KOREA FOUNDATION

KF Internship Report from Yantai, China

Since the scorching summer of August last year, I have been teaching spoken Korean language to the freshmen of the Department of Korean Studies at Yantai University, where I lead a two-hour class twice a week. As the students had no previous training in Korean language, I try to help them acquire a basic understanding, explaining in detail the consonant and vowel systems, phonological rules, intonation, and other peculiarities. In addition to the textbooks used in class, I also utilize a variety of materials for their Korean speaking exercises to give them general information about Korean culture and life and to encourage their interest in and love for Korea and its language.
  I currently supervise various group events and extracurricular activities of the Korean Department students. In particular, I was very proud to see a student of mine, who I helped coach for a speaking competition with -writing assistance and speaking exercises, finish second place in the Korean speaking competition held last October in Shandong province, where I was also awarded the Excellent Teacher’s Award. I also direct a Korean choir, especially helping the singers with the tunes, rhythms, and pronunciation, to put together a stage performance with the students. The choir is often invited to school events, and we put on a great show each time.
  As I got to know the students, I was able to experience the culture and daily lives of the Chinese people, which were previously unknown to me. I feel lucky to be able to serve as a KF intern in China because it offers me a precious opportunity to expand my way of thinking and adopt a more sophisticated and balanced view of the world. During my remaining days as an intern, I will review the classes and activities I have completed so far and I will do my best to improve the students’ Korean language skills through our classroom conversations.

KF Korean Language Education Internship Yantai University, China Kim Se-na

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