[서평] 일단, 오늘 1시간만 공부해봅시다 (양승진 지음, 메멘토)

By Korea Herald

Published : July 5, 2019 - 17:22

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주52시간제가 실시되면서 ‘워라밸’ 시대가 본격 열리고 있다. ‘저녁이 있는 삶’을 맞아 미뤄둔 영어공부를 하기 위해 외국어 학원의 문을 두드리거나 저녁이나 주말 수업 위주의 대학원에 진학하려는 직장인이 증가하고 있다. 자기계발을 위한 공부에 대한 관심이 급격하게 커지는 배경이다.

23년 차 직장인 학생인 저자는 공부법의 중요성을 환기시킨다. “공부는 내가 가진 지식과 미지의 세계를 연결하는 ‘지식의 다리’라고 생각한다. 일단 다리를 건너면 나의 영역이 변화하고 확장한다. ‘공부법’은 이 다리의 품질과 형태를 결정한다.”

영자신문 기자로 근무하는 저자가 경험으로 습득한 공부 기술과 실천적 조언을 제시한다. ‘샐러던트’인 저자는 직장생활을 하며 두 개의 석사학위를 취득 후 현재 대학원 박사과정에 재학 중이다. 틈틈이 영어 학습법을 응용해 일본어 JLPT 1급과 중국어 신HSK(한어수평고시) 6급에도 합격했다.

직장인의 경우 영어 하나도 익히기 쉽지 않고, 대학원 한 곳도 다니기 어려운데 저자는 어떤 학습법과 시간관리법을 사용한 것일까? 책에서 제시하는 방법은 하루 1시간 공부다. 처음에는 짧은 시간부터 시작해 1시간까지 공부 시간을 늘리는 방법과, 자기에게 맞는 공부 시스템을 설계하는 방법까지 상세히 안내한다.

효율을 최대한 높일 수 있는 아웃풋 중심 학습과 영어를 포함한 구체적인 외국어 학습법, 직장인의 대학원 진학 및 효율적인 논문 읽는 요령도 소개한다. 후반부에는 다양한 학습도구와 방법론이 소개되는데 아날로그와 디지털 학습 도구, 전자책과 오디오북을 결합한 외국어 학습법 등이 눈길을 끈다.

공부를 다시 시작하려고 하는 사람들에게 학습법을 제시하고 동기부여를 주기 위한 내용이라 이해하기 쉬운 문체로 쓰였다. 저자는 다양한 학습법을 소개하는 동시에 공부는 결국 ‘실천’이 관건이라는 점을 강조한다.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com / 코리아헤럴드)

[관련 영문기사]

Study tips aimed at helping Korean adults to restart learning process

“Let’s Study for 1 Hour Today” By Yang Sung-jin (Memento)

In one Simpsons episode, Homer is confronted by a stack of homework that Bart has failed to complete. When Homer is assured he doesn’t have to help his kid to do it, his reaction evokes a mix of pride and awkwardness for many Koreans: “I say this boy needs more homework. … Pile it on! I want him to be Korean by the time he’s done.”

Homer’s playful reference to Korea reflects the widespread perception that Korean students study harder and for much longer hours than others – so much so that it has become the subject of jokes. Former US President Barack Obama also offered his take on Korean education system in a much-quoted speech: “Our (American) children spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea every year. That’s no way to prepare them for a 21st-century economy.”

Both Homer and Obama share the view that Korean students work hard. But now Korean adults are joining the education bandwagon to stay competitive in their workplaces or to find a fresh turning point in their career.

“Let’s Study for 1 Hour Today” is a self-help title targeting the ever-expanding group of readers interested in self-education. Written in Korean, the book outlines a variety of study tips that adult readers could use, ranging from the famous Pomodoro time-management technique to GTD (getting things done) method for handling tasks more efficiently and the author’s favorite YouTube channels that are helpful in terms of foreign language acquisition.

At the center of the proposition of the book is that adult learners should lower their expectations about what they can do in their spare time. Instead of signing up for big education programs, aiming to study for just one hour a day might offer a pretty solid starting point.

For many adult learners, however, even one hour comes off as too burdensome, which is understandable. A realistic option is to start with a 10-minute study session followed by a 5-minute rest, and slowly increase the amount of study time, with the goal set at one hour.

The author introduces various study tips but cautions readers that what matters most is not the knowledge about such tips but whether one can actually take action every day. As with other self-help books, it is up to readers whether such detailed study tips could be actually used.

Self-help books focused on study tips have long been around in Korea, with many bestsellers in Japan translated into Korean. But it is only recently that a growing number of Korean adults, especially in their 30s, 40s and 50s, are becoming serious about rediscovering the value of lifelong education and investing in their money and time to sign up for writing, coding, book clubs and other various paid education programs.

With the 52-hour workhour limit imposed on most workplaces this year, more workers are opting for private education programs to make the most of their increased free time. Not long ago, Korean adults with full-time jobs were often required to work extra hours, which made it almost impossible to spare time for education programs.

In response to the demand from self-styled “saladents” (a coinage of salaryman and student), local publishers are expected to produce more books offering specific study strategy and tips customized for adult learners.

Given that more Korean adults are willingly joining the study boom, Homer should perhaps be more wary of piling on the homework and the Korean approach to study. He might just be asked to help out, after all.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Korea Herald
Korea Herald
Articles by Korea Herald

[서평] 일단, 오늘 1시간만 공부해봅시다 (양승진 지음, 메멘토)

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