Welcome!

Hello Freshman! I hope your first week of KMLA has been everything you hoped it would be (or maybe even what it wouldn't be), and I'm looking forward to having fun with our small group.  As far as I know, this class will have 7 students, which is truly the perfect size for a class that is driven mostly by "the art of conversation."

Just to be clear, I posted the details of this class on the KMLA website as follows:

Description: The purpose of this class is to develop the critical thinking and participation skills that KMLA's unique education system requires. In a "roundtable discussion" environment, students will be asked to introduce discussion topics which we will then discuss withiin an informal debate structure. Using multimedia sources, such as videos, articles, and various websites, students will be asked to create blog which we will use within class to generate interesting discussions. Videos from TED.com will play an important role.

Both digital presentation and public speaking skills will also be touched upon, as students will be expected to deliver both as class assignments. Mixing in some Debate, Public Speaking, and Current Issues, this class is not as simple as a "conversation class," but does intend to be fun, educational, and active.
 
Grading: 성적산출방법 (Grading Policy) 등록(Grade)

기말고사 (Final Exam) - Argumentative Essay	20%
과제물 수행 (Assignments) - Public Speaking, Discussions, Debate, Speech	40%
수업중 활동 (Classroom Activities) - General Participation	40%

교과서 및 교수-학습자료 (Textbook and other teaching-learning materials) TBA, but mainly various articles, websites, videos and excerpts from respected authors etc.

독서평가 방법(Evaluation Method) Students will be graded heavily on their individual participation in class. KMLA requires students to engage with their peers in a respectful group environment, so paying attention and offering opinions is highly encouraged. Speeches, Presentations, and small writing assignments on blogs will make up a great deal of the final grade. 독서평가 시기(Evaluation Period) 예) 5월 4주째 (4th Week of May)

강의 진도 계획 (Tentative Class Schedule)  *강의 주제만 모아 주세요 (Class Topics Only) Note: This is a tentative schedule. Week 1: Ice breakers, and setting up blogs at Blogspot.com Week 2: Introduction to public speaking. Schedule for student speeches set. Week 3: Review of a TED.com video. Schedule for student-led discussions set. Week 4: Student's Choice - student led discussions. Week 5: The Story of Stuff - discussion, informal debate, written responses assigned. Week 6: First Speeches, peer feedback Week 7: First Speeches, peer feedback Week 8: Midterms Week 9: Digital Presentations - introduction, modeled after TED.com. Schedule planned. Week 10: Film Review/Discussion Week 11: Student's Choice - student led discussions Week 12: Short Story Review/Discussion Week 13: Formal Parliamentary Debates Week 14: Student's Choice. Student Led Discussions Week 15: Digital Presentations Week 16: Digital Presentations Week 17: Final Examination

Note: The above is very general, and will be subject to change.  We have 4 hours a week together which is definitely a lot, so we will have a great deal of opportunity to explore many different things.  While the class title is "English Conversation," I don't want you to think of it as a typical hakwon-style class where we flip through a text-book and talk.   Our purpose is to learn and communicate while developing critical-thinking.  The more you participate, the more you'll succeed.

As discussed in class, I will expect you to start a blog using www.blogger.com.  When you have completed the process, please reply below this post with a message indicating your name and blog URL.  Thanks!