1
With the recent public school position cuts there are concerns about JLPrsquos longevity Program coordinator Chris Devison addresses the issue See page 10
bibimbap Volume 2 bull Issue 5
A Healthy Mix of EFL Teaching Resources Information and Korean Culture
Are JLP Teaching Positions Rapidly Decreasing
2
For questions and comments concerning articles please contact the writer via their emails listed at the end of their articles
For general inquiries please contact
BibimbapNewsgmailcom
general managment
Chris Devison chrisofficeofeducationyahoocom Dinh Nguyen d11nguyegmailcom
Lindsay Ross Ross6520gmailcom
copy editor
Edward Chaneyedwardtchaneygmailcom
art director
Dinh Nguyen
production team
Chris Devison Dinh Nguyen
Edward Chaney
Joe Campbell
Kevin Flynn
Lindsay Ross
Richard Tang
Tyson Vieira
photographers
Joe Campbell
Richard Tang
front cover photo Richard Tang
All non-credited photos courtesy Wikimedia creative commons
EST 2013 bull Volume 2 bull Issue 5 bull January 2015bibimbap
Chris Devison is the Provincial Coordinator for the Jeollanamdo Language Program He has lived in South Korea for almost 10 years and has spent six of those years in his current position Aside from assisting public school teachers with their contract and school life he has a keen interest in health and wellness Having lived in both Western and Eastern cultures he has a strong under-standing of the healthiest practices of both worlds
Before coming to South Korea Dinh Nguyen was a Canadian journalist He has 6 years experience as an editor reporter and desktop publishing designer After obtaining his CELTA in 2012 he moved to Yeosu to follow his passion for teaching and traveling He recently completed the CELTA YLE
Copy Editor Edward Chaney worked for the Haydens Ferry Review a literary journal published out of Arizona State University (ASU) He was exposed to the Jeollanamdo Language Program during an internship with ASUrsquos MTESOL program Since then he and his wife has moved to South Korea and will be finishing up their first year come April
After completing his degree and travelling around Canada exten-sively Joseph Campbell recently moved to South Korea to teach English and immerse himself in a foreign and fascinating culture He is always looking for something new to learn and you wonrsquot find many topics that donrsquot interest him
Kevin Flynn is an Elementary School Teacher in Mokpo who has lived in South Korea for 3 years He obtained his BA in Speech Communication in New Jersey USA and is currently studying for his masters in Speech Pathology Kevin likes to use his creative en-ergies to inspire students to learn He also coordinates the English program at the local orphanage with fellow teachers
Tyson Vieira is a native teacher of three years with an MA in TESOL from Azusa Pacific University in California He is an active member of KOTESOL serving as the Gwangju faculty staff and co-facilitator of the Reflective Practice SIG He was involved as item writer for the National English Ability Test (NEAT) and is also a writer for the Gwangju News
Lindsay Ross is a Canadian teacher in South Korea After get-ting her bachelor of education in 2011 she moved to South Korea and has been living in Mokpo since She has taught at the middle and high school levels Among other articles Lindsay also researches and put together the Holiday schedule and events calendar for Bibimbap
Starting off in Hong Kong with a Canon 550D Richard Tang ventured out to experience Asian culture 3 years later he is now carrying his Olympus E-M10 across South Korea As a NET and photographer he hopes to share the views and culture he experi-ences with anyone who is interested
The Editorial Team
3
Upcoming holiday and event calendar 4 6
8
Photo essay Beyond the City Limits
Healthy Musings Misleading labels trends and buzz words in health and wellness
Letter from the Coordinator Are JLP teaching positions rapidly decreasing
10
11
14
Tips for surviving last minute lesson changes
A second look at the presentation phase
Behind the cover
4
Holidays
May 1 Labour Day
May 5 Childrensrsquo Day May 1 Buddharsquos Birthday
March 19 ndash 22 Gwangyang Flower Festival (광양꽃축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 20 ndash 23 Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival (진도신비의바닷길축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 21 ndash April 3 Seocheon Camellia Octopus Festival (서천동백꽃주꾸미축제
Chungcheongnam-do)
March 21-29 Gurye Sansuyu (Spring Flower) Festival (구례산수유꽃축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 27 - 29 UiseongSansuyu(Spring Flower) Festival (의성산수유꽃축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
March 27-29 Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival (제주왕벚꽃축제 Jeju-do)
March 28 - 29 Seogwipo Rape Flower In-ternational Walking Festival (서귀포유채꽃국제걷기대회 Jeju-do)
April 1 ndash 10 Jinhae Gunhangje (Cherry Blossom) Festival (진해군항제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 1-5 Nonsan Strawberry Festival (논산딸기축제 Chungcheongnam-do)
April 2 ndash 5 Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival (영덕대게축제
Gyeongsangbuk-do)April April 3 - 5 Yeongchwisan Azalea Festival (영취산진달래축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 3 - 5 Hwagae Cherry Blossoms Festival (화개장터벚꽃축제
Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 3 - 8 Yeongdeungpo Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (영등포여의도봄꽃축제 Seoul)
April 4 - 6 Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival (석촌호수벚꽃축제 Seoul)
Upcoming holidays and events
March 19 to 29
April 1 to 26
Joe Campbell
5
For more details contactbibimbapnewsgmailcom
by lindsay ross ross6520gmailcom
Korean Expressions Classroom Commands
In the March 2014 issue we the learned phrases
1 Please sit down 앉아주세요 (anjajusaeyo)
2 Please stand up 일어서주세요 (ileoseojusaeyo)
3 Please be quiet 조용히해요 (joyonghee hey yo)
4 Please repeat after me 따라하세요 (tta la ha sae yo)
5 Are you ready 준비했어요 ( joon bi hesseoyo)
For the upcoming school year you could consider using these new phrases in your classroom
6 Please open your books to page 10 책 10쪽을펴세요 (chek ship-jjok-eulpyeo-sae-yo)
7 Do you understand 이해해요 (ee-hae-hae-yo)
8 Shall I explain again 다시설명해줄까요 (da-shiseol-myeong-hae-jool-kka-yo)
9 Good job 잘했어요 ( jalhess-seo-yo)
10 Please try one more time 다시한번해보세요 (da-shihan-beonhae-bo-sae-yo)
To list upcoming events for your organization please contact Lindsay Ross or Bibimbapnewsgmailcom
May 1 to 31
April 4 - 5 YangpyeongSansuyu(Spring Flower) Festival (양평산수유축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 4 - 12 Mokpo Yudalsan Mountain Flower Festival (목포유달산꽃축제
Jeollanam-do)
April 5 - 12 Seoul National Cemetery Event with Weeping Cherry Blossoms (수양벚꽃과함께하는열린현충원
행사 Seoul)
April 9 ndash 12 Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival (영암왕인문화축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 9 ndash 12 Goryeong Daegaya (Histori-cal) Experience Festival (고령대가야체험축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
April 10 - 12 GimjeMoakMountain (Cherry Blossom) Festival (김제모악산축제 Jeollabuk-do)
April 15 - May 19 DaeguYangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Culture Festival (대구약령시한방문화축제 Daegu)
April 17 - 26 Shinan Tulip Festival (신안튤립축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 17 - 21 Nakdonggang Youchae (Flower) Festival (낙동강유채축제
Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 18 - May 31 Spring Festival of The Gar-den of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원봄나들이봄꽃축
제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 18 - 19 Silk Town Mountain Cherry Blossom Festival (산꽃나라걷기여행
Chungcheongnam-do)
April 24 ndash May 31 Gyeonggi International CeraMIX Biennale (경기세계도자비엔날레 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - May 17 Yeoju Ceramic Festival (여주도자기축제 Gyeonggi-
do)
April 24 - May 17 Icheon Ceramic Festival (이천도자기축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 ndash May 10 Goyang International Flower Show (고양국제꽃박람회
Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - 26 Danjong Culture Festival (단종문화제 Gangwon-do)
April 24 - 26 Jeju Canola Flower Festival ampUdo Trumpet shell Festival (제주유채꽃잔치 amp우도소라축제 Jeju-do)
May 1 - 3 Ansan Street Arts Festival (안산국제거리극축제
Gyeonggi-do)
May 1 - 10 Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival (산청한방약초축제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 2 - 3 Seoul Friendship Fair (지구촌나눔한마당 Seoul)
May 2 ndash 9 Mungyeong Traditional Chasabal(Tea Bowl) Festival (문경전통찻사발축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
May 2 - 10 HapcheonHwangmaesan Royal Azalea Festival (합천황매산철쭉제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 15 - 17 Ulsan Soeburi Cultural Festival (울산쇠부리축제 Ulsan)
May 15 ndash 17 Lotus Lantern Festival (연등회연등축제 Seoul)
May 22 - 25 NamwonChunhyang (His-toric Love Story) Festival (남원춘향제 Jeollabuk-do)
May 24 - 31 Chuncheon International Mime Festival (춘천마임축제 Gangwon-do)
Want to get involved with Bibimbap Good news wersquore accepting new writers
6
Educ
atio
nBeing Clutch in an ESL Setting Tips for surviving last minute lesson disasters and changes
kevin flynn
writer
Y ou arrive at school You have prepped for your classes for the day You have your worksheets
laid out and your Powerpoint game queued in the grade 5 classroom The activity yoursquove planned even has lami-nated flashcards You are set for the day when suddenly yoursquore told that the janitor threw out your worksheets the computer stopped working in the classroom and all you have left are some shiny flashcards What next
Preparedness is seldom taught but rather learned in life However for most of us traveling across the world to teach we expect the same preparedness from our school that we expect from our-selves For the times when this isnrsquot the case here are some great ways to ready yourself for any of the ever-changing schedules and situations that exist in the public school system
Back Up Everything
Most of the time a USB would suffice But letrsquos face it sometimes the computer in your classroom just wonrsquot work Yet the show must go on Along with the USB keeping hard copies is a great idea Google drive has saved me over the years for when your Powerpoint files wonrsquot transfer from USB to the computer Back-ing up your documents and Powerpoints to an external hard drive is also prudent and useful if you ever need to just show a movie to cover for a sick teacher
Develop an Arsenal of Games
People sometimes complain about ldquodesk warmingrdquo in Korea but I try to use this spare time to create new power-point games learn new games or expand upon
old games Irsquove already used in class New versions of your games will keep the les-son plans fresh and the studentsrsquo minds intrigued Not enough time to create your own games People are always posting new ideas to the Jeollanamdo Teachers Face-book page or you can find free material out on the interwebs at Teacherspayteacherscom or even Waygookorg
VocabFocus Point Flashcards Are Your Friend
Teaching a lesson and you donrsquot have any materials If you have paper or scissors making vocabulary cardsfocus points on the spot for students can lead to simple games like slap jack memory match or hot seat I have found that sometimes if your lesson isnrsquot panning out the way you wanted it to go these games can often save your class as well
Keep a Ball or Tossable Object Around to Facilitate Participation
Keeping a squishy ball or suction cup ball at your desk or in your bag can sway a bored class towards happi-ness and learning Some students need that tactilephysical learning structure in order to be fully engaged A suction cup ball (sometimes referred to as a sticky ball in Korea) can be used for menial tasks like roll call You can also use it to review vocabulary by simply writing the vocabulary on the board and having the students aim at the terms they wish to define For me this is a must-have when I check my teaching materials in the morning
Have Alternate Methods In Your Lesson Plans
Maybe you have a textbook activ-ity where the students have to listen to
a dialogue but the CD isnrsquot working or you want a little variety in your LPs Try creating multiple activities in your lesson plan to fight off stagnation for you and your students Instead of just listening to a CD you could review the dialogue and then have the students write it out in sections on paper Cut up the sec-tions and then mix the strips of paper In teams or individually you can time students to see who can assemble the dialogue the fastest
There are many ways to back up your lesson plans with supplemental materials but I would stress honing in on creating different skill sets (reading writing speak-ing physical response) to keep your stu-dents learning and your back up exercises interesting
These are just a few suggestions for how to perform in what I like to call ldquoclutchrdquo mode For us being an ESL teacher is both stressful and rewarding and with the right mindset and prepara-tion schedule changes technology crises and bored classes can be avoided or hopefully turned into some of your best teaching stories and experiences here in Korea
Being a little over-prepared is bet-ter than not being prepared at all for when things suddenly change Try taking a little time to prepare some ldquoclutchrdquo materials to see for yourself how useful they can be when things donrsquot turn out exactly as planned And more importantly remember that even when things get a bit hairy being resourceful with the materials you are given could change a seemingly unavoidable catastrophe into a viable and exciting day for you and your students
kbetter1gmailcom
7
Dinh nguyen
8RiChaRD Tang
9
Giving Instructions in the Second Language Classroom Another look at the presentation stage
tyson vieira
writer
You plan an activity for your lesson You are re-ally excited about it and
have spent a lot of time making it fun contextual and appeal-ing Your co-teacher approves andclass begins You prepare your students and its then time to teach them the instructions needed to complete the activity You do so and their immediate response is a blank stare followed by an occasional ldquoWhatrdquo After a moment or two of confused silence your co-teacher or your highest star-leveled student trans-lates exactly what you just said and everyone goes ldquoAhrdquo
University professors and other professionals who do not collaborate with a Korean teacher must deal with this issue of communication in different ways such as translating the instruc-tions themselves or explaining it again in simpler terms or for an extended period of time This can ruin the flow of the lesson the time management and student motivation It is a common issue on all levels of ESL but one particularly felt by teachers in Korea Many teachers spend copious amounts of time planning their lessons arranging activities and exercises with great care for detail but perhaps not as many plan how they will introduce every phrase of the lesson During my first few months of teaching I noticed the aforementioned scenario oc-curring often At that time I ac-cepted this communication issue as a normal part of co-teaching L2 students Since communicat-ing instructions is an essential element in every lesson we should take the time and the research to focus on what I find to be a com-
monly overlooked problem in the TEFL field
An Important Note
Communicative activities student centered teaching and task-based language learning have in the classroom have been increasing in the TEFL community for years even in the more traditional teach-er-centered education countries As a result the presentationstage in the EFL classrooms hasatrophied Thisshouldnrsquot mean that the phase should be ignoredmdash quite the oppositeLanguage teachers need a greater focus on the presenting phases in order to communicate instructions as precise effective and tactically as possible in a short amount of time
