On a sunny afternoon recently, half a dozen South Korean mothers came to pick up their children at the Remuera Primary School here, greeting one another warmly in a schoolyard filled with New Zealanders. The mothers, members of the largest group of foreigners at the public school, were part of what are known in South […]
South Korea: Hagwon Seek to Block Unqualified Foreign Teachers
In a move that makes a frightening amount of sense, the association of foreign language institutes (hagwon) said recently that the government should block the inflow of unqualified native English teachers, making clear its opposition to a policy to increase the number of “questionable instructors.”
The Korea Association […]
China: Crazy English
Accompanied by his photographer and his personal assistant, Li Yang stepped into a Beijing classroom and shouted, “Hello, everyone!” The students applauded. Li, the founder, head teacher, and editor-in-chief of Li Yang Crazy English, wore a dove-gray turtleneck and a black car coat.
The classes were part of a campaign that is more ambitious […]
Every time I present one of my ELT news roundups, it really sinks in how little the buggers in power know about language teaching. No matter where you are in the world, it seems there’s some moron beating on about some new initiative absolutely guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of any self-respecting TEFLer. […]
A couple of recent articles mentioning initiatives of President Lee Myung-bak. First up… well, don’t you just love it when politicians try to introduce competitiveness into education!Lee Urges Teachers to Compete With Each Other
President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday said students were engaging in fierce competition and so should teachers. “No schools have ever competed with […]
