Well, judging by the date of my last post, it seems I've been a bit of a blog-slacker. That's all going to change with the launch of my new and improved Functionall Books fabulous book review blog-a-rama! Ok, that sounds a little goofy, but I have decided to pepper my already-fascinating ESL teacher tips and observations with reviews of current ESL/EFL teaching and learning resources. Not only is there a plethora of resources, they don't come cheap (except, of course, Functionall Books' incredible downloadable e-lessons). Let this old hat do some research and save you some time and money. Lord knows, we teachers need more of both!
Email me or post below the title and isbn# (if you have it) of a resource you love, hate, or really want to know more about and I'll take a closer look. Look for the first review in my next blog post. In the meantime, click the links on the left under "Stuff To Think About", to read previous posts on all kinds of fascinating teaching and learning topics.
4 Oct 2009
26 Oct 2008
Being Yourself
It’s usually a quick one hour lecture out of the hundreds budding teachers endure. Um, I mean enjoy. The lecture is a platform for rule-setting – for the teachers, that is. Don’t do this. Don’t say this. Don’t wear this. Sometimes Power Point images of stick figures with low-cut blouses and g-string underwear are involved. A few giggles. A few women (and the men beside them) quickly glance down their necklines to make sure they are “classroom-worthy”. Giggles and surreptitious looks aside, there is always a serious undertone and understanding that, particularly in the hyper-culturally-sensitive environment of an ESL classroom, PROFESSIONALISM is the word of the day. However, while professional dress codes may seem, ahem, clear cut, professional conduct falls under a far more arbitrary umbrella.
Let’s face it, only in the last decade or so have TESL/TEFL and TESOL (Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) members and institutions acquired any semblance of academic or “official” recognition as true educators. There are still locales that will take any EFL teacher, biology degree and all, but for the most part, we’re finally bona fide! That said, there is a grand grey area where professional boundaries are concerned.
Student-teacher relations, for example, and particularly those in an adult learning environment, may be bound by a strict zero-contact policy. Yet, just as likely, some institutions may encourage extra-curricular involvement such as pub trips, potluck parties, and sports activities. Regardless of the “rules”, most adults are aware of what crosses the ever-shifting line and behave accordingly. But what about what teachers believe? What about what teachers say about their beliefs in the classroom?
Oh sure, we teach all “the skills”: grammar, listening, reading, writing, etc…but in what context, under which cultural or political influence? Well, SURPRISE! Our own. Just as writers write what they know best, teachers teach from their own experience. What else would we do? Ironically, teachers are often considered community leaders, wise and influential, yet we are cautioned in our initial training and further PD to be culturally, politically, every-ally neutral in the name of professionalism. In some cases, it seems teachers are trusted only to regurgitate the curriculum, not truly educate from a position of knowledge and experience.
I certainly agree that in order to be respectful to all students and colleagues, one should be thoughtful and diplomatic when expressing personal opinions but I believe it imperative that teachers show their true colours. Recall your favourite or most influential teacher. Unbiased, dispassionate, and predictable are likely not the words that best describe your memories. An impartial, “neutral” educator is not the stuff from which inspiration blossoms. Share your passions. Be yourself. Wear full-bottomed underwear. The learning and growing will follow.
Let’s face it, only in the last decade or so have TESL/TEFL and TESOL (Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) members and institutions acquired any semblance of academic or “official” recognition as true educators. There are still locales that will take any EFL teacher, biology degree and all, but for the most part, we’re finally bona fide! That said, there is a grand grey area where professional boundaries are concerned.
Student-teacher relations, for example, and particularly those in an adult learning environment, may be bound by a strict zero-contact policy. Yet, just as likely, some institutions may encourage extra-curricular involvement such as pub trips, potluck parties, and sports activities. Regardless of the “rules”, most adults are aware of what crosses the ever-shifting line and behave accordingly. But what about what teachers believe? What about what teachers say about their beliefs in the classroom?
Oh sure, we teach all “the skills”: grammar, listening, reading, writing, etc…but in what context, under which cultural or political influence? Well, SURPRISE! Our own. Just as writers write what they know best, teachers teach from their own experience. What else would we do? Ironically, teachers are often considered community leaders, wise and influential, yet we are cautioned in our initial training and further PD to be culturally, politically, every-ally neutral in the name of professionalism. In some cases, it seems teachers are trusted only to regurgitate the curriculum, not truly educate from a position of knowledge and experience.
