teachingresource

2023 Professional Enrichment Program for Elementary Teachers (Summer Intensive Edition)

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Introduction

It is summer time. For school teachers and students that mostly means vacation. At GIGE, that means we have the luxury of organizing longer in-person teacher training programs. For the August programs, we have a set of core and elective modules taught by the GIGE teacher trainers along with special guest lecturers on topics like utilization of storybooks in the elementary classroom, AI Pengtalk, and incorporating international partnerships between schools. The trainees get to wind down at GIGE from the past school year while enjoying the food, use of facilities, networking with other Gyeonggi teachers and participating in classroom activities.

Facts

Date(s): Tuesday, August 8th ~ Friday, August 11th, 2023

Location: Gyeonggi-do Institute for Global Education

Participants: 60 Gyeonggi Elementary Teachers

Schedule

PEPE-August-Program-ScheduleDownload

Core Module Blurbs

collage photo of woman

Socio-Emotional Learning Through Storybooks

Instructor: Betsey Norman

Description: In this module, trainees will explore the basics of social and emotional learning (SEL) and how it relates to the elementary EFL classroom. Trainees will get to experience storybook lessons that focus on SEL themes and analyze how to adapt the SEL framework for their own use. In our practicum, trainees will create lessons utilizing storybooks or activities that deal with a particular SEL theme.

Engaging Students Through Read Alouds

Instructor: Daniel Moonasar

Description: Both teachers and students often overlook the immense value of reading aloud and the ability to create stories that engage all levels of listeners. Engaging in the act of reading aloud serves multiple purposes, including fostering self-confidence, enhancing reading comprehension, and refining speaking skills, all while allowing students to cultivate their ability for active listening. Within this module, we shall explore and practice the art of reading aloud, equipping educators and learners with invaluable skills. Additionally, we will explore resources and books for the purpose of read-aloud sessions, culminating in a sharing session about our experiences of incorporating this technique within our respective classrooms.

woman read book
battle black blur board game

Game Implementation with Story Books

Instructor: Eric Flynn

Description: Story books can be helpful in getting students to learn English. Games can be helpful in getting students to learn English. But can we combine the two? This module will give trainees suggestions, advice, and hands-on practice in melding these two learning tools into one.

Quick Writing Activities

Instructor: Maureen Kelly

Description: How do we as English teachers encourage students to write effectively and creatively in our classes? How do we integrate writing activities with other subjects like art, music, science or math so our students’ learning has richer and broader contents? In this module, we will be looking at quick easy writing activities that engage creative thinking, social media and different genres of writing. We will also play online writing games and create simple poems. Teachers, let’s have fun and discover our inner Shakespeares!

photo of man writing on notebook

The Teacher’s Toolbox of Classroom Resources

Instructor: Sandra Tran

Description: Effective classroom resource management is one of the keys to being a successful teacher. Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or just starting out, this module is designed to equip you with a toolbox of skills and strategies for finding, using, and adapting various resources to fit your needs in the EFL classroom. We will take a look at resources that cater to different classroom environments such as in-person classes, online classes, and no-tech classes, to ensure that you are prepared for any possible scenarios that may arise. 

Elective Module Blurbs

TV Shows

Instructor: Betsey Norman

Description: Trainees will sit back and relax as they watch an episode of a popular TV series. After viewing, trainees will discuss in small groups certain aspects of the show in a fun and light conversation meant to guide trainees to develop a deeper understanding of both the language and the central themes in the show.

flat screen tv
photo of women having conversation

Conversation Class

Instructor: Daniel Moonasar

Description: Looking for a relaxing time and place to practice your conversation skills? In this module, we will practice conversing in English on various topics-some topics the instructors will pick and some you will pick. You don’t need to learn anything new; just practice communicating with the skills you already have … or with the help of the translator app on your phone. Join us, relax, and get a little English conversation practice in while you’re here.

Board Games

Instructor: Eric Flynn

Description: In this course, trainees will be able to play and learn a variety of easy, interesting board games and then play them with one another.

horse miniature toy on top of monopoly board game
woman singing on focus photo

GIGE Karaoke

Instructor: Maureen Kelly

Description: Do you enjoy singing songs? Do you enjoy listening to other people sing songs? Do you ever do karaoke with your friends? Studies show that singing and listening to music are some of the best ways to not only relieve stress but to also listen English. Thus, in this elective module we will be singing, having fun and learning English pop songs.

Coffee Tasting Class

Instructor: Sandra Tran

Description: Explore different coffee roasts and engage your senses in learning to detect coffee flavors and identify personal preferences.

woman pouring cappuccino

As always, if you’re interested in taking this (or any!) of our training programs here at GIGE, you can register over on our Korean site. We hope to see you soon.

Secondary English Teacher Enrichment Program (July)

/ GIGE Admin / 1 Comment

Purpose of the Program

For secondary education in South Korea, the trend has been to teach English, not only as a language, but as part of 21st Century skills, which students need to succeed in attaining and working in their future careers. This program attempts to provide tools, tips, ideas and techniques to Korean secondary English teachers so they can better assist their students in acquiring these skills in their English language classes.

