Jessica TS #8 (Dojun)

Date/time: July 12th, 9-10am

Location: Online

Topic/Skill: We went over some English pronunciation mistakes that Korean learners make, but Dojun didn't struggle so we didn't spend much time on it. He has an accent but his pronunciation has never interfered with his communication. I explained that aiming for perfect pronunciation likely wasn't a good use of time, especially when the English speakers he'd work with at his jobs are not native speakers.

For the rest of the time, we watched a Ted Talk about procrastination. He understood the big ideas, but the presenter was talking too fast, so next time I'll find something more level-appropriate (and avoid closed captions). I've started dedicating much out our time to speaking practice. After answering some comprehension questions about the video, we did some discussion questions. Funny enough, we only got through 1 or 2 before it developed into a natural conversation about the shortcomings of the United States' and South Korea's and education systems, politics, and family dynamics. I didn't think returning to the original topic would be more productive.

What I learned: I may need more structure for the speaking activities we do. Dojun's proficiency feels too high the heavily structured activities in the textbook, but I want to find more way to help him use new grammar structures and words when speaking. I correct his mistakes when they arise, but I may start writing them down and going back to them at the end of sessions so he can have physical notes and be more aware of the errors.