JoshEsl Blog about EFL in Korea

The importance of making mistakes / 실수의 중요성

1/17/2018

Joshua Wedlock / 조쉬 웨드락

Welcome to another post!

This one is actually a video - so not much reading required. The topic of the video is 'mistakes' - and as educators it is important to understand how mistakes can help us learn and grow.

In this talk about how I learned to wakeboard I address the following questions: (a) Are mistakes important for learning and growing?, (b) How can we learn from mistakes?, and (c) Do mistakes help you learn?

This talk was given at the District 93 Toastmasters 2017 Spring Conference in Seoul, South Korea. Stepping in for the planned speaker, who was running late due to traffic, I gave a talk called: The Importance of Making Mistakes! This unplanned and unrehearsed talk is based partly on personal anecdote and partly on research – I hope you enjoy it.

이 강연은 2017년 서울, 스프링 컨퍼런스 토스트마스터 디스트릭트 93에서 한 강연입니다. 예정된 발표자가 교통 상황으로 인해 예기치 않게 늦는 바람에, 저는 '실수의 중요성!' 이라는 강연을 하게 되었는데요. 사전에 준비하지 않은, 계획에 없던 이 강연은 저의 개인적인 일화 및 연구를 바탕으로 하고 있습니다. 재밌게 봐주세요.

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Get Real! / LESSR - The Keys To Success

11/30/2017

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Joshua Wedlock / 조쉬 웨드락

Hello,
In this post I will be discussing the five factors I mentioned in my TEDx talk about success in more detail. My speech, entitled Get Real, examined the following five factors: locus of control (통제 소재), engagement (참여), self-awareness (자기 인식), self-efficacy (자기 효능감), and responsibility (책임감)

Get Real! – A TED talk by: Joshua Wedlock / 조쉬 웨드락

LESSR - The Five Predictors of Success

Locus of control 통제 소재
In most cases success or failure is a direct consequence of one’s actions or inactions. Those who blame external forces for their failures are often less successful than those who see results as a direct consequence of their actions. (성공 또는 실패를 정의하는 것은 그 원인이 내부(내 탓)에서 오는지 아니면 외부(환경탓)에서 오는지에 따라 성공의 여부가 달라진다.)

People can either attribute their successes and failures to things they have control over or to forces outside of their control. This continuum places external control at one end and internal control at the other.

People who develop an internal locus of control believe that they are responsible for their own success. Those with an external locus of control believe that external forces, like luck or chance, determine their outcomes.

It has been found in study after study that those with a more internal locus of control achieve greater levels of success (not just in education, but in a broad range of fields). This being the case, it is very important to take steps to help your students develop an internal locus of control.

Get real about what really contributed to your success or failure!

Engagement 참여, 관심을 보임.
You must care about what you do and why you do it. The more you are engaged with something the more chance you have of being successful at it. (관계/일에 있어서 내가 관심을 가지는 정도가 성공의 여부에 많은 영향을 미친다. 관심을 기울이는 만큼 더 많이 하게 되어있기 때문에.)

Engagement is caring about what you do and why you do it. Engagement is being (willingly) involved with the task or activity. Engagement is emotional investment. Engagement is having a sense of agency (선택 의지) and being self-empowered.

Those who are engaged in something, especially students, tend to do better at school and are often more emotionally content. In the workplace, engagement has been linked to success in several key areas (e.g. increased levels of job satisfaction, more opportunities for promotion, an enhanced feeling of belonging, etc.).

With all of the benefits that being actively engaged in tasks, relationships, studies, jobs, hobbies, and conversations (etc.) can bestow upon people, isn’t it time we started to help our students see the benefits and the power of engagement?

Get real about being engaged and caring about what you do!

Self-awareness 자가 인식, 자가 인지
Being self-aware allows you to honestly address any weakness or self-limiting beliefs you have. It also allows you to develop confidence in your strengths. Being self-aware is important for both professional and personal success. (자신의 약점과 장점에 대해서 정확하게 알고 있고, 그것을 일과 개인의 삶에 적절하게 사용하는 것이 성공에 있어서 중요한 요인이 된다.)

In the field of education being self-aware is of the utmost importance to those who desire to be the most effective educators they can be. However, the benefits of self-awareness are not limited to the field of education. Self-awareness has been listed as one of the key factors responsible for success both professionally and personally.

The research suggests that knowing yourself is one of the keys to becoming more effective in what you do. This is because knowing yourself helps you mitigate your weaknesses and play to your strengths. It allows you to question the beliefs and assumptions that underlie your decision making process (both professionally and personally), and then allows you to implement steps to overcome any self-limiting beliefs and challenge any false assumptions you may possess.