Details of the Program

Date(s): Tuesday, July 4th ~ Wednesday, July 5th, 2023 (online)

Friday, July 7th ~ Saturday, July 8th, 2023 (in-person)

Location: Gyeonggi-do Institute for Global Education

Participants: 60 Secondary English Teachers

Module Descriptions

paper boat with map near globe

Action-based Global Citizenship Education

Instructor: Betsey Norman

Description: Trainees will get to explore the themes and skills associated with Global Citizenship Education and take a look at a critical action-based pedagogy. After experiencing and analyzing three GCE projects, our module will culminate in an opportunity for a hands-on demonstration of GCE curriculum.

Digital Literacy in the Age of Edutech

Instructor: Daniel Moonasar

Description: In the ever-evolving landscape of education, teachers play a crucial role in equipping students with the skills needed to thrive in the digital age. This training course on digital literacy in the age of edutech opens up new possibilities for educators to harness the power of technology and integrate it seamlessly into the EFL classroom. By the end of this course, trainees will be able to identify and comprehend the key elements and skills of digital literacy, analyze digital literacy activities and resources and gain valuable insights into effective teaching strategies and cutting-edge tools that enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. Join us on this empowering journey, and become a digital media literacy champion, shaping the future of education for the digital generation.

man wearing vr goggles
teal and pink cherry print garment

Activities for Fostering Divergent Thinking

Instructor: Eric Flynn

Description: A particularly valued skill in the 21st Century is the capacity to “think outside the box.” Yet we seldom find time for cultivating this ability amid our vocabulary memorization and grammar study. This module will familiarize teachers with a variety of activities designed to exercise students’ skills at conceiving creative approaches to problem solving in an English context and hopefully have fun doing it!

Promoting Student Centered Communication in the Classroom

Instructor: Maureen Kelly

Description: How do we as English Teachers encourage students to speak more in our classes
as well as promote awareness of Global dialect diversity to them? This module
will include both goals through fun speaking games, Global English listening tasks
and group discussions. Collaborative problem solving for various difficult
classroom scenarios will also be shared and discussed.

women and men standing near table
photo of people holding each other s hands

From Me to We: Professional Collaboration and Effective Teamwork

Instructor: Sandra Tran

Description: With the trends in Korean education requiring cross-curricular classes, professional collaboration and effective teamwork are more important than ever. As Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

This module is designed to help you foster collaboration among colleagues, design innovative and engaging interdisciplinary projects, and explore effective assessment strategies to measure student learning. Let’s work together to create a dynamic learning experience for students!

As always, if you’re interested in taking this (or any!) of our training programs here at GIGE, you can register over on our Korean site. We hope to see you soon.

Secondary English Teacher Enrichment Program (May)

/ GIGE Admin / 1 Comment

The Time, Place and the People

Date(s) : May 30th ~ June 1st (online) and June 3rd, 2023 (in-person)

Location : Gyeonggi-do Institute for Global Education

Number of Trainees : 60 Secondary English Teachers

Too many professional initiatives are done to teachers – not for, with or by them.

Andy Hargreaves

The About

At GIGE, we brainstorm ideas and create teaching materials that Korean teachers can utilize in their classrooms. All researched materials and resources are done by instructors who have experience teaching in Korea and district supervisors who used to be teachers themselves for over 15 years. In addition, the trainees have ample opportunity to share amongst themselves their teaching experiences while taking the various courses of the program.

This month’s training program focuses on the elective English classes that Korean high school teachers might possibly teach in their schools. Even if trainees teach middle school or do not teach one of the English elective classes, there will be ideas and resources for them to implement in regular English classes. Those discussions may be touched upon within the modules. Take a look at the introductions of the modules below.

The Intros

American and British Literature by Betsey Norman

Teaching American or British literature can be a daunting task for any EFL teacher. What book to choose? What part of the book to teach? How should it be taught? What activities to include? These questions and more will be discussed and answered in this module. In the beginning, there will be a discussion about what is literature and the different categories for teaching literature. Then there will be many tips, techniques and activities that will be introduced.

English Conversation by Daniel Moonasar

Teaching students how to have authentic conversations can be extremely difficult. We most often teach conversation to pass an exam on speaking but rarely get the opportunity to teach conversation for its real purpose of communication. In this module, we will examine and practice a communicative approach to conversations in which students and teachers have the opportunity to improve their confidence in having conversations while learning to not fear mistakes and failures.

Academic Writing by Eric Flynn

The ability to read and write academically is an important skill to have, not only for school, but in order to advance professionally. The only problem is that teaching and learning it can be dull and difficult. In this module, trainees will learn about the basic essay structure and how to assess essay writing. In addition, various reading strategies and activities will be introduced. Then the all important question of motivation will be tackled in the final part of the module.

Cultures of English Speaking Countries by Maureen Kelly

Like any culture, Western culture is diverse and can be a daunting subject to teach to Korean students. There are so many different methods to teach the subject. In this module, there will be discussion on the importance of teaching Western culture in English classes along with potential issues and possible solutions to these issues. Various aspects of Western culture (food, holidays, travel, customs and courtesies, superheroes, etc.) and ample examples of textbook extension activities and concepts will be introduced along with how to assess various assignments.

Career English by Sandra Tran

In the beginning of the module, trainees will learn about the similarities and differences between Korean and Western corporate culture. Through this examination and discussion, trainees may receive some ideas about how to teach about business culture in their own class. Afterwards, the trainees will be introduced to various activities, teaching tips and techniques, and projects related to teaching Career English. A sample includes ability to read recruitment ads, resume writing, and writing business/professional emails.

