Stories from Teacher Agatha Inez Benitawati
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작성일 2026-08-21
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Stories from Teacher Agatha Inez Benitawati
Q. The activity combining Korea’s goebul norigae and Indonesian batik was memorable. How do you usually find ideas for cultural education?
A. The reason I planned this activity goes back to my experience as a KSI learner, when I took gyubang craft classes at the Korean Cultural Center for two semesters. At the end of each semester, we exhibited the pieces we had made, and that experience deepened my love of Korean culture and motivated me to continue learning Korean.
In particular, when I personally made a bojagi and a pincushion that incorporated Indonesian batik into Korean traditional crafts, I felt that two cultures could meet and create new beauty. Based on that experience, I planned the goebul norigae-making activity not merely to introduce Korean culture to students, but to motivate them and give them the confidence to continue learning Korean through the process of making and completing their own work. The craft itself is straightforward, but I think it is an especially valuable activity because Korean tradition and students" own culture meet to create new meaning.
In particular, when I personally made a bojagi and a pincushion that incorporated Indonesian batik into Korean traditional crafts, I felt that two cultures could meet and create new beauty. Based on that experience, I planned the goebul norigae-making activity not merely to introduce Korean culture to students, but to motivate them and give them the confidence to continue learning Korean through the process of making and completing their own work. The craft itself is straightforward, but I think it is an especially valuable activity because Korean tradition and students" own culture meet to create new meaning.
Teacher Agatha Inez Benitawati demonstrating
how to make goebul norigae
how to make goebul norigae
A learner attaching a handmade
goebul norigae to a bag
goebul norigae to a bag
Q. You emphasized the importance of allowing learners to experience “Korean that is actually used.” Which activity drew the strongest response from learners?
A. The activity that drew the strongest response from students was a class using a “holiday nagging menu.” While introducing Seollal culture, I also taught the “-ni?” sentence pattern. Instead of explaining only the grammar form, I used a “holiday nagging menu” containing questions family members often ask during holidays.
Students laughed a lot when they saw expressions such as “Did you get a job?” “When are you getting married?” and “Are you eating well?” They also found the questions relatable, saying that relatives in Indonesia ask similar questions during holidays. Afterward, students created and presented their own “holiday nagging” in Korean. In the process, they naturally used the “-ni?” pattern repeatedly, and they were able to move beyond learning grammar to compare and discuss holiday cultures in Korea and Indonesia.
I believe the best way to learn “Korean that is actually used” is for students not simply to memorize grammar, but to relate to real situations and express their own experiences in Korean. Korean and Indonesian differ greatly as languages, but when students discover cultural experiences they share, that distance gradually narrows. When students say, ”We have the same thing,” they come to accept Korean culture as familiar rather than unfamiliar, and the burden of learning Korean becomes much lighter.
Students laughed a lot when they saw expressions such as “Did you get a job?” “When are you getting married?” and “Are you eating well?” They also found the questions relatable, saying that relatives in Indonesia ask similar questions during holidays. Afterward, students created and presented their own “holiday nagging” in Korean. In the process, they naturally used the “-ni?” pattern repeatedly, and they were able to move beyond learning grammar to compare and discuss holiday cultures in Korea and Indonesia.
I believe the best way to learn “Korean that is actually used” is for students not simply to memorize grammar, but to relate to real situations and express their own experiences in Korean. Korean and Indonesian differ greatly as languages, but when students discover cultural experiences they share, that distance gradually narrows. When students say, ”We have the same thing,” they come to accept Korean culture as familiar rather than unfamiliar, and the burden of learning Korean becomes much lighter.
