Busan Students to Learn English Conversation from Native Speakers Online

Busan Office of Education to Run 'NALDA Video English' for 800 Students from Grade 3 to Grade 9

Customized English Conversation Support by Matching Students, Native Speakers, and Korean Teachers

From July, students in the Busan area will be able to learn English conversation from native speakers online.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 23rd that it will operate the student-tailored online English speaking learning support program, "NALDA Video English," for 800 students from 5th grade in elementary school to 3rd grade in middle school from July to December.

NALDA stands for "Nurturing and Learning through Direct Action," meaning that students grow and learn through direct English conversation with native teachers. It is also a double entendre, as "nalda" means "to fly (to grow)" in Korean.

The Busan Office of Education will run the program by matching each student with a Korean teacher and a native English teacher in a 1:1:1 ratio, supporting a multidimensional, customized English speaking learning experience.

The Korean teacher will focus on teaching key grammar, sentence structures, and vocabulary, while the native teacher will guide students in real-time English conversation based on the content they have pre-learned. Additionally, students can independently review what they have learned through a learning management platform and receive feedback from the Korean teacher in the next session.

In particular, the city education office has formed the "NALDA Video English Teacher Support Group," which will support academic achievement evaluations for participating students and monitor classes.

This support group, consisting of 20 teachers from the Busan area, will systematically manage students' attendance, learning progress, and achievements, as well as conduct individual counseling sessions with students.

Students who wish to participate can apply through their schools by the 31st of this month, with priority given to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Selected students must take a level test from the 12th to the 19th of next month, and based on the results, they will be assigned to one of five levels: basic, beginner, intermediate, advanced, and intensive.

Superintendent Ha Yoonsoo said, "This video English program will play a major role in providing equal educational opportunities and bridging educational gaps between regions by overcoming spatial limitations," adding, "The city education office will operate the program effectively to not only improve students' English conversation skills but also strengthen student-tailored learning support."