Tag: student

Environment Language Teaching

Environmental Awareness Through English Teaching: An Interview with Julian Warmington

Gwangju News

If you have been around Gwangju for a while, you have likely heard of Julian Warmington – that pack of energy from New Zealand. Julian taught for years at Chosun University. During that same time, he also spent years contributing to a fledgling Gwangju News, where he wrote articles, served as co-editor, and later served as editor-in-chief. Julian was also considerably involved in Korea TESOL, serving for several years as editor-in-chief of The English Connection, KOTESOL’s quarterly magazine, as well as founding and being a driving force in KOTESOL’s Environmental Justice Special Interest Group. In this interview, we touch on all of the above but focus on how EFL instructors can instill in their students a strong sense of environmental awareness. 

Language Teaching

Teaching English Back in the Day: A Korean Retrospect

Gwangju News

“Many expat teachers in Korea today got their start in English teaching at one of the many private English institutes that populate the streets of every population center in the nation. I did not begin my days in Korea working at a language institute (aka hagwon) – nor did any expat in Korea at the time. It was against the law. “English fever” and “English hell” are not such recent phenomena. During the Park Chung Hee administration, only a very few hagwon were granted business licenses, and those that were so lucky were limited to teaching content directly related to standardized exams such as the college entrance examination, and hiring non-Koreans to teach English was also against the law. “

Language Teaching

Peace Linguistics and Its Connections to TESOL

Gwangju News

We are all familiar with the terms linguistics, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics. But peace linguistics may not be so firmly seated in our lexicons. To find out more about this, we turned to Jocelyn Wright for an interview.

International Community

“Waves”: A Dedication to the Sewol Ferry Victims

Gwangju News

Eight years have passed since that day. Every year on April 16, the nation solemnly remembers what happened. For most, life goes on, but for many families of the victims, every day is difficult.
Two years after the Sewol ferry disaster, I wrote an energetic and emotional composition on the piano titled “Waves.”

Language Teaching

AsiaTEFL: “Unity Within Diversity, Diversity Within Unity” 

Gwangju News

Those familiar with English language teaching (ELT) are most likely familiar with the international ELT associations TESOL Intl. Assn., centered in North America, and IATEFL, centered in Europe. These two associations have been with us for nearly a half century, leaving Asia underrepresented. To fill this gap, AsiaTEFL was relatively recently formed. The following interview is with AsiaTEFL President-Elect Park Joo-Kyung, a resident of Gwangju, and focuses on what AsiaTEFL is and what it has to offer the ELT community.

Expat Living

From China to Korea

Gwangju News

Before moving to Gwangju, I was a teacher in China. Naively, I figured that given the two countries were not that far apart geographically speaking, then there would be many similarities between the neighbours. I could not have been more wrong. In this article, I have written about some of the differences and similarities about my time in each country. 

Expat Living

Beyond the Books: Anjel Abroad

Gwangju News

I came from the United States to South Korea with very few expectations. Unlike most of the students I’ve met here, I am not in love with K-dramas, I do not listen to K-pop, and had no inkling of the language. You are probably thinking, “Well why did you come to South Korea?” There honestly were not many factors that went into the decision, but being here has opened my eyes wider than I imagined.

Language Teaching

Leadership and Service: A Life Path for ELT Professionals

Gwangju News

Many people in the Gwangju area know Professor Park Joo-Kyung for her work in the field of English language teaching (ELT) as an instructor, teacher trainer, administrator, ELT association leader, and the list goes on. But what you may not be as aware of is that she is also widely known in ELT circles throughout the nation and, indeed, throughout Asia and beyond for her leadership and service – as attested to by her recent appointment as president-elect of AsiaTEFL. Our KOTESOL interviewer recently caught up with Dr. Park to quiz her more on her leadership and service activities over the years.