As always, if you’re interested in taking this (or any!) of our training programs here at GIGE, you can register over on our Korean site. We hope to see you soon.

Secondary English Teacher Enrichment Program (April)

/ GIGE Admin / Leave a comment

The Time, Place and the People

Date(s) : April 21st ~ 22nd (in-person) and 25th ~ 26th (online), 2023

Location : Gyeonggi-do Institute for Global Education

Number of Trainees : 60 Secondary English Teachers

Too many professional initiatives are done to teachers – not for, with or by them.

Andy Hargreaves

The About

At GIGE, we brainstorm ideas and create teaching materials that Korean teachers can utilize in their classrooms. All researched materials and resources are done by instructors who have experience teaching in Korea and district supervisors who used to be teachers themselves for over 15 years. In addition, the trainees have ample opportunity to share amongst themselves their teaching experiences while taking the various courses of the program.

This month’s training program focuses on the elective English classes that Korean high school teachers might possibly teach in their schools. Even if trainees teach middle school or do not teach one of the English elective classes, there will be ideas and resources for them to implement in regular English classes. Those discussions may be touched upon within the modules. Take a look at the introductions of the modules below.

The Intros

American and British Literature by Betsey Norman

Teaching American or British literature can be a daunting task for any EFL teacher. What book to choose? What part of the book to teach? How should it be taught? What activities to include? These questions and more will be discussed and answered in this module. In the beginning, there will be a discussion about what is literature and the different categories for teaching literature. Then there will be many tips, techniques and activities that will be introduced.

English Conversation by Daniel Moonasar

Teaching students how to have authentic conversations can be extremely difficult. We most often teach conversation to pass an exam on speaking but rarely get the opportunity to teach conversation for its real purpose of communication. In this module, we will examine and practice a communicative approach to conversations in which students and teachers have the opportunity to improve their confidence in having conversations while learning to not fear mistakes and failures.

Cultures of English Speaking Countries by Eric Flynn

Like any culture, Western culture is diverse and can be a daunting subject to teach to Korean students. There are so many different methods to teach the subject. In this module, there will be discussion on the importance of teaching Western culture in English classes along with potential issues and possible solutions to these issues. Various aspects of Western culture (food, holidays, travel, customs and courtesies, superheroes, etc.) and ample examples of textbook extension activities and concepts will be introduced along with how to assess various assignments.

Academic Reading and Writing by Queen Hoang

The ability to read and write academically is an important skill to have, not only for school, but in order to advance professionally. The only problem is that teaching and learning it can be dull and difficult. In this module, trainees will learn about the basic essay structure and how to assess essay writing. In addition, various reading strategies and activities will be introduced. Then the all important question of motivation will be tackled in the final part of the module.

Career English by Sandra Tran

In the beginning of the module, trainees will learn about the similarities and differences between Korean and Western corporate culture. Through this examination and discussion, trainees may receive some ideas about how to teach about business culture in their own class. Afterwards, the trainees will be introduced to various activities, teaching tips and techniques, and projects related to teaching Career English. A sample includes ability to read recruitment ads, resume writing, and writing business/professional emails.

As always, if you’re interested in taking this (or any!) of our training programs here at GIGE, you can register over on our Korean site. We hope to see you soon.

Secondary English Teacher Enrichment Program (March)

/ David Kim / 2 Comments

The Time, Place and the People

Date(s) : March 21st ~ 23rd and 25th, 2023 (online)

Location : Gyeonggi-do Institute for Global Education

Number of Trainees : 70 Secondary English Teachers

Too many professional initiatives are done to teachers – not for, with or by them.

Andy Hargreaves

The About

At GIGE, we brainstorm ideas and create teaching materials that Korean teachers can utilize in their classrooms. All researched materials and resources are done by instructors who have experience teaching in Korea and district supervisors who used to be teachers themselves for over 15 years. In addition, the trainees have ample opportunity to share amongst themselves their teaching experiences while taking the various courses of the program.

This month’s training program focuses on the elective English classes that Korean high school teachers might possibly teach in their schools. Even if trainees teach middle school or do not teach one of the English elective classes, there will be ideas and resources for them to implement in regular English classes. Those discussions may be touched upon within the modules. Take a look at the introductions of the modules below.

The Intros

American and British Literature by Betsey Norman

Teaching American or British literature can be a daunting task for any EFL teacher. What book to choose? What part of the book to teach? How should it be taught? What activities to include? These questions and more will be discussed and answered in this module. In the beginning, there will be a discussion about what is literature and the different categories for teaching literature. Then there will be many tips, techniques and activities that will be introduced.

English Conversation by Daniel Moonasar

Teaching students how to have authentic conversations can be extremely difficult. We most often teach conversation to pass an exam on speaking but rarely get the opportunity to teach conversation for its real purpose of communication. In this module, we will examine and practice a communicative approach to conversations in which students and teachers have the opportunity to improve their confidence in having conversations while learning to not fear mistakes and failures.

Academic Writing by David Kim

The ability to read and write academically is an important skill to have, not only for school, but in order to advance professionally. The only problem is that teaching and learning it can be dull and difficult. In this module, trainees will learn about the basic essay structure and how to assess essay writing. In addition, various reading strategies and activities will be introduced. Then the all important question of motivation will be tackled in the final part of the module.

