By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
An international conference is open to English teachers who are eager to improve their classes. Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (KOTESOL) will host its annual conference Oct. 27-28 at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul.
It is the biggest conference of its kind to help English teachers exchange tips and ideas inviting renowned scholars and professors in the English language teaching (ELT) field.
Under the theme, ``Energizing ELT: Challenging Ourselves, Motivating Our Students,'' the conference will have several ELT experts from around the world including Jeremy Harmer, a famous ELT author, Thomas S.C. Farrell, professor of Applied Linguistics at Brock University, Neil Anderson, former president of TESOL and Mike Levy, head of the School of Language and Linguistics at Griffith University.
They will present and discuss various topics such as ``The Influence of Korean Phonology on English Pronunciation'' ``Hagwon (private cram school) Mothers and Korean Teachers' Views of Teachers'' and ``Materials Development for Courses in Cross-Cultural Communication.''
``I am confident that all who participate in this event will return to their classes invigorated by an intensive weekend of workshops, lectures and networking among colleagues,'' KOTESOL President Marilyn Plumlee said.
Established in Seoul in 1992 for both Korean and non-Korean English teachers, KOTESOL is a professional organization to assist its members in their professional development and contribute to the improvement of ELT in Korea.
It also allows teachers to connect with others in the ELT community and find teaching resources in Korea and abroad through KOTESOL publications, conferences and symposia, and chapter meetings and workshops. For more information, visit the KOTESOL Web site, www.kotesol.org.