Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter September Meeting
----- Morning Reflective Practice Session -----
Topic: How Happy Is Your Classroom?
Session Facilitator: Jocelyn Wright
Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
NEW Location: Aldersgate (올더스게이트), cozy cafe near GNUE. Ground floor of 광주우리교회 Building.
----- Main Meeting Schedule -----
Time: Saturday, September 12, 2015, 1:45 - 5:00 pm
NEW Location: Gwangju National University of Education (GNUE), Teacher Training Center (교사교육센터) 1st Floor; Room 812 or 813. Detailed directions HERE.
1:45 pm: Sign-in and Meet-and-Greet (Admission is free. Future membership is welcomed.)
2:00 - 2:30 pm: Mini-Presentation 1
Grabbing the Class's Attention
Seongsuk Yun (Gwangju Ojeong English Center)
2:30 - 3:00 pm Mini-Presentation 2
Speaking in Song and Chant
Trevor Homeniuk (Gwangju Sahmyook Elementary School)
3:00 - 3:20 pm: Refreshment Break
3:20 - 4:20 pm: "My Favorite Small-Group Game" - Round Robin (Lindsay Herron, facilitator)
Numerous teachers will be setting up "stations" around the room to explain and demonstrate their favorite EFL classroom games. To demonstrate your favorite game, contact Lindsay Herron.
4:20 - 5:00 pm: Swap-Shop Presentations
Share your Teaching Ideas, Classroom Activities, and Teaching Wisdom with the group.
(Everyone is encouraged to share. Short tidbits are welcomed. Handouts also welcomed.)
5:00 pm: Announcements / Drawing for Door Prizes / Closing
6:00 pm: End-of-Summer Social
Presentation Synopses and Presenter Bio-Sketches
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Grabbing the Class's Attention
Seongsuk Yun
The secret to an effective lessen is to grab the class's attention at the beginning of the class. If the teacher fails to pique the class's interest within the first five minutes of the class period, it will be much harder to acquire it further into the lesson. This presentation introduces a set of seven tried-and-proved tips for capturing the students attention. These simple techniques involve (a) changing one's voice, (b) using choral chants (c) using musical "instruments," (d) having the students move through a game or other activity, (e) drawing or writing something on the board, (f) bringing in something unusual (realia), (g) using technology for visuals. These seven attention-grabbing techniques are based on the presenter's experience with young. However, many of them can also be used quite effectively with middle school classes or even university freshman English classes with little or no adaptation necessary.
The Presenter
Seongsuk Yun is the Team Leader of the Ojeong English Center, one of only four government-funded English centers in Gwangju. She is a graduate of Gwangju National University of Education (GNUE) and has taught at the elementary school level for seven years as a homeroom teacher and for another six years as an English subject teacher. Ms. Yun was selected by the Office of Education for an intensive teacher-training program at Powell College in the United States. Most recently, she has become a lifetime member of Korea TESOL.
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Speaking in Song and Chant
Trevor Homeniuk
Rhythm in English speaking changes constantly. For example, one could say the sentence “My music hits me so hard it makes me say ‘oh, my Lord’” differently depending on their connection to pop culture. This presentation will pick up where August’s “Sneaking Learning into Pop Songs” left off by elaborating on the idea of chant and song in the EFL classroom. The beginning will focus on a rhythm activity. In small groups, we will create a variety of rhythms for a number of sentences. Second, we will practice combining chants with song to look at a fun way of understanding and memorizing language. By using songs and chants in conjunction, we will be using a method for achieving greater learning as reported by Kuo, Kuo, Chen, and Peirce (2014). Time permitting, mondegreens will also be revisited for their humorous value and to encourage clear pronunciation instruction during activities. Our follow up will be the viewing of websites for bringing music into class and discussing any ideas that may apply.
To weaken the affective filter (Krashen, 1982), we can use song in classrooms to create comfortable atmospheres, encourage engagement and deepen learning. We will consider how well music can sustain and direct a student’s attention during a lesson. I hope to focus on how language awareness through music can be useful to help students discover a rhythm with which to speak, sing, and learn harmoniously with their peers.
References
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practices in second language acquisition. Oxford, England: Pergamon Press.
Kuo,F.-L., Kuo, Y., Chen Y.-H., & Pierce, R. (2014). Three types of musical instruction: Effects on young Taiwanese EFL learners’ word decoding and rhyme production. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 11(2), 226.
The Presenter
Trevor Homeniuk (BEd, BFA) has taught for six years in both Korea and Canada. He studied experiential outdoor education, primary and junior education, and digital media art in Canada. His present academic interests include place-based outdoor education, inquiry-based learning, self-assessment, and art education. In 2010 in Gwangju, Trevor co-created the “Green Seed” English environmental awareness program, which has since expanded and is currently being taught to elementary students around the city. Trevor joined KOTESOL in 2014 and is thankful to be part of a local professional-learning community. He currently teaches Language Arts at Sahmyook Elementary School in Gwangju.
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"My Favorite Small-Group Game" - Round Robin
Lindsay Herron (Facilitating)
Participants will have an opportunity to choose from among five game stations, play a small-group game for 10-15 minutes, and then switch to the next station that appeals to them.
Among the game choices are the following:
1. "Die, Story, Die," an icebreaker/storytelling game good for all ages (Victoria Li).
2. "I am bringing...," an icebreaker/communication game for middle school and above (Justin Ancheta).
3. "The 'Best' Game," a drilling/board game for upper elementary school and above (Lindsay Herron).
4. "Categories" and "This Is a Watch," rhythm and drama games for all ages (Kristy Dolson).
5. "Now-You're-Talking Board Games," good for all ages (Dave Shaffer).
You're guaranteed to find a basic structure and idea that can be adapted for your own classroom.
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Photo: Gwangju National University of Education (GNUE), Teacher Training Center (교사교육센터).
