Presenters

Biography 

María Teresa Martínez-García is an assistant professor in the Languages and Literature Department at the University of Utah, Asia Campus. She is originally from Alicante (Spain) and holds an undergraduate degree in English translation and interpreting from the University of Alicante, an MA in Linguistics from the University of North Texas, and a second MA in Linguistics and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Kansas. Her research interests lie in two main areas: Second language (L2) speech perception and bilingualism, and her work has been presented in international conferences and published in top-rated journals.

Biography 

David Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and has lived and worked in Korea for nearly twenty years. He currently lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times and is the host of the "Korea Deconstructed" podcast. He is also a frequent contributor to domestic and international media on Korean cultural and political issues. 

Biography 

Cheryl Woelk is co-founder of Collective Joy Consulting, based in Seoul, South Korea. With a background in English language instruction and peace education across multicultural environments in Northeast Asia and North America, Cheryl specializes in intercultural communication and conflict resolution training. Holding a BA in English, a TESOL certificate, an MA in Education, and a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation, she is committed to integrating language learning and peace education in English teacher training, consulting for language institutes and coaching professionals from South Korea using English in international settings. She is co-author of “Teaching English for Reconciliation: Pursuing Peace through Transformed Relationships in Language Learning and Teaching” (2018).   

Biography 

José Domingo Cruz, the creator of Verbal Classrooms, has given numerous presentations and keynotes for various conferences and events. He works on several English study projects, including his main venture, “GOLDFish365”. Cruz is the author of, “Teaching with ZOOM 2” Published by Wayzgoose Press. He helped create the protocols for and led the team of volunteer Room Hosts that guided the presentations for the pioneering online conferences for PANSig and the JALT National Conferences of 2020. Cruz is a leading member of Online Teaching Japan, a Facebook discussion group on topics related to professional development for pedagogy, jose@goldfish365.com. 

This study explores the niche occupied by transnational English teachers within the context of Korean ELT. 

The study examines the experiences of Leo (pseudonym), a German national who taught English in Korea by circumventing legal restrictions against non-native English-speaking teachers. 

The findings underscore the significance of nationality, race, and marital status in securing a teaching position, revealing a persistent preference for Caucasian teachers and the perpetuation of White supremacy in ELT.

In this dialogic session the facilitator invites participants to consider diversity in their current workplaces, discuss how their workplaces deal with diversity, and brainstorm alternative ways of doing so. 

A couple of authentic cases will be presented as examples to prompt critical reflection. 

The facilitator welcomes you to engage in a lively and constructive dialogue on this timely topic!

The English Science Textbook Word List (ESTWL) was developed to assist lower secondary school students in their preparation for learning in science classrooms. Additionally, the ESTWL can be applied in vocabulary pedagogy for science and language teachers in selecting appropriate vocabulary to teach in Content and Language Integrated Learning classes.

The ESTWL series is available at https://sites.google.com/view/estwl

As teachers, we need to constantly adapt to help our students get out of the rut of thinking the 'textbook is the only right way to learn the material'. We often need to change up our teaching strategies from lecturer to facilitator to help improve our students' understanding. This workshop looks at active learning tasks that can be used as stand alone activities, as well as independently or within learning groups, and can be adapted to most levels and lessons while helping everyone master the material through seeing people and situations from different angles. 

Building upon work in education, critical pedagogy, and decolonial studies, this presentation asks questions about the core relation in education: the student and teacher relation. 

To explore these issues, the paper will attend to the practices of the student faculty relation, doing so through Vilém Flusser’s The Suprising Phenomenon of Human Communication (2016) and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o’s Globalectics: Theory and the Politics of Knowing (2014). 

This presentation aims to elaborate on how we can open up new modes of thinking with indigenous scholars, as well as through implementation of methodological elements stemming from these thinkers.

Living abroad is an aspiration shared by many, yet the challenges and surprises it brings are often underestimated. 

Join me as I shed light on the uncharted facets of a multicultural student's life in Korea, revealing the hidden struggles and the immense rewards. 

My personal experience has taught me that with determination and dedication, nothing is beyond your reach.

