Reflection for Editorial -Korea's Proofreading Woes

Reflection for Editorial -Korea's Proofreading Woes

After reading this article, I was pleased and I appreciate his point of view and his efforts with affections towards Korea. If Korean advertisers, those who make tiles and news feeds, see his article, they would become aware how carefully they should examine their work in terms of accurate grammar.

This is especially true if it will be published as a paper, slogan, or signage in public. He mentioned there are unreadable news feeds on the websites of major government institutes and well-regarded universities. It means we use a lot inaccurate English expressions unconsciously as if they are standard expressions. It can make big problems for websites such as the government’s which should be more accurate as it reflects the dignity and values of society. If a site which is run by the government makes awkward expressions, it might give bad influences to the general people without meaning to.

If the target audiences of this site are foreigners who are interested in our country, we can also give bad impressions about our country.

The last part of his article was the most interesting to me. He posed the question to native English speakers who work as English educators in Korea, how much should they help and approach the problem as English educators who have a responsibility for using accurate English grammar.

Some errors that are absolutely incorrect are obvious for a viewer who has accurate grammar knowledge, but often we don’t recognize it as an error as one who uses English as a second language. The writer pointed out certain sentences which were written as awkward interpretations in museums that rely on English dictionaries. In Korea, the expressions of the dictionary are regarded as the standard and accurate ones.

Anyway, I, as educator who is interested in the English field, would like to hold his effort in high regard.

Focus on Sociopolitical and Geographical Issues

Focus on Sociopolitical and Geographical Issues

David Crystal (1997) said that English is a Global language which is an explanation of Kachru's three circles of English speakers (Inner circle, outer circle, and Expanding circle).

In my opinion, English as the Global language can be shown by the political and economic power and influence it has over the world in different ways.

What are the means of Standard English? What is high class English? Which English is the norm of language when using in USA? UK?

When English represents certain countries and has a political power itself, we think English is the USA and that they are equal notions.

Tesol influenced a paradigm shift and changed the social status of English. However, English is an international lingua franca. English has become localized (indigenized) and was admitted as a diverse language in many countries. There is no national border while we are using English as a communication tool for communication.

Before English was spreading in the world, English may have worked as a monoglossia in that it was one language for a certain country.  Now it is considered as heteroglossic in various local countries.

English as a heteroglossic language has been used in different countries over three circles as a contact language.

Those perspectives influenced our country and our curriculum design like Korean (in non-native-English speaking countries or expanding circle countries).  For example, this textbook is for 6th grade. As you see, it shows us that English is not under the ownership of a certain country (inner circle). We can use English as a contact language with other countries’ people. The children are from different countries, but they can say the same things in English. The students also try to express their way. English is not only used for speaking, but also for written communication such as emails with children of another country.

Kids need structure - NO child gets left behind.

He said kids need a structure, whether they are at the school or at home, when they start to learn their first langue from mother. Every moment kids need a structural process of learning in different ways.
He emphasizes the role of the school for students who want to have better future.
Also, he mentioned their better future and how this also makes a brighter future for the USA. His speech reminds me of the class in which we discussed structuralism and what education is. For whom should education exist? What is the definition of education in a universal country?
Why do we need to be educated by school? Is it really a guarantee for our child's future?

His claims are based on the behaviorism and structuralism. When we educate or teach a language we need a certain process to reach toward the goal.

He was a reliable person in USA, so a person who is working for the government can easily influence ordinary people. He looks like he has a strong belief about the school system of the USA. It sounds like all students who graduate from school in USA will be good citizens which might have been intentioned.

After Searching About BSSJ school

http://www.bssj.net/BSSJ/Welcome.html

Curtis introduced us to this school on his blog.

The Bushwick School for Social Justice is located in New York, USA.

This school encourages its students to take an informed and active role in the social, cultural, and political life of their communities. The students learn the humanities, science, and social justice through this program.
All education that they receive should have practical use and relevance to their real lives as citizens.

Through the school's homepage, I found that the program also improved the students’ built-in knowledge and their ability to think about the social issues that they are facing within present society (community).

The most interest thing is the podcasts that are created by students. Each student recorded their real voice, or made a short movie clip about their interests and feelings towards the program. It was really cool though.
I realized how much the system of schooling and education could influence the learner.

The page was last updated around 2010 so I really want to know how the school's system is going now and I really want to see their results and changes.

So Extremely curious Ann !!!

Yes it's me,

I sent an e-mail to Jack Thelisma who works as a councilor at the school, hoping he could solve my curiosities.

I am not sure if I will receive a reply back or not.



No one knows what he can do until he tries. -Publilius Syrus -

Pennycook - The Concept of Method

■  What do I disagree with? What do I agree with?

Penny Cook’s opinion is that all education is political and all knowledge is in the interest of certain individuals or groups. However, I don't agree with this. It looks like there are no exceptions. He emphasizes all education and all knowledge, but how can he say this conclusively? He also mentions that schooling is a training ground for promoting obedience, punctuality, silence, industry and social reconstructions.

Does this mean that schooling is just a tool that maintains the system of society? Does it have only that reason of keeping the social requirement?

I don't think that Education exists as a tool in favor of keeping or maintaining an ideological position status.

However I agree with some parts of his previous claims. The purpose and function of schooling has been influenced by the tendency of political sociality. Political requirement should also be based on the general ideas of peoples. Through his claims, my basic belief of education has changed a bit.

Pure academics such as pure science and pure philosophy exist.  Penny Cook explains that all knowledge represents or reflects certain individuals or groups. He also mentions that it is related to social political power.

■ What do I like?

He says this argument is especially relevant to second language education. SLE is based on the political dimensions of the concept of language. The spread of English went parallel with the political power relevant with culture and economics. I think that knowledge and education have been considered an apolitical approach over the years.

An interesting part that I read was on page 599. About 500 years ago, the late 16th century, dialogues and the situation teaching method prevailed in the education field. This method of language teaching constantly reappears over the centuries. At that time, educators used realia, substitution tables, and dialogues. Many parts of teaching methods are quite similar in modern society.

It means that trends and shifts in language teaching tend to be a reordering of same basic options and reflect the social, cultural, political and philosophical environments.

■ What’s his point of view?

Penny cook says we need to always see knowledge as interested because it represents the interest of a certain group.

All knowledge is produced within a particular configuration of social, cultural, economic, political and historical circumstances.

Theory and practice cannot be separated; they are tied to each other. We cannot say which one is first. The concept of method is also changing in diverse ways and teachers are also influenced by the stream of change of society.

That's why we are needed to adjust our curriculum to social issues.

The newest curriculum content in Korea is comprised of students’ interests in order to help children progress through the natural stages of their development.

First step - Penny Cook's

 I read the Pennycook's article. I can not comptley understand what was his point of view. Why Curtis put his article under Rethinking the curriculum category.
The title is  " The Concept of Method, Interested Knowlege, and the Politeics of Language Theaching "
How do those three things relate each other?

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