Pagoda Training & Recruitment Stephen Paul Willetts pagodatrainer@gmail.com
[THE PAGODA PROGRAM GUIDE & GUIDE TO PLACEMENT TESTING.] Levels, aims and procedures.
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Contents 1. An overview of Pagoda the company 2. Pagoda Academy: Students, programs, mission. 3. Pagoda One: Students, programs, mission. 4. Talk Cool: Students, programs, mission. 5. B2B, C2C, Pagoda Star (PASTAR) 6. Levels and expectations. 7. Placement Testing 8. Training & Resources/Pagoda Online 9. Contact Information/Testing
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Originally founded in 1969 as Hanmi foreign language company. Was renamed in 1983 as Pagoda Academy as its original building was opposite the historic Pagoda park in Jongro, Seoul. It was the first academy in Korea to bring native teachers of English to Korea as language teachers. Now has 8 adult centres in Korea as well as Pagoda Juniors. More than 700 teachers currently employed and 50,000 students take courses each month. More than 40 different programs available. Pagoda One (one on one program) rebooted in 2015. Pagoda publishes its own books and materials through its in house publishing and R&D division.
The Pagoda Mission Pagoda’s aim from the beginning was to assist in helping Korean students reach their potential in an ever more global world. Education has always been a central tenet to the Korean notion of success, and so success in foreign languages was considered of the utmost importance. Although Pagoda began with the goal of improving English fluency, that aim has widened out to cover other languages as well with Chinese now competing with English as the most popular second language to learn. Pagoda also has a long and growing tradition of preparing students for many different national and international language tests. Pagoda is now an official partner of the British Council in Korea to help students prepare for their IELTS exams that will take them to universities and new careers all over the world. In 2015 Pagoda is still expanding the methods of teaching, access to education both online and offline, and the types of class available to students and companies. As our family expands we are committed to making sure every employee and student works together to be the best that we can be and to provide the best language education possible.
Fighting!
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Pagoda academy was the original language school and has always focused on group classes. The type of class available has increased in the various departments and includes the following:
Native English Program. Bilingual English Program. Native/Bilingual Chinese Program Native/Bilingual Japanese Program. Test Prep classes – both native and bilingual Life Long Learning program
The Native English program is what made Pagoda famous, even today the Pagoda brand is synonymous with being taught by native speakers. There are various programs available for students to take. SLE (Speaking, Listening & Expression) - group conversation classes for all levels. PIP (Pagoda Intensive Program) – group 4 skill-academic English for intermediate level and up who want more intensive learning or plan to study abroad. PBA (Pagoda Business Academy) – group business topic conversation classes for professionals and graduates. Book Discussion - Topic discussion classes based on all different genres of English language novels both classic and contemporary. Watch & Talk – Media based topic discussion classes based on movies, sitcoms, documentaries and TED talks. Jit (Job Interview Class) – As English language testing and second interviews in English have become the standard for many Korean job seekers (including at Pagoda) full CV/cover letter writing and mock interviews is offered. All of the above programs use materials and books published by Pagoda as well as wellrespected materials from publishers around the world which are sold in the Pagoda Book shop. Many universities and businesses in Korea and abroad use our books in their own classes.
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The bilingual program has a wide range of classes for students who prefer to learn with a Korean-speaking teacher or whose level is not quite ready for a native only environment. Class sizes tend to be larger and feature a wide range of programs and topics including: I Can Speak – group conversation classes that run parallel with the lower SLE levels. Smart Talk – bilingual group classes that focus on using vocabulary. Basic Conversation – group classes that focus on the basics of English conversation. BizTalk/Business Talk – group classes that focus on business vocabulary and expressions. One Step/4 skills/All in One – Academic English focusing on basic writing and reading. Listening/Global Media – Using multimedia students listen & learn useful English.
The Chinese program is currently growing at a fast pace as more and more students look towards China and Chinese companies/partnerships as possible routes to a career in the future. Pagoda now employs more than 30 native Chinese instructors as well as bilingual Korean/Chinese instructors and these numbers are growing all the time. The following classes are currently offered at Pagoda: Basic Pronunciation & Vocabulary – large group classes for students who are just beginning to study the language. Typically taught through Korean. Basic Conversation - taught by a bilingual & native Chinese teacher. Intermediate to advanced conversation – taught by Chinese instructor only and conducted in Mandarin characters. HSK – preparing students to take their standard Chinese exam for both work and academic opportunities in China & Taiwan. All of the above programs use materials and books published by Pagoda as well as wellrespected materials from publishers around the world which are sold in the Pagoda Book shop. Many universities and businesses in Korea and abroad use our books in their own classes.