Guidance on effective class-room management is one of the most requested topics from both beginning and experienced teach-ers as providing clear instruc-tions to students can improve overall classroom management Instructional time can be viewed as the ldquotransition periodrdquobetween phases such as from lecture to activity or activity to review game These transitional periods are crucial to maintaining student at-tention and the flow of the entire lesson If the transitions fail or are unclear then the following phase could easily be affected as well Sometimes this can lead to a domino effect through the rest of the lesson miring the lesson in confusion rather than facilitating learning Therefore planning and reflecting on instructionaltime can be an easy and practical way to help guarantee a successful lesson
There are several elements to improve instructional commu-nication such as using visuals
specific gesturesmovements careful word usage clear voice quality effective concept ques-tions and more However there are two challenging elements that teachers seemto bypass when giving instructions to L2 learners time and words In researching and reflecting my instructions the reoccurring theme ldquoSay More with Lessrdquotends to be the truest although the power of simplicity can tend to be forgotten
Lindsay Herron from the Gwangju National University of Education wrote in her article ldquoHonestly I have encountered very few activities that could not be explained in 15 words or fewer not counting the modeling of the target languagerdquo
Some instructors might find this extreme but if you try cutting down the number of words through modeling the activity showing visuals and using simple short expressions and questions it certainly is not impossible Once an activityrsquos words are reduced using models or other instructional techniques can become more routine and the improvement of timing will followBy using these techniques the information will also become more comprehensible allowing studentsto feel less overwhelmed by theteachers speaking
Some Tips
Here are some tips that have dramatically improved my instructions
Team Effort
Try to break the habit of Korean translation in class I know it is convenient for both teachers and co-teachers but a habit will start to
develop in which students will not listen carefully to you and will wait for the translation to begin instead This can weaken the studentrsquos lis-tening skills the NESTs power of motivation and even the studentsrsquo respect for the NEST Discuss this with your co-teacher and develop a plan I told my co-teacher to just ldquotranslaterdquoeverything into English which caught the students off guard and made them listen to me again It took more time but it made them listen to me carefully from then on
Familiar Routine
Changing your instruction style will have hiccups and seem slow at first but once a routine is set it will become easier Use the target language for the lesson and give common words and phrases often There are many different ways to say an action or ask a question Be sure to use the same phrases and target language as often as possible during these instructional phases so the students can learn the common phrases you use and understand your future instructions more easily
Use Body Not Just Words
Instead of describing what the students will do model it Instead of saying ldquoIrsquom going to give you a paperrdquojust give it to them The less words you use the less traffic entering the studentsrsquo minds 15 words or less (not counting the target language) seems daunting but when considering all the ways a teacher can show instead of describe it is possible A general rule that I am trying out ldquoIf I can-not instruct students in an activity in less than 15 words toss itrdquo
tysonvieiraeslgmailcom
Further Reading
For more tips and information on instruc-tions in the classroom I highly recommend Lindsay Herronrsquos ar-ticle in the Gwangju News Check out ldquoTips and Techniques for Com-municating Instruc-tionsrdquo
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
2
For questions and comments concerning articles please contact the writer via their emails listed at the end of their articles
For general inquiries please contact
BibimbapNewsgmailcom
general managment
Chris Devison chrisofficeofeducationyahoocom Dinh Nguyen d11nguyegmailcom
Lindsay Ross Ross6520gmailcom
copy editor
Edward Chaneyedwardtchaneygmailcom
art director
Dinh Nguyen
production team
Chris Devison Dinh Nguyen
Edward Chaney
Joe Campbell
Kevin Flynn
Lindsay Ross
Richard Tang
Tyson Vieira
photographers
Joe Campbell
Richard Tang
front cover photo Richard Tang
All non-credited photos courtesy Wikimedia creative commons
EST 2013 bull Volume 2 bull Issue 5 bull January 2015bibimbap
Chris Devison is the Provincial Coordinator for the Jeollanamdo Language Program He has lived in South Korea for almost 10 years and has spent six of those years in his current position Aside from assisting public school teachers with their contract and school life he has a keen interest in health and wellness Having lived in both Western and Eastern cultures he has a strong under-standing of the healthiest practices of both worlds
Before coming to South Korea Dinh Nguyen was a Canadian journalist He has 6 years experience as an editor reporter and desktop publishing designer After obtaining his CELTA in 2012 he moved to Yeosu to follow his passion for teaching and traveling He recently completed the CELTA YLE
Copy Editor Edward Chaney worked for the Haydens Ferry Review a literary journal published out of Arizona State University (ASU) He was exposed to the Jeollanamdo Language Program during an internship with ASUrsquos MTESOL program Since then he and his wife has moved to South Korea and will be finishing up their first year come April
After completing his degree and travelling around Canada exten-sively Joseph Campbell recently moved to South Korea to teach English and immerse himself in a foreign and fascinating culture He is always looking for something new to learn and you wonrsquot find many topics that donrsquot interest him
Kevin Flynn is an Elementary School Teacher in Mokpo who has lived in South Korea for 3 years He obtained his BA in Speech Communication in New Jersey USA and is currently studying for his masters in Speech Pathology Kevin likes to use his creative en-ergies to inspire students to learn He also coordinates the English program at the local orphanage with fellow teachers
Tyson Vieira is a native teacher of three years with an MA in TESOL from Azusa Pacific University in California He is an active member of KOTESOL serving as the Gwangju faculty staff and co-facilitator of the Reflective Practice SIG He was involved as item writer for the National English Ability Test (NEAT) and is also a writer for the Gwangju News
Lindsay Ross is a Canadian teacher in South Korea After get-ting her bachelor of education in 2011 she moved to South Korea and has been living in Mokpo since She has taught at the middle and high school levels Among other articles Lindsay also researches and put together the Holiday schedule and events calendar for Bibimbap
Starting off in Hong Kong with a Canon 550D Richard Tang ventured out to experience Asian culture 3 years later he is now carrying his Olympus E-M10 across South Korea As a NET and photographer he hopes to share the views and culture he experi-ences with anyone who is interested
The Editorial Team
3
Upcoming holiday and event calendar 4 6
8
Photo essay Beyond the City Limits
Healthy Musings Misleading labels trends and buzz words in health and wellness
Letter from the Coordinator Are JLP teaching positions rapidly decreasing
10
11
14
Tips for surviving last minute lesson changes
A second look at the presentation phase
Behind the cover
4
Holidays
May 1 Labour Day
May 5 Childrensrsquo Day May 1 Buddharsquos Birthday
March 19 ndash 22 Gwangyang Flower Festival (광양꽃축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 20 ndash 23 Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival (진도신비의바닷길축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 21 ndash April 3 Seocheon Camellia Octopus Festival (서천동백꽃주꾸미축제
Chungcheongnam-do)
March 21-29 Gurye Sansuyu (Spring Flower) Festival (구례산수유꽃축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 27 - 29 UiseongSansuyu(Spring Flower) Festival (의성산수유꽃축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
March 27-29 Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival (제주왕벚꽃축제 Jeju-do)
March 28 - 29 Seogwipo Rape Flower In-ternational Walking Festival (서귀포유채꽃국제걷기대회 Jeju-do)
April 1 ndash 10 Jinhae Gunhangje (Cherry Blossom) Festival (진해군항제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 1-5 Nonsan Strawberry Festival (논산딸기축제 Chungcheongnam-do)
April 2 ndash 5 Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival (영덕대게축제
Gyeongsangbuk-do)April April 3 - 5 Yeongchwisan Azalea Festival (영취산진달래축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 3 - 5 Hwagae Cherry Blossoms Festival (화개장터벚꽃축제
Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 3 - 8 Yeongdeungpo Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (영등포여의도봄꽃축제 Seoul)
April 4 - 6 Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival (석촌호수벚꽃축제 Seoul)
Upcoming holidays and events
March 19 to 29
April 1 to 26
Joe Campbell
5
For more details contactbibimbapnewsgmailcom
by lindsay ross ross6520gmailcom
Korean Expressions Classroom Commands
In the March 2014 issue we the learned phrases
1 Please sit down 앉아주세요 (anjajusaeyo)
2 Please stand up 일어서주세요 (ileoseojusaeyo)
3 Please be quiet 조용히해요 (joyonghee hey yo)
4 Please repeat after me 따라하세요 (tta la ha sae yo)
5 Are you ready 준비했어요 ( joon bi hesseoyo)
For the upcoming school year you could consider using these new phrases in your classroom
6 Please open your books to page 10 책 10쪽을펴세요 (chek ship-jjok-eulpyeo-sae-yo)
7 Do you understand 이해해요 (ee-hae-hae-yo)
8 Shall I explain again 다시설명해줄까요 (da-shiseol-myeong-hae-jool-kka-yo)
9 Good job 잘했어요 ( jalhess-seo-yo)
10 Please try one more time 다시한번해보세요 (da-shihan-beonhae-bo-sae-yo)
To list upcoming events for your organization please contact Lindsay Ross or Bibimbapnewsgmailcom
May 1 to 31
April 4 - 5 YangpyeongSansuyu(Spring Flower) Festival (양평산수유축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 4 - 12 Mokpo Yudalsan Mountain Flower Festival (목포유달산꽃축제
Jeollanam-do)
April 5 - 12 Seoul National Cemetery Event with Weeping Cherry Blossoms (수양벚꽃과함께하는열린현충원
행사 Seoul)
April 9 ndash 12 Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival (영암왕인문화축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 9 ndash 12 Goryeong Daegaya (Histori-cal) Experience Festival (고령대가야체험축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
April 10 - 12 GimjeMoakMountain (Cherry Blossom) Festival (김제모악산축제 Jeollabuk-do)
April 15 - May 19 DaeguYangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Culture Festival (대구약령시한방문화축제 Daegu)
April 17 - 26 Shinan Tulip Festival (신안튤립축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 17 - 21 Nakdonggang Youchae (Flower) Festival (낙동강유채축제
Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 18 - May 31 Spring Festival of The Gar-den of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원봄나들이봄꽃축
제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 18 - 19 Silk Town Mountain Cherry Blossom Festival (산꽃나라걷기여행
Chungcheongnam-do)
April 24 ndash May 31 Gyeonggi International CeraMIX Biennale (경기세계도자비엔날레 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - May 17 Yeoju Ceramic Festival (여주도자기축제 Gyeonggi-
do)
April 24 - May 17 Icheon Ceramic Festival (이천도자기축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 ndash May 10 Goyang International Flower Show (고양국제꽃박람회
Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - 26 Danjong Culture Festival (단종문화제 Gangwon-do)
April 24 - 26 Jeju Canola Flower Festival ampUdo Trumpet shell Festival (제주유채꽃잔치 amp우도소라축제 Jeju-do)
May 1 - 3 Ansan Street Arts Festival (안산국제거리극축제
Gyeonggi-do)
May 1 - 10 Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival (산청한방약초축제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 2 - 3 Seoul Friendship Fair (지구촌나눔한마당 Seoul)
May 2 ndash 9 Mungyeong Traditional Chasabal(Tea Bowl) Festival (문경전통찻사발축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
May 2 - 10 HapcheonHwangmaesan Royal Azalea Festival (합천황매산철쭉제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 15 - 17 Ulsan Soeburi Cultural Festival (울산쇠부리축제 Ulsan)
May 15 ndash 17 Lotus Lantern Festival (연등회연등축제 Seoul)
May 22 - 25 NamwonChunhyang (His-toric Love Story) Festival (남원춘향제 Jeollabuk-do)
May 24 - 31 Chuncheon International Mime Festival (춘천마임축제 Gangwon-do)
Want to get involved with Bibimbap Good news wersquore accepting new writers
6
Educ
atio
nBeing Clutch in an ESL Setting Tips for surviving last minute lesson disasters and changes
kevin flynn
writer
Y ou arrive at school You have prepped for your classes for the day You have your worksheets
laid out and your Powerpoint game queued in the grade 5 classroom The activity yoursquove planned even has lami-nated flashcards You are set for the day when suddenly yoursquore told that the janitor threw out your worksheets the computer stopped working in the classroom and all you have left are some shiny flashcards What next
Preparedness is seldom taught but rather learned in life However for most of us traveling across the world to teach we expect the same preparedness from our school that we expect from our-selves For the times when this isnrsquot the case here are some great ways to ready yourself for any of the ever-changing schedules and situations that exist in the public school system
Back Up Everything
Most of the time a USB would suffice But letrsquos face it sometimes the computer in your classroom just wonrsquot work Yet the show must go on Along with the USB keeping hard copies is a great idea Google drive has saved me over the years for when your Powerpoint files wonrsquot transfer from USB to the computer Back-ing up your documents and Powerpoints to an external hard drive is also prudent and useful if you ever need to just show a movie to cover for a sick teacher
Develop an Arsenal of Games
People sometimes complain about ldquodesk warmingrdquo in Korea but I try to use this spare time to create new power-point games learn new games or expand upon
old games Irsquove already used in class New versions of your games will keep the les-son plans fresh and the studentsrsquo minds intrigued Not enough time to create your own games People are always posting new ideas to the Jeollanamdo Teachers Face-book page or you can find free material out on the interwebs at Teacherspayteacherscom or even Waygookorg
VocabFocus Point Flashcards Are Your Friend
Teaching a lesson and you donrsquot have any materials If you have paper or scissors making vocabulary cardsfocus points on the spot for students can lead to simple games like slap jack memory match or hot seat I have found that sometimes if your lesson isnrsquot panning out the way you wanted it to go these games can often save your class as well
Keep a Ball or Tossable Object Around to Facilitate Participation
Keeping a squishy ball or suction cup ball at your desk or in your bag can sway a bored class towards happi-ness and learning Some students need that tactilephysical learning structure in order to be fully engaged A suction cup ball (sometimes referred to as a sticky ball in Korea) can be used for menial tasks like roll call You can also use it to review vocabulary by simply writing the vocabulary on the board and having the students aim at the terms they wish to define For me this is a must-have when I check my teaching materials in the morning
Have Alternate Methods In Your Lesson Plans
Maybe you have a textbook activ-ity where the students have to listen to
a dialogue but the CD isnrsquot working or you want a little variety in your LPs Try creating multiple activities in your lesson plan to fight off stagnation for you and your students Instead of just listening to a CD you could review the dialogue and then have the students write it out in sections on paper Cut up the sec-tions and then mix the strips of paper In teams or individually you can time students to see who can assemble the dialogue the fastest
