ESLetter Article

September 2005

Curt Sanford

              In the monthly teachers’ groups, we discuss our thoughts, theories, problems, experiences, doubts and assumptions about language teaching and learning. Some campus groups have incorporated educational literature into their monthly meetings. Last year, we printed a couple of journal and book excerpts here in the ESLetter and hope to share a few more of these with you this year.

              The following are the 5 central questions that K. Zeichner and D. Liston use to organize their text, Reflective Teaching: An introduction. They are questions that touch on many of the topics that we discuss in our teachers’ groups and apply to all of us in the department.  (Included in parentheses, are some of the related topics that RTP participants have brought before the groups)

“To what extent do we as teachers…

• examine, frame and attempt to solve the dilemmas of classroom practice?” 

(What’s can I do with generation 1.5 students in a multi-level VESL class who are not engaged and lack motivation)

• become aware of and question the assumptions and values that we bring to the classroom?” 

      (How can I (or should I) address socially charged topics in the ESL classroom?)

• attend to the institutional and cultural context in which we are teaching?”

(What are the preferred learning styles among my multi-ethnic students?)

• take part in curriculum development and become involved in school change efforts?”

(What are student learning outcomes in the context of non-credit ESL?)

• take responsibility for our own professional development?”

(all questions apply here)

We’re looking forward to getting underway this semester and sharing some of our

thoughts and findings with you as the semester progresses.