Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL July Chapter Meeting & Reflective Practice SIG Meeting

Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter July Meeting

----- Morning Schedule -----

11:00-12:30: Reflective Practice Special Interest Group (RP-SIG) Meeting
Place: Starbucks, Chosun University Back Gate Branch
Session Topic: Creating Teaching Portfolios (Synopsis below)
Session Facilitator: Tyson Vieira

----- Main Meeting Schedule -----

Time:  Saturday, July 12, 2014, 1:45-5:00 p.m.
Place: Chosun University Main Building (Gwangju), 4th Floor, Rm 4211

1:45 pm: Sign-in and Meet-and-Greet    (Admission is free. Future membership is welcomed.)

2:00-2:50 pm: PRESENTATION 1
Out of the Class and into the Classroom: Turning Theory into Practice
Jin Lee (Kumho Elementary School)

2:50 - 3:10 pm: Refreshment Break

3:10 - 4:00 pm: PRESENTATION 2
Awesome Online Tools for Project-Based Learning
Lindsay Herron (Gwangju Natl. Univ. of Ed.)

4:00 Swap-Shop Session
Everyone is invited to Share one of your Teaching Ideas, Classroom Activities, and ELT Games, Books, etc. (Handouts welcomed.)

4:30 pm: Announcements / Drawing for Door Prizes / Closing

6:00 pm: After-meeting dinner at a downtown location (The First Alleyway).

• July newsletter, Gwangju Communicator, as PDF file at bottom of page.

Presentation Abstracts and Presenter Information

1. Out of the Class and into the Classroom: Turning Theory into Practice
By Jin Lee

This presentation considers teaching theory as taught in graduate teacher-training programs and how it can actually be applied to the elementary school classroom situation. The focus is on procedures for teaching young learners (YLs) by teachers who are new to the YL classroom and are concerned about improving their YL teaching techniques. For example, we are told that rapport between student and teacher is critical but not how to achieve it. And we are told that we need to strike a proper balance between reward and punishment for our students but not what that proper balance may be. I have been trying to effectively adapt these ideas to work in my classroom situation and in this presentation will share with you what I have so far discovered to be most effective.

There are three elements that I consider to be most important in teaching. Great teachers have these commonalities; professional knowledge, teaching technique, and consideration for the student. Among these, I have had the most difficulty with the student-teacher relationship because my gruff treatment of students. For curing teacher’s Achilles’ heel, for the past year I have studied many ideas from my graduate school program, my teachers’ training, books, and documentaries applying what I have learned in my classes and instruction.

This self-improvement project is a work-in-progress (and I expect that it will always be). Some ideas have produced very successful results (and some have failed miserably). This presentation should be meaningful to any teacher considering their relationship with their students and to anyone who wants to hear a story from a teacher in search of solutions her student-related teaching problems.  

This presentation can be divided into three parts. I first raise teaching theories and ideas learned, then relate my teaching experiences, and report on progress in adapting to the real classroom situation.

The Presenter
Jin Lee is a teacher at Kumho Elementary School as well as a graduate student at Gwangju National University of Education, where she is majoring in Curriculum and Course Design. She graduated from Gwangju University of Education in 2013 with a degree in English Education. Jin also has a 2008 bachelor's degree from Ewha Womans University in Fine Arts with a minor in Art History.
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2. Awesome Online Tools for Project-Based Learning
By Lindsay Herron

The internet offers a wealth of engaging, intuitive tools that are ideal for student projects! Incorporating online tools into project-based learning can help make the learning “sticky”; provide a context for language use; enhance motivation by providing autonomy and purpose; and modify or even redefine a task, offering new opportunities and options that would be impossible without technology. This presentation will draw on the SAMR model and Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy to explore these issues; briefly address common concerns educators have about online projects, including privacy and copyright considerations; and recommend some free and easy-to-use tools for student projects. Attendees will leave with a new enthusiasm for incorporating tech tools, a rubric for evaluating online tools for student projects, and a selection of tools students can use in class on Monday. Tip: Bring a smartphone with a QR scanner to save yourself time in the presentation!

The Presenter
Lindsay Herron has been a visiting professor at Gwangju Natl. University of Education in Gwangju since 2008. Prior to that, she taught English on a Fulbright grant at Seogwipo High School in Jeju-do. She has a master’s degree in Cinema Studies from New York Univ., bachelor’s degrees in English and Psychology from Swarthmore College, a CELTA, and the CELTA YL-Extension. She is currently working on a master’s in Literacy, Culture, and Language Ed. from Indiana University-Bloomington (USA). At the National level, Lindsay is currently Chair of the Membership Committee and has been serving on the International Conference Committees for the past three years.

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--- Reflective Practice SIG Session ---
Creating Teaching Portfolios
By Tyson Vieira

The creation of portfolios as a form of reflection and professional development is becoming more prevalent amongst teaching communities and academic fields. Teaching portfolios are a reflective activity tool that consists of artifacts demonstrating accumulated knowledge, practice, and skills established by critical reflection. Whether paper-based or electronic, the possibilities and personal choices of creating your portfolio to portray your cognitive thinking and reflective growth are extensive. In our July RP meeting, we will be discussing portfolio preferences, methods, and how it relates to our teaching philosophy, reflective practice.