Opening the insider's eye: starting action research

This paper discusses the topic of getting started on a process of action research (AR). I hope that the paper encourages a few teachers to begin classroom investigations, because it is important for the TESOL and TEFL profession that we have more teacher-researchers. Only if we establish action research as a more attractive aspect of teaching can we avoid the almost complete separation between research on the one hand and practice on the other (Wallace 1991, p. 10). This gap between theory and practice has understandably caused a negative attitude towards theory among teachers. Essentially this rift has been caused by the predominance of the objective outsider in TESOL research. Action research offers the possibility of TESOL teachers providing an insider's view of the teaching process

Giving TESOL change a chance: supporting key players in the curriculum change process

The language of ‘western’ planned and managed TESOL curriculum change aid projects of the 1980–1990s continues to have a strong influence on the terms in which the objectives of 21st century, nationally planned TESOL curriculum change projects are expressed. It is apparently assumed that teachers worldwide will be able to make the cultural and professional adjustments necessary to enable such objectives to be achieved. Many 20th century TESOL aid projects achieved their stated objectives only partially, if at all. The same remains true of much nationally planned and managed TESOL curriculum change today. One important reason for such limited success, is change planners’ failure to adequately consider what support classroom teachers will need, when, and for how long, if they are to be helped to make the above adjustments. This paper does not intend to make value judgements regarding the beliefs about teaching and learning underlying any particular culture, or the classroom behaviours that these give rise to. It represents a pragmatic attempt to present some questions that those responsible for planning TESOL curriculum change might ask, before finally deciding on the objectives of such change in their own contexts. Answers to these questions can, it is suggested, help provide information about how key players (classroom teachers) are likely to experience the implementation of objectives. Based on this information, planners can try to establish systems that will support teachers during the critical first few years of the change process, so making it more likely that the process will ultimately begin to achieve its hoped-for outcomes

New TESOL graduates’ employment experiences and views of teacher education: Report to the Wintec Research Committee following poster presentation at the 9th Community Languages and ESOL (CLESOL) conference, 24—27 September, 2004, Christchurch

In 2003 a new 12-week full time Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programme called Certificate in English Language Teaching (Cert ELT) was offered by the Department of Education at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) for the first time. While other TESOL programmes offered by Wintec are for trained teachers and teacher-aides, the new Cert ELT programme is for those with little or no previous teaching experience. The curriculum development and delivery of Wintec’s TESOL programmes are informed by a constructivist view of learning which has held a prominent focus in educational literature since the late 1980s. This theory of learning sees learners as active participants in the processes of incorporating, synthesising and constructing knowledge within their previous experience (Arlidge, 2000; Zepke, Nugent & Leach 2003). Of particular relevance within TESOL literature is the social constructivist view which claims that a key element in the learning process is that knowledge is socially constructed through dialogue and interaction with others (Randall & Thornton, 2001; Malderez & Bodoczky, 1999; James, 2001). Also relevant is the reflective model of TESOL teacher education as outlined by Wallace (1993) in which trainees participate in a continuous cycle of teaching, observation, reflection and discussion in order to become reflective practitioners. A lack of information concerning what happens to the Cert ELT students once they graduate from the programme motivated the research discussed in this paper. Data collection included a questionnaire and individual interviews. The questionnaire gathered information concerning the graduates' employment destinations, and the interviews focussed on the graduates' retrospective views of those components of the programme associated with a social constructivist view of learning. These components included experiential learning, reflective practice and collaborative practice. It is expected that insights gained from this project will be of interest to other TESOL professionals and teacher educators

Teaching grammar: Rethinking the approach

In this article Margaret Kettle examines grammar, its image problem and some new developments aimed at improving its teaching and learning in the TESOL classroom

ESOL teachers' identities in flux : identity transformations throughout a career : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education, Massey University, Manawatu, Aotearoa New Zealand

