My Teaching Experiences

I earned a B.A. in public administration from Inha University in 1992. Since I was admitted on honor - The top student of the college, most people around me expected me to pursue the administrative career. However, the constant fervor for English was intense enough to convert my career from an aide for a congressman to an English teacher.  

As an English teacher, for over a decade I have mainly taught junior high school students who mostly intended to go abroad or go to foreign language high schools, highly sought after prestige schools in Korea. Since I took charge of test preparation courses, my classes were focused on getting higher scores on the standardized tests rather than enhancing students’ overall language proficiency, which contributed to draining my energy and withering enthusiasm as a language educator to a great extent.

While working for the school, I took charge of designing a test-preparation course for the middle school 3^rd graders, which includes establishing a committee consisting of 5-6 teachers to consult over syllabus design, textbook selection, teaching manuals and other related administrative issues on a quarterly basis. I also designed a writing course for entrance exams for foreign language high schools for which I collaborately published three books with other teachers.

CALL is one of my main interests, and I highly value the enormous opportunities Web 2.0 can bring. However, I am not quite good at using sophiscated mobile technologies. To me, the cell phone is a convenient tool for communication.  

As a future curriculum developer, I hope to learn how to skillfully incorporate my best interests, understandings and beliefs into the reality of the context in a way that can promote students creativity, critical thinking skills, and learner autonomy ultimately.

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