Virtual Exchanges allow students to have intercultural experiences without leaving their home country. 

This workshop will detail the SPECIFICS model, a framework that ensures instructors have considered all the variables of a Virtual Exchange in the planning process. This framework will be introduced through the lens of a Virtual Exchange that occurred between Japan and Korea in July, 2023. 

After reviewing the model, workshop participants will have a chance to use Flip, one of the tools used for the exchange, and a chance to expand their ideas for a Virtual Exchange through the SPECIFICS lens.

The assumption that all English Language Learners will migrate to countries where English is the primary language and, consequently, designing courses exclusively for this population can be erroneous. A more pragmatic strategy would involve equipping students with English as a Lingua Franca Core, given the high probability that they will employ their English language proficiency in diverse settings, mostly among others who are not native speakers. Recognizing this reality can potentially enhance students' agency, facilitate their movement, and genuinely enable them to become global citizens.

Join the KOTESOL Women and Gender Equality SIG [Special Interest Group] as we embark on a journey through the history of the SIG, spotlighting milestones and accomplishments, followed by a discussion on integrating gender equality into ELT pedagogy through participant-driven dialogue. 

Our interactive event will provide a platform for educators to share experiences, ideas, and best practices. Together, we'll explore how to create gender-inclusive classrooms, address biases in materials, and encourage critical thinking on gender issues. 

By fostering a supportive community of educators, we aim to empower you with practical insights and collaborative solutions to make your ELT classroom a catalyst for positive change.

South Korea has a unique educational landscape characterized by rigorous academic competition, high-stakes exams, and a strong emphasis on conformity. While this system has produced exceptional academic results, it has also led to several challenges for students including limited creativity and critical thinking, risk aversion, and lack of well-rounded development.
Comfort zone challenges offer a solution to these issues by providing opportunities for students to take social risks and develop essential life skills. 

This workshop aims to empower teachers with the tools they need to introduce comfort zone challenges into their classrooms to foster personal and academic growth while addressing the needs of their students in the Korean educational context.

Picture books have stories that are told using more natural spoken language than graded readers, with beautiful pictures creating context to help readers understand better. These books can help us as educators to foster multicultural awareness among our EFL/ESL learners. 

The presenter will introduce books she has used in her own classes and English camps for both elementary and middle school students. 

This session will include group discussions around actual picture books where attendees can develop and share ideas for the use of specific books in their classes.

The aim of this workshop is to discover the potential of ChatGPT to aid in the teaching of intercultural conversation (IC). The presenter will demonstrate how he has used ChatGPT to create model conversations to help students build intercultural awareness and practice conversational skills. After some remarks on prompt engineering, attendees will work on developing / examining prompts that might be useful in their specific contexts.

In this presentation, I demonstrate how I employed a TBLT-based dramatic play as a pedagogical method to increase university-level EFL students’ oral production. Students were asked to accomplish a series of progressively challenging learner-centered tasks over the course of 7 weeks, with the ultimate outcome of having students perform a short play in front of the audience. 

I share the positives as well as improvements that could have made this a more successful project. It is encouraged that teachers consider using TBLT as a method to help increase students’ oral production in terms of fluency, accuracy, and complexity.

Discover the art of calligraphy in the classroom at our booth. Join us for a hands-on exploration of how calligraphy can enhance the visual experience of your classroom. Learn practical tips and creative ideas for integrating calligraphy into your classroom decor. Explore the endless possibilities of this timeless art form to engage and inspire your students. Children, parents, and teachers are all welcome to join this flexible activity, allowing participants to engage as long as they desire, building their skills and boosting their confidence along the way.

This Pecha Kucha is an exploration of the Korean cultural concept of Han within the context of the English language classroom. The term "Han" encompasses notions of both Unity and Sadness in Korean. This presentation focuses on the teacher's role in, not only supporting linguistic skills but also embracing students' diverse emotional landscapes. By weaving Han's Unity and Sadness into the fabric of the classroom, teachers create a richer, more empathic, and culturally responsive approach to English language instruction.