Cultures of English Speaking Countries by Eric Flynn

Like any culture, Western culture is diverse and can be a daunting subject to teach to Korean students. There are so many different methods to teach the subject. In this module, there will be discussion on the importance of teaching Western culture in English classes along with potential issues and possible solutions to these issues. Various aspects of Western culture (food, holidays, travel, customs and courtesies, superheroes, etc.) and ample examples of textbook extension activities and concepts will be introduced along with how to assess various assignments.

Career English by Sandra Tran

In the beginning of the module, trainees will learn about the similarities and differences between Korean and Western corporate culture. Through this examination and discussion, trainees may receive some ideas about how to teach about business culture in their own class. Afterwards, the trainees will be introduced to various activities, teaching tips and techniques, and projects related to teaching Career English. A sample includes ability to read recruitment ads, resume writing, and writing business/professional emails.

As always, if you’re interested in taking this (or any!) of our training programs here at GIGE, you can register over on our Korean site. We hope to see you soon.

Secondary English Teacher Enrichment Program (January and February)

/ David Kim / 2 Comments

Basic Information about the program

Date(s) : January 12th ~ January 13th, 2023 (in-person), January 31 ~ February 2nd, 2023 (online)

Location : Gyeonggi-do Institute for Language Education

Number of Trainees : 60 Secondary English Teachers

What’s this program all about?

In Korean high schools, more and more teachers need to teach elective English courses to the second and third grade high school students. There are a few choices that the students have. The purpose of the program is to provide some instruction for how to teach these elective English subjects. For those who teach middle school, these modules can still be helpful. Each module content can also be tailored towards middle school curriculum. Each instructor is in charge of teaching methodology of an English elective course. The modules are as follows:

Career English – Instructor: Autumn Wright

Course Objectives

Trainees will be able to:

  • Recall corporate differences in Korean and American working cultures
  • Read job advertisements for key words and write and/or adapt resumes to fit these profiles
  • Adequately prepare students for interviews in English with modern-day interview questions
  • Become familiar with using LinkedIn, including crafting job experience, profile summary, and skillsets to be able to network and apply for jobs

Course Overview

SessionTopicActivities
1 Introduction to Corporate Culture– Mini-lecture on corporate culture
– Linkedin as a networking tool
2 Resumes and Interviews– Read job advertisements and identify key words
– Adapt/personalize resume to fit job advertisements
– Discuss modern interview questions within company culture
3Performance Assessment: Crafting a LinkedIn Profile– Networking and job hunting using LinkedIn
– Create a strong profile on site LinkedIn (Resume, summary, skills, etc)

American and British Literature – Instructor: Betsey Norman

Course Objectives

Trainees will be able to:

  • Apply knowledge of the literary elements to a literature-based lesson or unit in the Secondary EFL classroom
  • Incorporate strategies for eliciting deep-cognition discussion from students at all proficiency levels
  • Create a unit plan for a literature-based reading unit

Course Overview

SessionTopicActivities
1 Literature-based Learning (LBL)What is literature?
– Book Recommendations
What is LBL?
– Literary Elements Overview
LBL Activity
– Literary Elements Analysis of Cinderella
2 Intensive Literature PracticumEliciting Discussion
– Tips and Tricks
Discussion Model
– Using low proficiency text
Reading and Discussion
– Read first chapter, discuss, create discussion questions
3WorkshopReading and Discussion Continued
– Share discussion questions
Workshop
– Create a unit plan in a group
Presentations
– Present unit plans

Academic Reading and Writing – Instructor: Chris Sanders

Course Objectives

Trainees will be able to:

  • Assess academic writing
  • Create concept checks for academic reading

Course Overview

SessionTopicActivities
1 Writing
(Strategies for assessement and essay structures)		Q&A on experience in writing in secondary schools
2 Reading Assessments
(Concept check questions and strategies)		Create concept check questions for a reading activity in textbooks
3How to engage students in reading: Motivation strategiesWorkshop on how to motivate secondary school students in academic reading

Cultures of English Speaking Countries – Instructor: Eric Flynn

Course Objectives

Trainees will be able to:

  • Recall methods and issues related to teaching culture of English-speaking countries as an elective
  • Create and adapt activities for teir own classes
  • Extend the textbook
  • Compose performance based assessments regarding the topic

Course Overview

SessionTopicActivities
1 Introduction and Methodology– Discussion: Personal experiences with teaching culture of English-speaking countries
– Lecture: Teaching Western Culture in Secondary Education
*Reasons and Advantages
*Potential Issues
2 Textbook Extension– Food
– Customs and Courtesies
*Discussion: What customs and courtesies do trainees know about?
– Holidays
– Travel
*Travel game sample
– Superheroes
*Video (5 minutes): Paul Bunyan
3Performance Assessment Workshop– Example Presentation: Researching States
– Group Activity: Performance-based Assessment brainstorming
– Group Presentation

English Conversation – Instructor: Kristina Kauss

Course Objectives

Trainees will be able to:

  • Explore different approaches to encourage speaking in the EFL classroom
  • Look at how to integrate multiple skills into an active learning class

Course Overview

SessionTopicActivities
1 How to Encourage Speaking in the Secondary ClassroomActive Learning and Motivation
– Getting students out of their comfort zones to speak English in class
– Facilitating to help students see things from a different perspective
– Going beyond the textbook
2 Task-based Learning (TBL) and Integrated SkillsUsing TBL and Combining Skills
– Exploring TBL Activities
– Integrated skills in Active Leanring
3Assessment Options for the Conversation ClassLong-term and Short-term Assessment
– Summative vs Formative Assessment
– Subjective vs Objective Assessment: Get your rubrics ready!
– Project-Based learning Assessment

As always, if you’re interested in taking this (or any!) of our training programs here at GIFLE, you can register over on our Korean site. We hope to see you soon.

