Seoul KOTESOL Chapter June Workshop - First-time presenters

Workshop for June 2014 Seoul-KOTESOL Chapter 
Date: June 21st (Saturday) 
Time: 3-5pm 
Venue: Rm. 105, Injaegwan, Sookmyung Women‟s University, Seoul, South Korea 

Workshop Coordinator: Dr. Ian Done D. Ramos / professionalworkian@gmail.com

For more information, visit our website - http://www.koreatesol.org/seoul 

FREE ADMISSION! 

Topic #1: "Questioning and Critical Thinking in the 2nd Language Classroom" 
Prof. Scott A. DeWaelsche 
Abstract 
Many of today‟s university education programs are encouraging teachers to adapt to the evolving needs of students in the 21st century classroom. Education research in recent decades has identified advanced pedagogies that are believed to better prepare students for life beyond the classroom in the information age. This calls for a shift from the old “factory model” of education, centered on direct instruction in teacher-centered learning environments, to new student-centered curricula that teach learners how to think critically and creatively to produce in our rapidly changing world. When contemplating this approach with second language English learners in Korean classrooms, educators are often confronted with cultural and institutional obstacles that are difficult to overcome. Research and observation suggest that Korean students struggle when asked to use critical thinking skills to create and share ideas in student-centered activities. While both native and foreign teachers in Korea recognize these challenges, it doesn‟t mean that efforts to develop these skills should be abandoned. This workshop will explore the impact of the use of higher-level questioning on critical thinking in group discussions. The material will be drawn in part from recent research by the presenter involving student response to, and development of, thoughtfully-constructed questions targeting the upper levels of Benjamin Bloom‟s hierarchy of thinking skills. By carefully designing good questions, and teaching students to design them, instructors in Korean classrooms can witness marked strides in student creativity in group conversations. The purpose of this workshop is to share tools that teachers may use to achieve this with their students. 

Bio
Prof. Scott A. DeWaelsche is an assistant professor in the English Department at The University of Suwon in Suwon, South Korea. He has taught English language learners at every level for the past five years in Korea, and he previously worked as an elementary school teacher in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona prior to coming to Korea. His graduate study focused on best practice teaching strategies that emphasized critical pedagogies and student-centered methods of classroom instruction. His research interests include critical
pedagogies, best practices, and interdisciplinary education in an ESL context. 

Topic #2: "English for Specific Purposes in the ESL/EFL Context" 
Prof. Mary Catherine M. Ariosa 
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner‟s reason for learning (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987:17). This combines the learner‟s content knowledge (major/field of expertise) and the command of the English language. While this structure is beneficial for the students with learning becoming more „contextualized‟ and made more relevant and applicable in their future profession and postgraduate studies, however, this has posed some challenges to language teachers. Although, ESP courses are taught in colleges and universities worldwide and particularly in the Philippines and Korea, these subjects are either treated with reluctance or nonchalance. On one end of the spectrum, the language professors may feel overwhelmed with the new vocabulary (jargons) and at the other end, the language professor may just ignore the specialized course because language/communicative activities still exist in the classroom. The dichotomy between the perspectives and attitudes of the content experts (i.e. content professors and majors) and the language experts (i.e. ESL/EFL professors) is existing in the current classroom set-up. How can the students communicate the subject matter with a limited language skill? How can the professors communicate given the limited subject matter background? How can we bridge this gap? We may begin by revisiting the core of ESP including the definitions of ESP versus ESL versus EFL, putting it into context by pointing out some challenges in a Korean college/university and taking note of some coping mechanisms or methods to address these concerns and the possible direction of ESP in language teaching in non-English speaking countries. 

Bio Prof. Mary Catherine M. Ariosa is a graduate of BS Accountancy, AB English with Applied Linguistics, and MA in Applied Linguistics at the University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines. She has taught basic English courses and Linguistics courses (Semantics, Pragmatics, Discourse and Conversation Analysis) in the undergraduate program for 7 years, in addition to teaching in the graduate program (English Conversation Analysis and Grammatical Theories). Her training and experience in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) both inspire and challenge her to come up with a more relevant course material (ESP for Engineering for USC students). She is also into Environmental/Green Discourses/Communication as with her thesis and other published related articles. She is currently teaching at Gyeongju University and handles mostly ESP classes. 

