Every student is different. Thus, the education for each student should be different.

This is the idea and the driving force behind the “mentoring system” of Dr. Yoon, an English private institute located in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.

The system is centered on establishing a trusting relationship between students and teachers. Based on the evaluation of students by their mentor, Dr. Yoon helps provide them with education that matches their English level.

Dr. Yoon also stresses the importance of students setting their own goals and proactively taking control of their studying, rather than just force-feeding themselves knowledge. 

Yoon Sung-hoon, who operates the institute, said he wants to help children surmount their fear of English and view it as something fun to learn. He said the key to learning English is the learning environment along with the constant effort you put into studying it.

“There is no shortcut to improve your English skills. Constantly use your head, mouth and ears and you will be able to understand not only the vocabulary and pronunciation of English, but also the principles behind the language,” he said.

Yoon added that the teachers at his facility put constant effort into improving their lessons through everyday discussions and idea sharing.

His methods have proven successful as over 200 students who studied at the institute have been accepted at foreign language high schools, autonomous private high schools and other special-purpose schools. In 2013 alone, 57 of Dr. Yoon’s students entered special-purpose schools.

Yoon, who recently founded a math institute, said he hopes to establish a one-stop system that combines Korean, English, math, essay writing and consulting related to college entrance to help students get into the college of their choice.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)