Teaching English in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Joanne Williams, adjunct professor in Tyndale’s Bachelor of Education program, will be travelling with the Toronto-based, non-governmental organization the Light Foundation to teach curriculum pedagogy in a program that enhances the English teaching skills of teachers from around the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). This is Ms. Williams third trip to a country that few people are privileged to visit.
The training will take place in the country’s capital city of Pyongyang at the Pyongyang Computer and English Refreshment Center (PCERC). PCERC was founded by a local organization in Pyongyang. They requested support from the Light Foundation who had been providing support in humanitarian and business related projects in the country. In the DPRK, English is a compulsory subject for middle school to university level students and since 2008, this collaboration has allowed 450 DPRK teachers to learn from and engage in conversation with native English speakers.
In total, 12 people from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom will be travelling to the DPRK. In addition to teaching curriculum pedagogy, Ms. Williams will partake in smaller conversation groups that will allow participants to practice their English-speaking skills. It is expected that there will be approximately 50 DPRK teachers in this month’s program.