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The Japanese programs are typically for students who are aiming to work for large Japanese company (of which there are many in Korea)or to work, study or live in Japan. Even though Chinese has overtaken Japanese as the most popular Asian language to study it is still a very sought after language by big companies. The following classes are available: Basic Pronunciation & Vocabulary – large group classes for students who are just beginning to study the language. Typically taught through Korean. Basic Conversation - taught by a bilingual & native Japanese teacher. Intermediate to advanced conversation – taught by Japanese instructor only and conducted in Japanese characters. JLPT – preparing students to take their standard Japanese exam for both work and academic opportunities in Japan and Japanese companies in Korea (4 levels)
There are many different options for students who are currently studying with an exam result as their goal. We also maintain an in-house consultation service to make sure students are studying the correct test – and that their expectations of the time needed to get their chosen result is realistic. The following test classes are currently offered: IELTS – currently the most popular for students wishing to study abroad and for people looking to emigrate. Available as bilingual or native English teacher classes. Pagoda is partnered with the British Council Korea. TOEFL – mainly taught by bilingual teachers to help students prepare for academic studies abroad – typically in the US. TOEIC – mainly taught by bilingual teachers to help students prepare to receive test scores that will help them in their professional careers - particularly in Korean companies. OPIc – taught by both native and bilingual teachers for students attempting a very high score in a speaking test only. (the test was originally designed for native speakers) TEPS – a test devised by Seoul National University as a method of testing student’s ability to communicate in English only academic environments (can be converted to TOEFL scores for US universities) taught only by bilingual speakers. GRE – bilingual teachers to prepare students for graduate school in the US. LSAT – bilingual teachers to prepare students for Law school in the US.
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Starting in 2015 Pagoda is launching its Life-long learning program. This will be a package of programs and single classes designed for the growing population of working professionals, job seekers, those about to retire and people who are interested in self – improvement and education. The online and offline courses people can take include:
Job skills: Resume, cover letter writing and interview skills in English & Chinese. Survival Skills: Basic communication for travel and living abroad. Writing skills: To develop basic skills in email, letter writing etc. Using Technology: making the most of modern technology for language learning. Test Prep: online library of lectures and classes to help students prepare.
All of Pagoda Academy’s programs typically run between 20 and 60 hours (1 month to 3 month depending on course) They can run for 50 minutes every day, 100 minutes every other day or as 3 hour classes on the weekends. Each month there is an online/offline assessment to assess whether or not the student can move to the next level. Premium/Intensive classes are offered for students who wish to study more intensively. Class sizes vary from 6 – 300 depending on the course taught.
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Pagoda One is a new product and program exclusive to Pagoda. Up until 2015 we used the International Direct English program and materials for our one to one teaching. Launched in June this year the material, resources and student experience have been completely overhauled to create a popular program that better suits the needs of our students. Features of Pagoda One include: One to one language training in English, Chinese & Japanese. A fully computerized learning system for in class study and homework. Full tailored programs according to student needs.
Pagoda One classes can be taught by a native speaker, a bilingual speaker or combination of the two depending on the program they teach. Students can also elect to take part in a group topic class Students can set their own goals and schedule according to individual needs.
Core Skills – Multimedia speaking class can be taught by a native only or bilingual teacher only. Focuses on building core language skills according to the student’s level but is not a conversation class. Published in 2015 30 lessons per level, ideally taught over 15 weeks. Topic Class - the most tailor made class available – students can choose what they want to study or discuss with the native or bilingual teacher which can cover all types of subjects from business, test prep, newspaper, movies to conversation. Business Academy – Uses the market leader book series from pre-elementary to Advanced. There are 3 lessons per unit and a total of 12 units. Group Class –a free group conversation class students can choose to take as an add-on to their one to one classes.
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Run exclusively by Pagoda Philippines Talk Cool provides language training classes by phone or online. Students can choose the amount of time they take class and also the type of lessons they would like which include the following: Conversation Class: Using Pagoda’s SLE books as the source material students engage in structured language teaching and conversation practice with the teacher. Topic Free Talking Class: Students choose from a number of topics that the teacher has provided – a less structured class with more emphasis on fluency and autonomy. Chinese and Japanese conversation classes. Using Pagoda’s Language books as the source material students engage in structured language teaching and conversation practice with the teacher. Basic Conversation classes –Using the Pagoda I Can Speak series, basic conversation classes aim to build students’ confidence in expressing themselves in English Test prep classes – helping students prepare for various international speaking tests such as IELTS, TOEIC Speaking and OPIc. Business Classes – Helping students improve their knowledge of business topics and vocabulary.
