Language Learning Standards: Korean Case

Sunhee Choi, PhD.
JeonJu University & IACE

Background Information
Education is believed to be the driving force of Korean Economic Development & Prosperity
Great Passion for Education
In 2001 MOE has been expanded to MOEHRD Headed by a Deputy Prime Minister
6-3-3-4 Single Track System
Free Compulsory education for Elementary & Middle School Students
Enrollment Rate is Nearly 100%

English Education in Korea
English is considered as a must-have skill in the era of globalization
A great amount of mental & monetary investment in English Education
Attract many talented young people into the field
Controlled mainly by the National Curriculum & Learning Standards
Start at 3rd grade

The National Curriculum
National Curriculum Issued by MOHRD
Mandatory for all schools from kindergarten to Highschool, including private schools
Revised with a 5 – 10 year cycle since 1954
Provide principles for instruction, assessment, & textbook development
Sets strict regulations for the number of schools days, the subjects to be taught for each school year, and the time allocation for each subject in each school year
There is some room for modification either by local education authorities or individual schools

The 7th National Curriculum (1)
Issued in 1997 & Implemented in March 2000
Student-Centered Curriculum
Focus on:
Fostering individual talent, aptitude & creativity
Preparing for globalization & a knowledge-based economy.
Goals & Objectives
To provide students with various learning opportunities according to their aptitude, ability and academic or career plans

The 7th National Curriculum (2)
Characteristics
Reduce the number of required subjects
Increase electives
Diversify the curriculum according to different achievement levels & interests
Consist of two parts:
National compulsory curriculum for Year 1 to Year 10 (ages 6-16)
Elective-centered curriculum for Year 11 and Year 12 (students aged 16-18).

English Learning Standards (1)
The 7th Curriculum & Standards in Effect
Main Principles
Differentiated instruction for learners of different aptitudes, abilities & career plans
Promoting communicative competence
Activity- or Task-based instruction
Teaching reasoning & critical thinking skills
Raising global citizens (Cultural learning)

English Learning Standards (2)
Goals & Objectives: Students should be able to:
Gain interest and confidence for life-long learning
Communicate about general everyday topics
Comprehend and utilize the information produced in English
Understand & value Korean culture by studying other cultures

English Learning Standards (3)
Different performance expectations for different grade levels & different skills
Instruction Hours
34 (3 & 4)/ 68 (5 & 6)/ 102 (7 & 8), 136 (9 & 10)
Differentiated Instruction
In-depth and supplementary differentiation from Grade 3 to 6
4 Levels of English courses are offered from Grade 7 to 10
Elective courses for Grade 11 & 12

Implementation Efforts
Enhancing Pre-Service Teacher Training
Employing Various In-Service Teacher Training Initiatives
Adopting Various Assessments
Utilizing Native-English Speaking Teachers
Incorporating ICT into English Education

Implementation Efforts: Pre-Service Teaching Training
Recognize the Importance of Pre-Service Teacher Training
Enhancing the Curriculum of Teacher Education Programs
More Mandatory Subjects
More Field Experiences
Testing 4 Skills along with Theories & Pedagogy in Teacher Hiring Exam
Evaluation of Teacher Education Programs

Implementation Efforts: In-Service Teaching Training
Various Types of Training Program
Language Training
Pedagogy Training
Face to Face, Online, & Teacher Networking
Increased Opportunities for Government-Funded Overseas Training
Language & Pedagogy Training
Connected to Promotion

Implementation Efforts: Various Assessments
National Scholastic Achievement Test
To Identify the rate of progress of students
To place students according to the differentiated curriculum
To Improve the quality of teaching
Performance Assessments
To Measure students’ actual communicative competence
To Evaluate the effectiveness of instruction

Implementation Efforts: Native-English Speaking Teacher
Help both students and teachers with their English proficiency
Teach regular & extra-curricular classes by team-teaching with Korean English teachers
Train Korean English teachers in teaching methodologies
Promote students’ cultural understanding

Implementation Efforts: ICT
English textbooks come with CD-Roms
Various authentic materials found on the Internet
Games, Movies, Pictures, & Audio Clips
Asynchronous & synchronous communication with native & non-native speakers of English
Ubiquitous English learning has been experimented in some schools

The New National Curriculum
Not 8th, but Revised Curriculum
Will be introduced gradually from 2009
Competency-based curriculum to develop basic competency for all
Enhance & Evaluate Teachers’ Performance
Promote Teachers’ autonomy & accountability

Korea has a single track 6-3-3-4 system which maintains a single line of school levels. To ensure the standard quality of education, the national curriculum for each school levels, criteria for development of textbooks and instructional materials are prescribed by law.
Job security – Retirement Age is 62
Trend is definitely toward decentralization in determining, diversifying, and implementing the curriculum.
Korea has a national curriculum developed and monitored by the Ministry of Education. It is revised every five to ten years; implementation of the seventh national curriculum began in 2000. This curriculum seeks to develop democratic citizens who have strong moral and civic convictions.
Has been included in the national curriculum since 1955
The 7th curriculum is in effect
Differentiated Instruction
4 levels of English courses are offered from Grade 7 to Grade 10
Each level is further sub-divided into two sub-levels, operated on a semester basis
those in Year 11 (aged 16-17) began to follow an elective courses-based curriculum, as did students in Year 12 (17- to 18-year-olds) in 2004
Hire an increasing number of NEST
EFL