Helping our students learn to become more self-aware is one thing a teacher can do to help our students reach their full potential.

Get real about knowing yourself!

Self-efficacy 자가 효능감, 자신감
You must believe you can accomplish a task! Believing you can achieve a task, regardless of setback or hardships, is an important skill to develop if you want to be successful. (내가 무엇을 반드시 성취할 수 있다는 것을 확실하게 믿고 그 과정 안에서 어려움이 있더라고 계속해서 밀고 가는 것은 성공에 있어서 중요한 요소이다.)

Self-efficacy can be defined as one's belief in their ability to succeed in a specific situation or to accomplish a specific task. One's sense of self-efficacy effects how one approaches goals, tasks, and challenges.

The basic idea is that you must believe in your ability to complete a task or get something done. If you have a firm belief in your ability to accomplish something then you are more likely to take steps to ensure you achieve your task or goal.
Having a strong belief in yourself helps you persevere through hardships and see setbacks and mistakes as just part of the process.

Get real about trusting in your ability and committing to the task!

Responsibility 책임감, 책임지려하는 의지
You must take responsibility for your actions and inactions if you want to achieve great results. You must also take responsibility for your mistakes and for making sure you are trying your best to achieve your goals. (행동이나 일에 있어서 반드시 책임을 지고, 실수를 했다면 그것을 인정하는 것이 목적을 달성하는데 있어서 중요한 역할을 한다.)

Success is closely linked to how much responsibility a person takes for their actions. However, not only do you have to take responsibility for you actions, but you have to take responsibility for your inactions.

To facilitate success it is important to understand the difference between having responsibility and taking responsibility. In short, those who take responsibility (by being proactive) often achieve greater levels of success. For example, as teachers we have the responsibility to teach our students, however many teachers don’t take the responsibility to do this in an effective or engaging way. They choose to cruise by and do the bare minimum. They choose not to take on the responsibility of being the best teacher they can be. They have the responsibility to teach, but they don’t take responsibility to do it well.

So regardless of your position or task, take responsibility for doing it to the best of your ability. Take responsibility for mistakes and learn from them. Take responsibility to learn from others with more experience or knowledge than you. Take the responsibility to help others. Take the responsibility to be proactive in your pursuit of success.

Get real about taking responsibility for you actions!

Thanks for reading.

Josh
Keep English Real!

Note: Success (성공) is a dynamic concept that means different things to different people. For this article, the term success can be defined as achieving a certain goal or completing a certain task in a way that meets or exceeds one’s expectations.

Success is achieving the goals and outcomes that you wish to achieve.

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Josh Wedlock at TEDxDongdaemun

9/11/2017

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Hi everyone,

Sorry I have been away for a while – I was preparing for my TEDx talk at TEDXDongdaemun (Get Real! - A TEDx Talk by Joshua Wedlock / 조쉬 웨드락). The talk, which took place on September 9th, was based on almost two decades’ worth of experience either helping people get fit or learn English.

The thing I wanted to share with you from this experience is really very simple – never stop challenging yourself.

As teachers we often encourage our students to grow, to try new things, to take on new challenges, but when was the last time you took on a new challenge or pushed yourself a little out of your comfort zone?

As we all know, teachers can often teach best by leading by example – so no matter what that challenge is I dare you to embrace it. Embracing the challenge will help show your students that you are also trying to learn and grow.

For me this talk was not only a goal, but it was also a challenge. It was challenge to get up in front of 100 or so people and talk about myself. It was a challenge to get up in front of 100 or so people and present an idea (an idea worth spreading) that will be judged by others. It was a challenge to get up in front of 100 or so people that I didn’t know and engage in a dialogue with them.

But I did it! (Go me!)

Anyway, I will add the link as soon as it becomes available on YouTube or the TED website.

Thanks for reading,

Josh
Keep English Real!

Search terms:Get Real. Josh Wedlock. Joshua Wedlock. TEDx Dongdaemun. Tedxdongdaemun. Josh Wedlock ted talk.

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Cultural Clash

6/5/2016

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Hi all,
I hope everyone is having a great day. In today’s post I am going to bring up a topic that has recently (OK, almost a year ago) been the cause of much debate and frustration in South Korea – especially among some in the expat community.

The topic relates to an article (available here) which appeared in one of South Korea’s English language newspapers – The Korea Times.

In the article the author (Choi Shi-yong) tries to explain the differences between foreigners and Koreans in an attempt “to promote cultural awareness.”

