Out on the main street by Chilseong subway station sits an elegant marble fountain, where the light reflects gently off the water, playing off the clean marble surrounding it. Yet this piece of architecture is in complete contrast with the dirt-under-your-fingernails reality of the market that lies on the streets just a stones throw away.

A maze of tiny alleyways, boiling caldrons exploding with steam, all the smells you could ever want to experience and some you could probably do without, the engines of the mopeds’ whine as they weave through the gauntlet of people that shuffle beneath the patchwork of tarpaulin roofs, while the pig heads smile smugly at all that pass them by.

An old woman sits on a mat placed upon a wooden floor under the same tarpaulin that shields her fish stall from the sun light that only appeared a few hours previously. The fluorescent light bulbs, however, have been burning away for hours already, lit when the unpacking happened and crates were carried over warped and uneven asphalt, so that row after row of tables could be filled with squid, octopus, flowers, meat, candy, fireworks and a myriad of other items.

Tightly permed black hair sits on top of her drooping face, her gaze is cast downwards at the bowl of kimchi and rice that she is tending to with a pair of wooden chopsticks. Occasionally, she glances upwards at the passers by and prospective customers who weave in between the stalls. After a while, she ceases her investigation of the bowl and it’s contents and instead surveys the scene before her for a little longer. She does so with eyes that have seen decades of change around the market. Eyes that looked upon on the city when there were no highways, when there were no Home Plus or K Marts, when there was instead only the markets like Chilseong. Eyes that surveyed the Korea that existed before the Seoul Olympics of 1988, before the tower blocks and sky scrapers shot up to the heavens, turning the city into a glistening metropolis. Eyes that saw the downtown before it became a flock of neck ties down up ever so tightly and a sea of designer heels with places to be, a time when things seemed more relaxed and simple. Yet these eyes still see some of that old Daegu under this tarpaulin patchwork and the labyrinth of alley ways that lie behind.

To give any accurate directions to such a place is no small undertaking and it is certainly not worth trying to ask elderly female fish merchants unless a blank stare is desired in response. Instead, maybe the best advice that can be given is to simply jump in head first and completely submerge oneself. Buy the ticket, take the ride and see what you can find under the patchwork labyrinth and among those narrow back streets, noodle houses, fish markets, rack upon racks of jackets, scarves, belts, flowers, chickens, hand bags, toys, dogs, cats and just about everything else you could ever wish to purchase.

It has been known for foreigners visiting Seoul to remark that they did not feel like they were really in Korea at all, rather visiting just another big city. Chilseong Market is the converse of this sentiment: it is one of the corners of Daegu that is about as Korean as it gets, maybe how things were before the hyper-modernisation that has kicked in since 88’ , the old Korea. Furthermore, it is brutally honest about itself and consequently maybe not intended for the faint hearted. It is, however, intended those who wish to look through the eyes of the old Korea, which is not forgotten, instead only slightly hidden from view under the patchwork of tarpaulin and the maze of alley ways.

Written and photographed by Dann Gaymer

One of the Korea’s largest English language teacher organizations will have an international conference involving famous English education experts. Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Language (KOTESOL) plans to host its annual conference Oct.25-26 at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul.

Under the theme, “Responding to a Changing World,’’ academic and commercial presentations dealing with English language teaching (ELT) will take place during the two-day event.

More than 600 people have already registered for the international conference, according to the conference organizer. Participants can join in chapter meetings and workshops and connect with other teachers in the ELT community. The conference will also offer teaching resources here and abroad through KOTESOL publications, conferences and symposia.

KOTESOL, an affiliate of TESOL Inc., was founded in Korea in 1992 to help both Korean and non-Korean English teachers improve their teaching skills and for the development of Korean English education. It is also working with other world education organizations such as Oxford University Press and Pearson Education/Longman. Anyone interested in English education is welcome at the conference. For more information, visit the KOTESOL Web site, www.kotesol.org.

Source:Korea Times

Diversity has been the chief buzzword in education across the globe over the past 30 years. Few would challenge the benefits of a broader perspective, of social inclusion, of representative sampling. On the other hand, aspects have been hotly contested, such as affirmative action and desegregation. In lands with a monolingual, homogeneous cultural heritage, such as Korea, diversity might even seem counter-productive.