There are many ways to back up your lesson plans with supplemental materials but I would stress honing in on creating different skill sets (reading writing speak-ing physical response) to keep your stu-dents learning and your back up exercises interesting
These are just a few suggestions for how to perform in what I like to call ldquoclutchrdquo mode For us being an ESL teacher is both stressful and rewarding and with the right mindset and prepara-tion schedule changes technology crises and bored classes can be avoided or hopefully turned into some of your best teaching stories and experiences here in Korea
Being a little over-prepared is bet-ter than not being prepared at all for when things suddenly change Try taking a little time to prepare some ldquoclutchrdquo materials to see for yourself how useful they can be when things donrsquot turn out exactly as planned And more importantly remember that even when things get a bit hairy being resourceful with the materials you are given could change a seemingly unavoidable catastrophe into a viable and exciting day for you and your students
kbetter1gmailcom
7
Dinh nguyen
8RiChaRD Tang
9
Giving Instructions in the Second Language Classroom Another look at the presentation stage
tyson vieira
writer
You plan an activity for your lesson You are re-ally excited about it and
have spent a lot of time making it fun contextual and appeal-ing Your co-teacher approves andclass begins You prepare your students and its then time to teach them the instructions needed to complete the activity You do so and their immediate response is a blank stare followed by an occasional ldquoWhatrdquo After a moment or two of confused silence your co-teacher or your highest star-leveled student trans-lates exactly what you just said and everyone goes ldquoAhrdquo
University professors and other professionals who do not collaborate with a Korean teacher must deal with this issue of communication in different ways such as translating the instruc-tions themselves or explaining it again in simpler terms or for an extended period of time This can ruin the flow of the lesson the time management and student motivation It is a common issue on all levels of ESL but one particularly felt by teachers in Korea Many teachers spend copious amounts of time planning their lessons arranging activities and exercises with great care for detail but perhaps not as many plan how they will introduce every phrase of the lesson During my first few months of teaching I noticed the aforementioned scenario oc-curring often At that time I ac-cepted this communication issue as a normal part of co-teaching L2 students Since communicat-ing instructions is an essential element in every lesson we should take the time and the research to focus on what I find to be a com-
monly overlooked problem in the TEFL field
An Important Note
Communicative activities student centered teaching and task-based language learning have in the classroom have been increasing in the TEFL community for years even in the more traditional teach-er-centered education countries As a result the presentationstage in the EFL classrooms hasatrophied Thisshouldnrsquot mean that the phase should be ignoredmdash quite the oppositeLanguage teachers need a greater focus on the presenting phases in order to communicate instructions as precise effective and tactically as possible in a short amount of time
Guidance on effective class-room management is one of the most requested topics from both beginning and experienced teach-ers as providing clear instruc-tions to students can improve overall classroom management Instructional time can be viewed as the ldquotransition periodrdquobetween phases such as from lecture to activity or activity to review game These transitional periods are crucial to maintaining student at-tention and the flow of the entire lesson If the transitions fail or are unclear then the following phase could easily be affected as well Sometimes this can lead to a domino effect through the rest of the lesson miring the lesson in confusion rather than facilitating learning Therefore planning and reflecting on instructionaltime can be an easy and practical way to help guarantee a successful lesson
There are several elements to improve instructional commu-nication such as using visuals
specific gesturesmovements careful word usage clear voice quality effective concept ques-tions and more However there are two challenging elements that teachers seemto bypass when giving instructions to L2 learners time and words In researching and reflecting my instructions the reoccurring theme ldquoSay More with Lessrdquotends to be the truest although the power of simplicity can tend to be forgotten
Lindsay Herron from the Gwangju National University of Education wrote in her article ldquoHonestly I have encountered very few activities that could not be explained in 15 words or fewer not counting the modeling of the target languagerdquo
Some instructors might find this extreme but if you try cutting down the number of words through modeling the activity showing visuals and using simple short expressions and questions it certainly is not impossible Once an activityrsquos words are reduced using models or other instructional techniques can become more routine and the improvement of timing will followBy using these techniques the information will also become more comprehensible allowing studentsto feel less overwhelmed by theteachers speaking
Some Tips
Here are some tips that have dramatically improved my instructions
Team Effort
Try to break the habit of Korean translation in class I know it is convenient for both teachers and co-teachers but a habit will start to
develop in which students will not listen carefully to you and will wait for the translation to begin instead This can weaken the studentrsquos lis-tening skills the NESTs power of motivation and even the studentsrsquo respect for the NEST Discuss this with your co-teacher and develop a plan I told my co-teacher to just ldquotranslaterdquoeverything into English which caught the students off guard and made them listen to me again It took more time but it made them listen to me carefully from then on
Familiar Routine
Changing your instruction style will have hiccups and seem slow at first but once a routine is set it will become easier Use the target language for the lesson and give common words and phrases often There are many different ways to say an action or ask a question Be sure to use the same phrases and target language as often as possible during these instructional phases so the students can learn the common phrases you use and understand your future instructions more easily
Use Body Not Just Words
Instead of describing what the students will do model it Instead of saying ldquoIrsquom going to give you a paperrdquojust give it to them The less words you use the less traffic entering the studentsrsquo minds 15 words or less (not counting the target language) seems daunting but when considering all the ways a teacher can show instead of describe it is possible A general rule that I am trying out ldquoIf I can-not instruct students in an activity in less than 15 words toss itrdquo
tysonvieiraeslgmailcom
Further Reading
For more tips and information on instruc-tions in the classroom I highly recommend Lindsay Herronrsquos ar-ticle in the Gwangju News Check out ldquoTips and Techniques for Com-municating Instruc-tionsrdquo
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
3
Upcoming holiday and event calendar 4 6
8
Photo essay Beyond the City Limits
Healthy Musings Misleading labels trends and buzz words in health and wellness
Letter from the Coordinator Are JLP teaching positions rapidly decreasing
10
11
14
Tips for surviving last minute lesson changes
A second look at the presentation phase
Behind the cover
4
Holidays
May 1 Labour Day
May 5 Childrensrsquo Day May 1 Buddharsquos Birthday
March 19 ndash 22 Gwangyang Flower Festival (광양꽃축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 20 ndash 23 Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival (진도신비의바닷길축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 21 ndash April 3 Seocheon Camellia Octopus Festival (서천동백꽃주꾸미축제
Chungcheongnam-do)
March 21-29 Gurye Sansuyu (Spring Flower) Festival (구례산수유꽃축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 27 - 29 UiseongSansuyu(Spring Flower) Festival (의성산수유꽃축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
March 27-29 Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival (제주왕벚꽃축제 Jeju-do)
March 28 - 29 Seogwipo Rape Flower In-ternational Walking Festival (서귀포유채꽃국제걷기대회 Jeju-do)
April 1 ndash 10 Jinhae Gunhangje (Cherry Blossom) Festival (진해군항제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 1-5 Nonsan Strawberry Festival (논산딸기축제 Chungcheongnam-do)
April 2 ndash 5 Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival (영덕대게축제
Gyeongsangbuk-do)April April 3 - 5 Yeongchwisan Azalea Festival (영취산진달래축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 3 - 5 Hwagae Cherry Blossoms Festival (화개장터벚꽃축제
Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 3 - 8 Yeongdeungpo Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (영등포여의도봄꽃축제 Seoul)
April 4 - 6 Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival (석촌호수벚꽃축제 Seoul)
Upcoming holidays and events
March 19 to 29
April 1 to 26
Joe Campbell
5
For more details contactbibimbapnewsgmailcom
by lindsay ross ross6520gmailcom
Korean Expressions Classroom Commands
In the March 2014 issue we the learned phrases
1 Please sit down 앉아주세요 (anjajusaeyo)
2 Please stand up 일어서주세요 (ileoseojusaeyo)
3 Please be quiet 조용히해요 (joyonghee hey yo)
4 Please repeat after me 따라하세요 (tta la ha sae yo)
5 Are you ready 준비했어요 ( joon bi hesseoyo)
For the upcoming school year you could consider using these new phrases in your classroom
6 Please open your books to page 10 책 10쪽을펴세요 (chek ship-jjok-eulpyeo-sae-yo)
7 Do you understand 이해해요 (ee-hae-hae-yo)
8 Shall I explain again 다시설명해줄까요 (da-shiseol-myeong-hae-jool-kka-yo)
9 Good job 잘했어요 ( jalhess-seo-yo)
10 Please try one more time 다시한번해보세요 (da-shihan-beonhae-bo-sae-yo)
To list upcoming events for your organization please contact Lindsay Ross or Bibimbapnewsgmailcom
May 1 to 31
April 4 - 5 YangpyeongSansuyu(Spring Flower) Festival (양평산수유축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 4 - 12 Mokpo Yudalsan Mountain Flower Festival (목포유달산꽃축제
Jeollanam-do)
April 5 - 12 Seoul National Cemetery Event with Weeping Cherry Blossoms (수양벚꽃과함께하는열린현충원
행사 Seoul)
April 9 ndash 12 Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival (영암왕인문화축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 9 ndash 12 Goryeong Daegaya (Histori-cal) Experience Festival (고령대가야체험축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
April 10 - 12 GimjeMoakMountain (Cherry Blossom) Festival (김제모악산축제 Jeollabuk-do)
April 15 - May 19 DaeguYangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Culture Festival (대구약령시한방문화축제 Daegu)
April 17 - 26 Shinan Tulip Festival (신안튤립축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 17 - 21 Nakdonggang Youchae (Flower) Festival (낙동강유채축제
Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 18 - May 31 Spring Festival of The Gar-den of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원봄나들이봄꽃축
제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 18 - 19 Silk Town Mountain Cherry Blossom Festival (산꽃나라걷기여행
Chungcheongnam-do)
April 24 ndash May 31 Gyeonggi International CeraMIX Biennale (경기세계도자비엔날레 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - May 17 Yeoju Ceramic Festival (여주도자기축제 Gyeonggi-
do)
April 24 - May 17 Icheon Ceramic Festival (이천도자기축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 ndash May 10 Goyang International Flower Show (고양국제꽃박람회
Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - 26 Danjong Culture Festival (단종문화제 Gangwon-do)
April 24 - 26 Jeju Canola Flower Festival ampUdo Trumpet shell Festival (제주유채꽃잔치 amp우도소라축제 Jeju-do)
May 1 - 3 Ansan Street Arts Festival (안산국제거리극축제
Gyeonggi-do)
May 1 - 10 Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival (산청한방약초축제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 2 - 3 Seoul Friendship Fair (지구촌나눔한마당 Seoul)
May 2 ndash 9 Mungyeong Traditional Chasabal(Tea Bowl) Festival (문경전통찻사발축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
May 2 - 10 HapcheonHwangmaesan Royal Azalea Festival (합천황매산철쭉제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 15 - 17 Ulsan Soeburi Cultural Festival (울산쇠부리축제 Ulsan)
May 15 ndash 17 Lotus Lantern Festival (연등회연등축제 Seoul)
May 22 - 25 NamwonChunhyang (His-toric Love Story) Festival (남원춘향제 Jeollabuk-do)
May 24 - 31 Chuncheon International Mime Festival (춘천마임축제 Gangwon-do)
Want to get involved with Bibimbap Good news wersquore accepting new writers
6
Educ
atio
nBeing Clutch in an ESL Setting Tips for surviving last minute lesson disasters and changes
kevin flynn
writer
Y ou arrive at school You have prepped for your classes for the day You have your worksheets
laid out and your Powerpoint game queued in the grade 5 classroom The activity yoursquove planned even has lami-nated flashcards You are set for the day when suddenly yoursquore told that the janitor threw out your worksheets the computer stopped working in the classroom and all you have left are some shiny flashcards What next
Preparedness is seldom taught but rather learned in life However for most of us traveling across the world to teach we expect the same preparedness from our school that we expect from our-selves For the times when this isnrsquot the case here are some great ways to ready yourself for any of the ever-changing schedules and situations that exist in the public school system
Back Up Everything
Most of the time a USB would suffice But letrsquos face it sometimes the computer in your classroom just wonrsquot work Yet the show must go on Along with the USB keeping hard copies is a great idea Google drive has saved me over the years for when your Powerpoint files wonrsquot transfer from USB to the computer Back-ing up your documents and Powerpoints to an external hard drive is also prudent and useful if you ever need to just show a movie to cover for a sick teacher
Develop an Arsenal of Games
People sometimes complain about ldquodesk warmingrdquo in Korea but I try to use this spare time to create new power-point games learn new games or expand upon
old games Irsquove already used in class New versions of your games will keep the les-son plans fresh and the studentsrsquo minds intrigued Not enough time to create your own games People are always posting new ideas to the Jeollanamdo Teachers Face-book page or you can find free material out on the interwebs at Teacherspayteacherscom or even Waygookorg
VocabFocus Point Flashcards Are Your Friend
Teaching a lesson and you donrsquot have any materials If you have paper or scissors making vocabulary cardsfocus points on the spot for students can lead to simple games like slap jack memory match or hot seat I have found that sometimes if your lesson isnrsquot panning out the way you wanted it to go these games can often save your class as well
Keep a Ball or Tossable Object Around to Facilitate Participation
Keeping a squishy ball or suction cup ball at your desk or in your bag can sway a bored class towards happi-ness and learning Some students need that tactilephysical learning structure in order to be fully engaged A suction cup ball (sometimes referred to as a sticky ball in Korea) can be used for menial tasks like roll call You can also use it to review vocabulary by simply writing the vocabulary on the board and having the students aim at the terms they wish to define For me this is a must-have when I check my teaching materials in the morning
Have Alternate Methods In Your Lesson Plans
Maybe you have a textbook activ-ity where the students have to listen to