Pop Culture Resources for the EFL Classroom

/ Autumn / Leave a comment

Incorporating pop culture into the language learning classroom is a great idea on several different accounts. It naturally grabs students’ attention, allows the language to be experienced in real and authentic ways, teaches slang and colloquial English, and, of course, is tons of fun!

It can be pretty difficult for teachers to find resources surrounding pop culture to bring into their classroom, or even know what to discuss. No fear! We at GIFLE have compiled some of our favorite pop culture resources for classroom use.

Photo by Arantxa Treva on Pexels.com

General and Miscellaneous Resources

The general resources listed here can be used for all different sorts of pop culture, from pop culture in fashion to celebrity news.

Pop Culture Happy Hour is an NPR podcast that covers a variety of different topics. It’s a great way to get students listening – or even to curate some ideas of your own about what to bring into the classroom!

There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to what’s included in the New Yorker culture section. It includes everything from trending pop culture to television shows to modern news. At the top of the page, the sections are divided into things like “books” and “food” though, so if you’re looking for something a bit more specific it’s easy enough to sort through.

The OG source of all things pop culture! Buzzfeed became famous in the early – mid 2000s for its listicles and quizzes surrounding pop culture, and while many would say it’s been dethroned as the absolute queen, her rule still stands. Students will love the easy-to-read articles and fun pop culture quizzes they can find on this site.

  • Vice (this website also has a Korean version!)

Vice is primarily known for being a news site, but it also has plenty of pop culture content to use in the language classroom! Simply go to the menu and you can select from “games,” “entertainment” and more. They also have a ton of videos that you can consider using in the classroom.

This one is perhaps the odd one out in the “general resources” list. Modern Gurlz is a YouTube channel that centers largely around fashion and fashion in pop culture, and how the two influence each other. The presenter speaks slowly and uses simple language, so it’s great for language learners.

Photo by Marcelo Chagas on Pexels.com

Music Resources

Honestly, when it comes to using music in the classroom, your students are probably the best resource that you have. It’s likely that they already listen to at least some music in English, even if it is just the most recent tracks by BTS. When asking your students for music, make sure to vet it properly for both language and whatever’s in the music video. It will save you – and your students – a lot of embarrassment in the long run!

Popheads is a subreddit that discusses all things pop – new music, artists, and even some celebrity gossip. It’s a great tool to get your students reading, and possibly even discussing music with others. Be warned though, this is Reddit so the discussions can get a little crazy!

AJayII is a Youtuber who does in-depth analyses on songs and albums, and gives her thoughts and immediate reactions. She’s one of the most popular music reviewers on YouTube, and it’s not hard to see why! She has a friendly, easy-to-understand persona that will engage students and get them listening – and reading the comments in the videos to see what other people thought.

PopCrush doesn’t feature music and music reviews so much as it spotlights trending artists. It offers interviews with popular singers and bands, gives short form news stories on topics such as how Corona is affecting the entertainment industry, and even has some more listicle-y videos about celebrities who can’t swim. The majority of PopCrush videos are under ten minutes, with a lot of them even being under five minutes, making them the perfect length of time for classroom use.

Photo by Mike B on Pexels.com

Television Resources

It’s pretty easy to find out what television shows are trending now. You can simply open up Netflix and see what’s on the first page, or even ask your students! Here are some resources for looking at more in-depth analyses of television and movies.

Pop Culture Detective describes itself on Youtube as “Video essays exploring the intersections of politics, masculinity, and entertainment,” and we think that’s a pretty good summary! These videos can get quite in depth but they’re excellent for having students think critically about television and film. Bonus: some of the videos have Korean subtitles!

The Take looks at popular movies and TV shows and analyzes tropes, stereotypes, and offers guides for how to think about entertainment and even Hollywood in general. They have videos on almost everything you can think of, from tall girls dating shorter boys (and why that’s a newsworthy story in Hollywood) to discussing the different ways Corona was displayed on screen.

Lindsey Ellis retired from YouTube last year, but her legacy as a super-smart film critic remains. She discusses movies and other pop culture phenomena in hilarious, insightful ways.

Photo by Dana Tentis on Pexels.com

Pop Culture Cooking Channels

To those of you who don’t think that food is a part of pop culture, think again! Restaurants and different foods can trend on Instagram just as quickly as anything else. (Remember when rainbow bagels went viral back in 2016 and then promply disappeared off the face of the earth? We do.) Cooking channels are some of the most popular content on both YouTube and Netflix, so in our opinion it’s worth looking into!

Binging with Babish is great for pop culture in a couple ways. First, of course, it’s one of the most popular cooking channels on Youtube. Secondly, Babish focuses on making food from movies and TV shows. Most of his episodes open with a short videoclip of where the food from today is coming from, ranging from Harry Potter to the Avengers.

