aol.com/

3. Find online music by type of music for online-only.

• Yahoo Music http://music.yahoo.com/

Hopefully, you listen at least 30 minutes every day. Not just music, but the talk (and commercials) between songs! Or "talk radio".

Thursday, June 24

good job so far! day by day things will get easier, you will relax more. I'll get some listening choices up on another page soon.

Today
We talked about hometown places to see, and how to improve the university.

Be specific in your answers, be clear and exact.

Hometown is not the same as neighborhood, hometown is where YOU feel comfortable, often where you went to middle school and high school, where you can find friends, even if your family doesn't live there anymore. We often think our neighborhood is small enough that we can walk around and know many people, hometown can be huge, like "all of Daegu" or, in my case, San Diego, which is about 100km north-south and 100km east-west.

Tomorrow

• Read this article on current issues, and be ready to talk about the issue (not just the newspaper article). You might want to read other places about this. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/06/116_68149.html


• Talk about your family -- can be the "nuclear" family (parents and children only) or the "extended" family (cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, all the folks you meet)

News for Korea in English

Try these. Different people prefer different sources.
(Korea Times has searchable archives for several years.)
Some articles have Korean translations below the article.
Some of these are the English webpages for Korean-language newspapers.

Arirang (News, print, video) http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_Index.asp

Chosun Ilbo (English) http://english.chosun.com/

Donga-ilbo-(English) http://english.donga.com/

Hankyoreh Newspaper (English) http://english.hani.co.kr/

JoongAng Daily (Korea section for International Herald Tribune) http://joongangdaily.joins.com/

Korea Herald http://www.koreaherald.com/

Korea Times http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/

OhMyNews! http://english.ohmynews.com/

Seoul Times (online volunteer news) http://www.theseoultimes.com/

Yonhap English News (print, video) http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/

Wednesday, June 23

Sorry this is late. (I didn't finish before a dinner meeting!)

You can always write a draft of what you want to say, but you cannot read your writing in class. (You can read short notes, to help you remember, but not reading whole sentences.)

In a separate blog post I will provide links to many news sources in English in Korea. Later I will also provide some listening ideas.

Today
Well, our talks didn't go so well today, did they?

I guess you don't love soccer so much after all! (only two watched the 3am game live, others didn't have anything to say about world cup importance). OK, sometimes subjects aren't so succesful.

Be sure to match the grammar of your answer with the question. Today's question was "Two years after graduation, what will you be doing?" (future continuous, future -ing). So the answer should be in the same grammar form, example:

"Two years after graduation, I will be working for Samsung Electronics as a
Software Engineer."

Tomorrow

We will talk about

• "Visiting my hometown." Imagine I will visit your hometown from 8:30am 'til 8:30. Where should we go? Your hometown can be as large, or small, as you wish, such as "Daegu" or "Sangin-dong."
• "What's wrong with Keimyung University?" The price of tuition will not be going down. What other things can be changed?

June 22 - First Day

We'll use this blog as a notice board -- it informs on the next day's subject, and reviews what we've done.

TODAY
we introduced ourselves, did a bit of a TOEIC test, and talked about what we want to do.

NEXT CLASS
we will talk about

• Korea's World Cup game against Nigeria -- not just the game, but what you did, how you fell, etc (the game is at 3am Korea time, so you will be tired if you watched the game)
• take a look at the Korea Times articles about the game, if there are any (print paper won't have anything, but online might?) www.koreatimes.co.kr
• what you think (hope?) you'll be doing two years after you graduate.

Remember, you can reach me at

robertjdickey@yahoo.com

and 016-834-0968 (Hangul text is ok, but keep it simple)

Don't forget to include your name in any messages!