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As well as in house classes run from the Academy and Pagoda One, Pagoda’s outsourcing company works to promote Pagoda programs to outside sources as well. This involves both teaching programs, online courses and promoting Pagoda’s published books and materials. The following are all programs promoted through outsourcing. B2B: Native & bilingual teachers in conjunction with the B2B department create individual programs designed for use within companies. These can be one to one or group classes depending on need. Well-known clients have included Apple Korea, Samsung and FedEx. Pagoda Star: A series of recorded classes, lectures, seminars and studio-based lessons all available online. These can be purchased individually or as a package and cover almost every aspect of language education from basic conversation to test preparation. Most of these classes are taught by bilingual teachers although a few specific lectures include native speakers. B2C: Pagoda’s Book store (Wit & Wisdom) sells program materials to be used in business or other educational institutes such as universities. Pyeongchang 2018 – Pagoda is the official language training sponsor of the 2018 winter Olympics in Korea. Since 2014 free group conversation classes for government employees have been taking place in Seoul, Sejong City and Pyeongchang. Starting from 2016 language classes both offline and online will be available free to all the people volunteering their time to steward the Olympic athletes and spectators from all over the world. Surival guides: A series of humorous sketches filmed in our studio that depict how English used incorrectly can result in unexpected embarrassments.
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The various different education wings of Pagoda (Academy, Pagoda One, Talk cool etc) have until now been using different level systems according to the programs needs and student demographic. Accordingly there were also different placement tests used by each wing to level students into the various programs offered by each. However in 2015 Pagoda has decided to merge the various systems into Pagoda Levels to make a more streamline and inclusive service for students and teachers.
Pagoda Academy has been using an online placement test for the last 2 years with great success and almost 6000 students have taken it. The test was based on conversational ability and academic writing but was only ever designed for the academy side. A new test has been developed in 2015 that all online and offline students will take before being able to register for a class, students will then be able to take a class in any wing of Pagoda using their Pagoda Level. Offline placement tests will be graded by teachers in the various departments. All online testing will now we graded by Talk Cool teachers at Pagoda. Therefore a thorough understanding of the leveling system as it applies to all departments is crucial to make sure students are always placed correctly.
All Pagoda programs are grouped into the following basic levels
Level 10 8 6 4 2 0
9 7 5 0.5
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Level
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There are of course some differences between both the terminology and understanding of different levels according to the department, program being taught, and whether the students were expecting to be taught by a native speaker or a bilingual teacher. Talk Cool 7 (proficient) 6 (advanced)
5 (upper intermediate) 4 (intermediate) 3 (pre intermediate) 2 (high beginner) 1( (low beginner)
Pagoda One 10 9 8 7 6 (upper intermediate) 5 ( intermediate) 4 (intermediate) 3 (pre-intermediate) 2 (Elementary) 1 (Beginner)
Pagoda Academy Advanced 8 (Pre-advanced) 7 (upper intermediate 6 (upper intermediate) 5 (intermediate) 4 (intermediate) 3 (pre-intermediate) 2 (pre-intermediate) 1 (pre-intermediate) KT (elementary & beginner)
There are also key differences in the length of programs and expectations for improvement in the language between the programs illustrated below: Department Pagoda Academy
Pagoda One
Talk Cool
Program SLE PIP PBA Core Skills Topic Class Business Conversation Free Talk
Average length 20 hours per month 40-60 hours per month 20 hours per month 8 hours per month 4-6 hours per month 8 hours per month
In general students in Pagoda Academy are expected to progress faster in their language skills than in other programs due to more regular classes, being in group classes where fluency training happens frequently and more regular assessment of progress. A good understanding of the different levels is crucial to correct placement of students.
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Students have three options: a) Do the test 100% online. b) Do the multiple-choice online and speaking test in a branch. c) Do the test completely in a branch.
ď ś All test takers first do the multiple choice test which consists of 60 questions (this may be reduced to 30 in the coming months) and takes 10 minutes. This is considered the grammar and vocabulary part of the test and accounts for 40% of their final level. The questions are mixed in difficulty and will be periodically changed.
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The most important part of the test is, of course, the speaking test. Some students are very good at multiple choice tests but lack skills in basic conversation whereas other students are bad at multiple choice tests but very good at speaking. The speaking test has different speaking tasks that the student needs to complete and then these are graded according to a standardized rubric. The teacher should never guess the level but grade according to this rubric.
