University of Utah Asia Campus

Department of Psychology

Cognitive Psychology & Human Factors

Studying in a Second Language: An Auditory Cognition Perspective 

The field of auditory cognition studies hearing and speech understanding from a cognitive perspective. The field often focuses on challenging listening conditions such as speech in noise, or hearing loss, but non-native listeners face many similar challenges. In this talk I aim to provide a quick overview of the history of the field, the cognitive effort of non-native speech understanding, and the cognitive down-stream effects of effortful listening and how this may affect non-native students in the classroom. This talk is mainly intended to create awareness of the challenges non-native listeners face – even if their language proficiency is high, and provide some tips for creating a more inclusive experience for non-native students in the classroom.

Teaching Assistant Professor, SUNY Korea

KOTESOL Incheon Chapter President

Elicitation Nation: Getting Students to Self-Correct Like Pros 

Oral corrective feedback is crucial for effective language instruction, but its delivery can greatly affect student engagement and outcomes. This workshop explores elicitation-based strategies that prompt students to notice, reflect on, and repair their own errors, promoting autonomy and language acquisition. Based on research by Lyster & Ranta (1997), Ammar & Spada (2006), and Ellis (2009), the session highlights methods like clarification requests, metalinguistic cues, and repetition. Participants will learn the differences between implicit and explicit feedback and how various strategies impact learner uptake. While recasts are common, studies show they often lack effectiveness in generating meaningful student repairs. In contrast, elicitation fosters greater learner awareness and active correction. Through hands-on examples and reflective activities, attendees will gain practical techniques for incorporating elicitation into their teaching, maintaining communicative flow. This workshop provides strategies for helping students “catch and fix” mistakes, improving confidence, fluency, and accuracy for learners at all levels.

SUNY Binghamton

Enhancing Student Motivation Through Multimodal Composition

In South Korea, the national curriculum heavily emphasizes rote memorization, often leaving students disengaged and unmotivated in English language learning. This study explores how multimodal composition, specifically student-created idioms and AI-assisted image generation can enhance motivation, provide diverse learning experiences, and allow for student-centered language play. Conducted in a low-income all-boys middle school, these projects demonstrated increased student engagement, critical thinking, and cultural and self-expression. The findings suggest that multimodal approaches can offer a more active, student-centered alternative to traditional instruction. 

University of Ulsan

KOTESOL Busan-Gyeongnam Chapter President 

Well-Being & Personal Development SIG Head  

Finding Freedom Within the Assigned Textbook 

Education is a creative field, but many English language educators face constraints due to rigid textbook guidelines. In Korea, textbooks often emphasize grammar and writing, limiting interactive, dynamic teaching methods. Despite research showing the benefits of creative exercises for critical thinking and language acquisition, educators may feel pressured to strictly follow textbooks due to administrative or parental expectations. This can lead to disengaging lessons. This workshop will offer strategies for using textbook content to design engaging activities in Korean English classrooms. It will show how to expand standard exercises into dynamic, interactive lessons. The session will begin with an overview of literature on interactive learning, highlighting how such approaches foster collaboration and enthusiasm. It will then demonstrate how to incorporate student-focused tasks into textbooks and conclude with a practical activity featuring real-world examples.

Daeil Foreign Language High School

KOTESOL Seoul Chapter Treasurer 

Sustained, In-Depth Reflective Writing for (re?)Invigorating your Teaching Practice 

Reflective practice has a rich tradition in TESOL (Richards and Lockheart, 1996; Farrell, 2015). Building on Bolton's work (2018) focused on extensive reflective writing, this presentation will provide attendees with strategies and methods to effectively engage in reflective writing. After addressing necessary dispositions and his professional context, the presenter will provide a series of personal illustrations of in-depth reflective writing taken from his recent professional practice. Attendees will be encouraged to consider writing frames, topics and prompts which may be adapted to their professional context. Attendees will be afforded ample opportunity to reflect in both writing and group settings about the potential of reflective writing. Attendees should expect to leave this session with a clearer understanding of the concrete benefits of reflective writing; as well as both what to do and what to be wary of when engaging in in-depth reflective writing. 

