Design of Teacher Training Programs - Week 2 - Foundations of Teacher Learning

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 2 of the course Design and Evaluation of Teacher Training Programs and Workshops for the Master's in English Teaching at ULACIT. In this class we will do several activities to explore the differences between professional development and teacher training, compare and contrast the roles they play in teacher learning, and discuss ways that teachers can be supported at different stages in their professional life cycle.

Today's Goals:

• Contribute to the group creation of conceptual outline describing a model for language teacher education.
• Differentiate between the concepts of training and development by contrasting their processes, goals, and outcomes.
• Compare two models describing teacher life cycles and discuss how teachers can be supported at different stages.

Guiding Questions:

• What is the content of language teacher education and how can teachers acquire it?
• What are the differences between training and development?
• How can life-cycle models and metaphors help us understand how teachers change over time?

Task 1: Metaphors for your Teaching Journey

Think back on your growth as development over your years of teaching. Propose a visual metaphor to represent your experiences at these points in your career:

• Pre-service training and university education
• Your first year of teaching
• How you saw yourself JUST before COVID
• Your transition into online teaching

Be ready to describe and/or show your visual representation and explain what it means to you and why you chose it.

Task 2: Sharing your PD Journal

Let's take a moment to share some ideas from your PD Journal. Summarize what you wrote in your introduction in regards to:

• The purpose of your journal 
• Teacher life cycle stages and your "ideal teacher self"
• Assessment of your current PD level and future PD goals

Task 3: Teacher Life Cycles

In the pages you read, Richards (2018) makes reference to the idea of a teacher life cycle and he cites Huberman's model in particular. This model presents teacher evolution as consisting of distinct stages with associated attitudes but in a non-linear process.

• Novice: Career Entry, Survival, and Stabilization 
• Midcareer: Experimentation and Diversification, Taking Stock
• Late Career: Serenity, Conservatism, Disengagement

Click graphic below for a better view. It illustrates the stages and possible movements in Huberman's model. Then discuss this question.

• What might lead a teacher to move from one stage to the next or move laterally in their development?

Click to see full size image.

Randall and Thornton (2001) in their book Advising and Supporting Teachers describe another life cycle model based on skill development and expertise. It outlines the skills and abilities teachers develop as they progress through stages in their careers. 

• CLICK HERE and quickly skim through the descriptions in the model. Discuss these questions with your partner.

• What are the potential strengths and limitations of framing teacher development in terms of expertise?
• What role do you think training plays in the development and acquisition of the skills outlined in this model? What could account for the rest?
• Considering both life cycle models as well as your own experience and intuition, how can institutions and administators support teacher learning and different stages in their professional life cycle?

Task 4: Teacher Training, Development, and Decision Making

Now you will review some of the key concepts from the article you read for this week (Freeman, 1989) regarding a conceptual model for language teacher education. This is very important since it will influence the way we view the goals and processes of teacher training and professional development in the rest of the course. 

• Group 1: CLICK HERE 
• Group 2: CLICK HERE 
• Group 3: CLICK HERE 

Task 5: Training vs Development 

In the book Language Teacher Professional Development (Farrell, 2015) the author explores the definition and purpose of professional development at length. Let's read some quotes and consider how they complement the model presented by Freeman.

• What is development?

• Farrell adopts another author's definition of PD saying that it is the "process and activities designed to enhance the professional knowledge, skills, and attitude of educators so that they might, in turn, improve the learning of students (p. 10)."

• "...when teacher educators put an emphasis on training, they are looking for learner teachers to be able to isolate, practice, and eventually master discrete teaching behaviors such as teacher talk, wait time, and use of questioning techniques (p. 10)."

• "In the 1990's, within the second language teacher education literature, there was a move away from a training approach to teaching toward a development approach to teaching... It recognizes professional development as the continual intellectual, experiential, and attitudinal growth of teachers. In this approach, the role of teacher educators, supervisors, and workshop leaders changes from a perscriptive type of leadership (training) to one that provides opportunities for teachers to participate in a variety of activities (p. 10)."

• What do you think?

• Who should take responsibility for professional development, the individual teacher or the institution?

• If the institution takes responsibility for their teachers' professional development, how do you think this will materialize?

• What degree of responsibility do educational institutions have to provide ongoing professional development for their teaching staff and what are some of the challenges from an institutional perspective of implementing these initiatives?

• If the individual teacher takes responsibility for his or her own development, how will this materialize?

• In your opinion (experience), for the average teacher in Costa Rica, what barriers exist that can explain why many teachers do not take advantage of available professional development opportunities or do not seek them out on their own?