This study investigates how experiences of ESOL (English for Speakers of other Languages) teachers informed and transformed their professional identities over the course of their careers. This is important because to improve education we need to understand how teachers experience their work. The study uses narrative inquiry to enable an understanding of participants’ perspectives on their lived experience and construction of identities. Research participants were four ESOL teachers who have worked in various cultural and institutional contexts. In interviews teachers were asked simply to talk about their TESOL career, revealing what the important issues were for them. Short narrative excerpts were identified from individual interviews for analysis. Findings revealed that the teachers drew on various sources, from both individual and social realms, to construct their professional identities. Professional learning was found to emerge from everyday practice on the job and from dealing with the challenges of being involved in diverse contexts. The need for autonomy was another important factor shaping how teachers felt about their work. Teachers also held particular beliefs about good practice, which could lead to positive or negative outcomes depending on whether they were able to operationalize these beliefs. Social sources identified in the data were teachers’ connections with their students and with other teachers, cross-cultural dimensions in TESOL settings, and issues to do with the low status of TESOL. The teachers’ professional identities were found to change according to varying influences over the course of their career trajectories. The study concludes with implications and recommendations for teachers and institutions to increase the level of professionalism and to raise the status of the field of TESOL

Facing the Mirror: Dilemmas and Issues Encountered on a TESOL programme in an International University Environment

Abstract: This paper investigates the experiences of three postgraduate students studying on an MA TESOL and Applied Linguistics course in a British university context. It demonstrates how subtle discourses of „ownership‟ of English (Holliday, 2014; Pennycook, 1994, 2001; Kumaravadevelu, 2003) persist in such training contexts, despite the general shift towards internationalizing higher education environments in the UK. The paper will discuss how the participants negotiated the teaching practice components of the course, and the issues they faced through being „non-native‟ speakers of English. It further examines the impact this had on their professional development and self-perceptions of „legitimacy‟ as teachers of English. The different constructs of a TESOL teacher are discussed and the need for a heightened awareness of training needs for teachers across diverse contexts

TESOL Programs: Theory Surpasses practice

This study explores the structures of TESOL programs in which student-teachers of English gain theoretical foundations and practical techniques for teaching English. Based on stages of actual teaching methodology, this paper questions the efficiency of current programs in Saudi Arabia to answer the research questions: 1. Do TESOL programs include adequate practice to come out with well-trained teachers and 2. If there is a practical shortage in TESOL programs, is it attributed to the program’s design or to educators’ teaching styles and strategies? Another objective of this paper is to determine and outline the correct timing and pairing of theory and practice in the context of TESOL programs. This suggested model is called Snowball Practice Model which synchronizes theory to practice in TESOL programs. This study’s survey-based presents a conceptual framework of actual TESOL teaching stages and suggests an alternative option for effectively integrating theory-practice model rather than a model similar to the current methodologies. Participants of English teachers have been selected who graduated from Saudi universities and a survey is conducted to investigate the teaching methodologies, curricula, facilities of the TESOL programs and teaching field. The results show that most TESOL programs focus on theory than practice, and that this focus leads many novice teachers to struggle at the beginning of their careers. Keywords: TESOL programs, Snowball Practice Model, theory-practice synchronizatio

The Ethics of TESOL a quarter century on

Discussion of ethical considerations in Australian TESOL began 25 years ago, with arguments about the need for TESOL professionals to be aware of the potentially harmful consequences of their work, the loss of first language proficiency, and even the loss of languages themselves (Williams, 1992, 1995). The intervening quarter of a century has seen sweeping changes to the context in which TESOL professionals work and developments in our professional knowledge about the processes and consequences of TESOL professional practice (Canagarajah, 1999; Phillipson, 1992, 2013). In this paper developments in the sociocultural context of TESOL, the general education context and the TESOL professional context are explored. This article revises the arguments about ethical directions in TESOL presented a quarter century ago to take account of these changes. Guiding principles for individuals and professional bodies are identified. It is argued that our role is to sensitively help our learners to explore the potential consequences of the learning of English, and for professional bodies to take an active role in advocacy given the impact of globalization processes, more centralized curriculum and assessment frameworks, and the relatively reduced capacity of individual teachers to influence the institutions that employ them