To kick off the collaboration, AC and IKEN will offer a professional development seminar in Los Angeles for Korean language teachers.
American Councils for International Education (AC), an international education nonprofit headquartered in Washington, D.C., the International Korean Educators Network (IKEN), an international network of Korean language educators, and the K-12 Korean Language Teachers Association USA (KLTA) announced a collaboration to strengthen the study and teaching of Korean language and culture in the US
Initiating the new partnership, AC and IKEN representatives will offer a professional development seminar for Korean language teachers in the greater Los Angeles area in support of the new National Examinations in World Languages (NEWL-Korean). NEWL-Korean is a portfolio of interactive proficiency exams (speaking, listening, reading, and integrated writing) endorsed by The College Board and designed to provide both traditional and heritage high school students of Korean with the opportunity to demonstrate their linguistic and cultural competencies in Korean for college admissions, placement, or credit by examination purposes.
"Effective school-to-college articulation for US students of world languages is critical for the preparation of a new generation of Americans ready to enter the global workforce and interact effectively and appropriately within America own increasingly diverse society," noted Dr. Dan E. Davidson, President of American Councils. We are very pleased to cooperate with IKEN in this important new project."
IKEN and KLTA will host the NEWL-Korean workshop at the Korean Education Center of Los Angeles for Korean language teachers to support the upcoming launch of the NEWL Korean proficiency exam in spring 2017.
"We are glad to step forward to benefit students and teachers of Korean in this way. IKEN and KLTA very much look forward to our cooperation with American Councils in support of NEWL-Korean," noted IKEN co-presidents Ellen Park and Sung Kim.
As a nonprofit organization, IKEN fosters and supports US-based Korean language educators and their students and parents in Korean dual-language programs and Korean language classes in public and private schools. Similarly, KLTA works to advance Korean language education worldwide and bolsters the development of teaching materials and methodology for Korean language teachers.
The partners will collaborate to increase public awareness of the study of Korean language and culture in the US, support the development of Korean language and culture programs, identify professional development opportunities for Korean language educators, and engage in joint research related to the study and teaching of Korean.
NEWL Korean Workshop Information
February 4, 2017 9:00AM - 4:00PM
Korean Education Center Los Angeles #213
680 Wilshire Place, Suite 401
Los Angeles, CA 90005
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About the International Korean Educator's Network
The International Korean Educators Network (IKEN) is founded on establishing a systematic support network of educating our future generation of Korean heritage students by strengthening their identity as Koreans through Korean language and cultural education as productive, global citizens of the future.
IKEN will take an active role in supporting educators of Korean language and culture in different types of schools such as Korean Dual Language Program, Korean language classes as a foreign language in secondary schools, and Korean community language schools in the world to share a common pedagogy in positively influencing the future generation. IKEN also emphasizes developing the technology based instructional materials, such as K-12 Korean online curriculum and Korean online courses, which incorporate to the Common Core States Standards and ACTFL Proficiency Scope and Sequence.
This objective is made possible with the active support of Korean policy makers and community partners by promoting the Korean language as a world language and Korean cultural contents such as K-POP
About the Korean Language Teacher Association
The Korean Language Teachers Association in the USA's (KLTA) main focus is to set forth in the professionalism for the greater vision to globalize the Korean language. This organization supports exchanging useful teaching materials and methodology applicable to the Korean language teachers.