Maangchi has been described as the Julia Child of Korean cooking, and it isn’t hard to see why. She has one of the most popular cooking channels on YouTube where she teaches people how to make Korean food. Originally from Yeosu, Maangchi’s food often has a distinctive Jeollanam flair. If you’re teaching students like I am, a simple conversation starter might be asking the class how her version of a dish differs from what they’re used to.

The You Suck at Cooking YouTube channel is a pop culture phenomenon all on its own. Part cooking, part comedy, and part music video, this channel really defines being categorized. The anonymous chef makes simple recipes and often uses his own way of speaking to explain them (for example, referring to the “oven” as “un-doe”) and puns (such as putting a corn husk on his pet dog’s head for “corndog”). This is a great resource for higher-level students to get used to more casual English. His videos are generally pretty short – around five minutes – and very creative, which can help inspire your students when speaking.

Photo by John Ray Ebora on Pexels.com

Book Resources

Goodreads is similar to a social media site, but for books! Users can rate books, write reviews, follow their friends, and, of course, discuss books and authors. It’s also a great source for students to keep track of what they’ve read, and to decide what they’re interested in reading next.

Reddit, of course, has a lot of robust threads on different books to check out! Be warned, the in-site search function doesn’t work all that well, so it’s generally best to search for individual books using a search engine.

This is a fun YouTube channel! The host, Dom, discusses different books, their movie adaptations, how they differ, and his opinion on the book versus the movie. Since, let’s face it, a lot of students will probably just try to watch the movie rather than fully reading the book (who wasn’t guilty of this in high school?) this is a great resource to use to help them see the differences and what they missed out on.

Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Pexels.com

Video Game Resources

I’ll be honest, I don’t play videogames myself. Nobody in the office, I think, could call themselves a true gamer. GIFLE is a research institute though, so we don’t let the lack of firsthand knowledge get to us; instead, we call in the experts! So, to write this section I contacted the true professionals over at at Player Unknown Battlegrounds (also known as PUBG) in Seoul to get the latest intel on where to find information and the hottest games.

Skill Up’s YouTube “About” description simply reads “how bout them video games?” which does surprisingly well to sum up the channel. The presenter reviews and talks about tons of different games and shares his thoughts about them. He uses a lot of clips from actual gameplay, which is sure to engage students.

This is the last Reddit recommendation, I promise! Reddit is a great way to, you guessed it, read up on the latest games and get people’s [unfiltered] thoughts and opinions about them, as well as to catch their hype surrounding the games.

E3 Recap is a resource that collects announcements for all sorts of new and upcoming games and consolidates them into one convenient page. On the homepage, it shows the information about when the game is coming out, along with a game trailer from YouTube. At the top, there’s a filter so students can look up different games even according to what platform the game will be released on (from Nintendo to VR). Students who are interested in gaming will love getting to know what new releases are in store.

IGN is an entertainment and game website that dates all the way back to 1996. It has just about all the information about video games you’d want on it, and chances are, your students are already probably at least passingly familiar with it.

There you have it, our best resources for finding and using pop culture in the EFL classroom. Did we miss anything big? If you have any other resources to use, please share them in the comments below.

Experiencing Global Interactions in the Classroom

/ GIGE Admin / Leave a comment

For 3 years, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work at a senior high school and be a part of the teaching team for a subject called, “Global Interactions”. Aimed at first year students, this subject was for the entire year consisting of several different modules that led to a final year-end project. The aim of this course was to give students as much exposure to life outside of not only their neighborhood, but to the world.

1st Semester

The first and main focus was to teach students what a “digital citizen” was. As a “Googley” school, it was necessary for students to learn how to at least successfully create projects and share documents through Google. They learned through trial and error how to navigate through Google Workspace for Education services; in particular, Google Slides, Google Forms, and Google Docs. It was also imperative for students to learn how to use the internet in a safe and responsible manner. 

The second focus of the semester was for students to gain as much confidence speaking in front of their peers. As a student-centered class, students were able to steadily gain confidence through numerous solo and group presentations. These presentations were all the more meaningful to students since their audiences were not just their classmates, but guests from different countries such as, Singapore, Taiwan, America, and Canada. Through these brief international interactions, students were able to broaden their views of life outside of what they were familiar with.

The culmination of their 1st semester was a school trip to Singapore where they visited several schools in the area to present on culture and other various topics.

2nd Semester

During the second semester, students learned to voice their opinions in English. They learned it’s okay to disagree with their peers and voice their reasons for doing so. They had ample opportunity to have conversations with their classmates through group projects and conversation tests.

At the end of the semester, students met with 5 ~ 8 foreigners who were teachers and international students. For an entire class period, students were able to interview these guests, asked them why they moved to another country, what their career aspirations were, and any other question students deemed appropriate.

Finally, students used what they learned in their interviews, coupled with what they had experienced and learned during their international interactions to create a final project focusing on what a global citizen was.

My Thoughts

This course offered students something outside of their regular textbook regurgitating lessons. Students learned to think for themselves, value their opinions, and make their voices heard if they disagreed on something. For some, this class gave them the first opportunity to talk to people who were not from the same background. For others, this class provided them with the only environment to talk freely in English.

