May 2020
This month's voice:
Kristy Dolson, "Teaching in a Time of Crisis"
Introduction
By Lindsay Herron
KOTESOL President
I have had the pleasure of knowing Kristy Dolson since she came to her first Gwangju-Jeonnam chapter workshop years ago. I should have guessed from her sly humor and insightful comments that she would be a force to be reckoned with in her coming years in Korea! Today, I know her as the dynamic writer behind multiple articles in each month’s issue of Gwangju News, our regional English-language magazine; a voracious bookworm who reads deeply and widely; and a confident performer whose passion for musicals and all things Disney have created some truly memorable moments in my Facebook feed. She’s all that and a brilliant teacher trainer, too—one who never hesitates to share her knowledge and experience. You might have seen her presenting just last month at the 2020 KOTESOL National Conference, or perhaps you've talked to her at other KOTESOL conferences, workshops, or reflective practice meetings. I was delighted when she agreed to lend her insights and creativity to creating a video for this month’s issue of KOTESOL Voices.
After COVID-19 and the resultant shift to online teaching severed physical connections, Kristy struggled to create new ones—connections with and among her students, connections between her pedagogical beliefs and the realities of the situation, connections between her own experiences and her teaching. In this candid reflection on her path over the past several months, Kristy describes the tensions that emerged between her desire to create conditions conducive to learning and a very real, urgent need for compassion—both for her students and herself. Kristy’s reflections on her path as she re-evaluated and redefined her pedagogical practices will doubtless resonate with us all. This video, I think, encourages our own honest explorations of how we are teaching in this time of crisis; reminds us of a need to be patient not only with our students but with ourselves; and in its candor also reaches out to forge a sense of connection among all of us, reminding us that even though we might feel isolated and adrift, we’re not alone—we’re on this path together.
Happy viewing!
Teaching in a Time of Crisis
By Kristy Dolson
About the Author
Originally of Ontario, Canada, Kristy Dolson moved to South Korea after attaining her Bachelor of Education. After acquiring five years of teaching experience and professional development, she is now a teacher trainer at the Jeollanamdo International Education Institute (JIEI). Her main responsibility is instructing and inspiring Korean primary and secondary public school teachers. She focuses on pronunciation skills to improve her trainees’ comprehensibility, and microteaching to improve their teaching skills and strategies. At JIEI she also teaches workshops for other school personnel, middle and primary student camps, and is highly involved with the annual Jeollanamdo Language Program (JLP) native English teacher orientations and renewal meetings.
