Teachers of English will gather in Korea this weekend for an annual forum to discuss how to sharpen their skills and improve language education.

The 19th KOTESOL International Conference will take place at Sookmyung Women’s University on Saturday and Sunday.

KOTESOL publicity manager Jure Majnaric said that they expected more than 1,000 English teachers, educators and researchers, both Korean and expat, as well as those from abroad.

There is a reduced price for undergraduates, aimed at those studying education or preparing to teach. However, Majnaric said that undergraduates of all majors were welcome to attend.

The theme is “Pushing Our Paradigms: Connecting with Culture” with the first part about continuously striving for improvement and the second part about understanding culture and cultural context and teaching to different cultures.

The conference will feature leading figures in TESOL ― teachers of English to speakers of other languages ― from universities in the United States and United Kingdom, as well as others from across Korea and other parts of the world.

The first plenary speaker, Stephen Krashen will talk on “Seeking a Justification for Direct Instruction,” a talk that organizers say “promises a provocative examination of how we teach in the class room.” 

The second plenary speaker, Bala Kumaravadivelu will explore culture in the classroom, and Keith Folse will push the limits of attendees’ grammar knowledge.

The conference’s eight featured speakers will also discuss technology in the classroom, connecting with students at all ages and how teachers can challenge their beliefs about the profession.

This is in keeping with conference chair Julien McNulty’s interpretation of the conference’s theme.

“Our theme is an action statement, a call to action: Never settle for what you know,” he said in a statement introducing the conference.

The conference also aims to help new teachers in Korea with a “Teaching 101” series to boost their basic skills.

There will be several workshops and sessions going on simultaneously in different halls. This means that attendees will be able to choose between several sessions on offer at various times.

Tables and booths at the conference will be set up for KOTESOL’s educational partners, and other organizations and businesses in Korea. Refreshments will be provided by Suji’s.

The cost of attendance is 50,000 won for KOTESOL members, 75,000 won for non-members and 30,000 won for undergraduate students. The price includes both Saturday and Sunday. Further information is available online at www.koreatesol.org.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)