Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter June Meeting
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––– Morning Reflective Practice Session –––
Topic: Playing with Letters, Changing Experiences: From ELT in an EFL Context to GELT in the Era of ELF
Facilitator: Jocelyn Wright
Time: June 8, 2019; 11:00 - 12:30 (2nd Saturday)
Location: Coffee Lab Mujii, near GNUE. (Ground floor of 광주우리교회 Building. Map at bottom.)
––– MAIN MEETING SCHEDULE –––
Time: 2nd Saturday, June 8, 2019, 1:45ㅡ5:00 pm
Location: Gwangju National University of Education (GNUE), Teacher Training Center (교사교육센터) 1st Floor; Room 812 (Room Change). Detailed directions HERE.
1:45 pm: Sign-in and Meet-and-Greet (Admission: Free for newcomers. Membership welcomed.)
2:00ㅡ2:50 pm: Presentation 1
ㅡ Topic: EFL in Korea's Remote Elementary Schools: Challenges and Opportunities
ㅡ Presenter: Vanessa Virgiel (Framingham State University)
2:50ㅡ3:10 pm: Refreshment Break
3:10ㅡ4:00 pm: Presentation 2
ㅡ Topic: Decolonizing Pedagogies: Some Practical Examples from Intercultural Educators in Korea
ㅡ Presenter: Dr. Kevin Kester (Keimyung University, Daegu)
4:10ㅡ4:45 pm: SwapShop Mini-Presentations
Share your Teaching Ideas, Classroom Activities, and Teaching Wisdom with the group.
(Everyone is encouraged to share [up to 5-6 min. each]. Short tidbits are welcomed. Handouts also welcomed.)
4:45 - 5:00 pm: Announcements / Drawing for Door Prizes / Closing
Session Summaries
EFL in Korea's Remote Elementary Schools: Challenges and Opportunities
Vanessa Virgiel
The Ministry of Education mandates that every Korean public school offer English classes starting at elementary grade three, yet students in Korea’s most remote village and island elementary schools are at a disadvantage in accessing quality English education in comparison to their urban peers. In this workshop, we will first explore the reasons why students at these rural elementary schools often face a number of challenges in getting a solid foundation in primary-level English skills in ways that students in metropolitan areas do not. Then, we will look at what an English teacher working at one of these rural elementary schools can do to help compensate for the constraints encountered and also explore the affordances this particular teaching environment offers. The workshop will then cover practical tips such as useful classroom activities and games, before concluding with a chance for workshop participants to share ideas from their own teacher tool kits.
The Presenter
Vanessa Virgiel is a linguist and EFL/ESL educator who has taught in Korea and the United States. She holds a Master of Education in TESL (Framingham State University, Massachusetts, USA) and a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Linguistics (Portland State University, Oregon, USA). Her areas of interest within ELT include materials design, CALL, intercultural competency development, and how to extend the ethos of inclusive education to the field of TESOL.
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Decolonizing Pedagogies: Some Practical Examples from Intercultural Educators in Korea
Dr. Kevin Kester
In response to the increasing internationalization of Korean higher education, questions are arising about how educational professionals should respond creatively and effectively to changing demographics and citizenships in classrooms and universities (Kim & Chun, 2015). Lecturers are increasingly facing the challenge of educating young people from diverse backgrounds ㅡ from the global North and the global South. It is important in this changing context that intercultural educators in Korean universities adapt their theoretical and pedagogical approaches to transcend the limitations of the previous generations of multicultural education, human rights, language, peace, and citizenship education to approach interculturalism from diverse traditions (Andreotti et al., 2015; Connell, 2007). This workshop will begin with a critical review of the literature and share findings from previous workshops. This will be followed by guided inquiry to collectively re-imagine strategies for decolonizing higher education in Korea today. The strategies in turn will be shared with the KOTESOL community in The Korea TESOL Journal.
References
Andreotti, V., Stein, S., Ahenakew, C., & Hunt, D. (2015). Mapping interpretations of decolonization in the context of higher education. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education, & Society, 4(1), 21-40.
Connell, R. (2007). Southern theory: The global dynamics of knowledge in social science. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
Kim, J.H., & Y.J. Chun. (2015). Ethnocentrism as a Barrier to Intercultural Interaction. Korean Journal of Comparative Education, 25, 201ㅡ229.
The Presenter
Kevin Kester is a tenure-track assistant professor of the Department of International Education and Global Affairs at Keimyung University in Daegu. He completed his PhD and post-doctorate work at the University of Cambridge and regularly consults with UNESCO and KEDI in Seoul. Kevin has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in well-regarded international and domestic publications and has acquired considerable research funding in his early career. He researches the sociology and politics of education with a focus on comparative and international education; education, conflict, and peacebuilding; and social theory (de- / post-colonial and postmodern thought, and critical pedagogy). His latest book is The United Nations and Higher Education: Peacebuilding, Social Justice, and Global Cooperation for the 21st Century. He has worked in Korea since 2007. Email
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Photo: The Gwangju National University of Education (GNUE / 광주교육대학교), Teacher Training Center (교사교육센터), venue for our main meeting ㅡ 1st floor, Room 811.
