News Release

Global educational reach now includes Korean schoolteachers

July 7, 2008

Penn State Harrisburg’s global educational reach adds another chapter from July 18 through August 18 when a delegation of 25 Korean schoolteachers will be on campus with a prime objective in mind – to enhance their abilities in English.

The middle school instructors from the Goyang City Office of Education near Seoul, South Korea, will be participating in a four-week English Immersion Program, an intensive study of the English language with emphasis on listening and verbal communication.

Led by Penn State Harrisburg faculty members John Haddad and Denise Meister and coordinated by the college’s Continuing Education unit and School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, the main objective of the program is to enhance the teachers’ English speaking skills so they can transfer that knowledge into their Korean classrooms.

The program is broken into three themes, beginning with “American Childhood” under the direction of Dr. Haddad. “Teaching and Learning: English Approaches and Methods” and the concluding “Presentations, Evaluations, and Celebrations” are under the leadership of Dr. Meister.

As a highlight to the educational visit, the Koreans will be exposed to several different teaching strategies and methods that serve as models for the effective teaching of English. The strategies are designed to be implemented when the teachers return to their own classrooms.

To ensure success and build proficiency, the program was built by the college to begin with relatively simple pieces of literature designed for children. Each week the program will become progressively more challenging, concluding with adult literature, music, and theater.

Along with participating in classroom activities, participants will also observe American teachers working with and assessing children learning to read and speak English. The visiting teachers will also converse one-on-one with those teachers to exchange ideas and teaching methods.

Finally, they will conduct research on a topic and prepare an oral report with the hope that a lesson plan can be developed which can be used in the their Korean classrooms.

A variety of tours and visits are also on the itinerary for the visitors, including Washington, D.C., the Amish Country, Landis Valley Museum, University Park, Middletown Area School District, Baltimore, and Harrisburg.