Topic #3: 
"Applying Communicative Language Teaching Principles in Teaching Korean English Learners in the ESL and EFL Contexts: Problems and Challenges"
 Prof. Sherro Lee Arellano-Lagrimas
Abstract:
The use of Communicative Language Teaching as a principle in teaching English has evolved overtime since its inception in the 1970‟s. Considered the one of the most, if not the most important, innovation in the field of language teaching (Hymes, 1971, Savignon, 1972), it is a breakaway from traditional teaching approaches since it focuses on the teaching of communicative competence as its goal (Richards, 2006). Jacobs and Farrell (2003) identified eight major changes in approaches to language teaching brought forth by CLT principles: learner autonomy, the social nature of learning, curricular integration, focus on meaning,
diversity, thinking skills, alternative assessment, and teachers as co-learners. However, despite the success of CLT in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), its efficacy in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) remains contentious. Many have argued that CLT principles are much harder to implement in the EFL classroom because of its dependence on the situational context: its emphasis on authentic language input, real-life language practice, and creative generation of language input. But what exactly are the differences between the ESL and EFL classrooms? An ESL classroom is in a country where English is an important, usually the official language, but not the official language, where students are usually of mixed nationalities, and therefore do not share a common language or culture. Outside the classroom, there is a practical need for English, and adequate opportunity for its use. Some countries in this category are usually former colonies of the United Kingdom and the United States, including the Philippines. On the other hand, an EFL classroom is in a country where English is not the dominant language; hence not spoken or actually used in the daily course of life. These countries include China, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. For many an English teacher who has taught Korean learners in both contexts, there is indeed a disparity. Majority of these English teachers are inclined to favor the teaching of English in one context over the other, most often indicating partiality towards the efficacy and ease of applying CLT principles in teaching English in the ESL setting. This talk purports to describe the challenges in implementing CLT in EFL classes such as the country‟s curriculum, lack of compatibility of CLT with the existing values and teaching practices, lack of communicative needs for students to use the language, insufficient exposure to English both inside and outside the classroom, student motivation, and even the teacher‟s attitude towards CLT. The identification and awareness of such problems can provide EFL teachers and learners with ideas on how to manage and adapt their teaching and learning activities in order to benefit from a successful implementation and integration of CLT principles in language teaching and learning. 

Bio Prof. Sherro Lee Arellano-Lagrimas has her eyes set on being an English language cognoscenti. Her passion for learning the about the English language and the intricacies of English language teaching has led her to pursue Master of Arts degrees in TESOL and in English Language Education. She also has a Post-Graduate diploma in TESOL from the SEAMEO Regional Language Center in Singapore. She has written several modules for English Communication Skills Development Program for Teachers and for the Legal Enhancement Training for the Department of Agrarian Reform , Philippines and PASAR Technical Writing Course for PASAR in Lide, Leyte also in the Philippines. She was proponent, lecturer, and program head and module developer of the Employment Communication Skills Training in Silliman University, Philippines since 2001. She has edited and advised school publications; designed and conducted review programs for IELTS, TOEFL, and TOEIC and the Public School Teachers Board Examination (now Licensure Examination for Teachers). She has penchant for events organizing and presentations and has organized various events and programs. She has taught Basic Communication and Professional Education courses and has experienced teaching students from different counties like Korea, Japan, Iran, China, Greece, among others. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Gyeongju University, Gyeongju, South Korea.

Topic #4: 
"Approach to Teaching Current English in a Student-Centered Manner" 
Prof. Vincent N. Gilhooley 
Abstract:
These days the assignment of current English classes to teachers is an increasing trend. This can raise some issues with planning a curriculum that is truly “current” and reflective of what students and management expect. In this workshop an adaptable approach to planning a curriculum will be highlighted using tools with which students find both interesting and informative. This approach has been tried and tested this past semester at Suwon University. Results of this approach thus far are favorable, students have attained presentation skills they previously hadn‟t encountered, student centered activity in class is of a high level, students work together with the teacher maintaining the position of facilitator. Initially the students are put into groups to work on a midterm project together. The students are then presented with graded current news articles with different themes from www.breakingnewsenglish.com. They summarize the articles, answer comprehension questions and compare the articles based on themes. The underlying structure of the articles is conveyed to the students at this stage. Students are also asked to install news apps on their phones and we discuss a current topic of their choosing each week. For midterms students have to create their own news website in their groups using www.weebly.com. Project time is then allotted each week for the groups to generate a news topic consisting of 2-3 paragraphs and some photographs. The midterm project consists of the same components plus a recorded video in which the students present their articles in person. The final assessment is in the same format but carried out on an individual basis. During this period the students are still contributing news articles on a weekly basis to their websites. 

Bio Prof. Vincent N. Gilhooley is currently an assistant professor in the English Language and Literature Department at Suwon University. He has been teaching English language and culture at varying levels for over six years. He is currently working on his thesis in applied linguistics and TESOL which is based on Intercultural competencies of Korean university students. His research interests are currently focused on critical discourse analysis, intercultural competence and strategic competence. 

Topic #5: 
"Product-Based CLT Approaches: Text-Based Instruction Vs. Competency-Based Instruction" 
Prof. Josephine G. Bejer 
Abstract:
Every language teacher‟s goal is to develop learners who are competent communicators. Competence in communication means being fluent and accurate in the use of the language which most language learners have difficulty achieving. This is a fact that makes language teaching stimulating. In order to aid language teachers to best facilitate learning in a language class, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has to be utilized effectively in setting its
goal towards the teaching of communicative competence. This lecture conveys communicative methodologies which highlight on the outcomes or product of learning. It targets on the kinds of uses of language the learners are expected to be able to master at the end of a given period of instruction. The mastery of the language is presented in the form of text type materials which the learners construct independently and specific language skills based on their needs which enable them to form communication blocks to practice the language and function in a specific context. Awareness of these methodologies assists highly in the implementation of CLT and in the process of language teaching and learning. 

Bio Prof. Josephine G. Bejer is a Filipino professor who has been in the field of teaching for 14 years. Most of her years in teaching are in the field of ESL which prompted her to hold a TESOL certificate. Furthermore, she has taught different levels in different schools and universities in the Philippines – from primary to tertiary. Presently teaching at Gyeongju University, South Korea, she holds a Bachelor‟s Degree in Education major in English at Cebu Normal University and a Master‟s Degree in Teaching with the same major at the University of the Visayas. She is currently having her doctorate degree in Literature and Communication.