Through this class, students were given a reason to learn English. They had an attainable goal in sight: to talk to their peers. This student-centered class focused on teamwork and building cooperation not only between students, but with members of the community and other countries. Many students were able to use this class as a stepping stone to study and travel abroad during their 2nd year and eventually even move abroad for university. The class gave all the students the chance to grow and see the world in a new light, outside of the safety of their home.

I believe if we open ourselves up to new experiences and give our students the opportunity to do so as well, we can create a global community rich with understanding and mutual respect.

Authentic Media in the ESL Classroom

/ Betsey Norman / 2 Comments

It is difficult to venture into a classroom in the 21st century without encountering some sort of multimedia. From pictures to videos and every Instagram post in-between, media has a way of grabbing students’ attention and conveying themes and information in a way they can relate to.

Media has a special place in the English as a second language/English as a foreign language (ESL/EFL) classroom. Often, visual representation of content is the catalyst for student understanding of language concepts and vocabulary. However, it can be tricky when media runs into cultural representation. Just as it is an easy way to engage our students and help them visualize concepts and content, it is just as easy to misrepresent cultures and people groups with inaccurate media.

This is why it is important to seek out authentic media when possible. Authentic media is multimedia that comes from authentic voices. Simply put, it is pictures, videos, music and more that comes directly from the culture which it is representing.

Think of it this way. Which seems like a more accurate representation of a culture; a travel video made by a Korean who is traveling for 3 days in this country, or a daily life video made by a native resident of the country? Of course, the native resident would have a more accurate understanding of the cultural practices and traditions of their home country. When we are showing videos, pictures, or other forms of media to students, it is the duty of the teacher to be sure that they are representing that culture as accurately as possible. In this way, we help our students to have a more informed worldview and a deeper understanding of cultures around the world, rather than looking at the world through the lens of their native country or through a west-centric point of view.

But how can we access authentic materials? Below I will outline a few tips for choosing materials, along with some great places to start looking.

Look at the author

A simple way to check for authenticity is to look at the author. Are they a native to this culture? Or are they merely an observer? Even reputable sources like National Geographic can hold bias in the images they present, so it is always prudent to check for media created by those living within the culture or people group that you’d like to showcase to your students. When looking at content where the creator is an outsider observing a particular culture or community, seek media that allow their subjects to speak. Meaning seek content such as videos that include interviews or tell the stories of specific people from that culture or community, rather than videos that tend to generalize like travel vlogs.

Look at the location

In many places, rural areas may look drastically different from metropolitan areas. It is important to consider this when presenting images of a particular country that your students may not have much information about outside of your class.

Look at the bias

Even those native to a culture or community can be biased in the presentation of their surroundings. It’s important to always remind students to seek multiple points of view and try to access more than one portrayal of a culture before making assumptions.

Places to Start Looking

Great Big Story- YouTube short video channel

Though they are no longer making new videos, the Great Big Story YouTube channel still has hundreds of videos to search through to find great stories from nearly every corner of the world. Though the channel itself is made by an American company (CNN), the videos center on real people and real stories, without any bias or commentary from the videographer or journalist. The videos range from one minute to fifteen minutes and often include English subtitles. Some may even have subtitles available in other languages.

The stories are compelling, and can showcase parts of a culture that are not often found within a textbook. The simplest way to find the perfect video is to use the “search” function on the YouTube channel page and type in the country, culture, or community you would like to represent in your classroom.

Use the search function to find the videos that cover the topic you are interested in

Here is a video about the Turkish whistling language

Great Big Story Homepage link

https://www.youtube.com/c/GreatBigStory/featured

NasDaily YouTube Channel- Nuseir Yassin

Similar to Great Big Story, NasDaily, a channel run by Israeli Nuseir Yassin, is full of videos about many places around the world, not only the native country of the content creator. However, the videos he makes are authentic in a special way. What the author of these videos, Nuseir, does is allow the people from the culture he is visiting to tell their own story. In essence, the videos he makes, which range from 1 to 5 minutes, are about people. By keeping the stories human-based, the videos themselves become more authentic.

Here is a video about the Water King of Kenya

Also similar to Great Big Story, you can use the search function on the homepage to find videos that fit what you are looking for

A link to the homepage for NasDaily

https://www.youtube.com/c/NasDaily/featured

Vlog- Personal-life Videos often found on hosting sites such as YouTube

Outside of these larger channels, smaller videos made by those within the culture or community you’d like to share with your students can be a powerful way to model authenticity to students.

Some of the easiest ways to search for these types of vides is to put “[country/community name] vlog” or “[country/community name] daily life” in the YouTube search bar. Vlog stands for “video log” and is usually a first-person account of the video author’s own experiences. However, avoid travel vlogs like the ones in the following image.

These videos are made by tourists to that country or community and will not produce the same authentic view as a video made by someone from within that culture. Instead look for videos of people speaking about their own lives. A good way to do this is to check the “About” section on their YouTube homepage like can be seen in the following image and see if the channel creator is a resident of the country covered in their vlogs.

This channel hosts videos made by Salta, a local Kazakh who makes videos about life in Kazakhstan, like this one

Here are a few more vlog examples

Russia with Yeah Russia, a channel from a Russian girl named Natasha

Nigeria with Eboh Media, a channel from Eboh Gee Chigozie, who takes an authentic look at Nigerian daily life.

