Teacher notes · Discussion & Debate
Mandatory military service at 18: a discussion lesson that lands differently in Korea
- Timing matters. If Task 1 runs past 5 minutes, cut Task 2 to 8. The mixed-gender groups (Task 3) are the part that cannot be shortened.
- Seating for Task 3. If your class is all boys or all girls, pair them by age or by whether they've mentioned university plans before. The asymmetry is what makes it work, so find some other split.
- The silence tells you something. If a group of boys goes quiet during Task 3, it usually means they disagree with each other and don't want to argue in front of the girls. That's fine. Ask them privately: "What would you say if it was just the four of you?"
- Don't perform neutrality. If a student asks what you think, answer honestly. You're foreign, you didn't serve, your opinion is obviously limited—say that—but they want to know anyway.
- One group will ask about women in the military. Acknowledge it, let them talk for two minutes, then bring them back to the ranking task. It's a real question, but it's a different lesson.