Going Beyond Numbers at Dulwich College Seoul

Meet Jack Denning, a passionate and dedicated maths and physics teacher at Dulwich College Seoul. In this episode of #VoicesofEiM, Jack shares his journey to becoming an educator, supporting students to excel in the IB programme while balancing their wellbeing, his approach to building student confidence through tailored challenges, and what makes the staff community at Dulwich College Seoul so special.

Born in the UK and raised in the pastoral landscapes of the west of Ireland, Jack enjoyed an upbringing surrounded by rural countryside, hiking, and other outdoor activities. A natural inclination for helping others with maths and physics first emerged through tutoring, setting the stage for his eventual career in education.
 

Jack spent two years in the corporate world in quality management in Ireland and the United States, before deciding to officially pursue his passion for teaching. He moved to the UK to complete his PGCE in Brighton, beginning his teaching career at a state school there, followed by an independent school just outside of the city. After spending several years honing his skills in the classroom, sharing his enthusiasm for maths with students and colleagues alike, he set his sights international – and found a placement in South Korea, at Dulwich College Seoul.

The move abroad was daunting, but Dulwich College Seoul provided a warm welcome to Jack and the other new teachers in his cohort. "I think everyone knows that experience of moving somewhere new for the first time and nothing works initially – all the technology that you're used to, like contactless payments, are on hold until you can set up your bank account," he explains. "But everyone was so friendly and helped me through that initial settling in period. [HR] met us at the airport and settled us in for the first week. They showed us around the local area, took us on an IKEA shopping trip to get furniture, taught us some of the basic Korean that you might need. It felt like I'd found a new community here quite quickly, which was really nice." 

Moving from the UK to Dulwich College Seoul didn't just result in a change of scenery, but also a change in curriculum as well – Jack shifted from teaching A-Levels to the International Baccalaureate (IB).

"Everyone has to do some maths, everyone has to do some science, everyone has to do some of the arts in the IB," Jack notes. This broader academic portfolio supports versatility in students and reminds him of the education system he experienced growing up in Ireland.
 

Jack highlights how the IB can be particularly beneficial for students who are undecided about their future paths. However, Jack also acknowledges that the high standards of the IB make it challenging to achieve top scores, manage time effectively, and maintain a balanced lifestyle.

"To hit those 45s in IB is hard," he remarks. "Sometimes students end up burning themselves out. Here, it's trying to find that right balance between pushing a student while also ensuring they are taking care of themselves on the side." Jack and his colleagues work closely with individual students to develop strong organizational and time-management skills while also encouraging self-care and wellbeing practices.

Dulwich College Seoul's holistic approach and personalised guidance allow for students to thrive by providing the support they need to balance academic excellence with personal wellbeing. With the commitment and attentiveness of all staff, including Jack, students are given the freedom and flexibility to explore both aspects with the comfort of knowing dedicated educators are actively supporting and caring for their overall development. 

Jack teaches Year 9 and 11 mathematics and Year 10, 11, and 12 physics. His passion for teaching maths comes from a deep desire to make the subject accessible and engaging for all students, especially those who struggle. Jack believes that feeling of success is key to overcoming the negative cycle many students fall into, where low confidence leads to disengagement, reinforcing a belief that they're not capable.

"If they don't feel that they're succeeding in it, they just get this compounding sense of doom about the subject all the time," Jack explains.

To address this, Jack is very intentional about building students' confidence by carefully selecting topics and curating questions that are appropriate for their level. He believes in the power of the "Eureka moment", where students experience a sense of fulfilment after solving a problem, no matter how big or small.
 

By helping students reach these moments at the right level for them, Jack creates a pathway for greater engagement and enjoyment in the subject. He recognizes that while a growth mindset is encouraged, some students do find maths particularly challenging. For these students, he adjusts his approach, trying different ways to explain concepts until it clicks for them. With smaller class sizes at Dulwich College Seoul, Jack is able to have individual conversations with each student, to ensure that they understand the material and feel comfortable asking any questions.

Once students experience success, Jack then builds confidence by gradually pushing them toward more difficult material. For him, the key is helping students believe they can succeed, and from there, they begin to open up to the possibilities of the subject.

Jack observed that trying to continuously justify the relevance of every math concept with real-world examples can lead to unnecessary resistance from students. "When I tell students that they can calculate the flight of a ball using a quadratic equation, they'll respond by saying, 'actually, I would never do that in real life'," he laughs. "It almost creates a point where they can push back and say that they would never find themselves in that specific situation."

Instead, he shifted his approach, focusing on helping students understand maths as a universal language.

"Maths is almost like a language that we've discovered," Jack explains. "The rules work this way not because we've decided they work this way, but because it's a universal constant. This is the universe trying to talk to you in a particular way through maths."

Jack encourages students to appreciate the conceptual nature of maths. He points out that as students advance, they often realize that the true value of learning maths lies in understanding the underlying structures and principles, not necessarily the immediate real-world application. By helping students see maths as a way of understanding a "tiny chunk more of the universe," he encourages a deeper appreciation for the subject beyond surface-level applications.

"We're not doing it because there might be a real-world example," Jack notes, "but because the maths concepts behind it are useful."

That being said, Jack acknowledges that there are times when real-world examples are genuinely helpful, especially when students encounter something they will use immediately. However, he believes that students benefit more from exploring maths conceptually and appreciating its inherent logic and beauty.

To help augment his lessons, Jack uses innovative technological platforms when appropriate. He finds innovative maths and physics platforms useful because they allow students immediate feedback on questions, allowing them to work through incorrect answers straightaway, as opposed to waiting for a teacher to review and then provide feedback. The best platforms, he finds, are those that have well thought-out and designed questions appropriate for various maths levels – where students have to think, but not too hard that they are frustrated and give up. It's particularly useful when platforms have questions that are similar to those on exams. 
 

Dulwich College Seoul is Jack's first international school placement. Although he's only been at DCSL for slightly over a year now, he is excited about his future with the school and speaks highly of the tight-knit community and the opportunities that teachers are offered both within the school and across the wider EiM and Dulwich College International family.

"I haven't looked back since I made the decision to teach internationally. I think it was 100% the right decision – I regret not doing it sooner," Jack says.

When asked about what he looks for in a school, Jack's answer is unsurprisingly and immediately "community". The mid-size community of Dulwich College Seoul allows for the building of deep connections with both colleagues as well as students, and through this collaboration, personalised learning, and individual support, the school flourishes. Having worked in various educational settings, Jack knows the impact that a supportive and close atmosphere can have, and he has found that sense of belonging at DCSL.
 

This sense of community certainly extends beyond the classroom, and Jack speaks enthusiastically about the wide range of activities offered for staff.
 

When asked about exciting experiences he's had at Dulwich College Seoul, Jack brings up a recent opportunity he had that he could never have imagined before joining the international family of schools.

"I was Trip Lead on an adventure expedition," he explains. "We went to Mongolia with thirty-odd Year 10s. There was hiking and abseiling. These opportunities are really nice because students get to see a different side of you and you get to see a different side of them."

To Jack, this strong sense of community, combined with a willingness to embrace new opportunities, is what makes Dulwich College Seoul a unique and rewarding place to work. It's not just about teaching: it's about building lasting relationships and creating a supportive, vibrant environment where everyone can thrive.