Or Egypt with Mahmoud Yehia, a film maker from Egypt who looks at a day in the life in an Egyptian village

Though this film mostly represents rural areas of Egypt, clips can be combined with the following video on a day in the life in Cairo, Egypt by Azat Akhunov

And many more…

All of the above resources are a great place to start, but there is plenty more authentic media outside of YouTube. Just search for authors making content about their own culture or community and you can access a plethora of authentic multimedia to enrich your lessons and provide context for the cultures and communities your students may come across in their textbooks.

Flipgrid: The Resource That Tricks Your Students Into Actually Talking

/ Autumn / Leave a comment

Speaking is scary.

This is something that’s applicable not only to English Learners (ELs), but also often native speakers. When I have to make a call, order food, or interact with someone I don’t know, I often find myself mentally rehearsing exactly what I want to say before even approaching the other person, and I know I’m not alone. 

However, as educators, we often expect students to be able to speak freely and unabashedly. While this is an important skill to develop, this remains difficult or even threatening to students. They often clam up and refuse to speak beyond monosyllables, answering in yes or no, or only following a set pattern given by the teacher.

There’s a lot of other issues that come with teaching speaking as well. First and foremost, how can someone objectively grade speaking? How can learners know their speaking errors, or how to improve? What’s a fun way to get students to practice?

One of the best solutions I’ve found to all of these problems is to use an online platform called Flipgrid.

While Flipgrid wasn’t necessarily made with ELs in mind, it is certainly perfect for the EL classroom. Flipgrid is a free online learning platform (also available as an app) that allows students to record short videos. It’s reminiscent of popular apps such as TikTok or Snapchat, which makes it a breeze for young learners to adapt to. I’ve been using Flipgrid for over a year now, and am a huge fan of its interface, what it allows students to do, and how engaged students are when using it.

Flipgrid is both free and simple to sign up for. You can simply create an account, then create a group. You can add your students to it (and choose your students usernames, which is a feature I love since many students tend to get ah, creative when choosing what to call themselves), set a discussion topic, and get started.

The discussion topics can take all sorts of different forms. It’s necessary to give your topic a title (be it a chapter name, grammar point, discussion question – you name it) and a prompt. In your prompt, you can give your students specific questions to answer, a minimum speaking time, a scaffolded answer for them to read off of, and more. You can also add media resources to encourage your students. In the past, I’ve often recorded a video myself for my students and used YouTube clips for them to talk about, but the choices are various.

You can use Flipgrid for a variety of purposes, ranging from having them answer simple speaking questions to making a speaking portfolio, which I’ll talk more about later. In my own teaching practice, I’ve mainly used Flipgrid to create projects for my students. For example, I had students create how-to cooking videos in one class, instead of doing the tired old imperative-tense exercises offered by the textbook. I was blown away by student videos – they truly went all out in what they made! 

Flipgrid is great because you can record whatever – in this cooking video, the student edited a lot and added text to aid their speaking.

In another class, students made commercials in groups. I was warned beforehand that these students were low-level and rarely spoke; however, by using Flipgrid students were able to write a script beforehand, which gave them a lower-threat environment to practice speaking. They can also do multiple takes or edit videos together, so if a mistake is made, it’s of no importance; students can simply take it out. 

I’m a firm believer that students will engage more with the material when they are interested by it, and creating an experience that resembles social media can really help students shine. Shy students who barely dare to pipe up on Zoom can create wonderful videos of themselves speaking. If a student is really shy about how they look, they also have the option to not show their face (such as in the above image) or use a filter. 

Another huge benefit of Flipgrid is that students can rewatch their own videos. This makes it possible for students to view their own problems. For example, I had a high-level student who often left the “s” off third person verbs (for example, she would say “the boy run to the store” instead of “the boy runs to the store”) and found it almost impossible to correct herself naturally. However, after only a few weeks of watching and listening to her own videos, the student was able to remedy this error!

Flipgrid also automatically generates closed captioning for videos. While these can sometimes be wildly incorrect – especially for students with heavier accents – it also allows these students to see a visual representation of what their pronunciation sounds like, which can be extraordinarily helpful. If the close captions guess that there is a curse word, it will automatically star it out. Don’t worry about any of this – you can go in and edit the closed captions if you so wish!

In this caption, you can see the student is repeating words as she realized she made a mistake.

Flipgrid gives a few options for student feedback. You can either use a built in rubric, or create your own. You can also write feedback or – as I prefer to do – record feedback. I use my recorded feedback to model pronunciation or grammar errors, as well as to give students more listening practice. Remember, if all else fails they can always read the closed captioning Flipgrid automatically supplies. You can scroll through the image below to see a completed rubric.

The feedback options leads me to one of the best features about Flipgrid: it can be used to create a “speaking portfolio” of sorts for students. With language learning, speaking is often one of the hardest, most obscure things to try to objectively grade. It can also be difficult for students to see their own progress, which can sometimes make students feel discouraged. Even if the educator only created one Flipgrid video of their students speaking at the beginning of the school year, it can allow both them and the student to look back and see how much they’ve progressed.

Overall, I think that Flipgrid is a great tool that can easily be used in an ESL classroom by students of almost any age. It’s easy for students to use, provides a great opportunity for students to practice speaking in a non-threatening environment.