When we talk about “diversity” in language teaching, what are we talking about? Is this something new? Is the teaching of English somehow different from the teaching of other languages (and should it be?) Does it matter whether we are teaching in Kachru’s “inner circle” lands (such as USA, Canada, UK, Australia), the so called “EFL” or “expanding circle” lands (where English is not spoken locally), or in a land like Singapore or the Philippines where English may be used locally, and is taught in schools, but isn’t the first language of most speakers? Does it take a different form within a close society such as Korea? Does cultural setting play a role?

Whether diversity is good or bad really depends on your perspective. Some people like to eat plain cucumbers, or just tomatoes, or just fresh lettuce. But for most of us, the collection of flavors and textures in a fresh garden salad far surpasses any single element. The teaching of English, even in Korea, can be considered in the same way. Diversity magnifies the elements, and complements, rather than subtracts.

Basic Issue: Learners

What are some of the diversity issues in EFL? A natural starting point is in the learners themselves and the learning environment. A quick history of language learning is illustrative ― ancient tribal peoples learning the language of their neighbors (particularly women who find themselves as wives in another language group), the Greeks and Romans learning the languages of the “great civilizations” before them, Europeans learning the Latin Bible, the English studying French from emigres and studying Latin, or even ancient Greek, from books, the colonized tribes learning the language of the colonial masters… yet even within contemporary (supposedly homogeneous) Korean classrooms we can see many other issues of diversity amongst our learners.

Just because they are all Korean doesn’t mean they are all the same. Identifying varieties, and how we might deal with them, is just one area for consideration. What do they like to do? Can we build a lesson from that? What do they like to read or study (in Korean)? How about a thematic lesson instead of the same old course-book? If it is a mixed-level classroom, how many learners have received private tutoring or hagwons for English? Are there other issues indicating diverse proficiencies among same-aged learners?

Different learning styles dictate multiple approaches to the transmission of information. And of course, some students prefer tasks or independent study designs where they identify their own learning objectives instead of what is pre-selected for them. It’s not just “chalk and talk” lectures, but cooperative learning and self-learners.

Across the globe, studies say the same things: boys have different learning preferences than girls. Greater or lesser parental involvement in learning, or support for learning English, may play a crucial role in learner differences. Some students learn better when they read, others when they hear, still others when they “do.” Advances in psychology and assessment are creating an ever more diverse society, with EQ levels, intelligence, and anxieties. In hagwons and universities, older students may have differing educational backgrounds or life-experiences, different foreign language experience (including overseas travel), and motivations for being in the classroom. Finally, some learners, like the famous monkey named George, are just that little bit “curiouser.”

Course design

While all issues of diversity ultimately impact the classroom teacher, some are more striking than others. The question of methodology is never far from us, even in what Kumaravadivelu has called the “post-method condition.” This too can include “intelligent eclecticism” ― the reasoned choice to utilize aspects from various designs. David Nunan has argued that most teachers use a bundle of techniques from a range of sources. Others, such as Mario Rinvolucri are much more fervent supporters of methodology, at least for the purpose of developing resources for a teacher’s “toolkit.”

Historically, we can clearly identify a number of language teaching method eras, and many different perspectives on second language acquisition. We may also look at methodological varieties from a different perspective: even the same design can be adjusted to become more (or less) student-centered, or more technology-driven. Lessons can place greater weight on grammar & syntax, or vocabulary, or “lexical chunks,” or pronunciation, despite identical lesson plans.

We can’t just design one lesson plan for the “typical” student and recycle it endlessly. Teachers customize according to each group of learners. The sun, the rain, and the lunar tides all affect the classroom, as do the mood of students, the results of a recent test, and numerous other factors that can change even minute by minute. Any given group of learners pulls a classroom in a unique direction on any given day. Not all teachers have the same “style” or goals.

What are some of the other areas in which we can find diversity? Selection of “content” for study would be one. Whether the religious texts, the fictional “Jones” family, a movie, traveler’s phrases, classic literature, academic subjects, business documents, “Big Books,” TV commercials, movies, comic books, or magazine advertisements, every course is built around some type of “content.”

Language and Culture

The question of varieties of English is important as well. This not only refers to “dialects.” What other types of varieties can you come up with, and why might these be important in an EFL setting? Register (politeness & formality). Professional “lingos.” Regional dialects. Are you more supportive of “World Englishes” or “Global English”? Along with the question of which variety of English to study, can be which variety is spoken by the instructor. Do these match? Is it important? Or even the more general question of whether the native-speaker/near-native-speaker/non-native-speaker issue is of any importance. Ambassador Dr. Peter Medgyes has built an academic career around the argument that non-native speakers are better! If there is a difference, why, and can it be used to the learners’ advantage?