Sadly, all the article really served to do was anger and frustrate many of those who read it (as can be seen in the comments box situated at the bottom of the article on The Korea Times’ website).

In this post I am going to give you my take on the article – in point form.

First, I do not think the author deliberately set out to hurt people. I truly think he just didn’t have the linguistic ability to write a well structured or well considered article on this topic.
Second, as an English teacher I can easily see where the author’s word choices (e.g. too and so) have been used inappropriately (this article makes it very clear what happens to the tone of the writing by using these words), thus inadvertently positioning one party in a negative light, while positioning the other party in a positive light.
Third, the author (again, I think/hope, inadvertently) only mentions positive things about his own culture, sadly forgetting to mention any positives about the various cultures of the “foreigners” living in South Korea.
Fourth, the author has arguably tried to be too expressive with his writing, and as such, creates a tone that places his culture above everyone else’s. I would suggest that his choice of words (and phrasing) may not be suitable for this type of article. However, I feel this is as a result of him being a non-native English speaker, and not due to any ill intent.
Fifth, the author seems to misunderstand his friend’s anecdote. I think he took his friend’s words literally instead of taking them as a joke or as a way of embellishing a story.

Why did I just mention all of this? To give some tips on teaching – of course!

First off, I think this article serves as a reminder of the dangers of making sweeping statements, especially regarding groups of people or entire cultures. (Do all foreigners drink beer too slowly? One night out in Itaewon will prove this generalization is not true.)

Second, I think this article is a great tool for teaching writing and culture. Personally, I have used it with several of my students and classes as a way of showing how the words too and so actually work. I have also used it to discuss different genres and styles of writing (e.g. is this article an opinion piece or a persuasive argument?), to begin discussions on various elements of culture, and to teach about irony, humor, and storytelling (Do British people really walk around punching elderly people? Or was his friend’s story misunderstood and taken literally?).

And third, as a teacher I really try to teach my students how to think critically. I strive to ensure that they develop the skills required to critique and evaluate someone’s ideas and arguments. I believe this article can be used to help our students develop this valuable skill.

So, why not use it to address and question cultural identity, stereotypes, cultural norms, and the notions of understanding and tolerance? Why not dissect it to separate fact from fiction?
Instead of being upset with this writer for producing a seemingly biased article, I think the EFL teachers in South Korea can benefit from this article and use it to our students’ advantage.

One way this can be done is by using this article to help us prevent our learners from making the same mistakes as the author in question made. And to me, that can only be a good thing.

On this topic, if you are interested in teaching culture in your classroom, check out my lecture on Culture & Language to learn more about this topic (That goes for you too Mr. Choi).

Anyway, to conclude I’d like to say that we probably can’t accuse the writer Choi Shi-yong of being malicious, however we can probably accuse him of producing a poorly devised and poorly crafted article. (Although, to be honest, if I wrote as well as him in a second language I would be really happy – I would probably just choose less provocative topics to write about.)

Have a great day,

Josh
Keep English Real!

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My first post - awesome!

5/25/2016

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Today is a lovely sunny day in Seoul, South Korea. Summer is coming and so is my new website - Joshesl.com.

In this blog I will be discussing life in South Korea from an English teacher's perspective. I will try my best to offer some useful insights, tips, and advice about being an EFL teacher in South Korea. I will also offer commentary on videos, articles, websites, and other items related to teaching EFL/ESL in South Korea.

Aside from this I will be blogging about English Education in general in the hopes that you find it both useful and applicable to your own teaching situation.

I really hope you get involved by leaving comments and feedback for others to think about or discuss. In return, I will do my best to reply to you (unless you are a troll - then I will probably just delete your post - but hey, thanks for playing) and answer any questions you might have.

Thanks again for checking out my site (and my blog),

Josh
Keep English Real!

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The importance of making mistakes / 실수의 중요성

Joshua Wedlock / 조쉬 웨드락

Get Real! / LESSR - The Keys To Success

Joshua Wedlock / 조쉬 웨드락

Josh Wedlock at TEDxDongdaemun

Cultural Clash

My first post - awesome!

Josh's ESL Blog

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Categories

The importance of making mistakes / 실수의 중요성

Joshua Wedlock / 조쉬 웨드락

Get Real! / LESSR - The Keys To Success

Joshua Wedlock / ​조쉬 웨드락

Josh Wedlock at TEDxDongdaemun

Cultural Clash

My first post - awesome!

Josh's ESL Blog

Archives

Categories

Joshua Wedlock / 조쉬 웨드락