Jeonju North Jeolla KOTESOL’s second event in the 2019 workshop series is coming up.
This month’s presentation will show the benefits of instructing students in a project based learning environment and how to implement such a program. Also, for those who enjoy a creative and fun classroom environment, we’ll look at some new games and activities to support language learning.
Come join us on Saturday, April 20th to continue building effective skills for the classroom. Interested participants may also enjoy mingling over dinner after the workshop.
Project-Based Learning in the English Classroom
This presentation will describe the experience of crafting a project-based learning program for a secondary school classroom in Korea.
The first stage of the presentation will be “What is project-based learning?” In this section, the presenter will explore the basics of project-based learning as well as the common advantages and disadvantages of using the system.
Following, the presenter will explain the reasons behind why project-based learning has worked in her classroom, and which kind of learning environments and educators suit this kind of teaching style. The presenter will give an example by explaining the development of a four-semester program that scaffolds on prior learning and responds to the needs of students as they move towards their final years in mandatory education. Practical advice for how to implement project-based learning in a classroom will be given along with common mistakes and pitfalls.
Finally, time permitting, the final section will involve participation in activities geared towards understanding and synthesizing the information learned during the workshop. Learning goals will be given to workshop attendees and small groups will come up with what kind of project could help students reach their goals, keeping in mind the basics of project-based learning discussed earlier in the workshop. Groups will then be asked to share what they came up with.
Bio: Betsey Norman studied secondary education with a concentration in communication arts and literature at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After obtaining her 8-12 teaching license in communication arts and literature, she moved to South Korea to take a position as an English conversation teacher at Chonbuk National University High School, where she has worked for over five years. During her time at CBNUHS she has developed a project-based curriculum that she hopes helps her students prepare for English language communication in both their academic and professional lives. Outside of the classroom, she has also worked to develop programs for the student such as a culture fair, pen pal programs and a Saturday class for individualized learning. Currently, she is studying at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the M.Ed program. She will graduate in May, 2019 with a Master of Education in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Global Studies in Education. Following her graduation, she hopes to continue the research she has started on multicultural education policy in East Asia. Outside of work and school she enjoys writing novels, traveling and spending time with her friends and her cat, Princess.
Fun Ways to Enrich Students' Vocabulary in the Classroom
This presentation aims to share some fascinating and captivating games to teach language with lots of fun. Learning a language while playing games helps language learners to keep paying attention to their classes avoiding the risks of students’ misbehaving or acting out. However, creating interesting games for teaching language is not easy at all. This presentation is especially useful for teachers longing for new games that they have not played in their classrooms yet. The presenter will introduce diverse language games that accommodate the students having various English proficiency levels and ages. Those games are pretty simple and easy to understand as well as teachers can create those games easily without buying expensive materials. Some of the games in this presentation focus on improving students’ vocabulary skills, while others are helpful to make students speak and write without pressure.
Bio: Ehean Kim graduated Magna Cum Laude from Salisbury University with a B.A. in ESOL. He has taught ESOL in the United States, Colombia and South Korea. His research interests include developing a language learning curriculum with technology and polyglots. He is proficient in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean, and serves for Jeonju City and the Jeonju District Prosecutor’s Office as an English and Spanish interpreter. He currently teaches morals and ethics in a middle school as a homeroom teacher. He is admitted by University of Hawaii at Manoa, Second Language Studies this year.
