Education

Do you think there is too much pressure on you people at school these days?

오늘날 학교의 젊은이들은 지나친 압박을 받고 있다고 생각하나요?

Do you think school and university prepares young people adequately for real life?

학교와 대학은 현실을 위해 젊은이들을 제대로 준비시키고 있다고 생각하나요?

What is the difference between teaching the young and the elderly?

젊은이들과 어르신들을 교육하는 데에는 어떤 차이가 있나요?

Do you think there are age limitations to study?

공부하는 데에 나이 제한이 있다고 생각하나요?

How has education changed compared fifty years ago?

5년 전과 비교했을 때 교육은 어떻게 변화했나요?

What kinds of changes do we need for education?

교육을 위해 어떤 종류의 변화들이 우리에게 필요한가요?

Who do you think children should follow: their teachers or parents?

< sample answer >

Do you think there is too much pressure on young people at school these days?
I’d say yes, there is. I mean, in Korea, it’s considered to best for students’ future to go to a top-tier university, which creates an overly competitive environment. So, Korean students are forced to go to private academies after school... In the worst cases, some Korean students give up their lives just because they fail to go on to a prestigious university, which is awful. So as far as I’m concerned, something needs to be done to take some pressure off students.

Do you think school and university prepare young people adequately for real life?
Well… In some ways yes, in some ways no. I mean, through group projects, sports, and clubs, school and university can give us interpersonal skills and teamwork skills, which are useful at work and when maintaining relationships. On the other hand… The education system doesn’t currently provide students with experience, such as through internship programmes or work placement schemes, so when graduates enter the workplace, they need to learn lots of things from scratch. So I think the education system is adequate to a certain extent.

What is the difference between teaching the young and the elderly?
Well, off the top of my head, there are several differences. For example... When it comes to physical education, young people can endure more demanding activities like soccer or tennis. On the other hand, whereas the elderly are more frail. And... As for mental ability, young people are better at memorization and absorbing new information. Whereas, older people are generally more disciplined and diligent, and so they sometimes know how to study more effectively. So it’s necessary to take different approaches according to the students’ age.

Do you think there are age limitations to study?
OK… No, I wouldn’t say so. There’s no limit to learning if you are hard-working enough. I mean, your mind might be sharper when you are young, but as you age, you develop skills that help you to learn more effectively, such as time management skills and self-discipline. So there’s no cut-off point to learning, I think.

How has education changed compared to fifty years ago?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one... One change is that there were many more students in classes fifty years ago, like 60 to 70 students, and most students had to walk about five kilometres to go to school every morning, because there weren’t many schools. But... now, classes are much smaller and there are more schools. That said, one thing that hasn’t changed at all is the focus on rote learning. My father had to memorise almost every single page of his text books and so did I!

What kinds of changes do we need for education?
Wow, that’s a big question... but I’d certainly say a lot needs to be changed. There are increasingly loud voices for educational reform in Korea. I mean, secondary education in Korea is largely based on memorisation rather than creativity or critical thinking, both of which are crucial in personal and professional life, so... We need to encourage students to engage in discussions and creative activities. Also... we need to provide more teachers so that students can study in smaller classes. So plenty of things need to change.

Who do you think children should follow: their teachers or parents?
Right… that’s a tough one… I think young people should listen to the advice of both parents and educators, but they also need to make decisions for themselves. I mean, parents and teachers have more life experience than kids, but everyone makes mistakes. On top of that, their views might be outdated… So I think youths need to listen carefully to elders, think critically about their advice, and then come to their own conclusions. So basically… children should listen to both teachers and parents.

- 제주도 유일한 off-line 아이엘츠 학원-