References:

Farrell, T. (2015). Language Teacher Professional Development. TESOL International Association.

Freeman, D. (1989). Teacher Training, Development, and Decision Making: A Model of Teaching and Related

Strategies for Language Teacher Education. TESOL Quarterly, 23(1), 27-45.  https://doi.org/10.2307/3587506

Randall, M. & Thronton, B. (2001). Advising and Supporting Teachers. Cambridge University Press.

Richards, J. (2017). Jack C. Richards' 50 Tips for Teacher Development. Cambridge University Press.

Diseño de Materiales - Week 1 - Course Introduction 

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 1 of the course Diseño de Materiales for the Licenciate in English Teaching Program at ULACIT. In this class we will review syllabus and evaluation structure of the course, express our views of the nature of language and learning, and explore the topic of language tasks as a design principle for materials development.

Today's Goals:

• Review the course content, evaluation structure, and important dates from the syllabus.
• Discuss our conceptions related to language and identify how they can influence our approach to materials development.

Guiding Questions:

• What are the key issues in materials design for language courses?
• What do I hope to gain from this course?

Task 1: Put the Pieces Together

Click on the link below. Then find the space in the document that corresponds to your group and follow the instructions. Be ready to share you ideas with the rest of the class when we go back to the main room.

• Shared Document: CLICK HERE

Task 2: Setting the Foundation

Work with your partners to complete this survey. Don't rush through the questions. Take your time to discuss them, come to a consensus, and add your group answer. Only one member of the group needs to submit the answers. 

• Survey: CLICK HERE

Task 3: First Thoughts about Guiding Questions

Now we quickly look at some of the key questions that will guide our learning in the course and articulate our initial thoughts and points of curiousity.

• Guiding Questions: CLICK HERE

References

Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003). Teaching Language: From Grammar to Grammaring. Heinle Cengage Learning.

 TOEIC Preparation -Week 1

Introduction: Welcome to the first day of the course. Let's take a moment at the beginning of the class today to get to know each other and set our intentions for this course.

Task 1: Nice to Meet You (5 minutes) 

Have a conversation to get to know your partners. Ask and answer questions to learn basic personal information.

• Name
• Hometown
• Studies (past, present, future)
• Work
• Hobbies
• Favorite things

Task 2: Class Experiences (10 minutes) 

Now discuss some of your previous experiences with English classes.

Click the picture to see the full size.

Task 3: Class Rules and Requests (5 minutes) 

Online classes and face to face classes are not the same. What are some recommendations we should follow to make this course a nice experience? 

• What do you need from: the teacher, your partners, and yourself?
• What you want your teacher, your partners, and yourself to do?
• What are some positive actions that your teacher, your partners, and you can do to contribute to a nice learning experience in this course?

Task 4: Page 7 - Task A - In this task you are asked to identify words and phrases that describe an event. Look at the event on the left and then consider the phrases on the right. Which phrases do you NOT ASSOCIATE with that event? Why not?

Click the picture to see the full version.

Task 5: Group Practice

Now you will work together with your partners to complete a strategy practice and group quiz. One member of the group should share the screen (and computer sound), click the link below, and follow the instructions. 

• Group Quiz: CLICK HERE

Task 6: Preposition Practice 

You already practiced hand gestures for these prepositions with your teacher. Now it's time for you to practice with your partners. In each group one person will be the leader. The leader will do different gestures and the partners will say the preposition they see. The leader will go quickly so that it is difficult. Then after a minute, the leader will not do anymore gestures. He or she will only say a preposition and the partners have to do the corresponding gesture. After a few minutes, you can change the leader and try again. 

Click the picture to see the full version.

Task 7: Identifying Physical Relationships with Prepositions - Click on the pictures below and analyze them. What object can you identify in the picture? What prepositions can you use to describe them? Look at the sentences. What prepositions would make senses in those examples? 

Click the pictures to see the full version.

Now for the last picture, work with your partner to create sentences to describe the relationships between the people and objects in the photo. Try to use as many different prepositions as possible.

Click the picture to see the full version. 

 Design of Teacher Training Programs - Week 1 - What is a Professional?

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 1 of the course Design and Evaluation of Teacher Training Programs and Workshops for the Master's in English Teaching at ULACIT. In this class we will discuss the structure, content, evaluation activties and major due dates of the course. In addition, we will explore the topic of professionalism in English language teaching and articulate our own definitions of what it means to be a professional.

Today's Goals:

• Review the course content, evaluation structure, and important dates from the syllabus.
• Consider common sense definitions of professionalism and what they imply about the profession of English teaching.
• Explore differences between professionals an lay people, amateurs, technicians, and academics in order to define what it means to be a professional langauge teacher. 