Students must complete two reading tasks and up to five questions, each becoming more difficult than the last. Students are instructed to speak for at least 15 seconds per question to ensure there is enough in the recording to grade. There are eight different question sets that appear in a random order online. Number and Task 1. Basic Sentence to read 2. More complex sentence to read 3/4. pre intermediate questions 5/6 intermediate questions 7. upper intermediate questions
Being Tested For lower level students this can be used to test basic pronunciation for higher levels this is a warm up. Pronunciation and ease of using vocabulary –listen for any words that cause difficulties. All of the above plus comprehension, ability to express preferences, past tense usage, pronunciation. All of the above plus ability to give detailed descriptions, express reasons, hypothetical language, speculation. All of the above plus the ability to understand complex information, situational contexts and giving a number of reasons based on hypothetical role play.
Students are able to listen to their answers and to re-record once, however if they take the complete test again, they will be given a set of questions on a different topic to ensure no memorization of questions is taking place. Most students who take the online test tend to have a go at all questions so number answered does not necessarily reflect level – always use the rubric.+
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The maximum score a student can get in the speaking test is 36. You need to become familiar with the wording of the rubric to choose the right descriptor. Part of Rubric Comprehension Pronunciation Vocabulary Grammatical Range
Accuracy Organization
Interpretation Did they understand and respond to each question and stay on topic. How clear to understand were they? Did their accent affect understanding? Did they use a wide or limited range of vocabulary? How appropriate was it for the topic question? Did they use a range of grammatical features or only simple structures – how appropriate to the questions were they? How many mistakes did they make? Were they able to correct themselves or not? Did the student speak smoothly and answer fully? Did hesitation affect the answers?
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Every teacher grading the test will have a unique login (wisdom.npagoda.com) As there is no face to face element with the online placement test it is important that you give some personalized comments to the students in the comment box. You do not need to write a paragraph, a sentence or two will do. Try to mention something about what they did well and some basic advice to help them with their studies. Examples: The student was able to understand and answer the questions with some clear ideas and supporting details although more practice with verb tense endings will be useful. The student was able to easily understood and and answer the questions to a very high degree with good accent, vocabulary and supporting details. The student was able to understand the questions and give some detail in his answers - practice with rhythm and intonation will improve his pronunciation. The student was able to understand and answer the questions with some main ideas and some quite good supporting details although more fluency practice and spelling checks will be useful. Towards the bottom of the rubric you will see an area marked ‘estimate level’
This is the total of the multiple choice score and the speaking score you have given. On occasion you may feel that this level is too high or too low. Next to the level there is a drop down menu of all the levels – this is the override button – this can be used to drop down or raise the level by more than ONE LEVEL. You should also keep a record of how many times you have done this (Student name and ID number) for quality control purposes.
When satisfied with the level and having entered your comments simply press save.
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A number of online training courses and resources are available for all teachers who work at Pagoda. Every course and program that is taught in the company has a training site available – most of these are available on canvas.instructure.com – you will be invited by email to these as and when they become available. Current courses include: Placement Test training (recordings and videos to help you define the rubric as well as real students to grade to check you are grading correctly) Recorded classes/evaluations of Pagoda’s different programs to help you in planning your classes and building your resources. Course introductions to give you a full picture and sample classes to help you prepare for teaching new programs. Language Boost – grammar reference manuals designed with Korean students in mind to improve your knowledge of functional language.
As well as training we also want to make sure that all teachers have access to useful materials and resources that can be used directly in lessons. R&D as well as other teachers and the training department have created different supplementary and stand-alone class material that is available for all. This is typically kept on dropbox but can also be accessed through Canvas. These include: Teacher’s Editions of SLE Books – a step by step guide to making the most of the SLE books – many supplement s are also built into these. (available as print and PDF) Power Lessons - Upper intermediate complete lesson handouts to encourage discussion and increase students lexical resource. (available as PDF) Premium SLE - Stand-alone classes for all levels organized into series of lessons by topic or function. Can be taught as one offs or as a series of up to 8 lessons on a similar topic or function. (available as PDFs and with teacher’s guide built in – see contents on the next page) Extra Grammar Practice – to accompany SLE or any conversation class. Worksheets for selfstudy or as in class practice. Business material & Videos – for intermediate and above students who would like more multimedia and variety to practice (can be done as self study – available on Canvas)
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Stephen Willetts, Senior Trainer
pagodatrainer@gmail.com
Ben McBride, Premium SLE material
ben.pagoda@gmail.com
Mike Cardoza, Business English
michaelacardoza@gmail.com
Shawn Lewandowski, Pagoda One Trainer
pagoda1trainer@gmail.com
Nathan Hendrix, Teacher Recruitment (Korea)
hellojobpagoda@gmail.com
ď ś You are going to hear 8 students answering the Online placement Test Questions. ď ś Using the rubric decide (in partners or small groups) what score you would give them. Student Given Score according to rubric Comments 1
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