42 Korea TESOL

“Teacher, Why Must

I Learn English?”
Written by Dr. David E. Shaffer

W
hy must I learn English? – Finding an English of destinations. Again, this can be illustrated to English
teacher in Korea who has not been asked this learners by pointing out that Korean parents today
question by a student would probably be as travel internationally much more than their parents
difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. And finding a did, and today’s students are much more likely to travel
parent who has not been asked the same question would internationally as adults than their parents. As an
likely be just as difficult. I was recently approached with anecdote (that dates me a bit), when I got married, my
this question by a teacher-administrator who was asked wife, a Korean, couldn’t even get a regular passport to
by an elementary school teacher about how to respond to travel abroad to visit my parents because she was not a
EDUCATION

such a question. Of course, a reply of “Because you have Korean diplomat or major businessman. But I digress…
to” really doesn’t answer the question, and it surely doesn’t The point is that Koreans are traveling more and more
generate in the inquiring student any motivation to learn and, therefore, will be needing English more and more.
the language. Here are some good reasons for learning
English that will hopefully increase your students’ desire English Is the Ticket to a Top-Class Job
to learn. This is not a revelation. It is widely known that for the
fresh university graduate to land an entry-level job in
Everybody’s Doing It! one of Korea’s top-flight companies, a top-level English
Though it may not be a good idea to blindly follow every test score is required. Even though English may not be
trend that comes along, the trend toward increased English a requirement of the job that one is applying for, a high
use has a lengthy and sustained history. More and more, it TOEIC score is often needed for a job-hunter to even
is becoming the lingua franca worldwide – the language advance to the interview step of the job hunt. Though
of choice among interlocutors who do not speak the same an English test score may not be the best indicator of
mother tongue, the language of commerce, the language one’s compatibility for a job, it is a fact of Korean life that
of academic research, the language of the Internet and of future job-seekers need to be aware of now, while they
travelers. The world is quickly becoming a global village still have time to prepare themselves for top-level English
that is speaking English. Factoid: One-fourth of all the exam scores that could land them top-notch jobs. If
countries of the world have English as an official language English learners are not already aware of the importance
and English as the medium of instruction. To make this of English test scores for desirable job opportunities, it is
March 2019

resonate with students, it may be helpful to point out that incumbent on the teacher to make them aware.
their parents know more English and have more need for
English than their grandparents did, and that, likewise, There are, however, many jobs for which the use of English
today’s students will have more need for English than is required, and the amount of English that one must
their parents have. use in these jobs is ever increasing. One of the reasons
for this is that Korea-based firms are increasing their
www.gwangjunewsgic.com

See the World! international connections. With the rapid advances in

Korea and the world are becoming increasingly technology, there will be many new occupations created
transnationally mobile. More people are traveling to within a decade that we cannot even conceptualize today,
more places more often – for business and pleasure, and many of these will require advanced English skills.
and anything in between. Since the only other country Teachers! Let your students know; make them aware.
in the world where Korean is widely spoken is a country Discuss it in class. Do a fortunetelling activity.
where South Koreans cannot travel to, knowing a second
language becomes a requisite. As shown above, English Learning English Makes You Smarter!
is the best alternative-language choice for a wide variety If none of the above reasons seem to satisfy your students
 43
WHERE ENGLISH IS SPOKEN

80-100%
60-80%
40-60%
20-40%
0.1-20%
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or have the motivational effect that you are looking for, The Author
tell them that learning English will make them smarter, David E. Shaffer is vice-president of the
and that the earlier they start, the greater the effect! Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of Korea
Learning a new language means learning a whole new TESOL (KOTESOL). On behalf of the
chapter, he invites you to participate in
and complex set of rules, vocabulary, and patterns. The
their upcoming March conference and
brain works through this complexity, giving meaning to
their teacher development workshops
words and structures, and boosting cognitive skills such at their monthly meetings (always on a
as critical thinking and problem-solving. Saturday). For many years, Dr. Shaffer has
been a professor of English Language at Chosun University. He
The more you use your brain, the better it functions. is a long-time member of KOTESOL and a holder of various
Working in two or more languages, rather than in KOTESOL positions; at present he is national president.
just one, requires more variety in recall, which in turn Dr. Shaffer credits KOTESOL for much of his professional
improves memory. Research has shown that knowing development in English language teaching, scholarship, and
leadership. He encourages you to get involved. He is board chair
more than one language sharpens the mind. In one study,
at the GIC and also editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News.
multilingual subjects showed better observational skills
and recall of their surroundings. Other studies have shown
that multilingual adults have sharper minds for longer. GWANGJU-JEONNAM KOTESOL
The mean age for the onset of dementia in monolinguals REGIONAL CONFERENCE
was a full four years sooner than for multilingual adults. Are We There Yet? –
Revisiting, Reflecting on, and Re-imaging Our ELT Goals www.gwangjunewsgic.com
According to still other studies, multilingual speakers are
better multi-taskers and better decision-makers.
Date: March 9 (Saturday)
Place: Gwangju National University of Education
Possibly the most effective way to frame this information
about how knowing more than a single language boosts
• Plenary: Where is “There”? and Are We There Yet?
brain power is to frame it for students as “Learning
By Michael Griffin
English will improve your grades in other subjects, too!”
(The EFL Workshop & Chung-Ang University, Seoul)
Since language learning heightens cognitive skills, studies
• Concurrent Sessions, Poster Sessions, Displays
have shown that this translates into higher standardized
test scores in subject areas such as math and in reading
For full event details:
March 2019

comprehension.
Website: koreatesol.org/gwangju
Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL
So, here are some responses to add to your arsenal of
answers for the next time you are confronted by a student Map credit: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
with the question “Why must I learn English?” (CC BY-SA 3.0)