This workshop delves into the transformative history of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) by tracing its evolution from the mid-20th century to today. 

Participants will embark on a journey that begins with B.F. Skinner's behaviorist interpretation, and leads to Noam Chomsky’s challenge to behaviorist theories with a posited innate language acquisition device in humans. 

Concluding with the rise of communicative language teaching, participants will gain insight into how historical underpinnings have influenced today's best practices.

This presentation is intended to discuss how to enhance a student's writing skills by encouraging the learner to show and tell about her experiences using various writing techniques. 

The presentation will include how to prompt the learner to write using sensory techniques and brainstorming cues. 

It will also discuss how to incorporate web tools to add volume and clarity to the writing.

The first part of this interactive presentation focuses on a research project and its findings. This project was undertaken to investigate how three motivational individual differences, willingness to communicate (WTC), perceived communicative competence (PCC), and task-specific self-efficacy (SE), predicted Japanese university students’ output. In the second part of the presentation, there will be discussions on whether we can apply abstract and 'dense' research findings to our teaching contexts.

Bell (2002) claimed that “school without laughter is sheer torture.” 

This interactive presentation seeks to provide attendees with a variety of activities to enrich their classroom practice with a healthy dose of class-appropriate humor. This session will focus primarily on sharing a wide range of classroom tasks and activities drawn primarily from the ELT literature. These activities are suitable to being adapted and embedded into a previously established curriculum or serve as stand-alone full-class lesson plans.

There is a large amount of research done in the field of dyslexia. There is not much known about dyslexia in EFL learners, young learners, or those whose native language is Korean.
I know a bit about dyslexia, have screened my students for it, and seen how their reading difficulties have played out in the classroom. This presentation will include a short overview of the literature, ways to screen for dyslexia, and ways to support it in the classroom.

This study researches the leisure activity preferences of elderly Koreans returning from overseas, and aims to conceptualize their tastes that influence their choice in leisure. 

First, it was found that the leisure taste of the elderly returning from overseas originated in the cultural convergence of the former country of residence and Korea. 

Second, support for cultural activities is needed for them. 

Third, the importance of education and information sharing to promote their cultural understanding is emphasized.

The standard Korean language curriculum is structured around mutual cultural education that reflects the culture of foreign learners studying Korean as a Second Language (KSL). This aligns with the international trend in language education that emphasizes cultural diversity.

In this study, we intend to focus on and analyze the "reading and writing" activities within the 『(중고등학생을 위한)표준 한국어: 의사소통』 using Byram's five mutual cultural competencies as the basis.

The goal of this two-part workshop is to stimulate a discussion about English education for young multicultural learners, and this will be done via a case study of a multicultural child in Korea without English in the home. 

The first part of the workshop will consist of a 20-minute presentation that will address the case study of a 10-year-old child with one Korean parent and one parent from Latin America. 

In the second part of the workshop the floor be open to the audience to further the discussion on how to meet the learner's unique multicultural needs, build a curriculum for the learner, and improve the learner's English proficiency.

In a ‘Yes! And!’ Improv performance, actors should accept their partners’ idea (Yes!) and then add on a new thought (And!) to take the concept to greater (and perhaps sillier) heights. 

This workshop introduces several activities that help students to rehearse and monitor the skills of affirming their partners’ ideas and adding new ideas during a brainstorming session. 

Workshop participants will be invited to reflect on how they can help students apply the Yes! And! principle in their own teaching contexts.

This study will contribute to reaching the final goal of Social Studies education, by presenting new curriculum content and evaluation criteria needed at the present time of entering a multicultural society, through transnational migration, as well as enhancing the capabilities of global citizens and equip them in a multicultural society based on multicultural sensitivity.

Being a teacher means we never stop learning. 

In this workshop, we will engage in the early stages of Reflective Practice and develop systematic self-observation criteria through which to thoughtfully consider our lesson performance. 

We will work together in groups to design a checklist to evaluate or monitor lessons. Areas of consideration include the presentation of materials, student/teacher interactions, execution of methods, the learning environment or atmosphere, and teacher qualities.