<< Jeonju University, Star Center 201 >>
Speaker 1: Alex Grevett
Title: 4 dimensions of conversation assessment (and how to teach them)
Abstract:
Conversation as a course goal is highly suitable in Korea, especially for teachers of middle school students upwards. It is one of the only classroom activities that requires no reference to a future or external language environment. This fact makes it a an excellent target for students who may be a long time or distance from using English in the "real world". It also allows teachers to step away from teaching pre-selected, discrete items of lexis or grammar to a more skills-based approach. However, assessing conversation skills can be difficult, and there is a distinct lack of literature around this topic. In this talk, I will introduce four dimensions of conversational assessment: naturalness, smoothness, reactiveness, and abstractness. Using videos (technology depending) and materials from my classroom, I will explain each dimension and how it can be assessed, and then introduce activities or ideas to teach and practice each one. The final goal is to create an environment in the classroom in which students can have complex conversations in which they make choices about topic, content and language. The session will be part lecture, part small group discussion, with opportunities to share ideas and question the presenter.
Biography: Alex Grevett has taught in Korea for 7 years and Guatemala for 1 year. He is currently the Program Manager for Korea Polytechnic University’s Language Education Center. He has a much neglected blog at http://breathyvowel.wordpress.com, and can sometimes be found Tweeting about ELT from @breathyvowel.
Speaker 2: Roger Fusselman
Title: Turning TED Talks into Classroom Materials
Abstract:
TED Talks are high-interest, academic, and often inspirational talks useful in the university classroom. The ted.com website provides great support for many talks. However, even with such help, teachers can find it hard to focus on what is important in the lecture while being overly involved in details that arise in the talk.
Based on the presenter’s experience in TED Talks courses, this presentation/workshop shows how to adapt these materials. It recommends particular talks, what skills to teach, what to focus on and what to leave out, and how to use but not abuse scaffolding. It lays out nine principles to consider in planning such materials. Workshop attendees will actively apply these concepts to a particular TED Talk and then share their findings.
Biography: Roger Fusselman first came to Korea as an English teacher in 1996. He became an officer in two different KOTESOL clubs, then left Korea in 2003 to pursue his Master's degree in TESL. Upon receiving it, he returned to Korea in 2005, working for years in Pohang before moving to Seoul. He eventually became a teacher employed at Seoul National University of Education as a TESOL trainer and how works at Sookmyung Women's University. He is also a long-time performer with Seoul City Improv and is a prominent speaker and presenter in Korea Toastmasters. His current academic interest is creativity in the language classroom.
