Taking action on professional development
This paper outlines some of the activities which have been developed by members of the English Language Institute (ELI) at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) as part of a Professional Development (PD) Committee. The committee is comprised of numerous sub-committees which include: a writing circle that provides feedback on staff members’ academic papers; a reading discussion group in which staff come together to discuss academic papers; a teaching discussion group in which various practical issues are discussed; peer workshops: presentations which harness the expertise of colleagues; peer observations: a structured process for observing lessons, being observed, and exchanging feedback; and social events including marathons and family activities. This collaborative work outlines how each of the sub-committees operates, discusses the professional benefits to be gained from such activities, and provides practical advice on how similar PD opportunities could be made available at other institutions.
An Etiquette for the Nonsupervisory Observation of L2 Classrooms
Earlier discussions of an etiquette for classroom observation imply that a supervisor who observes a second language (L2) classroom in an official capacity poses more serious concerns for a classroom teacher than a person who visits for some other reason. Several writers suggest that a supervisory relationship between a classroom teacher and a visitor/ observer can be more unsettling for the teacher than one that is nonsupervisory. There is evidence, however, that visitors who are non-supervisors sometimes provoke anxiety in the lives of L2 teachers and their students. While not always recognizing this concern, programs of L2 teacher preparation encourage pre-service and in-service teachers to visit and observe classes being taught by their peers. Under such circumstances, visitors who are not supervisors sometimes lack necessary skills for observing in an unobtrusive manner. For this and other reasons, the problems that nonsupervisory observers pose in classroom settings need to be examined directly. The present discussion addresses visitors to L2 classrooms who are the colleagues and peers of both pre-service and in-service classroom teachers. The article's premise is that a non-supervisor's visit can be just as problematic for a classroom teacher as a supervisor's. Following discussions of the complexities of these relationships and possible solutions, illustrative guidelines for classroom visitation/observation etiquette are presented.
The Dilemma of Teacher Education in TESOL
This article discusses a dilemma in teacher education. On the one hand, there is evidence that changes in teachers' behavior can be brought about through the use of relatively simple training procedures (e.g., minicourses, microteaching). These procedures typically focus on directly observable, low-inference categories, such as wait-time and question patterns. On the other hand, studies of effective instruction have shown that good teaching cannot be identified solely with these low-inference, discrete, and trainable behaviors. Rather, good teaching is a more complex and abstract phenomenon that has to do more with inferred qualities and abilities, such as classroom management, lesson structuring, and an “active teaching” style. It is not possible to train teachers directly in these high-inference categories. A solution to this dilemma is discussed by considering approaches to teacher education which attempt to bring about the gradual development and understanding of the process of effective teaching.