Should an Australian attempt to sound “American?” Should a Korean? Where does Korean-English end and “Konglish” begin? Read through Truss’ (2003) Eats, shoots and leaves ― she clearly shows how American and British languages have evolved apart into diverse languages (you’ll see the same thing if you change the dictionary settings in MSWord and then engage the grammar checker).

How does culture fit in to the language classroom, and if so, which culture(s)? All the questions in the paragraph above apply here as well. Should the teacher attempt to be a cultural role model?

A Commitment to Diversity

We recognize that students need some models, that for the purposes of testing, we need to set some boundaries. The questions are “where” and “which.” It is a challenge, and it reaches into the very heart of foreign language education in Korea. But clearly, the Henry Ford approach to diversity (“you can have your car in any color, so long as it’s black”) has no place in the contemporary EFL classroom. Instead, we should be helping our students to see the many colors of the rainbow, to experiment with language. Raisins and almonds in a salad? Why not try some salmon and kiwi-fruit too?

How to go about this? Teachers can learn from their peers who are already working towards this aim. The Korea TESOL 2008 International Conference is based on the reality that diversity is part of the many changes occurring in English language teaching. “Responding to a Changing World” is not just the theme of the conference, it is the mission for teachers of English in the 21st century. The world has changed, and English has changed. Teachers have the job of creating success from the materials at hand.

Rob Dickey teaches at Gyeongju University, he has visited a half-dozen “English speaking” countries as well as a dozen lands where they are learning their own kind of Englishes. He can be reached at rjdickey@content-english.org

Source:Korea Times

Mr. Kim: (phone rings) Hello, this is Mr. Kim. May I help you?

Mrs. Hong: Hi, this is Joseph’s mother. I am sorry to tell you but I cannot attend our meeting this afternoon.

Mr. Kim: Oh, I am sorry to hear that but you know this is quite an important meeting.

Mrs. Hong: Yes, but I totally forgot that I have other fish to fry this afternoon. You would have to do without me. I am really sorry!

미스터 김: (전화벨이 울린다) 여보세요, 미스터 김입니다. 무엇을 도와드릴까요?

미세스 홍: 안녕하세요. 조셉 엄마예요. 죄송하지만 오늘 오후 회의는 참석할 수 없겠네요.

미스터 김: 아이고, 안 됐군요. 하지만 오늘 오후 회의는 아주 중요하다는 걸 아실 텐데요.

미세스 홍: 네, 그런데 오늘 오후에 다른 중요한 일이 있는 걸 완전히 깜빡 잊어버렸어요. 저 없이 회의를 진행하셔야 하겠어요. 정말 죄송합니다.

Source: Jungang Ilbo

A: What are you going to buy for your girlfriend?

B: I need to buy… um… It’s a thing that women carry.

A: Ah! A purse! That’s a good idea.

A: 여자친구에게 뭘 사줄 거예요?

B: 그걸 사려구요… 음… 여자들이 가지고 다니는 건데요.

A: 아! 핸드백! 생각 잘 하셨네요.

A: What’s a ‘treadmill’?

B: It’s a machine that you run on for exercise.

A: Oh, we call it a ‘running machine’ in Korea.

A: ‘트레드밀’이 뭐죠?

B: 운동하려고 그 위에서 달리는 기계예요.

A: 아, 한국에선 ‘러닝머신’이라고 불러요.

It’s a thing that ∼(∼하는 물건이다)은 대상의 속성을 설명하는 표현이다. 예를 들어 purse(핸드백)는 a thing that women carry(여자들이 가지고 다니는 것), diaper(기저귀)는 a thing that babies wear(아기들이 차는 것)라고 설명할 수 있다.

Source: Segye

Over 2000 avid marathon runners embark on a 14 km job through mountains, while taking in the beautiful fall views on the 2008 Cheongsong Mountain Marathon, north-east of Daegu, in Cheongsong-gun.

Source:Imaeil

The Samsung Lions defeated the Doosan Bears 6-2 at Daegu Stadium to grab a 2-1 lead in the second round playoffs of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Choi Hyung-woo hit a three-run homer and Park Sok-min had a two-run double to lift the Lions, which won in the five-hour and seven-minute Game 2 Friday, to taking control of the best-of-seven series.

Lions starter Yoon Sung-hwan, who struggled in the first round against the Lotte Giants, threw one-run five innings, allowing six hits and five relievers including closer Oh Seung-hwan limited the Doosan Bears to one run over four innings.

