I just finished up the February 2015 TaLK orientation. We were at a new location at, 부산외국어대학교. It was a very nice and new campus but up on a tall hill… my legs did not appreciate that. The orientation was great. As usual the staff were fantastic and the food was partially better than previous orientations. The weather was pretty ok too. It was sunny at least but still cold! Thank goodness there was no snow.
This year I did the Giving Feedback and Assignments and Tests/ Assessment lectures. Both went well overall despite a lot of modifications that had to be done at the last minute. These were two new lectures that TaLK hasn’t done before. The participants were enthusiastic and like every year the quality of participants goes up. I thoroughly enjoyed their insights and the challenge of training new and passionate teachers. As I walked around and listened to their conversations during a group activity I could hear them, despite their exhaustion, trying to questions their methods and challenging their decisions. This is something they will have to do on their own now and I could see the process starting to mature. I also noticed a sense of comradery that I hadn’t seen much before at these types of orientations. Most groups seemed really tight knit and seemed to really care about each other. All of this from just a week and half of being together and starting out as strangers from around the world. It’s pretty cool to see this and it never ceases to amaze me how this seams to happen during these orientations. Thank you all for letting me be a part of your teaching lives and professional development. I always love doing these orientations. I learn so much, get to develop as a teacher, and re-affermate my passion for teaching. I wish you all the best of luck. If you have any comments, tips, or suggestions please leave them below. Please look back at previous posts for more materials, links and tips. I am truly excited to have you all here as my peers.
P.S. If you are looking for the rubric materials that were missing from lecture book they are in the file labeled “Daniel Moonasar_Assignments and Tests” Also here is link to Casey’s blog. It has a ton of great info for teaching in Korea.
Assignmetns, Tests, and Assessment Materials
Daniel Moonasar_Assignment and Tests
Giving Feedback Materials
A life of Teaching 
Is history of protests on itinerary?