Dear Heide and others,

I'm on my way to Korea, but am at the airport in Tokyo (Narita) where they
have wireless so I'll briefly respond here.

In a study of promising practices in adult ESOL at five community
colleges, we did discuss a number of professional development practices,
ranging from those for new instructors to those for very experienced
instructors.

The final report (and a much shorter executive summary) is available to
download at www.caalusa.org.  Look for the study, Passing the Torch, on
the left side of the homepage.

Some of the interesting models included peer coaching and mentoring,
reflective teaching, setting up a certificate program, as well as a
variety of uses of program websites and resource centers.

Jodi

> Hi, Barbara and others

>

> Good questions about PD and how to help teachers acquire the foundation

> skills needed in teaching adult learners new to English. (I think

> understanding how second language acquisition works and understanding

> second language reading and literacy are good starting points). And

> introducing teachers to tasks and texts that serve multiple purposes and

> allow for deeper understanding of language and life seems a good way to

> go ("less teaching and more learning" was the title that Susan Gaer gave

> to one of her articles on project-based learning and was kind enough to

> let me use for some of my work)

>

> Unfortunately, I don't know what various states are doing in PD around

> adult ESL though I very much like the model of the ongoing staff

> development through Academies and Institutes that the Texas GREAT

> Centers are adopting. The limitations of the conference model that

> focuses on the one shot workshop has certainly been demonstrated through

> research.

>

> Jodi Crandall (on the list but in Korea at the moment) is working on a

> project that examines the various PD models that states in the U.S. use,

> and she should have more information in a few months.

>

> In terms of PD that focuses on the development of language skills in the

> context of work or on the integration of jobs skills on the one hand and

> language and literacy skills on the other, I keep hearing renewed

> interest in these models from foundations, government agencies, and

> other institutions. Various new reports have been published or are under

> development. To what extent this interest is translating into workshops

> or seminars for teachers is difficult to say and too early to tell,

> perhaps.

>

> But some of the rest of you might know more, and it would be great to

> hear what is happening in other countries in that respect. Australia or

> New Zealand, perhaps? Ireland?

>

> Heide

>

> ________________________________

>

> From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov

> [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Tondre

> Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 9:33 AM

> To: specialtopics at nifl.gov

> Subject: [SpecialTopics 297] Re: Authentic materials

>

> Hello from Texas!  I have been following the discussion.  It's always

> good to hear from Heide and Larry as well as fellow practitioners from

> beyond...

>

> Janet touched upon something that is so fundamental to this discussion,

> and that is the basic preparation of ESL instructors.  Here in Texas, we

> have been fortunate to have Heide work closely with us for a number of

> years in an effort to build a foundation of knowledge among our very

> part time AE instructors.

>

> Unfortunately, because of the overwhelming demand, AE often finds it

> necessary to make ESL instruction assignments to those who are still

> struggling to get a firm grasp on adult learning theory and the

> principles of second language learning. In my work with Texas LEARNS and

> its response to a legislative mandate that AE provide work-related ESL

> instruction, I am constantly reminded that our efforts rest on a rather

> shaky foundation.

>

> Preparing program administrators and instructional staff to respond to

> the work-related needs of adult English language learners - and to

> maintain a balance between language learning and workforce skills

> development - is quite a challenge. So I have to ask:  are there efforts

> out there that require (or strongly encourage) administrators to guide

> their instructors through a series of PD activities that help them

> incrementally develop expertise vs. merely fulfill the annual PD

> requirement?  The Texas Teacher Credential project is a model for this

> kind of professional development, but it seems we need a multi-faceted

> tactical approach to move forward.

>

> Just wondering out loud...

>

> Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani

> Texas LEARNS

>

>

>



-- 
JoAnn (Jodi) Crandall
Professor, Education Department
Director, Ph.D. Program in Language, Literacy & Culture
Coordinator, Peace Corps Master's International Program in ESOL/Bilingual
Education
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250
ph:    410-455-2313/2376  fax:   410-455-8947/1880
email: crandall at umbc.edu
www.umbc.edu/llc/
www.umbc.edu/esol/
www.umbc.edu/esol/peacecorps.html