KOTESOL 2nd Vice President 

Humor, Metaphor, Global Crisis, and the EFL Classroom 

This workshop explores how humor and metaphor were used to discuss the difficult topic of climate change in a small class of Korean middle school ELLs in an academy (hagwon) during a debate and literature course. By using multiple sub-metaphors for concrete steps to be considered in reaction to climate change that were associated with a single overarching metaphor, that of stopping a bus from speeding over a cliff, both climate change and commonly proposed solutions to the scenario were explored in a humorous and novel way. This proved beneficial to both the students and the teacher, as the use of humor and metaphor bolstered the students’ motivation and positive emotion, provided support for multiple schemata, and helped decrease potential anxiety about potential global crises. After exploring the metaphors from the novel that the students were reading concurrently with debate classes involving the theme of climate change, workshop participants will participate in an extended, multi-step brainstorming session where they create their own metaphors for global crises, and they will explore the benefits of using this approach in the classroom for themselves. 

Institute for Language Education & Research, Seoul National University of Science and Technology

Professional Identity Tensions and Perceived (il)legitimacy of Foreign Pre-service Teachers in Korea: Implications for Policymaking and Teacher Education 

Using cognitive dissonance theory, I examine professional identity tensions in three foreign pre-service teachers from a graduate TESOL program in Korea. I analyzed reflective journals, interview transcripts, admission essays, and participant-produced drawings. To gain deeper insight into the interplay between international education and teacher training, I also consulted faculty members, interviewed government officials, and reviewed related documents. My findings reveal that international students in TESOL experience unique identity tensions shaped by institutional, discursive, and regulatory forces residing in the host country. By sharing these insights, I aim to enhance understanding of the support foreign teacher candidates need from their host institutions and contribute to policymaking discussions. I argue that teacher educators and policymakers must actively engage in creating discourses of legitimacy that help foreign pre-service teachers reimagine themselves more positively and revisit visa regulations to ensure inclusiveness and justice in employment opportunities. 

KOTESOL Gangwon Chapter President

Adjunct Chuncheon National University of Education and Kangwon National University 

Social Presence for Teachers: Showing Up as a Real Human in Blended Classrooms 

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework emphasizes social presence as a key element of effective online and blended learning. While often focused on student behavior, research highlights the importance of instructors modeling social presence through emotional expression, communication, and group cohesion (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000; Richardson, Maeda, & Swan, 2017). Teachers who are authentic and responsive foster deeper engagement and stronger student interaction. This workshop helps educators develop their own social presence to create more connected classrooms in tech-supported settings. After an introduction to the CoI framework, participants will explore strategies for building rapport, humanizing digital communication, and fostering inclusive communities using tools like Padlet, Flip, and Slido. The second part will be interactive, allowing participants to adapt strategies to their teaching contexts. In small groups or individually, they will co-design practical strategies to enhance teacher-student and student-student connections. The session will conclude with a share-out and a takeaway toolkit, offering research-backed, actionable practices to strengthen presence and engagement in digital classrooms.

From public school classrooms, to hagwons, to tutoring in cafés, English language educators across Korea and beyond are adapting to increasingly diverse learner needs. In this panel, teachers share how they make evidence-based practices work in real-world conditions—whether that means large public school classes, skill-specific academy lessons, or personalized tutoring.

Panelists will discuss:

• Implementing inclusive teaching in high-pressure, mixed-level classrooms

• Keeping students motivated amid curriculum and policy demands

• Challenges of applying theory in practice and creative workarounds

• Shared struggles across diverse teaching contexts

In higher education, instructors face the complex balance of academic rigor, institutional expectations, and diverse student backgrounds. This panel brings together university-level educators to discuss how they adapt evidence-based and tested teaching practices to students while still staying responsive to their individual needs

Panelists will discuss the following topics:

• Integrating inclusive practices in large, mixed-ability college classes

• Addressing assessment standards vs. student-centered learning

• Promoting engagement in settings often driven by content and testing

• Insights gained from today’s sessions that they’ll take back to their university classrooms