South Korea 101 for New Zealand teachers
Fifteen New Zealand teachers headed to Seoul last week for the 2016 Korean Studies Workshop for Australasian educators.
Korea Studies Workshop teachers from New Zealand and Australia at Ewha University, Seoul, 2016
The Asia New Zealand Foundation works with the Korea Foundation and Australia’s Asia Education Foundation to offer the nine-day programme to teachers.
The purpose is to deepen teachers' awareness, understanding and knowledge of Korea to New Zealand so they can better equip their students with the knowledge and skills they will need in the future. The teachers are required to develop teaching resources, such as a series of lessons or a unit of work, based on their experiences.
The programme consists of lectures at Ehwa Womans University in Seoul, school visits, and field trips to historic sites. The group will also visit the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea, travel to a traditional clan village, and visit the factory of multinational steel giant POSCO.
The participating teachers are:
Libby Banks – Pigeon Mountain School, Auckland
Waveney Bryant - Newmarket School, Auckland
Katie Coghlan – Tawa College, Wellington
Nicole Cooper – Wellesley College, Wellington
Bernadette Corcoran - Waiuku College
Evan France – James Hargest College, Invercargill
Greta Hampton – Ashburton College
Kelly Jean-Louis – Wellington High School
Amy Ko – Meadowbank School, Auckland
Janet Mackay – Epsom Girls’ Grammar School, Auckland
Lisa Mave – St Cuthbert’s College, Auckland
Fiona McDiarmid – Heretaunga College, Upper Hutt
Jessica Moses – Kristin School, Auckland
Rebekah Stoop – Beckenham School, Christchurch
Ashley Thomson – Onslow College, Wellington.
Asia New Zealand Foundation director education Jeff Johnstone says previous workshop participants have gained a greater understanding of South Korea’s influence in the world, particularly in commerce, technology and youth culture.
“Awareness of the importance of Korea to New Zealand is set to grow after the signing of the FTA last year. But many New Zealand teachers did not learn much about the country when they themselves were at school, so this trip will help them have more confidence teaching today’s young people.
“Previous Korean Studies Workshop participants have been inspired to introduce a range of programmes into their schools to build students’ knowledge of the country. The workshop often inspires an interest in Asia more generally.”
South Korea is New Zealand’s sixth largest export destination and total trade in 2014 reached NZ$4 billion. South Korea is also a significant source of international students and tourists.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation dedicated to building New Zealand’s links with Asia through a range of programmes, including business, culture, education, media, research and a Leadership Network.
