[EYE ON ENGLISH (5)] ‘Purpose-based approach’ to English

This is the fifth installment of a series of interviews with experts in English education aimed at offering tips, trends and information related to English learning and teaching in Korea. – Ed.

Lee Keun-chull does not believe in perfection when it comes to learning English. After all, trying to obtain a high level of English proficiency in every field is not only impossible, but fatally discouraging.

“The most important thing is to have a purpose-based approach,” Lee said. “If I want to sell clothes at Dongdaemun market, I will focus on certain expressions, and if I want to become a reporter for an English newspaper, I will focus on writing.”

Lee said the frustrations facing Korean learners stem from their misguided desire to “master” general-purpose English proficiency, an aim that is unobtainable and, just as importantly, impractical.

Lee has gained a reputation as a celebrated English teacher here, thanks especially to his job as the host of Good Morning Pops, a long-running English learning program on state-run KBS. He has also published a dozen books including “Try Again,” a blockbuster hit that sold more than 500,000 copies here.

For all his success, Lee stressed that his English proficiency works in only select fields and he never attempts to do what he cannot. For instance, he does not believe he has an edge in interpretation from Korean to English, compared with others who have lived for many years in English speaking countries.

Many Korean learners of English despair about their lack of experience in those countries, but Lee said that such a negative attitude will not help.

“Even Korean speakers find it very difficult to host a party or conduct a business meeting in professional Korean, which means those who have foreign experiences tend to be poor in the Korean language,” Lee said. “We don’t have to be perfect in every field, and things get tough when we get trapped in an obsession, which is also true for learning English.”

Lee, otherwise known as “Jake” among his foreign friends, recently published “How to Revive Your Dead English,” an everyday expression title, together with Park Soo-hong, a comedian and radio show host. The new book is part of Lee’s efforts to help Korean learners implement self-study programs based on a daily schedule.

“This book is centered on a concept that one useful English pattern, if properly learned, can pave the way for other practical expressions in everyday conversations,” Lee said. From the wake-up call to bed time, essential English sentence patterns such as “Time to get up” are presented along with comic illustrations so that learners can practice while following their daily schedule.

“For beginners, less is more,” Lee said, adding that instead of trying to memorize a lot of expressions at a time, practicing one good expression or pattern again and again is much more effective.

“If you really know how to use ‘Time to’ pattern, you can apply it to other situations, such as ‘Time to hit the road” and so forth. This pattern is very simple, but you have to imagine that you are using it in real situations, and I recommend that you practice it whenever possible for about a week,” Lee said.

Lee said that once learners recite the key pattern for more than 30 times over a period of a week, they are now ready to use the pattern accurately and appropriately. “Using a mirror while practicing such key pattern is also recommended because you can self-correct your own accent,” Lee said.

Lee also encourages intermediate and advanced learners to use purpose-driven approach to English multimedia content. Many Korean learners watch English-language TV series and movies, but passive watching is a waste of time, he said.

“You have to divide, for instance, an American TV drama into five-minute segments, and study them separately,” Lee said. At first, learners should watch the five-minute clip without any script or caption. On a second viewing, Korean caption should be turned on so that learners can grasp what the characters in the drama are talking about. On a third viewing, English captions should be turned on, this time for checking what has been missed.

“Did I miss the pronunciation of a word, or did I miss a situation here? You should ask questions about what you don’t understand and you should take enough time to identify what you don’t know in that five-minute clip, and only then can you make real progress,” Lee said.

Watching a single episode just once is not enough, Lee said. “Watch the episode again and again, if possible, more than 10 times, because you practice a lot to internalize what you have learned through the five-minute sessions,” he said.

Dictation is another good form of practice for improving listening comprehension, but Lee said learners should narrow down the subject for dictation materials according to their own interest.

“Almost every topic is now available in English on the internet, a dramatically positive development for Korean learners, but the explosive growth of online content in English means that learners should make efforts to locate where the information they want is located,” Lee said.

Lee started teaching English on a cable network in October 1995 and took up the host position for Good Morning Pops radio show in June 2007.

“I’m an English teacher, but I make mistakes occasionally when I use English. After all, nobody is perfect and my Korean isn’t perfect, even though I’m Korean, so don’t get obsessed with the idea that you have to master everything,” Lee said.

By Yang Sung-jin

(insight@heraldm.com)

2009.06.04