English Only?

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TESL 0100

 At the private language school that I worked at in South Korea it was a policy that in conversation classes students were to speak “English only!” Since I was not fluent in Korean I was unable to translate directions for an activity or vocabulary words into Korean for the students. As an English teacher in a foreign land I made extensive use of TPR (Total Physical Response): facial expressions, gestures, motions and role-play were used extensively. A lot of information can be communicated in these ways, and it often brings about a great deal of laughter! It also helps to create a more relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. The students also made different faces and used various gestures and motions to get their ideas across to me, and then I was able to tell them the English word or phrase for what they were trying to say. It was a lot of fun and a learning experience for all.
I do not believe that "English only" is the route to go in an ESL classroom. I taught in South Korea in the late 90's and that was the policy for some conversation classes, although was not the case in integrated skills courses. I am wondering if they have also changed their policies over time. Allowing students to use their L1 dictionary and to talk to others in the classroom who speak their language in order to better understand a word or concept can be very effective. As teachers, we don't want to discourage the students from retaining their first language and we don't want them to get the impression that we think English is more important. Considering a student's culture, heritage and home language are key to the success of a language program. 

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