I certainly agree that in order to be respectful to all students and colleagues, one should be thoughtful and diplomatic when expressing personal opinions but I believe it imperative that teachers show their true colours. Recall your favourite or most influential teacher. Unbiased, dispassionate, and predictable are likely not the words that best describe your memories. An impartial, “neutral” educator is not the stuff from which inspiration blossoms. Share your passions. Be yourself. Wear full-bottomed underwear. The learning and growing will follow.
10 Aug 2008
Mentoring & Learning
When Bill emailed and asked if I knew of anyone who could offer a materials development internship for one of his MATESOL candidates, I racked my brain and came up with one or two lame possibilities. Bill politely mused on my suggestions and showed his characteristic patience and humour while I stumbled into the most obvious solution and the real reason Bill had asked me at all. Me.
While mentoring or sponsoring an intern or practicum student is a great opportunity to guide a new, enthusiastic soul through the maze of your profession (and also, hopefully, your passion), it is also a journey of self-exploration. Such a journey, as most of us know, is both inspiring and painful. My inspiration came in the form of a young woman named Rachael, an enthusiastic and creative intern. Inspiring because she came equipped with the newest in language pedagogy...a side of PD veterans often let slide in the pursuit of "teaching"...and the excited energy of one discovering her niche in the world. Painful because, in order to be a worthwhile and purposeful mentor to her, each choice, suggestion, or path I offered had to be supported by something meaningful and legitimate. In other words, not only was it necessary for me to re-evaluate my teaching philosophy, but I had to hit the books myself, again...
Over the four or so months we worked together, using email, Skype, IM, and (egads!) the telephone to cobble together our individual and collective visions, I learned a great deal about my strengths and my limitations. Most significantly, Rachael reminded me of how hard one will work, and overcome, to show she has got what it takes. Hats off to you Rachael!
Some sponsors or mentors might imagine an internship in which the student is like a little bird, mouth open and wings atwitter, ready to swallow whatever bologne you feed it or fly off to complete whatever goofy task you assign it. A mentor may see his or her efforts as glorious acts of noblesse oblige, or perhaps a colossal waste of time. The reality of mentorship is quite different. It is not something grand or self-sacrificing, nor is it fruitless or futile. It is not the dawn of something new, nor is it a continuing of the status quo. It is a hybrid; it is a negotiation; it is a compromise. It is a relationship.
While mentoring or sponsoring an intern or practicum student is a great opportunity to guide a new, enthusiastic soul through the maze of your profession (and also, hopefully, your passion), it is also a journey of self-exploration. Such a journey, as most of us know, is both inspiring and painful. My inspiration came in the form of a young woman named Rachael, an enthusiastic and creative intern. Inspiring because she came equipped with the newest in language pedagogy...a side of PD veterans often let slide in the pursuit of "teaching"...and the excited energy of one discovering her niche in the world. Painful because, in order to be a worthwhile and purposeful mentor to her, each choice, suggestion, or path I offered had to be supported by something meaningful and legitimate. In other words, not only was it necessary for me to re-evaluate my teaching philosophy, but I had to hit the books myself, again...
Over the four or so months we worked together, using email, Skype, IM, and (egads!) the telephone to cobble together our individual and collective visions, I learned a great deal about my strengths and my limitations. Most significantly, Rachael reminded me of how hard one will work, and overcome, to show she has got what it takes. Hats off to you Rachael!
Some sponsors or mentors might imagine an internship in which the student is like a little bird, mouth open and wings atwitter, ready to swallow whatever bologne you feed it or fly off to complete whatever goofy task you assign it. A mentor may see his or her efforts as glorious acts of noblesse oblige, or perhaps a colossal waste of time. The reality of mentorship is quite different. It is not something grand or self-sacrificing, nor is it fruitless or futile. It is not the dawn of something new, nor is it a continuing of the status quo. It is a hybrid; it is a negotiation; it is a compromise. It is a relationship.
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