Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL December Chapter Meeting and Year-End Dinner

Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter December Meeting

----- Morning Reflective Practice Session -----

Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Place: Starbucks, Chosun University Branch; near University "backgate."
Topic: Describing Before Judging: Managing the First Stages of the Reflective Cycle.
Description: We will discuss our understandings of the value of describing class events before interpreting them, discuss reasons this might be difficult or challenging, and share ideas about approaching this first part of the reflective cycle.

----- Main Meeting Schedule -----
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Time:  Saturday, December 9, 2014, 1:45 - 5:00 p.m.
Place: Chosun University Main Building (Gwangju), 4th Floor, Room 4211
Location: Google Maps

1:45 pm: Sign-in and Meet-and-Greet    (Admission is free. Future membership is welcomed.)

2:00 - 2:50 pm: PRESENTATION
Getting the Most Out of Your Coursebook Activities
Jessica Ives (Dongshin University, Naju)

2:50 - 3:10 pm: Refreshment Break

3:10 - 4:25 pm: Collaborative WORKSHOP
What Makes a Classroom Language-Learning Activity Good (and how to make 'em even better)
Dr. David Shaffer (Chosun University)

4:30 pm: Swap-Shop: Share your Teaching Ideas, Classroom Activities, and Teaching Wisdom with the group. (Everyone is encouraged to briefly present an item, or two. Handouts welcomed.)

5:00 pm: Announcements / Drawing for Door Prizes / Closing

----- After-Meeting Holiday Dinner Schedule -----

Time: 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Location: GIC (Gwangju International Center) 1F.
Online Pre-registration:  Here: http://goo.gl/forms/Dtu1FDwFAe
-- 11,000 won (members); 13,000 (non-members)
-- At Dinner: 13,000 (members); 15,000 (non-members)
Dinner Menu:
-- N. American-style Roasted Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, cranberry sauce
-- Filipino-style: Chicken adobo, Pansit noodles
Program:
-- Christmas Medley by local A Cappella Troupe
-- Poetry Reading,  Duet,  and Dance

[[ December newsletter at bottom of page. ]]

----- Presentation Previews and Biographical Data -----

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Getting the Most Out of Your Coursebook Activities
Jessica Ives

The Presentation
This presentation serves to provide teachers with ways to use spoken or written texts (found in our coursebooks) for more than one purpose. Additionally, this presentation promotes the idea of slowing down our teaching. There is a lot of pressure put on teachers to finish 'X' amount of pages per lesson, to complete the textbook by the end of the semester, and/or to provide extra material to accompany what is given in the textbook. While it is certainly possible to complete the expected curriculum, while it may work perfectly well for many teachers, there are still some things to consider when applying this approach.

There is added concern when the quality of learning and opportunities to learn are decreased in order to finish everything. When this occurs, who really benefits from this "must finish the textbook" mentality? One possible option is to consider slowing down the pace and looking at written or spoken texts that have already been provided (i.e., your coursebook) from a new perspective. There are many benefits to using this approach. For instance, it gives students rich opportunities to review material and feel that they are mastering the language. It also prevents teachers from frantically photocopying extra worksheets before classes and allows them more time to design better lessons.

There are additional benefits that will be highlighted throughout the presentation. Drawing on Dr. John Sivell's article, Sending Them Back to the Well, this presentation will first introduce some relevant terms and the theory of connectionism. This will help us to understand the benefits of repeated exposure to the same material. Next, by focusing on vocabulary, syntax, and discourse, a variety of possible activities will be introduced. In the final part of the presentation, you will apply your new knowledge and create your own activity/activities to accompany a sample text. By the end of this interactive presentation, I hope teachers will become more aware of the many possible activities available through re-using a written or spoken text.

The Presenter
Jessica Ives is from Niagara Falls, Canada. She came to Korea this past March. She is a professor at Dongshin University in Naju, where she teaches English Conversation to first-year students. This semester, she also assists with a master's teacher training course at Dongshin University. Before teaching in Korea, she was an ESL Instructor at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. She completed both her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics (TESL) from Brock University. She is interested in Reflective Practice and the sociolinguistic aspects of language teaching. In March, 2015, she will return to Canada, where she plans to continue teaching and researching.

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What Makes a Classroom Language-Learning Activity Good (and how to make 'em even better)
Dr. David Shaffer

The Presentation
The language learning exercise or activity is no stranger to the second-language classroom. Whether a more communicative or a more traditional approach is taken to language teaching the use of activities of some form are employed for the purpose of student practice in skill acquisition. As Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is widely recognized as the more effective approach to language learning, this collaborative workshop will deal mainly with communicative activities and how to make them effective.

The workshop will begin with a look at activities some of the different types of activities that are commonly employed in the EFL classroom (controlled, free, etc.). It will take a look at learner considerations (interests, learning styles, etc.). And it will take a look a the role of the teacher during the activity (facilitator, monitor, error corrector, etc.).

After this refresher on communicative activities, about five activity stations will be set up where one activity will be described/demonstrated at each station simultaneously fot 5-7 minutes. The activities will target different age groups and different proficiency levels. The viewing groups will then rotate to become familiar with each of the activities. This will be followed with the groups being formed to discuss each activity (merits; opportunities for levelling up, levelling down; alternatives and improvements). The session will end with each of these groups summarizing their results to the whole group with further input from the whole group. Teachers will be able to return home with a set of well-honed and fine-tuned communicative activities for use in their own classrooms.

The Presenter
David E. Shaffer (PhD Linguistics) is a long-time educator in Korea and long-time KOTESOL member. He is a professor at Chosun University, teaching English majors in the graduate and undergraduate programs. Dr. Shaffer is the author of several books on learning English as well as on Korean language, customs, and poetry. His present academic interests include professional development, and young learner and extensive reading research, as well as loanwords and effective teaching techniques. Within KOTESOL, Dr. Shaffer is presently National Publications Committee Chair, and a member of several committees, including the International and National Conference Committees, in addition to being Chapter president. He is the recipient of numerous KOTESOL awards and father of two KOTESOL members. Email: disin@chosun.ac.kr
More at: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=36126897&authType=name&authToke...
More at: https://www.academia.edu/DavidShaffer