Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g0VL76u02467; Thu, 31 Jan 2002 16:07:07 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 16:07:07 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <3C59B16A.F515F76B@erols.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Sherry Migdail <shermigd@erols.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:7110] Re: interests, questions, concerns X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: multipart/mixed; X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en]C-RR032399 (Win95; I) Status: O Content-Length: 3955 Lines: 92 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------0C18D6952854E591C1D7136F Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Teaching? Part art, part craft, part interest, part creativity, part compassion and understanding of likenesses and differences, much part training in specific content and part perseverance, flexibility and common sense. ESL takes more - a real effort on the part of the teacher to learn about nuances related to cultural experiences both student and the teacher have... Sherry Migdail Yvonne Lerew wrote: > This discussion is very interesting to me as well. I believe that teaching > is part art and part craft. The part that is art requires a certain amount > of talent that can't be imposed through training or other outside > means. This is a combination of personality traits, commitment, and > passion. The other part that is craft is the part that can be positively > affected through training of methods, understanding of second language > acquisition theories, etc. > This is my theory at least. I am in a CBO and, in my position, hire > teachers for adult ESL. In this community (South Dakota) we don't often > find teachers with previous ESL training and/or experience. I try to look > for evidence of the personality traits, commitment and passion that I > mentioned and figure that in-service training, workshops, and literature > from the field will fill in the gaps. > Any other thoughts out there? > > Yvonne Lerew > Education Program Coordinator > LSS Refugee and Immigration Programs > Sioux Falls, SD > ylerew@lsssd.org > At 08:26 AM 1/31/02 -0500, you wrote: > > >>When I was a volunteer & later the only paid staff in a community ESL > >program, I > >often got a chill from the local "professionals" (in another state) -- > >somehow, I > >wasn't really teaching ESL. However, they were rather relieved that my > >program & > >similar ones were dealing with the non-literate refugees, especially in > >their > >early stages of English acquisition. << > >(Dottie Shatuck) > > > >Isn't that interesting! Reflects on their perceptions of who is a real > >teacher. More worrisome for me is their inherent assumption that it is > >alright for (in their eyes) a "non-professional" to work with non-literate > >beginners, a population that is the most difficult to work with (as a > >teacher) and in most need! Your class were fortunate to have someone like > >you. I don't think one can do away with training, nor can one say > >definitively that people can't teach without training, because in the CBOs I > >looked at in India, clearly there were very few "professionals". > > > >As I said elsewhere, training is necessary, but there's more to teaching > >than training. In New Jersey, as long as you have a teaching certificate > >(matters not in what subject or which school level), you are seen as being > >qualified to teach adults. I've spoken with teachers who were informed two > >days prior to taking on a class who they would be working with. I've seen > >trained teachers working with adults as if they were still teaching > >kindergarteners. But I have also seen teachers change and evolve with > >training and classes. So whilst their prior education didn't help them with > >their "new students", some training did. But on the other hand, I've seen > >art teachers, musicians, be superb teachers. It's in the attitude you think? > > > >regards > >Ujwala --------------0C18D6952854E591C1D7136F Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii; name="shermigd.vcf" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Description: Card for Sherry Migdail Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="shermigd.vcf" begin:vcard n:Migdail;Sherry tel;fax:301 652 0890 tel;home:7301 Connecticut Avenue Chevy Chase MD 20815 x-mozilla-html:FALSE adr:;;;;;; version:2.1 email;internet:shermigd@erols.com fn:Sherry Migdail end:vcard --------------0C18D6952854E591C1D7136F--
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Jan 17 2003 - 14:44:00 EST