a dialogue but the CD isnrsquot working or you want a little variety in your LPs Try creating multiple activities in your lesson plan to fight off stagnation for you and your students Instead of just listening to a CD you could review the dialogue and then have the students write it out in sections on paper Cut up the sec-tions and then mix the strips of paper In teams or individually you can time students to see who can assemble the dialogue the fastest
There are many ways to back up your lesson plans with supplemental materials but I would stress honing in on creating different skill sets (reading writing speak-ing physical response) to keep your stu-dents learning and your back up exercises interesting
These are just a few suggestions for how to perform in what I like to call ldquoclutchrdquo mode For us being an ESL teacher is both stressful and rewarding and with the right mindset and prepara-tion schedule changes technology crises and bored classes can be avoided or hopefully turned into some of your best teaching stories and experiences here in Korea
Being a little over-prepared is bet-ter than not being prepared at all for when things suddenly change Try taking a little time to prepare some ldquoclutchrdquo materials to see for yourself how useful they can be when things donrsquot turn out exactly as planned And more importantly remember that even when things get a bit hairy being resourceful with the materials you are given could change a seemingly unavoidable catastrophe into a viable and exciting day for you and your students
kbetter1gmailcom
7
Dinh nguyen
8RiChaRD Tang
9
Giving Instructions in the Second Language Classroom Another look at the presentation stage
tyson vieira
writer
You plan an activity for your lesson You are re-ally excited about it and
have spent a lot of time making it fun contextual and appeal-ing Your co-teacher approves andclass begins You prepare your students and its then time to teach them the instructions needed to complete the activity You do so and their immediate response is a blank stare followed by an occasional ldquoWhatrdquo After a moment or two of confused silence your co-teacher or your highest star-leveled student trans-lates exactly what you just said and everyone goes ldquoAhrdquo
University professors and other professionals who do not collaborate with a Korean teacher must deal with this issue of communication in different ways such as translating the instruc-tions themselves or explaining it again in simpler terms or for an extended period of time This can ruin the flow of the lesson the time management and student motivation It is a common issue on all levels of ESL but one particularly felt by teachers in Korea Many teachers spend copious amounts of time planning their lessons arranging activities and exercises with great care for detail but perhaps not as many plan how they will introduce every phrase of the lesson During my first few months of teaching I noticed the aforementioned scenario oc-curring often At that time I ac-cepted this communication issue as a normal part of co-teaching L2 students Since communicat-ing instructions is an essential element in every lesson we should take the time and the research to focus on what I find to be a com-
monly overlooked problem in the TEFL field
An Important Note
Communicative activities student centered teaching and task-based language learning have in the classroom have been increasing in the TEFL community for years even in the more traditional teach-er-centered education countries As a result the presentationstage in the EFL classrooms hasatrophied Thisshouldnrsquot mean that the phase should be ignoredmdash quite the oppositeLanguage teachers need a greater focus on the presenting phases in order to communicate instructions as precise effective and tactically as possible in a short amount of time
Guidance on effective class-room management is one of the most requested topics from both beginning and experienced teach-ers as providing clear instruc-tions to students can improve overall classroom management Instructional time can be viewed as the ldquotransition periodrdquobetween phases such as from lecture to activity or activity to review game These transitional periods are crucial to maintaining student at-tention and the flow of the entire lesson If the transitions fail or are unclear then the following phase could easily be affected as well Sometimes this can lead to a domino effect through the rest of the lesson miring the lesson in confusion rather than facilitating learning Therefore planning and reflecting on instructionaltime can be an easy and practical way to help guarantee a successful lesson
There are several elements to improve instructional commu-nication such as using visuals
specific gesturesmovements careful word usage clear voice quality effective concept ques-tions and more However there are two challenging elements that teachers seemto bypass when giving instructions to L2 learners time and words In researching and reflecting my instructions the reoccurring theme ldquoSay More with Lessrdquotends to be the truest although the power of simplicity can tend to be forgotten
Lindsay Herron from the Gwangju National University of Education wrote in her article ldquoHonestly I have encountered very few activities that could not be explained in 15 words or fewer not counting the modeling of the target languagerdquo
Some instructors might find this extreme but if you try cutting down the number of words through modeling the activity showing visuals and using simple short expressions and questions it certainly is not impossible Once an activityrsquos words are reduced using models or other instructional techniques can become more routine and the improvement of timing will followBy using these techniques the information will also become more comprehensible allowing studentsto feel less overwhelmed by theteachers speaking
Some Tips
Here are some tips that have dramatically improved my instructions
Team Effort
Try to break the habit of Korean translation in class I know it is convenient for both teachers and co-teachers but a habit will start to
develop in which students will not listen carefully to you and will wait for the translation to begin instead This can weaken the studentrsquos lis-tening skills the NESTs power of motivation and even the studentsrsquo respect for the NEST Discuss this with your co-teacher and develop a plan I told my co-teacher to just ldquotranslaterdquoeverything into English which caught the students off guard and made them listen to me again It took more time but it made them listen to me carefully from then on
Familiar Routine
Changing your instruction style will have hiccups and seem slow at first but once a routine is set it will become easier Use the target language for the lesson and give common words and phrases often There are many different ways to say an action or ask a question Be sure to use the same phrases and target language as often as possible during these instructional phases so the students can learn the common phrases you use and understand your future instructions more easily
Use Body Not Just Words
Instead of describing what the students will do model it Instead of saying ldquoIrsquom going to give you a paperrdquojust give it to them The less words you use the less traffic entering the studentsrsquo minds 15 words or less (not counting the target language) seems daunting but when considering all the ways a teacher can show instead of describe it is possible A general rule that I am trying out ldquoIf I can-not instruct students in an activity in less than 15 words toss itrdquo
tysonvieiraeslgmailcom
Further Reading
For more tips and information on instruc-tions in the classroom I highly recommend Lindsay Herronrsquos ar-ticle in the Gwangju News Check out ldquoTips and Techniques for Com-municating Instruc-tionsrdquo
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
4
Holidays
May 1 Labour Day
May 5 Childrensrsquo Day May 1 Buddharsquos Birthday
March 19 ndash 22 Gwangyang Flower Festival (광양꽃축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 20 ndash 23 Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival (진도신비의바닷길축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 21 ndash April 3 Seocheon Camellia Octopus Festival (서천동백꽃주꾸미축제
Chungcheongnam-do)
March 21-29 Gurye Sansuyu (Spring Flower) Festival (구례산수유꽃축제 Jeollanam-do)
March 27 - 29 UiseongSansuyu(Spring Flower) Festival (의성산수유꽃축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
March 27-29 Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival (제주왕벚꽃축제 Jeju-do)
March 28 - 29 Seogwipo Rape Flower In-ternational Walking Festival (서귀포유채꽃국제걷기대회 Jeju-do)
April 1 ndash 10 Jinhae Gunhangje (Cherry Blossom) Festival (진해군항제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 1-5 Nonsan Strawberry Festival (논산딸기축제 Chungcheongnam-do)
April 2 ndash 5 Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival (영덕대게축제
Gyeongsangbuk-do)April April 3 - 5 Yeongchwisan Azalea Festival (영취산진달래축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 3 - 5 Hwagae Cherry Blossoms Festival (화개장터벚꽃축제
Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 3 - 8 Yeongdeungpo Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (영등포여의도봄꽃축제 Seoul)
April 4 - 6 Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival (석촌호수벚꽃축제 Seoul)
Upcoming holidays and events
March 19 to 29
April 1 to 26
Joe Campbell
5
For more details contactbibimbapnewsgmailcom
by lindsay ross ross6520gmailcom
Korean Expressions Classroom Commands
In the March 2014 issue we the learned phrases
1 Please sit down 앉아주세요 (anjajusaeyo)
2 Please stand up 일어서주세요 (ileoseojusaeyo)
3 Please be quiet 조용히해요 (joyonghee hey yo)
4 Please repeat after me 따라하세요 (tta la ha sae yo)
5 Are you ready 준비했어요 ( joon bi hesseoyo)
For the upcoming school year you could consider using these new phrases in your classroom
6 Please open your books to page 10 책 10쪽을펴세요 (chek ship-jjok-eulpyeo-sae-yo)
7 Do you understand 이해해요 (ee-hae-hae-yo)
8 Shall I explain again 다시설명해줄까요 (da-shiseol-myeong-hae-jool-kka-yo)
9 Good job 잘했어요 ( jalhess-seo-yo)
10 Please try one more time 다시한번해보세요 (da-shihan-beonhae-bo-sae-yo)
To list upcoming events for your organization please contact Lindsay Ross or Bibimbapnewsgmailcom
May 1 to 31
April 4 - 5 YangpyeongSansuyu(Spring Flower) Festival (양평산수유축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 4 - 12 Mokpo Yudalsan Mountain Flower Festival (목포유달산꽃축제
Jeollanam-do)
April 5 - 12 Seoul National Cemetery Event with Weeping Cherry Blossoms (수양벚꽃과함께하는열린현충원
행사 Seoul)
April 9 ndash 12 Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival (영암왕인문화축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 9 ndash 12 Goryeong Daegaya (Histori-cal) Experience Festival (고령대가야체험축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
April 10 - 12 GimjeMoakMountain (Cherry Blossom) Festival (김제모악산축제 Jeollabuk-do)
April 15 - May 19 DaeguYangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Culture Festival (대구약령시한방문화축제 Daegu)
April 17 - 26 Shinan Tulip Festival (신안튤립축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 17 - 21 Nakdonggang Youchae (Flower) Festival (낙동강유채축제
Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 18 - May 31 Spring Festival of The Gar-den of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원봄나들이봄꽃축
제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 18 - 19 Silk Town Mountain Cherry Blossom Festival (산꽃나라걷기여행
Chungcheongnam-do)
April 24 ndash May 31 Gyeonggi International CeraMIX Biennale (경기세계도자비엔날레 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - May 17 Yeoju Ceramic Festival (여주도자기축제 Gyeonggi-
do)
April 24 - May 17 Icheon Ceramic Festival (이천도자기축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 ndash May 10 Goyang International Flower Show (고양국제꽃박람회
Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - 26 Danjong Culture Festival (단종문화제 Gangwon-do)
April 24 - 26 Jeju Canola Flower Festival ampUdo Trumpet shell Festival (제주유채꽃잔치 amp우도소라축제 Jeju-do)
May 1 - 3 Ansan Street Arts Festival (안산국제거리극축제
Gyeonggi-do)
May 1 - 10 Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival (산청한방약초축제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 2 - 3 Seoul Friendship Fair (지구촌나눔한마당 Seoul)
May 2 ndash 9 Mungyeong Traditional Chasabal(Tea Bowl) Festival (문경전통찻사발축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
May 2 - 10 HapcheonHwangmaesan Royal Azalea Festival (합천황매산철쭉제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 15 - 17 Ulsan Soeburi Cultural Festival (울산쇠부리축제 Ulsan)
May 15 ndash 17 Lotus Lantern Festival (연등회연등축제 Seoul)
May 22 - 25 NamwonChunhyang (His-toric Love Story) Festival (남원춘향제 Jeollabuk-do)
May 24 - 31 Chuncheon International Mime Festival (춘천마임축제 Gangwon-do)
Want to get involved with Bibimbap Good news wersquore accepting new writers
6
Educ
atio
nBeing Clutch in an ESL Setting Tips for surviving last minute lesson disasters and changes
kevin flynn
writer
Y ou arrive at school You have prepped for your classes for the day You have your worksheets
laid out and your Powerpoint game queued in the grade 5 classroom The activity yoursquove planned even has lami-nated flashcards You are set for the day when suddenly yoursquore told that the janitor threw out your worksheets the computer stopped working in the classroom and all you have left are some shiny flashcards What next
Preparedness is seldom taught but rather learned in life However for most of us traveling across the world to teach we expect the same preparedness from our school that we expect from our-selves For the times when this isnrsquot the case here are some great ways to ready yourself for any of the ever-changing schedules and situations that exist in the public school system
Back Up Everything
Most of the time a USB would suffice But letrsquos face it sometimes the computer in your classroom just wonrsquot work Yet the show must go on Along with the USB keeping hard copies is a great idea Google drive has saved me over the years for when your Powerpoint files wonrsquot transfer from USB to the computer Back-ing up your documents and Powerpoints to an external hard drive is also prudent and useful if you ever need to just show a movie to cover for a sick teacher
Develop an Arsenal of Games
People sometimes complain about ldquodesk warmingrdquo in Korea but I try to use this spare time to create new power-point games learn new games or expand upon
old games Irsquove already used in class New versions of your games will keep the les-son plans fresh and the studentsrsquo minds intrigued Not enough time to create your own games People are always posting new ideas to the Jeollanamdo Teachers Face-book page or you can find free material out on the interwebs at Teacherspayteacherscom or even Waygookorg
VocabFocus Point Flashcards Are Your Friend
Teaching a lesson and you donrsquot have any materials If you have paper or scissors making vocabulary cardsfocus points on the spot for students can lead to simple games like slap jack memory match or hot seat I have found that sometimes if your lesson isnrsquot panning out the way you wanted it to go these games can often save your class as well
Keep a Ball or Tossable Object Around to Facilitate Participation
Keeping a squishy ball or suction cup ball at your desk or in your bag can sway a bored class towards happi-ness and learning Some students need that tactilephysical learning structure in order to be fully engaged A suction cup ball (sometimes referred to as a sticky ball in Korea) can be used for menial tasks like roll call You can also use it to review vocabulary by simply writing the vocabulary on the board and having the students aim at the terms they wish to define For me this is a must-have when I check my teaching materials in the morning
Have Alternate Methods In Your Lesson Plans
Maybe you have a textbook activ-ity where the students have to listen to
a dialogue but the CD isnrsquot working or you want a little variety in your LPs Try creating multiple activities in your lesson plan to fight off stagnation for you and your students Instead of just listening to a CD you could review the dialogue and then have the students write it out in sections on paper Cut up the sec-tions and then mix the strips of paper In teams or individually you can time students to see who can assemble the dialogue the fastest
