(ELT and Culture) 2:00-2:45 pm Zoom
The Why and How of Using Multicultural Children's Literature
As English has become a lingua franca, the need for understanding and experience in cultures has increased. In conjunction with developing learner literacy, teachers can tap into this need to using multicultural children's literature. By exploring nontraditional populations in English literature, students can develop cross-cultural awareness. Many students' experiences of multiculturalism focus on differences, yet there should also be focus on the uniting similarities across cultures. Connecting literacy development to multiculturalism "helps children identify with their own culture, exposes children to other cultures, and opens the dialogue on issues regarding diversity" (Coby & Lyon, 2004). To facilitate these experiences, teachers can use students' L1 culture to Bridge and develop a framework for examining the similarities between cultures. In addition, using multicultural children's literature in this manner meets the current Korean educational goal: introducing and teaching other cultures, well appreciating and teaching their own culture. In this workshop, participants will explore why multicultural children's literature should be used in the classroom. They will read a selected multicultural children's storybook that showcases how L1 culture is represented in English literature. After reading, participants will discuss how to identify internal and external cultural elements, focusing on the similarities of lived experiences through other cultures. Next, they will create culturally responsive questions for young learners to foster intrinsic motivation. Finally, participants will have an opportunity to voice concerns and share their experiences regarding using multicultural children's literature for young learners.
About Adrienne Seo
Adrienne Seo is an instructor at the Gyeonggi-do Institute for Langauge Education. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a master's of arts in TESOL. She has presented at the 2019 KOTESOL International Conference, 2018 National Geographic Learning Symposium, and 2018 Michigan TESOL Conference. She has been teaching ESL/EFL for 10 years in Korea, France, and the USA. She has worked in elementary schools, high schools, university, and teacher education.
About Daniel Moonasar
Daniel Moonasar is a U.S. certified teacher and an instructor at Gyeonggi-do Institute for Language Education. He graduated from the University of London with an MRes in Educational and Social Research and has been teaching for 16 years. During his 10 years in Korea, Daniel has worked as a native English Teacher in private and public schools, as an assistant professor, and a teacher trainer for the Gyeonggi-do Provincial Office of Education, EPIK, and TaLK programs.