Guiding Questions:

• What does it mean to be a professional in ELT?
• How can teachers grow and develop as professionals?
• What do I hope to learn in this course?

Warm Up: Parts of Speech

Let's test your recall of some basic grammar terms. Work quickly to fill the chart with the required items before the time runs out. Your teacher will explain what to do next.

• POS Rally: CLICK HERE
• New Year's Mad Lib: CLICK HERE

Task 1: Initial Thoughts on Professionalism

Teacher education, training, and development are all necessary strategies to help form better teaching professionals, but what does it mean to be a professional? Discuss the following questions with your peers. Use the video timer to manage your time.

• In a general context, what does the word professional mean to you?
• What are some general qualities of a professional?

• In Costa Rica saying somone "es profesional" typically implies that the person has a college degree and is working in that field. Do you thing being a working college graduate makes someone a professional?

• How would you describe the opposite of the word professional?
• What are some general qualities of a non-professional?

• What are some specific characteristics or qualities of an English as a foreign language teacher (EFL) when viewed as a professional?

• How can teachers acquire or develop these qualities?

Task 2: What is Professionalism in ELT?

Penny Ur's 2002 article "The English Teacher as Professional" helps us form a more complete picture about what it means to be a professional language teacher by contrasting the qualities of a professional with those of the layperson, amateur, technician, and academic. Click your group link below and follow the instructions to explore some of these distinctions more deeply.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE - Professional vs Amateur
• Group 2: CLICK HERE - Professioanl vs Technician
• Group 3: CLICK HERE - Professional vs Academic

References:

Ur, P. (2002). The English Teacher as Professional. In J. Richards & W. Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice (pp. 388-392). Cambridge University Press.

 Teaching Grammar - Week 1 - Why Teach Grammar?

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 1 of the course Teaching Grammar for the Licenciatura in English Teaching at ULACIT. In this class we will discuss the structure, content, evaluation activties and major due dates of the course. In addition, we will consider traditional reasons for teaching grammar in English class and evaluate whether all of these reasons can still be justified.

Today's Goals:

• Review the course content, evaluation structure, and important dates from the syllabus.
• Analyze traditional reasons given for teaching grammar, list their consequences, and evaluate whether or not these reasons can be justified. 
• Generate a list of controversies, unresolved issues, questions and areas of curiosity related to the teaching of grammar that you would like to explore during the course.

Guiding Questions:

• What are some of the key issues in the area of grammar teaching for English language learners?
• What are good reasons and bad reasons to teach grammar?
• What do I hope to learn in this course?

Warm Up: Parts of Speech

Let's test your recall of some basic grammar terms. Work quickly to fill the chart with the required items before the time runs out. Your teacher will explain what to do next.

• POS Rally: CLICK HERE
• New Year's Mad Lib: CLICK HERE

Task 1: Initial Thoughts on Grammar Teaching

Click play on the video timer. Then discuss the following questions with your partners. When the time is over, go to Task 2.

• What is your "common sense" definition of the word grammar?
• Do you agree or disagree with the following statements. Say why.

• Grammar is the most important aspect of language to teach in a class.
• Students should master one grammar structure at a time before being introduced to another.
• My students think grammar is boring.
• I think grammar is boring.
• I have wonderful memories of the English grammar lessons I received in high school.
• Most commercial ELT textbooks don't focus enough on grammar. 
• I am familiar with a wide variety of strategies and activity types to teach grammar.
• Explicit correction of students' grammar errors is necessary to avoid fossilization.
• The best way for students to learn a new grammar structure is for the teacher to "give them the formula".
• I feel confident in my abilities to answer students' questions about grammar, even the unexpected questions.
• Advanced grammar in English involves structures like 3rd conditional and passive voice.
• It is absolutely necessary that students learn the future perfect continuous. 
• Even though I'm a teacher, I sometimes get confused with grammar terminology.

• On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best, how do you rate your current ability to teach grammar? Why do you give yourself that rating?

Task 2: Why Teach Grammar?

Click your group link below to analyze different reasons that have been used to justify the role of grammar in ELT and follow the instructions in the document.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE

Task 3: Exploring Issues in Grammar Teaching

Click the group link below and contribute to the group brainstorm document to articulate some of the unresolved issues in grammar teaching, your personal questions and areas of curiousity, and what you hope to learn in this course. 

• Group Brainstorm: CLICK HERE

References:

Swan, M. (2002). Seven Bad Reasons for Teaching Grammar - and Two Good Ones. In J. Richards & W. Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice (pp. 148-152). Cambridge University Press.