How to use this website – for students
An inquiry approach
You can use this website as your own inquiry into Korea, by exploring and investigating the images and web links. As you work through your inquiry, information will pop up to help you find the answers to many questions about Korea including:
- Why are outdoor and sporting activities so popular among Koreans?
- Why do so many Koreans live in high-rise buildings?
- How has Korea become such an economic wonder?
- Why is Korea a world leader in information technology?
- Why are Koreans so passionate about the arts?
- What do Koreans treasure about the past, and what do they hope for in the future?
- What do you share with Koreans and what is different about your lives?
We hope you enjoy your investigations of this fascinating country. Let's start with some introductory activities!
Introductory activities for students
Let's get started with your investigation of Go Korea! This is the name first used when Korea hosted the soccer World Cup in 2002. You can conduct your inquiry into Korean society through stages, and by considering some key questions.
Tuning in
Consider these questions:
- Why should you investigate Korea?
- What do you already know about Korea?
- What do you want to find out?
Activities:
- In this first stage, spend some time brainstorming the 'tuning in' questions together in class.
- Then for a quick introduction, watch one of the Dynamic Korea online films at http://www.korea.net > Multimedia Centre > Video > Images of Korea. The clips feature dynamic images of Korea through scenes of culture, art, lifestyle, nature and various events. Talk about your impressions of Korea from these short films.
- Another way you can begin your inquiry is to browse through the images on this website, just looking at the pictures. Then do a 'think, pair, share' activity where you explore this question first by yourself, then in pairs and then as a class: What varied impressions do the images give of Korea?
- Now have a look at http://www.korea.net > About Korea > Korea at a Glance and explore some of the stories about what's happening in Korea. These stories change often, so this is a chance for you to tune into what's on the agenda in Korea now. Prepare class presentations on what you have found out.
- Also have a look at http://www.korea.net > About Korea > Korean Wave. 2004 was declared the 'Year of the Korean Wave' when Korean pop stars, entertainers, film icons and fashion ambassadors promoted Korea as an exciting country and a great place to visit through thousands of ads broadcast all over China, Japan and other parts of Asia. Discuss what aspects of Korean society were being marketed, why and how.
Deciding directions
Now it's time for you to decide how you are going to continue your inquiry into contemporary Korea, so consider these questions:
- What aspects of contemporary Korea do you want to focus on?
- Is the whole class going to work through all the images and themes on this website together or are you going to divide them up? Decide with your teacher.
- What questions popped up after your initial look at the website images and after exploring Korea at a Glance?
- How are you going to present your new ideas?
Activities:
- Spend some time in small groups or as a class talking about each of the questions you have asked.
- Decide which of your new questions might be the focus of your inquiry.
- Decide whether your investigation is going to be conducted by individual students, in pairs or in small groups.
- If you are beginning by working through the images on this website, decide which ones you will investigate.
Organising yourselves
Now that you have made these decisions, you have to work out how you are going to conduct your inquiry. Start with these questions:
- How are you going to set up the groups?
- How long are you going to spend on the tasks?
- What is the best way of allocating tasks?
- What different roles will everyone take on?
- What type of information do you need to answer your questions, and how will you find it?
Activities:
- Write down a list of all the individual or group tasks that are part of your inquiry.
- Decide on a timeline for action.
- Create and share a list of resources.
- Decide on criteria for what and how your work will be assessed – self-assessment, peer assessment and/or teacher assessment.
Finding out
Websites like this and others that are suggested through links are a great starting point for finding out more about Korea. But there are other ways that you can investigate Korea. Think about these ideas:
- Are there Korean people in your local community who can come and speak to your class?
- Explore other sources in your school library, local library or at home that will help your inquiry, for example, maps, films, books and magazines.
- Who or what has other information you can use?
- Whose views are found in the various sources you are investigating?
- Whose views are not represented in these sources? How might you find out more diverse views?
Activities:
- Look at the Young Times at http://www .youngtimes.co.kr/, part of the daily Korean newspaper The Korea Times. What kind of information about Korea do you find through this source? How does it change or add to your views of Korea?
- Look at the Korean films at http://www.korea.net > About Korea > Art > Movie Review and talk about how they are similar to or different from other films you have viewed.
- Have lunch at a Korean restaurant or try some Korean recipes in your school Home Economics kitchen as a means of understanding Korea.
Sorting out
So now you have explored a lot of information and ideas about contemporary Korea. How are you going to sort out all this information? Think about these issues:
- How can you share and present all the data you have found?
- In what ways have your views about Korea changed since you began your inquiry?
- What similarities or differences can you see between Australia and Korea?
Activities:
- Write a personal learning journal as you work through the various images in this website. Jot down your thoughts about these ideas: new things you learn about Korea, things that surprise you, aspects of life that are different from Australia, and further questions that you would like to ask.
- Write a short informative article that could become part of a class book on Korea, or a story to be read to other class members about an aspect of what you are learning about Korea.
- Prepare a wall poster with charts, pictures, sketches and diagrams presenting your images or ideas about Korea.
- Conduct a class discussion about contemporary Korea.
Drawing conclusions and reflecting
At the end of your inquiry, consider what your views are now about Korean society. How can you present and communicate your ideas to others? Think about your answers to these questions:
- What can you now say about Korea that you wouldn't have been able to say before?
- Have you changed your views of Korea? How and why?
- What aspects of Korean life and society do you find interesting and why?
Activities:
- Write slogans that give your impression of Korea, for example 'Dynamic Korea – an exciting place to be!'.
- Present a class talk about Korea to another class in your school.
- Make a short documentary film about contemporary Korea.
- Prepare a display about life in Korea today.
- Write a short essay about your impressions of contemporary Korea.
Using De Bono's Six Thinking Hats
Here is another way of reflecting on contemporary Korea when you have finished your investigations.
Form six groups of students wearing the different coloured thinking hats to consider these questions. You can either sit in individual hat groups, for example with all white hats together, or form groups with all hats represented. At the end, have a whole class discussion that draws your thoughts together.
The white hat
While wearing the white hat, you think about the facts, figures and information that you have gathered about Korea. What have you found out about Korea?
The red hat
The red hat is for feelings and emotions. How have you felt about your investigations of Korea? What are your feelings about this nation?
The yellow hat
The yellow hat is for optimism and positive views of things. What positive aspects of the Korean society have you identified?
The green hat
The green hat is for creative thinking, new ideas and additional alternatives. Putting on the green hat makes time and space for creative effort. What new ideas and creative aspects of life have you found in your investigations of Korea?
The black hat
When you wear the black hat you are thinking about negative issues or problems. What problems or issues have you identified in contemporary Korea?
The blue hat
The blue hat asks you to draw all this thinking together, summarise what you have found, and draw conclusions about Korea. What do you think it might be like to live in Korea in the future? What issues are there in Korea for young people in the future? How might the country change and grow?
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