Onnuri • Onnuri Hall • 14:00
Actively Incorporating Race Visibility within the Korean Classroom
Developing Teaching Skills and Knowledge • Young Learners, Special Interest Groups
(People of Color SIG)
With the ever changing demographics in Korea, and the increased access to social media, Korea is welcoming the most globally connected and diverse generation of students compared to just a decade before. Though this interconnectedness is bringing people across the world closer together culturally, a narrow understanding and lack of sensitivity for people of different backgrounds still prevails. The Korean education system understands the changing demographics of their students and is implementing multicultural education but what is lacking is a broader curriculum that aims to teach all Koreans to better understand and appreciate cultural differences [Kim, S. K., & Kim, L. H. R (2012)].
In this presentation we discuss why actively incorporating racial diversity is imperative in the scope of these changes. Through interactive dialogue, we will explore and share ideas on how to combat implicit biases within the classroom and how to utilize our role as a Native Teacher to ensure that students empathize with people of different backgrounds, expand their cultural awareness, and immerse them in cultural understanding opportunities to help create a more culturally conscious generation.
Citation:
Kim, S. K., & Kim, L. H. R. (2012). 2012. The Need for Multicultural Education in South Korea. The Immigration and Education Nexus: A Focus on the Context and Consequences of Schooling , 243–253.
About Nathalie
Nathalie has been an ESL instructor in Korea for the past 5 years. Although she is currently a teacher, her career started in the nonprofit sector with organizations such as The United Way, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She found a passion working with nonprofits that fought for equal opportunities for minority students in the Central Florida area. Her work in this field highlighted the broader issues facing our world today – discrimination, inequality and prejudicial practices. She works to promote inclusivity within her classroom and inspires others to do the same globally through her platform on YouTube, TravelingNat.