There are many ways to back up your lesson plans with supplemental materials but I would stress honing in on creating different skill sets (reading writing speak-ing physical response) to keep your stu-dents learning and your back up exercises interesting
These are just a few suggestions for how to perform in what I like to call ldquoclutchrdquo mode For us being an ESL teacher is both stressful and rewarding and with the right mindset and prepara-tion schedule changes technology crises and bored classes can be avoided or hopefully turned into some of your best teaching stories and experiences here in Korea
Being a little over-prepared is bet-ter than not being prepared at all for when things suddenly change Try taking a little time to prepare some ldquoclutchrdquo materials to see for yourself how useful they can be when things donrsquot turn out exactly as planned And more importantly remember that even when things get a bit hairy being resourceful with the materials you are given could change a seemingly unavoidable catastrophe into a viable and exciting day for you and your students
kbetter1gmailcom
7
Dinh nguyen
8RiChaRD Tang
9
Giving Instructions in the Second Language Classroom Another look at the presentation stage
tyson vieira
writer
You plan an activity for your lesson You are re-ally excited about it and
have spent a lot of time making it fun contextual and appeal-ing Your co-teacher approves andclass begins You prepare your students and its then time to teach them the instructions needed to complete the activity You do so and their immediate response is a blank stare followed by an occasional ldquoWhatrdquo After a moment or two of confused silence your co-teacher or your highest star-leveled student trans-lates exactly what you just said and everyone goes ldquoAhrdquo
University professors and other professionals who do not collaborate with a Korean teacher must deal with this issue of communication in different ways such as translating the instruc-tions themselves or explaining it again in simpler terms or for an extended period of time This can ruin the flow of the lesson the time management and student motivation It is a common issue on all levels of ESL but one particularly felt by teachers in Korea Many teachers spend copious amounts of time planning their lessons arranging activities and exercises with great care for detail but perhaps not as many plan how they will introduce every phrase of the lesson During my first few months of teaching I noticed the aforementioned scenario oc-curring often At that time I ac-cepted this communication issue as a normal part of co-teaching L2 students Since communicat-ing instructions is an essential element in every lesson we should take the time and the research to focus on what I find to be a com-
monly overlooked problem in the TEFL field
An Important Note
Communicative activities student centered teaching and task-based language learning have in the classroom have been increasing in the TEFL community for years even in the more traditional teach-er-centered education countries As a result the presentationstage in the EFL classrooms hasatrophied Thisshouldnrsquot mean that the phase should be ignoredmdash quite the oppositeLanguage teachers need a greater focus on the presenting phases in order to communicate instructions as precise effective and tactically as possible in a short amount of time
Guidance on effective class-room management is one of the most requested topics from both beginning and experienced teach-ers as providing clear instruc-tions to students can improve overall classroom management Instructional time can be viewed as the ldquotransition periodrdquobetween phases such as from lecture to activity or activity to review game These transitional periods are crucial to maintaining student at-tention and the flow of the entire lesson If the transitions fail or are unclear then the following phase could easily be affected as well Sometimes this can lead to a domino effect through the rest of the lesson miring the lesson in confusion rather than facilitating learning Therefore planning and reflecting on instructionaltime can be an easy and practical way to help guarantee a successful lesson
There are several elements to improve instructional commu-nication such as using visuals
specific gesturesmovements careful word usage clear voice quality effective concept ques-tions and more However there are two challenging elements that teachers seemto bypass when giving instructions to L2 learners time and words In researching and reflecting my instructions the reoccurring theme ldquoSay More with Lessrdquotends to be the truest although the power of simplicity can tend to be forgotten
Lindsay Herron from the Gwangju National University of Education wrote in her article ldquoHonestly I have encountered very few activities that could not be explained in 15 words or fewer not counting the modeling of the target languagerdquo
Some instructors might find this extreme but if you try cutting down the number of words through modeling the activity showing visuals and using simple short expressions and questions it certainly is not impossible Once an activityrsquos words are reduced using models or other instructional techniques can become more routine and the improvement of timing will followBy using these techniques the information will also become more comprehensible allowing studentsto feel less overwhelmed by theteachers speaking
Some Tips
Here are some tips that have dramatically improved my instructions
Team Effort
Try to break the habit of Korean translation in class I know it is convenient for both teachers and co-teachers but a habit will start to
develop in which students will not listen carefully to you and will wait for the translation to begin instead This can weaken the studentrsquos lis-tening skills the NESTs power of motivation and even the studentsrsquo respect for the NEST Discuss this with your co-teacher and develop a plan I told my co-teacher to just ldquotranslaterdquoeverything into English which caught the students off guard and made them listen to me again It took more time but it made them listen to me carefully from then on
Familiar Routine
Changing your instruction style will have hiccups and seem slow at first but once a routine is set it will become easier Use the target language for the lesson and give common words and phrases often There are many different ways to say an action or ask a question Be sure to use the same phrases and target language as often as possible during these instructional phases so the students can learn the common phrases you use and understand your future instructions more easily
Use Body Not Just Words
Instead of describing what the students will do model it Instead of saying ldquoIrsquom going to give you a paperrdquojust give it to them The less words you use the less traffic entering the studentsrsquo minds 15 words or less (not counting the target language) seems daunting but when considering all the ways a teacher can show instead of describe it is possible A general rule that I am trying out ldquoIf I can-not instruct students in an activity in less than 15 words toss itrdquo
tysonvieiraeslgmailcom
Further Reading
For more tips and information on instruc-tions in the classroom I highly recommend Lindsay Herronrsquos ar-ticle in the Gwangju News Check out ldquoTips and Techniques for Com-municating Instruc-tionsrdquo
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
5
For more details contactbibimbapnewsgmailcom
by lindsay ross ross6520gmailcom
Korean Expressions Classroom Commands
In the March 2014 issue we the learned phrases
1 Please sit down 앉아주세요 (anjajusaeyo)
2 Please stand up 일어서주세요 (ileoseojusaeyo)
3 Please be quiet 조용히해요 (joyonghee hey yo)
4 Please repeat after me 따라하세요 (tta la ha sae yo)
5 Are you ready 준비했어요 ( joon bi hesseoyo)
For the upcoming school year you could consider using these new phrases in your classroom
6 Please open your books to page 10 책 10쪽을펴세요 (chek ship-jjok-eulpyeo-sae-yo)
7 Do you understand 이해해요 (ee-hae-hae-yo)
8 Shall I explain again 다시설명해줄까요 (da-shiseol-myeong-hae-jool-kka-yo)
9 Good job 잘했어요 ( jalhess-seo-yo)
10 Please try one more time 다시한번해보세요 (da-shihan-beonhae-bo-sae-yo)
To list upcoming events for your organization please contact Lindsay Ross or Bibimbapnewsgmailcom
May 1 to 31
April 4 - 5 YangpyeongSansuyu(Spring Flower) Festival (양평산수유축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 4 - 12 Mokpo Yudalsan Mountain Flower Festival (목포유달산꽃축제
Jeollanam-do)
April 5 - 12 Seoul National Cemetery Event with Weeping Cherry Blossoms (수양벚꽃과함께하는열린현충원
행사 Seoul)
April 9 ndash 12 Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival (영암왕인문화축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 9 ndash 12 Goryeong Daegaya (Histori-cal) Experience Festival (고령대가야체험축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
April 10 - 12 GimjeMoakMountain (Cherry Blossom) Festival (김제모악산축제 Jeollabuk-do)
April 15 - May 19 DaeguYangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Culture Festival (대구약령시한방문화축제 Daegu)
April 17 - 26 Shinan Tulip Festival (신안튤립축제 Jeollanam-do)
April 17 - 21 Nakdonggang Youchae (Flower) Festival (낙동강유채축제
Gyeongsangnam-do)
April 18 - May 31 Spring Festival of The Gar-den of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원봄나들이봄꽃축
제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 18 - 19 Silk Town Mountain Cherry Blossom Festival (산꽃나라걷기여행
Chungcheongnam-do)
April 24 ndash May 31 Gyeonggi International CeraMIX Biennale (경기세계도자비엔날레 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - May 17 Yeoju Ceramic Festival (여주도자기축제 Gyeonggi-
do)
April 24 - May 17 Icheon Ceramic Festival (이천도자기축제 Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 ndash May 10 Goyang International Flower Show (고양국제꽃박람회
Gyeonggi-do)
April 24 - 26 Danjong Culture Festival (단종문화제 Gangwon-do)
April 24 - 26 Jeju Canola Flower Festival ampUdo Trumpet shell Festival (제주유채꽃잔치 amp우도소라축제 Jeju-do)
May 1 - 3 Ansan Street Arts Festival (안산국제거리극축제
Gyeonggi-do)
May 1 - 10 Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival (산청한방약초축제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 2 - 3 Seoul Friendship Fair (지구촌나눔한마당 Seoul)
May 2 ndash 9 Mungyeong Traditional Chasabal(Tea Bowl) Festival (문경전통찻사발축제 Gyeongsangbuk-do)
May 2 - 10 HapcheonHwangmaesan Royal Azalea Festival (합천황매산철쭉제 Gyeongsangnam-do)
May 15 - 17 Ulsan Soeburi Cultural Festival (울산쇠부리축제 Ulsan)
May 15 ndash 17 Lotus Lantern Festival (연등회연등축제 Seoul)
May 22 - 25 NamwonChunhyang (His-toric Love Story) Festival (남원춘향제 Jeollabuk-do)
May 24 - 31 Chuncheon International Mime Festival (춘천마임축제 Gangwon-do)
Want to get involved with Bibimbap Good news wersquore accepting new writers
6
Educ
atio
nBeing Clutch in an ESL Setting Tips for surviving last minute lesson disasters and changes
kevin flynn
writer
Y ou arrive at school You have prepped for your classes for the day You have your worksheets
laid out and your Powerpoint game queued in the grade 5 classroom The activity yoursquove planned even has lami-nated flashcards You are set for the day when suddenly yoursquore told that the janitor threw out your worksheets the computer stopped working in the classroom and all you have left are some shiny flashcards What next
Preparedness is seldom taught but rather learned in life However for most of us traveling across the world to teach we expect the same preparedness from our school that we expect from our-selves For the times when this isnrsquot the case here are some great ways to ready yourself for any of the ever-changing schedules and situations that exist in the public school system
Back Up Everything
Most of the time a USB would suffice But letrsquos face it sometimes the computer in your classroom just wonrsquot work Yet the show must go on Along with the USB keeping hard copies is a great idea Google drive has saved me over the years for when your Powerpoint files wonrsquot transfer from USB to the computer Back-ing up your documents and Powerpoints to an external hard drive is also prudent and useful if you ever need to just show a movie to cover for a sick teacher
Develop an Arsenal of Games
People sometimes complain about ldquodesk warmingrdquo in Korea but I try to use this spare time to create new power-point games learn new games or expand upon
old games Irsquove already used in class New versions of your games will keep the les-son plans fresh and the studentsrsquo minds intrigued Not enough time to create your own games People are always posting new ideas to the Jeollanamdo Teachers Face-book page or you can find free material out on the interwebs at Teacherspayteacherscom or even Waygookorg
VocabFocus Point Flashcards Are Your Friend
Teaching a lesson and you donrsquot have any materials If you have paper or scissors making vocabulary cardsfocus points on the spot for students can lead to simple games like slap jack memory match or hot seat I have found that sometimes if your lesson isnrsquot panning out the way you wanted it to go these games can often save your class as well
Keep a Ball or Tossable Object Around to Facilitate Participation
Keeping a squishy ball or suction cup ball at your desk or in your bag can sway a bored class towards happi-ness and learning Some students need that tactilephysical learning structure in order to be fully engaged A suction cup ball (sometimes referred to as a sticky ball in Korea) can be used for menial tasks like roll call You can also use it to review vocabulary by simply writing the vocabulary on the board and having the students aim at the terms they wish to define For me this is a must-have when I check my teaching materials in the morning
Have Alternate Methods In Your Lesson Plans
Maybe you have a textbook activ-ity where the students have to listen to
a dialogue but the CD isnrsquot working or you want a little variety in your LPs Try creating multiple activities in your lesson plan to fight off stagnation for you and your students Instead of just listening to a CD you could review the dialogue and then have the students write it out in sections on paper Cut up the sec-tions and then mix the strips of paper In teams or individually you can time students to see who can assemble the dialogue the fastest
There are many ways to back up your lesson plans with supplemental materials but I would stress honing in on creating different skill sets (reading writing speak-ing physical response) to keep your stu-dents learning and your back up exercises interesting
These are just a few suggestions for how to perform in what I like to call ldquoclutchrdquo mode For us being an ESL teacher is both stressful and rewarding and with the right mindset and prepara-tion schedule changes technology crises and bored classes can be avoided or hopefully turned into some of your best teaching stories and experiences here in Korea
Being a little over-prepared is bet-ter than not being prepared at all for when things suddenly change Try taking a little time to prepare some ldquoclutchrdquo materials to see for yourself how useful they can be when things donrsquot turn out exactly as planned And more importantly remember that even when things get a bit hairy being resourceful with the materials you are given could change a seemingly unavoidable catastrophe into a viable and exciting day for you and your students
kbetter1gmailcom
7
Dinh nguyen
8RiChaRD Tang
9
Giving Instructions in the Second Language Classroom Another look at the presentation stage
tyson vieira
writer
You plan an activity for your lesson You are re-ally excited about it and
have spent a lot of time making it fun contextual and appeal-ing Your co-teacher approves andclass begins You prepare your students and its then time to teach them the instructions needed to complete the activity You do so and their immediate response is a blank stare followed by an occasional ldquoWhatrdquo After a moment or two of confused silence your co-teacher or your highest star-leveled student trans-lates exactly what you just said and everyone goes ldquoAhrdquo
