Gwangju, a city inherently linked with the democracy movement in Korea, boasts two prominent universities. One is Chonnam National University and the other is Chosun University. I am proud to say that graduates from these universities contributed tremendously to political development and economic prosperity in Korea during the dark days of dictatorial rule. They joined up with young people in other cities such as Seoul, Busan and Daegu, who endeavored to make conditions in their country better, campaigning against the oppressive governments throughout the 1980s.
I live near Chosun University and only need to walk for five minutes to get to the campus. The easy location between my residence and the university has helped me visit it often to enhance my physical strength and mental development, especially when I stayed at my hometown during my vacations from Seoul.
My memories of spending time with my high-school friends playing outdoor activities under the scorching sun are still vivid. I also read poems, novels and magazines at the library for free, and spent time with multiple books at this quiet place for relaxation. Chosun University gave me a lot of pleasure.
Aside from this pleasant memory, I never thought I would take a class at the university when I reached the age of 39, considering that I graduated from Korea University in Seoul nearly 12 years ago.
The Kotesol Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter invited me to participate in its 2014 program and I had to accept because I was eager to become an English teacher. The Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of KOTESOL meets monthly, usually on the second Saturday. The meetings regularly consist of two one-hour presentations or hands-on workshops on topics related to English language teaching, such as classroom methodology, activities and management.
It is an association of teachers that helps teachers undergo professional development and provides opportunities for networking. English teachers of any level or nationality are eligible to join. It welcomes native and non-native speakers teaching at primary schools, secondary schools, language institutes, colleges and universities and other organizations.
On Aug. 9, I took a seat among experienced English teachers at the spacious classroom of the Chosun University main building, fourth floor, room 4211, to attend the Gwangju-Jeonnam Kotesol August chapter meeting. I would like to share some details of a presentation given by Jocelyn Wright, a professor in the department of English language and literature at Mokpo National University, with my friends who read"The Korea Times" because I think her work during the workshop was instrumental in promoting authentic language learning.
She spoke about using the Johari Window model for improving teaching in the workshop. According to her, some key teaching goals should be to provide students with comprehensible input, to place learners at the center of activities and finally to have them maximize their learning in communicative language classrooms. In her presentation, she focused on one common function: giving instructions.
After doing a practice exercise, students discussed what verbal and non-verbal characteristics contributed to their effectiveness. Then, they reflected on their output with the aid of a peer observer. They primarily used the Johari Window model to achieve this goal. This exploratory tool, originally designed for the development of interpersonal communication skills, lends itself well to collaborative reflective practice. Consequently, the three steps, consisting of simulation, interactive paired feedback, and more careful analysis, are specifically intended to contribute to a greater awareness of teacher talk and provide new insights that will lead to improved classroom performance.
Reflective Practice SIC (Special Interest Groups) members later tried to reflect on some critical incidents and discussed how they shaped and influenced us and the decisions we made as teachers. We thought unplanned events in our lives and teaching affected us in notable ways and could lead to significant and meaningful changes in our practices.
Finally, I would like to ask readers of "Thoughts of the Times" to make a list of at least three critical incidents which have helped them do things in more desirable ways. Please, think about in what ways these events have transformed your life!
The writer is an enthusiastic and regular attendee to the KOTESOL Gwangju Jeonnam Chapter. His email address is freddd@hanmail.net.