Having no prior knowledge of the Korean language I was a bit
scared about how the class would be structured and the pacing.  I wasn’t sure if they would explain things
in only Korean or if they would even start me off at the beginning.  Classes are also only held on Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10A.M. – 1P.M so I was a bit skeptical about
how much I would be able to learn in a short period of time and only being here
for 4 weeks.  However, I am quickly
adapting to the fast pace and the amount of information being given during each
class.

The first couple of classes we spent on the Korean alphabet,
learning how to write the letters and all the different pronunciation
rules.  This pace was normal and we
spent plenty of time on how to read and write the alphabet.  However, as soon as we hit chapter one the
pacing changed!  Now that we are past
the alphabet we do one chapter per day. 
A lot of information is given, but we have plenty of opportunities to
practice both inside and outside of class. Homework is given regularly and every morning we have a dictation test
of the previous chapter.

Class is normally set up like this:

1st hour – Dictation test and review of previous chapter

2nd hour – Grammar of new chapter and practice (including LOTS of
flash-cards)

3rd hour – Continue practicing through partner work and games.

 The book is really easy to follow and while a lot of the class is
spoken in Korean, English and Japanese is also used to explain the material. My teacher is very patient with our class
yet is able to get through the material very quickly. I definitely did not expect the class to move at such a fast
pace, but I am happy that I am able to keep up and learn so much in such a
short amount of time.

Go to AmeriSpan’s Korean school in Seoul

Read all of Josephine’s blogs from Seoul Korea.