[FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development
Mary Jane Jerde
mjjerdems at yahoo.com
Tue Feb 21 06:35:41 EST 2006
Hi,
As one of those who fits between the certified teacher category and the educationally inexperienced category, I have to say that what has helped me the most dealing with any class or student issue. (I taught overseas at colleges for two years, did other things--an RN-- for about 20 years, taught in Prince George's County's Refugee Program in Maryland, and earned a masters in curriuculum and instruction.)
1. Clear, excellent models of skills to be learned and techniques of instruction
2. A cadre of experienced and successful professionals to talk to
3. Good references to learn from
4. A good library of class materials on-site
The LD thing is really frustrating because it is so ameboid. I've asked my current program to buy some of the materials that have been referred to in this listing, because, while I really enjoy the global aspects of discussion, I have to be able to walk into class and do something that will benefit the student. I don't have "world enough and time."
I hope that in the materials I am able to find some straightforward frameworks I can use to organize assessment and interventions.
One question may help, how do you organize initial assessment and class plans with specific students in mind? Can you give us a walk through?
South Dakota, a land of black dirt and straight roads and distant horizons.
Thanks,
Mary Jane Jerde
"Cheek, Sandy" <sandyc at bigbend.edu> wrote:
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Some thoughts to add to Robin's:
It's true that better training for teachers and tutors will result in more and better student outcomes. That's kind of an inarguable point. However: that is also assuming that there is a plethora of teachers and tutors out there, and we have the luxury of being highly selective when it comes to choosing volunteer tutors and teachers. That's simply not the reality. Oftentimes the opposite is true: we have to accept those who are willing to learn but inexperienced, and do the best we can to inspire and train them.
Teaching has never been a field that attracts a huge number of people. There are realities around pay, job security, and benefits that have had the effect of reducing the numbers of people interested in this profession. I consider myself lucky when I get someone in my office who expresses an interest in teaching for me on a part-time basis, who may have limited teaching experience, but has a sincere desire to "give back" to their community.
So the question really is: Should we aspire to fewer, but better trained teachers and tutors (which would be the reality if we became more stringent in our selection criteria)? I know that if I were to require additional training and certification for tutors and teachers, I would lose a significant number of my teachers. And know that these are GOOD teachers, but most of them work full-time during the day, or are stay-at-home moms, and work for me in the evenings teaching part-time, and they don't have much spare time beyond those commitments.
I don't have the answers, but it's important to balance our idealism with the realities of the profession when considering future directions.
Sandy Cheek
Sandy Cheek
Director of Basic Skills
Big Bend Community College
7662 Chanute Street NE
Moses Lake, WA 98837
509.793.2305
toll-free 877.745.1212
fax 509.762.2696
---------------------------------
From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Missy Slaathaug
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 8:41 AM
To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development
Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states!
And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be trained and educated in this. My comment was only that too much information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even counter-productive. Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a conceptual framework to help them process much information. They are hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next week.
But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you more.
Missy Slaathaug
Pierre, South Dakota
-----Original Message-----
From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM
To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov
Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development
Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to
Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher
professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with
information.
This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I indicated in another
posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not
seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning
problems that several readers and responders have mentioned.
In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal
development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was
mentioned.
Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in
adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do
what they do. Then learners suffer. My article in FOB indicated
that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask
the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL
learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress
in their settings.
Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this
topic. I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al
Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the
tutors and teachers in our programs. In other words, it is not the
needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive
decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs
of our learners. I have advocated for years that there need to be
minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult
ESOL learners. I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of
stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed
for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to
address the learner's real needs.
I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of
learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning
challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for
them. Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors
because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more
stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ
inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning, about
the very most basic principles of language instruction, about the
culture of their learners. etc. Also, program administrators have
everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better
experience and qualifications for teachers. In the end, they will be
more effective and programs with have better outcomes. The NCSALL
research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net)
indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners
happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because
they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant
learning needs.
Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that
adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12
teachers are. This can only be a good thing for our learners.
And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a
tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and
language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than
just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something.
Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors
is critical to having an effective program.
As a start for ESOL and learning challengs, programs might want to
look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of
Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and
distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit
www.ldaminnesota.org to find it). This walks teachers through the
topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be
at the root of learning difficulties.
There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to
English-speaking adults called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART)
Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little
prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and
beautifully thought out. --And no, I don't have any financial
interest in them......
Robin
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