University professors and other professionals who do not collaborate with a Korean teacher must deal with this issue of communication in different ways such as translating the instruc-tions themselves or explaining it again in simpler terms or for an extended period of time This can ruin the flow of the lesson the time management and student motivation It is a common issue on all levels of ESL but one particularly felt by teachers in Korea Many teachers spend copious amounts of time planning their lessons arranging activities and exercises with great care for detail but perhaps not as many plan how they will introduce every phrase of the lesson During my first few months of teaching I noticed the aforementioned scenario oc-curring often At that time I ac-cepted this communication issue as a normal part of co-teaching L2 students Since communicat-ing instructions is an essential element in every lesson we should take the time and the research to focus on what I find to be a com-
monly overlooked problem in the TEFL field
An Important Note
Communicative activities student centered teaching and task-based language learning have in the classroom have been increasing in the TEFL community for years even in the more traditional teach-er-centered education countries As a result the presentationstage in the EFL classrooms hasatrophied Thisshouldnrsquot mean that the phase should be ignoredmdash quite the oppositeLanguage teachers need a greater focus on the presenting phases in order to communicate instructions as precise effective and tactically as possible in a short amount of time
Guidance on effective class-room management is one of the most requested topics from both beginning and experienced teach-ers as providing clear instruc-tions to students can improve overall classroom management Instructional time can be viewed as the ldquotransition periodrdquobetween phases such as from lecture to activity or activity to review game These transitional periods are crucial to maintaining student at-tention and the flow of the entire lesson If the transitions fail or are unclear then the following phase could easily be affected as well Sometimes this can lead to a domino effect through the rest of the lesson miring the lesson in confusion rather than facilitating learning Therefore planning and reflecting on instructionaltime can be an easy and practical way to help guarantee a successful lesson
There are several elements to improve instructional commu-nication such as using visuals
specific gesturesmovements careful word usage clear voice quality effective concept ques-tions and more However there are two challenging elements that teachers seemto bypass when giving instructions to L2 learners time and words In researching and reflecting my instructions the reoccurring theme ldquoSay More with Lessrdquotends to be the truest although the power of simplicity can tend to be forgotten
Lindsay Herron from the Gwangju National University of Education wrote in her article ldquoHonestly I have encountered very few activities that could not be explained in 15 words or fewer not counting the modeling of the target languagerdquo
Some instructors might find this extreme but if you try cutting down the number of words through modeling the activity showing visuals and using simple short expressions and questions it certainly is not impossible Once an activityrsquos words are reduced using models or other instructional techniques can become more routine and the improvement of timing will followBy using these techniques the information will also become more comprehensible allowing studentsto feel less overwhelmed by theteachers speaking
Some Tips
Here are some tips that have dramatically improved my instructions
Team Effort
Try to break the habit of Korean translation in class I know it is convenient for both teachers and co-teachers but a habit will start to
develop in which students will not listen carefully to you and will wait for the translation to begin instead This can weaken the studentrsquos lis-tening skills the NESTs power of motivation and even the studentsrsquo respect for the NEST Discuss this with your co-teacher and develop a plan I told my co-teacher to just ldquotranslaterdquoeverything into English which caught the students off guard and made them listen to me again It took more time but it made them listen to me carefully from then on
Familiar Routine
Changing your instruction style will have hiccups and seem slow at first but once a routine is set it will become easier Use the target language for the lesson and give common words and phrases often There are many different ways to say an action or ask a question Be sure to use the same phrases and target language as often as possible during these instructional phases so the students can learn the common phrases you use and understand your future instructions more easily
Use Body Not Just Words
Instead of describing what the students will do model it Instead of saying ldquoIrsquom going to give you a paperrdquojust give it to them The less words you use the less traffic entering the studentsrsquo minds 15 words or less (not counting the target language) seems daunting but when considering all the ways a teacher can show instead of describe it is possible A general rule that I am trying out ldquoIf I can-not instruct students in an activity in less than 15 words toss itrdquo
tysonvieiraeslgmailcom
Further Reading
For more tips and information on instruc-tions in the classroom I highly recommend Lindsay Herronrsquos ar-ticle in the Gwangju News Check out ldquoTips and Techniques for Com-municating Instruc-tionsrdquo
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
6
Educ
atio
nBeing Clutch in an ESL Setting Tips for surviving last minute lesson disasters and changes
kevin flynn
writer
Y ou arrive at school You have prepped for your classes for the day You have your worksheets
laid out and your Powerpoint game queued in the grade 5 classroom The activity yoursquove planned even has lami-nated flashcards You are set for the day when suddenly yoursquore told that the janitor threw out your worksheets the computer stopped working in the classroom and all you have left are some shiny flashcards What next
Preparedness is seldom taught but rather learned in life However for most of us traveling across the world to teach we expect the same preparedness from our school that we expect from our-selves For the times when this isnrsquot the case here are some great ways to ready yourself for any of the ever-changing schedules and situations that exist in the public school system
Back Up Everything
Most of the time a USB would suffice But letrsquos face it sometimes the computer in your classroom just wonrsquot work Yet the show must go on Along with the USB keeping hard copies is a great idea Google drive has saved me over the years for when your Powerpoint files wonrsquot transfer from USB to the computer Back-ing up your documents and Powerpoints to an external hard drive is also prudent and useful if you ever need to just show a movie to cover for a sick teacher
Develop an Arsenal of Games
People sometimes complain about ldquodesk warmingrdquo in Korea but I try to use this spare time to create new power-point games learn new games or expand upon
old games Irsquove already used in class New versions of your games will keep the les-son plans fresh and the studentsrsquo minds intrigued Not enough time to create your own games People are always posting new ideas to the Jeollanamdo Teachers Face-book page or you can find free material out on the interwebs at Teacherspayteacherscom or even Waygookorg
VocabFocus Point Flashcards Are Your Friend
Teaching a lesson and you donrsquot have any materials If you have paper or scissors making vocabulary cardsfocus points on the spot for students can lead to simple games like slap jack memory match or hot seat I have found that sometimes if your lesson isnrsquot panning out the way you wanted it to go these games can often save your class as well
Keep a Ball or Tossable Object Around to Facilitate Participation
Keeping a squishy ball or suction cup ball at your desk or in your bag can sway a bored class towards happi-ness and learning Some students need that tactilephysical learning structure in order to be fully engaged A suction cup ball (sometimes referred to as a sticky ball in Korea) can be used for menial tasks like roll call You can also use it to review vocabulary by simply writing the vocabulary on the board and having the students aim at the terms they wish to define For me this is a must-have when I check my teaching materials in the morning
Have Alternate Methods In Your Lesson Plans
Maybe you have a textbook activ-ity where the students have to listen to
a dialogue but the CD isnrsquot working or you want a little variety in your LPs Try creating multiple activities in your lesson plan to fight off stagnation for you and your students Instead of just listening to a CD you could review the dialogue and then have the students write it out in sections on paper Cut up the sec-tions and then mix the strips of paper In teams or individually you can time students to see who can assemble the dialogue the fastest
There are many ways to back up your lesson plans with supplemental materials but I would stress honing in on creating different skill sets (reading writing speak-ing physical response) to keep your stu-dents learning and your back up exercises interesting
These are just a few suggestions for how to perform in what I like to call ldquoclutchrdquo mode For us being an ESL teacher is both stressful and rewarding and with the right mindset and prepara-tion schedule changes technology crises and bored classes can be avoided or hopefully turned into some of your best teaching stories and experiences here in Korea
Being a little over-prepared is bet-ter than not being prepared at all for when things suddenly change Try taking a little time to prepare some ldquoclutchrdquo materials to see for yourself how useful they can be when things donrsquot turn out exactly as planned And more importantly remember that even when things get a bit hairy being resourceful with the materials you are given could change a seemingly unavoidable catastrophe into a viable and exciting day for you and your students
kbetter1gmailcom
7
Dinh nguyen
8RiChaRD Tang
9
Giving Instructions in the Second Language Classroom Another look at the presentation stage
tyson vieira
writer
You plan an activity for your lesson You are re-ally excited about it and
have spent a lot of time making it fun contextual and appeal-ing Your co-teacher approves andclass begins You prepare your students and its then time to teach them the instructions needed to complete the activity You do so and their immediate response is a blank stare followed by an occasional ldquoWhatrdquo After a moment or two of confused silence your co-teacher or your highest star-leveled student trans-lates exactly what you just said and everyone goes ldquoAhrdquo
University professors and other professionals who do not collaborate with a Korean teacher must deal with this issue of communication in different ways such as translating the instruc-tions themselves or explaining it again in simpler terms or for an extended period of time This can ruin the flow of the lesson the time management and student motivation It is a common issue on all levels of ESL but one particularly felt by teachers in Korea Many teachers spend copious amounts of time planning their lessons arranging activities and exercises with great care for detail but perhaps not as many plan how they will introduce every phrase of the lesson During my first few months of teaching I noticed the aforementioned scenario oc-curring often At that time I ac-cepted this communication issue as a normal part of co-teaching L2 students Since communicat-ing instructions is an essential element in every lesson we should take the time and the research to focus on what I find to be a com-
monly overlooked problem in the TEFL field
An Important Note
Communicative activities student centered teaching and task-based language learning have in the classroom have been increasing in the TEFL community for years even in the more traditional teach-er-centered education countries As a result the presentationstage in the EFL classrooms hasatrophied Thisshouldnrsquot mean that the phase should be ignoredmdash quite the oppositeLanguage teachers need a greater focus on the presenting phases in order to communicate instructions as precise effective and tactically as possible in a short amount of time
Guidance on effective class-room management is one of the most requested topics from both beginning and experienced teach-ers as providing clear instruc-tions to students can improve overall classroom management Instructional time can be viewed as the ldquotransition periodrdquobetween phases such as from lecture to activity or activity to review game These transitional periods are crucial to maintaining student at-tention and the flow of the entire lesson If the transitions fail or are unclear then the following phase could easily be affected as well Sometimes this can lead to a domino effect through the rest of the lesson miring the lesson in confusion rather than facilitating learning Therefore planning and reflecting on instructionaltime can be an easy and practical way to help guarantee a successful lesson
There are several elements to improve instructional commu-nication such as using visuals
specific gesturesmovements careful word usage clear voice quality effective concept ques-tions and more However there are two challenging elements that teachers seemto bypass when giving instructions to L2 learners time and words In researching and reflecting my instructions the reoccurring theme ldquoSay More with Lessrdquotends to be the truest although the power of simplicity can tend to be forgotten
Lindsay Herron from the Gwangju National University of Education wrote in her article ldquoHonestly I have encountered very few activities that could not be explained in 15 words or fewer not counting the modeling of the target languagerdquo
Some instructors might find this extreme but if you try cutting down the number of words through modeling the activity showing visuals and using simple short expressions and questions it certainly is not impossible Once an activityrsquos words are reduced using models or other instructional techniques can become more routine and the improvement of timing will followBy using these techniques the information will also become more comprehensible allowing studentsto feel less overwhelmed by theteachers speaking
Some Tips
Here are some tips that have dramatically improved my instructions
Team Effort
Try to break the habit of Korean translation in class I know it is convenient for both teachers and co-teachers but a habit will start to
develop in which students will not listen carefully to you and will wait for the translation to begin instead This can weaken the studentrsquos lis-tening skills the NESTs power of motivation and even the studentsrsquo respect for the NEST Discuss this with your co-teacher and develop a plan I told my co-teacher to just ldquotranslaterdquoeverything into English which caught the students off guard and made them listen to me again It took more time but it made them listen to me carefully from then on
Familiar Routine
Changing your instruction style will have hiccups and seem slow at first but once a routine is set it will become easier Use the target language for the lesson and give common words and phrases often There are many different ways to say an action or ask a question Be sure to use the same phrases and target language as often as possible during these instructional phases so the students can learn the common phrases you use and understand your future instructions more easily
Use Body Not Just Words
