Teacher Talk
- In the Learner-Centered English Class -
Kim Young-Soon(Sky)
SeoChon Elementary School
History
14 years of teaching at Elementary school(5 years as a English teacher)
Gyeongin National University of Education, Incheon, Korea(2002~2005)
-Graduate School of Education, M.A. English Education
2009 Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Fellowship selected for Long-Term Overseas Studies
Long Island University, NY, USA(2010~2011)
-Graduate School of Education. TESOL M.A. English Education
A part-time instructor at Gyeongin National University of Education(2012)
Participated in working on the 2012 Gyeonggi-do English Curriculum
Gyeonggi-do Office of Education Superintend Awardy in English Education since 2006(except in 2010, 2011)
Currently pursuing a Ph.D in English Education at Gyeongin National University of Education
Currently a 2nd grade homeroom teacher at SeoChon Elementary School
Additional Information
Love teaching, learning from students, and traveling
Leonie Overbeek feels that no stone should be left unturned on life’s path. She has obtained formal qualifications in analytical chemistry, chemical engineering, policy studies and languages. She has studied singing, loves acting, and is passionate about keeping her knowledge of the world and all it has to offer as up to date as she can by reading as widely as she can.
She has been teaching in South Korea since 2007, after training TEFL teachers in Cape Town for two years. Her interest lies in how to best motivate and assist learners to achieve the best they can.
Her teaching philosophy is: Give people the opportunity to learn – what they do with it is up to them – but give them the opportunity!
Professional Development
Leonie Overbeek
Teachers have always been considered to be practitioners of a profession rather than simply people doing a job, and as such, they should be actively engaged in professional development.
Professional development is, simply stated, activities that are focused on honing the skills and increasing the knowledge with which you practice your profession. There are three key areas to consider in planning such activities.
Membership of a professional society
Professionals of all kinds have always belonged to societies in which they can exchange ideas with other professionals, and also where they can discuss issues relevant to them as a group. Such societies usually offer access to journals and magazines devoted to the subject matter, and may also offer opportunities to take part in conferences and symposiums.
This ensures that the latest ideas and research, but also practical solutions to problems, are available on a regular basis.
Even if you don't join the local society (in Korea, that would be KOTESOL), consider subscribing to the IJFLT, a free online magazine for the language teacher. It can be found here: www.ijflt.com/ Also check out these two societies: KOTESOL www.koreatesol.org; TESOL www.tesol.org/
Reflection
Taking time to consider your self as a teacher, what you believe about teaching, what you see your role and the students roles as, and how you assess successes and failures in the classroom contribute to your development as professional.
Once you can maturely and soberly recognize your strengths and weakness, you can work on harnessing them more effectively. Keeping a journal is a good way to do this, listening to your students and colleagues is another. Blogs tend to be edited for consumption, so don't really fall under this category, unless you are brutally honest.
Courses
There are many possibilities these days to do courses online, for free, on just about any subject. To judge their relevance to you, you have to know what your employer will recognize, and also what will enhance a skill. Maybe, if you teach young children, arts and crafts are a good idea. Or if you are teaching teenagers, a course in basic psychology might come in handy. Explore the possibilities at these links:
Coursera - https://www.coursera.org/
http://www.openculture.com/free_certificate_courses
MIT - http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
For formal qualifications, check with your employer and check with recruiters as to what may be the best investment of time and money.
Professionals are prepared to guarantee the quality of the service they provide with their personal reputations, and will continually strive to perfect their craft.