Game 4 will be played Monday in Daegu with the Lions’ Lee Sang-mok facing Kim Sun-woo of the Bears.

After bailing out of a bases loaded jam in the third inning, the Lions, which finished fourth in the regular season, broke open a game at the bottom half.

With runners on first and second, first baseman Park, who did not start in the first two games due to a rib injury, hit a double off Bears starting pitcher Lee Hye-chun for a 2-0 lead.

Right fielder Choi, who blasted five home runs against the Bears during the season, drove a 1-0 pitch from reliever Kim Sang-hyun to the right seats to make it 5-1.

The Lions added a run on a single from Shin Myung-chul, who had a game-winning two-run triple two days ago, in the seventh.

The Bears batters in the middle of the lineup, which went 3-for-26 in the opening first two games, are still concerns for manager Kim Kyung-moon.

Third batter Kim Hyun-soo was 1-for-4, while cleanup man Kim Dong-joo had two hits without tallying any RBI.

Hong Sung-heon, who batted fifth, was held hitless in four at-bats.

Source:Korea Times
Photo:Imaeil

A:It looks like a TV and you can find it in the kitchen.

B:You mean a microwave, right?

A:TV처럼 생겼고 부엌에서 볼 수 있는 건데요.

B:전자레인지 말씀하시는 거죠?

A:I don’t know its name, but you can find it in the restroom.

B:Oh, you must mean a toilet.

A:No, not that. Oh, now I remember. I mean a sink.

A:그거 이름을 모르겠는데 화장실에서 볼 수 있거든요.

B:아, 변기 말씀이시군요.

A:아니요, 그거 아니구요. 아, 이제 생각났어요. 세면대 말이에요.

장 소에 대한 정보로 생각이 안 나는 단어나 사물을 설명할 수 있다. 즉, in the kitchen, in the meeting room처럼 그 대상을 자주 볼 수 있는 장소가 어디인지 이야기하는 것이다. 영어로 장소를 나타내는 at, in 등의 전치사를 활용하여 You can see/find it in/at the ∼ (∼에서 볼 수 있다)라고 말한다.

Source: Segye

The 2008 Daegu Photo Biennale is coming to EXCO from Oct.31-Nov.16. From their site:

The Biennale’s main exhibition, Then and Now: Memories of the Future features contemporary photography from South Korea, Japan, and China. To contrast the contemporary images there will be a show on photography from 100 years ago taken of South Korea, Japan and China. The old images will show a time when the western and eastern world first began to interact with each other. It will be a good contrast to show how culture and photography has changed over time.

There will also be a group of special exhibitions that will be presented at the Biennale: “Changing Social Landscape: North Korea 0950-2008”, “Sway in the Space”, and “4 Hidden Photographers”.

The Daegu Photo Biennale 2008 will present photography from Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, United States, England, and France. This will bring almost 10 countries together representing about 200 photographers.

Source: Daegu Biennale

A: I guess I know what she‘s like now. They say mothers are all the same everywhere. But I’m afraid your mother is definitely an exception. (이제 네 어머니가 어떤 분이신지 알 것 같군. 사람들은 어머니는 어디나 다 마찬가지라고 하지. 하지만 네 어머님은 분명 예외이신 것 같아.)

B: I know. I‘d rather call her extraordinary. She’s never one of those mothers out there. She expects much of me just like most mothers do in Korea. But she does the way I wouldn‘t feel imposed upon. (알아. 특출난 분이라고 난 부르겠어. 어머님은 그저 그런 어머님이 아니셔. 대한민국의 다른 어머니들과 똑 같이 내게 많은 기대를 하시지만 내가 부담을 느끼지 않게 기대를 하시거든 )
　
A는 B의 어머니에 대해 이제 알 것 같다.
　
what ~ is like는 ~ 가 어떤 사람인지. they say는 사람들 말이. “어디든 ~ 는 똑 같아”란 말은 all the same everywhere를 쓰면 된다. A가 exception이라고 어머니에 대한 특징을 정의한 것을 B 자신은 extraordinary라고 고친다. exception은 다른 것들과 다르다는 말인 반면 extraordinary는 이에 더해 특별히 훌륭한 이란 뜻이 추가되기 때문이다. one of those mothers 는 그렇고 그런 보통 어머니. expect much of ~ 는 ~ 에 대해 기대를 많이 하다. impose upon ~ 하면 ~에게 (본인은 능력이 부쳐 싫은데) ~ 했으면 기대하여 부담을 주다.

Source: Kwnews