Instead of describing what the students will do model it Instead of saying ldquoIrsquom going to give you a paperrdquojust give it to them The less words you use the less traffic entering the studentsrsquo minds 15 words or less (not counting the target language) seems daunting but when considering all the ways a teacher can show instead of describe it is possible A general rule that I am trying out ldquoIf I can-not instruct students in an activity in less than 15 words toss itrdquo
tysonvieiraeslgmailcom
Further Reading
For more tips and information on instruc-tions in the classroom I highly recommend Lindsay Herronrsquos ar-ticle in the Gwangju News Check out ldquoTips and Techniques for Com-municating Instruc-tionsrdquo
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
7
Dinh nguyen
8RiChaRD Tang
9
Giving Instructions in the Second Language Classroom Another look at the presentation stage
tyson vieira
writer
You plan an activity for your lesson You are re-ally excited about it and
have spent a lot of time making it fun contextual and appeal-ing Your co-teacher approves andclass begins You prepare your students and its then time to teach them the instructions needed to complete the activity You do so and their immediate response is a blank stare followed by an occasional ldquoWhatrdquo After a moment or two of confused silence your co-teacher or your highest star-leveled student trans-lates exactly what you just said and everyone goes ldquoAhrdquo
University professors and other professionals who do not collaborate with a Korean teacher must deal with this issue of communication in different ways such as translating the instruc-tions themselves or explaining it again in simpler terms or for an extended period of time This can ruin the flow of the lesson the time management and student motivation It is a common issue on all levels of ESL but one particularly felt by teachers in Korea Many teachers spend copious amounts of time planning their lessons arranging activities and exercises with great care for detail but perhaps not as many plan how they will introduce every phrase of the lesson During my first few months of teaching I noticed the aforementioned scenario oc-curring often At that time I ac-cepted this communication issue as a normal part of co-teaching L2 students Since communicat-ing instructions is an essential element in every lesson we should take the time and the research to focus on what I find to be a com-
monly overlooked problem in the TEFL field
An Important Note
Communicative activities student centered teaching and task-based language learning have in the classroom have been increasing in the TEFL community for years even in the more traditional teach-er-centered education countries As a result the presentationstage in the EFL classrooms hasatrophied Thisshouldnrsquot mean that the phase should be ignoredmdash quite the oppositeLanguage teachers need a greater focus on the presenting phases in order to communicate instructions as precise effective and tactically as possible in a short amount of time
Guidance on effective class-room management is one of the most requested topics from both beginning and experienced teach-ers as providing clear instruc-tions to students can improve overall classroom management Instructional time can be viewed as the ldquotransition periodrdquobetween phases such as from lecture to activity or activity to review game These transitional periods are crucial to maintaining student at-tention and the flow of the entire lesson If the transitions fail or are unclear then the following phase could easily be affected as well Sometimes this can lead to a domino effect through the rest of the lesson miring the lesson in confusion rather than facilitating learning Therefore planning and reflecting on instructionaltime can be an easy and practical way to help guarantee a successful lesson
There are several elements to improve instructional commu-nication such as using visuals
specific gesturesmovements careful word usage clear voice quality effective concept ques-tions and more However there are two challenging elements that teachers seemto bypass when giving instructions to L2 learners time and words In researching and reflecting my instructions the reoccurring theme ldquoSay More with Lessrdquotends to be the truest although the power of simplicity can tend to be forgotten
Lindsay Herron from the Gwangju National University of Education wrote in her article ldquoHonestly I have encountered very few activities that could not be explained in 15 words or fewer not counting the modeling of the target languagerdquo
Some instructors might find this extreme but if you try cutting down the number of words through modeling the activity showing visuals and using simple short expressions and questions it certainly is not impossible Once an activityrsquos words are reduced using models or other instructional techniques can become more routine and the improvement of timing will followBy using these techniques the information will also become more comprehensible allowing studentsto feel less overwhelmed by theteachers speaking
Some Tips
Here are some tips that have dramatically improved my instructions
Team Effort
Try to break the habit of Korean translation in class I know it is convenient for both teachers and co-teachers but a habit will start to
develop in which students will not listen carefully to you and will wait for the translation to begin instead This can weaken the studentrsquos lis-tening skills the NESTs power of motivation and even the studentsrsquo respect for the NEST Discuss this with your co-teacher and develop a plan I told my co-teacher to just ldquotranslaterdquoeverything into English which caught the students off guard and made them listen to me again It took more time but it made them listen to me carefully from then on
Familiar Routine
Changing your instruction style will have hiccups and seem slow at first but once a routine is set it will become easier Use the target language for the lesson and give common words and phrases often There are many different ways to say an action or ask a question Be sure to use the same phrases and target language as often as possible during these instructional phases so the students can learn the common phrases you use and understand your future instructions more easily
Use Body Not Just Words
Instead of describing what the students will do model it Instead of saying ldquoIrsquom going to give you a paperrdquojust give it to them The less words you use the less traffic entering the studentsrsquo minds 15 words or less (not counting the target language) seems daunting but when considering all the ways a teacher can show instead of describe it is possible A general rule that I am trying out ldquoIf I can-not instruct students in an activity in less than 15 words toss itrdquo
tysonvieiraeslgmailcom
Further Reading
For more tips and information on instruc-tions in the classroom I highly recommend Lindsay Herronrsquos ar-ticle in the Gwangju News Check out ldquoTips and Techniques for Com-municating Instruc-tionsrdquo
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
8RiChaRD Tang
9
Giving Instructions in the Second Language Classroom Another look at the presentation stage
tyson vieira
writer
You plan an activity for your lesson You are re-ally excited about it and
have spent a lot of time making it fun contextual and appeal-ing Your co-teacher approves andclass begins You prepare your students and its then time to teach them the instructions needed to complete the activity You do so and their immediate response is a blank stare followed by an occasional ldquoWhatrdquo After a moment or two of confused silence your co-teacher or your highest star-leveled student trans-lates exactly what you just said and everyone goes ldquoAhrdquo
University professors and other professionals who do not collaborate with a Korean teacher must deal with this issue of communication in different ways such as translating the instruc-tions themselves or explaining it again in simpler terms or for an extended period of time This can ruin the flow of the lesson the time management and student motivation It is a common issue on all levels of ESL but one particularly felt by teachers in Korea Many teachers spend copious amounts of time planning their lessons arranging activities and exercises with great care for detail but perhaps not as many plan how they will introduce every phrase of the lesson During my first few months of teaching I noticed the aforementioned scenario oc-curring often At that time I ac-cepted this communication issue as a normal part of co-teaching L2 students Since communicat-ing instructions is an essential element in every lesson we should take the time and the research to focus on what I find to be a com-
monly overlooked problem in the TEFL field
An Important Note
Communicative activities student centered teaching and task-based language learning have in the classroom have been increasing in the TEFL community for years even in the more traditional teach-er-centered education countries As a result the presentationstage in the EFL classrooms hasatrophied Thisshouldnrsquot mean that the phase should be ignoredmdash quite the oppositeLanguage teachers need a greater focus on the presenting phases in order to communicate instructions as precise effective and tactically as possible in a short amount of time
Guidance on effective class-room management is one of the most requested topics from both beginning and experienced teach-ers as providing clear instruc-tions to students can improve overall classroom management Instructional time can be viewed as the ldquotransition periodrdquobetween phases such as from lecture to activity or activity to review game These transitional periods are crucial to maintaining student at-tention and the flow of the entire lesson If the transitions fail or are unclear then the following phase could easily be affected as well Sometimes this can lead to a domino effect through the rest of the lesson miring the lesson in confusion rather than facilitating learning Therefore planning and reflecting on instructionaltime can be an easy and practical way to help guarantee a successful lesson
There are several elements to improve instructional commu-nication such as using visuals
specific gesturesmovements careful word usage clear voice quality effective concept ques-tions and more However there are two challenging elements that teachers seemto bypass when giving instructions to L2 learners time and words In researching and reflecting my instructions the reoccurring theme ldquoSay More with Lessrdquotends to be the truest although the power of simplicity can tend to be forgotten
Lindsay Herron from the Gwangju National University of Education wrote in her article ldquoHonestly I have encountered very few activities that could not be explained in 15 words or fewer not counting the modeling of the target languagerdquo
Some instructors might find this extreme but if you try cutting down the number of words through modeling the activity showing visuals and using simple short expressions and questions it certainly is not impossible Once an activityrsquos words are reduced using models or other instructional techniques can become more routine and the improvement of timing will followBy using these techniques the information will also become more comprehensible allowing studentsto feel less overwhelmed by theteachers speaking
Some Tips
Here are some tips that have dramatically improved my instructions
Team Effort
Try to break the habit of Korean translation in class I know it is convenient for both teachers and co-teachers but a habit will start to
develop in which students will not listen carefully to you and will wait for the translation to begin instead This can weaken the studentrsquos lis-tening skills the NESTs power of motivation and even the studentsrsquo respect for the NEST Discuss this with your co-teacher and develop a plan I told my co-teacher to just ldquotranslaterdquoeverything into English which caught the students off guard and made them listen to me again It took more time but it made them listen to me carefully from then on
Familiar Routine
Changing your instruction style will have hiccups and seem slow at first but once a routine is set it will become easier Use the target language for the lesson and give common words and phrases often There are many different ways to say an action or ask a question Be sure to use the same phrases and target language as often as possible during these instructional phases so the students can learn the common phrases you use and understand your future instructions more easily
Use Body Not Just Words
Instead of describing what the students will do model it Instead of saying ldquoIrsquom going to give you a paperrdquojust give it to them The less words you use the less traffic entering the studentsrsquo minds 15 words or less (not counting the target language) seems daunting but when considering all the ways a teacher can show instead of describe it is possible A general rule that I am trying out ldquoIf I can-not instruct students in an activity in less than 15 words toss itrdquo
tysonvieiraeslgmailcom
Further Reading
For more tips and information on instruc-tions in the classroom I highly recommend Lindsay Herronrsquos ar-ticle in the Gwangju News Check out ldquoTips and Techniques for Com-municating Instruc-tionsrdquo
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
9
Giving Instructions in the Second Language Classroom Another look at the presentation stage
tyson vieira
writer
You plan an activity for your lesson You are re-ally excited about it and
have spent a lot of time making it fun contextual and appeal-ing Your co-teacher approves andclass begins You prepare your students and its then time to teach them the instructions needed to complete the activity You do so and their immediate response is a blank stare followed by an occasional ldquoWhatrdquo After a moment or two of confused silence your co-teacher or your highest star-leveled student trans-lates exactly what you just said and everyone goes ldquoAhrdquo
University professors and other professionals who do not collaborate with a Korean teacher must deal with this issue of communication in different ways such as translating the instruc-tions themselves or explaining it again in simpler terms or for an extended period of time This can ruin the flow of the lesson the time management and student motivation It is a common issue on all levels of ESL but one particularly felt by teachers in Korea Many teachers spend copious amounts of time planning their lessons arranging activities and exercises with great care for detail but perhaps not as many plan how they will introduce every phrase of the lesson During my first few months of teaching I noticed the aforementioned scenario oc-curring often At that time I ac-cepted this communication issue as a normal part of co-teaching L2 students Since communicat-ing instructions is an essential element in every lesson we should take the time and the research to focus on what I find to be a com-
monly overlooked problem in the TEFL field
An Important Note
Communicative activities student centered teaching and task-based language learning have in the classroom have been increasing in the TEFL community for years even in the more traditional teach-er-centered education countries As a result the presentationstage in the EFL classrooms hasatrophied Thisshouldnrsquot mean that the phase should be ignoredmdash quite the oppositeLanguage teachers need a greater focus on the presenting phases in order to communicate instructions as precise effective and tactically as possible in a short amount of time
