IGSE offers the opportunity to take unique modules in three distinct categories: Skills-focused, Content-focused, and Professional Development. Professional Development modules include such titles as Publishing Books, ELT Business Start-up, ELT Academic Activities, and ELT Activity Development. These classes have proven quite popular and fill up quickly.


  Today, I will introduce the ELT Activities Development module. This class is taught by Professor Hye-ok Park. The purpose of the class is to develop tasks and activities related to English language learning. I took this class to develop activities based on fairytale storybooks. Since the class is customized to meet each student’s needs, there is no fixed class time; you simply make appointments to meet the professor at times which are mutually convenient. After signing up for the class, you just wait for the professor to contact you.

1. Class materials and supplements

   There are two basic textbooks.

  • Nunan, David  (2004). Task-based Language Teaching. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
  • Willis, Dave & Willis, Jane  (2007). Doing Task-based Teaching.Oxford: OXford University Press.

 
  

Although there are two basic textbooks for the module, supplementary class materials may be added or recommended depending on students’ individual needs and goals. In my case, a book which had a strong reading comprehension focus became the dominant textbook. Other students used a variety of different books recommended by Professor Park.

2. How the class progresses

 Students meet the professor individually for thirty minutes each week, at which time they explain their interests and receive feedback. Students develop their ideas as the class progresses, making them more specific and concrete. I chose a story book called “Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry…” and worked on making lesson plans and worksheets that could be used in conjunction with the book. Professor Park helped me find and focus on my interest, and she gave me tips on locating the information I needed to develop my idea. For example, she introduced me to a site commonly used by elementary school teachers in the U.S. (http://www.readwritethink.org). The site is a rich source of information on reading comprehension, and it was a great help to me in creating my own reading activities.



3. Assignments

 Personal assignments, customized to suit each student’s interests, are due each class. At the end of the semester, you incorporate all the tasks done up to that point into a complete unit. I developed reading comprehension worksheets for every class. As a final project, the professor asked me to compile all of the worksheets I had produced, make complete lesson plans for them, and find ways to adapt the materials to make them suitable for different levels.



4. I recommend this to people who..

  • are interested in task development for effective English language learning
  • have an idea that is not specific enough and want to develop it for practical use