Guidance on effective class-room management is one of the most requested topics from both beginning and experienced teach-ers as providing clear instruc-tions to students can improve overall classroom management Instructional time can be viewed as the ldquotransition periodrdquobetween phases such as from lecture to activity or activity to review game These transitional periods are crucial to maintaining student at-tention and the flow of the entire lesson If the transitions fail or are unclear then the following phase could easily be affected as well Sometimes this can lead to a domino effect through the rest of the lesson miring the lesson in confusion rather than facilitating learning Therefore planning and reflecting on instructionaltime can be an easy and practical way to help guarantee a successful lesson
There are several elements to improve instructional commu-nication such as using visuals
specific gesturesmovements careful word usage clear voice quality effective concept ques-tions and more However there are two challenging elements that teachers seemto bypass when giving instructions to L2 learners time and words In researching and reflecting my instructions the reoccurring theme ldquoSay More with Lessrdquotends to be the truest although the power of simplicity can tend to be forgotten
Lindsay Herron from the Gwangju National University of Education wrote in her article ldquoHonestly I have encountered very few activities that could not be explained in 15 words or fewer not counting the modeling of the target languagerdquo
Some instructors might find this extreme but if you try cutting down the number of words through modeling the activity showing visuals and using simple short expressions and questions it certainly is not impossible Once an activityrsquos words are reduced using models or other instructional techniques can become more routine and the improvement of timing will followBy using these techniques the information will also become more comprehensible allowing studentsto feel less overwhelmed by theteachers speaking
Some Tips
Here are some tips that have dramatically improved my instructions
Team Effort
Try to break the habit of Korean translation in class I know it is convenient for both teachers and co-teachers but a habit will start to
develop in which students will not listen carefully to you and will wait for the translation to begin instead This can weaken the studentrsquos lis-tening skills the NESTs power of motivation and even the studentsrsquo respect for the NEST Discuss this with your co-teacher and develop a plan I told my co-teacher to just ldquotranslaterdquoeverything into English which caught the students off guard and made them listen to me again It took more time but it made them listen to me carefully from then on
Familiar Routine
Changing your instruction style will have hiccups and seem slow at first but once a routine is set it will become easier Use the target language for the lesson and give common words and phrases often There are many different ways to say an action or ask a question Be sure to use the same phrases and target language as often as possible during these instructional phases so the students can learn the common phrases you use and understand your future instructions more easily
Use Body Not Just Words
Instead of describing what the students will do model it Instead of saying ldquoIrsquom going to give you a paperrdquojust give it to them The less words you use the less traffic entering the studentsrsquo minds 15 words or less (not counting the target language) seems daunting but when considering all the ways a teacher can show instead of describe it is possible A general rule that I am trying out ldquoIf I can-not instruct students in an activity in less than 15 words toss itrdquo
tysonvieiraeslgmailcom
Further Reading
For more tips and information on instruc-tions in the classroom I highly recommend Lindsay Herronrsquos ar-ticle in the Gwangju News Check out ldquoTips and Techniques for Com-municating Instruc-tionsrdquo
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
10
Letter from the Coordinator
How much longer can we expect to have public teaching positions in Jeollanamdo JLP Coordinator Chris Devison addresses the recent cuts in 4 counties and Mokpo
I wrote about this issue ap-proximately 1 year ago How-ever with the recent cutbacks
and the commotion theyrsquove caused it is necessaryto revisit the issue again
Last year a teacher had heard a rumor that all the positions in Jeolla-namdo would be cut within one year I responded to themand explained the true reality of what they heardor at least what my office knew of it
Well wersquove made to 2015 and as
I predicted many of us (actually the majority of us) are still here There were some recent cutback announce-ments with Jindo Shinan Gokseong and Jangseong counties cutting all positions and Mokpo cutting second-ary positions only As expected the reason given for these cuts was financial Some of the counties have been struggling and feeling the economic crunch lately With a single NEST costing the local offices of education over $40000 USD a year the simplest solution was to make cuts in this area
In my previous article on the
issue I posted a chart from the Ko-rean Times which listed the amount of positions at 442 for South Jeolla
province With these recent cut-backs Jeolla lost about 15 positions with our April intake and expects further losses of about 15 or 20 positions for those same areas in August That would reduce the to-tal NEST positions in the province by about 35 positions which when we compare it to the total of 442 is about eight per cent of the posi-tions if my math is accurate
On a brighter note though just two days after those cutbacks were announced our office received notice that we would be receiving a total of 10 new positions spread across 4 counties putting us at a loss of only 25 or six per cent decreasing the overall number of cuts In ad-dition Jangseong decided to renew contracts for a further eight months with the hopes of being able to sort things out more permanently for teachers and a few other schools were looking at alternative plans to fund NEST positions
Of course there is potential for further cutbacks in the future especially considering Korea and Jeollanamdo in particular has a very aged society and a declining number of students overall but the point is that there will be positions avail-able for some time yet Our office doesnrsquot expect and has no reason to believe that our positions will be drastically cut at a future date We do however expect a natural decline overtime which is unavoidable
With pressure from parents more schools are looking to
finance NESTs themselves Busi-nesses are getting more involved in an attempt to be better received in their communities and what is known as ldquoEnglish Feverrdquo is still alive and well in this country Our office expects the NEST program to endure for some time and will continue to work to make this happen
You are going to hear a lot of different things about cuts I been receiving almost daily messages on the matter for the past year but rest assured as soon as our office knows something you will be informed I canrsquot predict what any one county will do but will let you know anything I can when I do As with past cutbacks our office will make sure that anyone affected by future cuts whatever they may be will be taken care of before we hire new teachers
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Map Below
A map of Jeol-lanamdo from wikiedia The red Xs are counties are no longer funded for JLP The blue X is Mokpo where only elementary positions remains
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
11
Searching for SolitudeJoe Campbell takes his bike beyond the Korean city limits to catch his breath
photo essay
Photo
The iled granite alleyways of
Hongdo a small village where the only motorized
vehicles were modi-fied motorcycles
phoTo by
Joe Campbell
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
12
joe campbell
photographer
With roughly 50 million people living in South Korea itrsquos hard to imagine finding a space to stretch out and enjoy some silence and
solitude Thatrsquos what I intended to find over my winter vacation I had been in Korea for nearly four months and I needed to catch my breath and reflect on my time here thus far Itrsquos so easy to forget about the world beyond the city limits especially during winter
After a little research and some rudimentary prepara-tions I hopped on my bike rolled out of Gurye and pointed myself westward My destination was Heuk-sando a small island about 100km off the west coast of Korea I knew little about the place ndash just a few pictures of some challenging switchbacks ndash but it was enough
There are many types of roads in Korea from express-ways to back country roads These allowed me to trace a fairly discreet path through Jeollanamdo avoiding most of the bigger cities Once I reached Heuksando I followed its only road as it looped around the island Hongdo a last minute side-trip I took didnrsquot even have roads
During the day the temperature averaged around 5 de-grees Celsius At night it usually dropped below zero The weather ranged from clear and crisp to muggy and windy Should you decide to backpack bike tour or camp during the winter in Korea keep the unpre-dictable weather in mind One morning I woke up to frozen water bottles and a frost-covered tent
Did I find silence and solitude At times yesmdash especially on Heuksando where I would often go over an hour without seeing anyone But Korea is densely populatedand its landscape bears witness to this It was a rare moment when I would find myself alone with the road This isnrsquot necessarily something to complain about though because nearly every encounter I had while travelling was positive and heartwarming Irsquom not sure about other cultures but Korea is the first place Irsquove travelled where locals profusely apologize for not speaking my language
If you have an itch for unconventional travelling that needs scratching I canrsquot recommend bike touring enough especially in Korea where thousands of roads and trails are at your disposal
goflowjoegmailcom
Searching for Solitude
photo essay
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
13
PhotosTop Left
Although some tunnels are better than others there isnrsquot much breath-ing room on the shoulders Take this into consideration should you choose to ride on slightly busier roads This tunnel was fortunately only 1km long
Middle Left
A moment of peaceful beauty in Heuksando a place surrounded by countless smaller islands some inhab-ited and some not
Bottom Left
Dinner preparation by the road These rest stops were often disgustingly dirty with piles of garbage wan-tonly strewn about Roadside waste management doesnrsquot appear to be a high priority in Korea
Right
ldquoThe smaller the town the faster the friendsrdquo Irsquove found and Seji with about 3000 residents was no exception This family (and friends) invited me to their home for lunch af-ter a brief roadside conversation phoTos by Joe Campbell
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here
14
Healthy Musings with Chris Devison
Are We Being DupedMisleading Labels Trends and Buzz Words in Health and Wellness
Today I read a research article in which the subjects of a study lost more weight when drinking diet
cola than water Even if this was true the article neglects to mention any other side effects that drinking only diet cola may have causedIt also didnrsquot provide any sci-entific evidence as to why the subjects lost more weight or what was happening to their bodies over the course of the study
Ironically I did little research on the article due to time restraints but Irsquod expect that with further digging Irsquod find that the study in question was funded by someone involved with one of the larger beverage companies in some way or another Irsquodprobably alsofind countless otherresearch that refute the original studyrsquos claimmdash re-search that provide scientific evidence and discussthe negative effects of drinking only diet beverages as well
It is easy to find articlesfor or against any subject matter that contra-dicts each otherYou might read ldquoRun-ning is Good for Yourdquoon Mondayrsquos but an article on another site tells you ldquoRun-ning is Bad for Yourdquo on Wednesday
We are bombarded with so much information that it is often difficult to keep anything straight The mega-corporations do everything they can to confuse us so we will just give up
and take the route of convenience in-stead of one of health and wellbeing
They use sneaky strategies such as ldquobliss pointrdquo studying the exact amount of unhealthy fats and sugars they can put in their products to keep us addicted to it They study how they can maximize our desire for their product because ad-diction equals maximized consumption which in turnequals maximized profits
An even newer term ldquostomach sharerdquo is a telling phrase used by large corporations when selling us products which I think shows their point of view when it comes to our health ldquoStomach sharerdquo is how much of their product takes up your diet as opposed to their competitorsmdash how big theirslice of our pie isWhen we see the products being marketed to us or hear these sorts of phrases itrsquos easy to accept that profit is what is most important to many major food companies not our well being
I remember the fat free era where it seemed like every food was ldquoreduced fatrdquo when really this fat was replaced by sugar which naturally then was converted into fat in the body anyway along with causing a whole host of other associated problems During this time rates of obesity increased This is now known as one of the biggest cases of misleading the general public in healthy eatingrsquos history and the deceit unfortunately continues
As consumers we need to be careful in our choices and suspicious of what is being presented to us Words that may entice us to buy certain products because we believe them to be healthy may not be necessarily so We can be tricked to feel good by pictures of beautiful farms and trendy buzzwords which sometimes donrsquot mean what we think Marketers know labeling and presentation affect our choices of what to buy so they make their prod-
ucts as appealing to us as possible even if it means bending the truth If they can get away with labeling a product something it isnrsquot in order to sell it they will
With the mess nutritional articles
are in these days it is now to the point where it almost seems like we as laymen need a degree in nutrition to understand it all which can leave many people dis-couraged and pessimistic This doesnrsquot necessarily have to be the case
By simply going back to the basics we can begin a journey to better health and fitness The fact is that the further we get away from eating a natural diet of unaltered locally-grown food the further we are getting away from our true potential of being healthy We have to stop seeking instant gratification and looking for an easy fix These new trends diet patches super chemical-laden shakes or who knows what may lead to some short term benefits but statis-tically will likely end with failure
The key is to bring in small sus-
tainable changes to your daily life that when combined make a noticeable dif-ference over time They can be as simple as adding an alkalizing glass of lemon water every morning or pure green juice every afternoon (you can choose your own greens) These are simple and much more sustainable Sure you might not notice a big difference immediately but all the little differences you incorporate can add up to a big difference in your overall wellbeing in the long run
By adding in healthy options you replace unhealthy ones and by keeping them simple they are more likely to become habitual In addition to eating unprocessed foods we can simplify our diets and begin down an a lot less confusing path to better health
ChRisoffiCeofeDuCaTionyahooCom
Futher Readings
For information on the original diet soda and weight loss study click here
To read more about diet soda and wightloss studies see here and here
For further reading on stomach share and bliss point visit here and here
To read more on why the fat free era lead to weight gain click here