User:Ling583/Q&As in Materials and Curriculum Development in TESOL

"

• Frege says, every well-formed sentence must make sense; and I say, every possible sentence is well formed..."

                      ----Ludwig Wittgenstein, "Notebooks 1914-1916".  
 

• "In Confucianism, a question is met with an answer. In Taoism, a question needs no answer. In Zen, to question is to answer."

                      ----Hu Lancheng, "On Zen" 

Contextual Factors and History of a Curriculum Approach to Course Development

'Q:' Is Communicative Language Teaching cultural? In EFL settings, does CLT bring a large and perhaps inflexible degree of Western-liberal education cultural bias to the classroom? Does its cultural underpinnings limit its effectiveness in EFL settings with differing educational traditions?

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Q: If one is eaching in an EFL setting, is it better to adapt CLT ideology with pre-existing cultural educational traditions, or is it better to ask that students adjust to the new ideas of CLT as separate from their educational traditions?

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Q: Is an emphasis on learner autonomy (Savignon 2007, p. 208) in place of teacher authority an inherent value for an effective learning experience or merely the reflection of an ideological tenet that happens to be en vogue? (Many educational institutions are appropriating business terminology to describe students as “stakeholders” and “clients” with emphasis on “returns “and “client satisfaction.”)

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Q: Isn’t any sort of postmethod approach (Savignon 2007, p. 218) still a method in and of itself seeing as it is building upon the successes and failures of previous pedagogical histories? Could an approach that is an “ identification of practices or strategies of teaching designed to reflect local needs and experiences? (p. 218)” be its own highly contextualized and situation appropriate method at the larger, systematic scale (Brown 2007, p. 14)? Is the term “postmethod” just adding to the proliferation of academic buzz word?

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Q: How can students communicate these language needs, be it through questionnaires or surveys, if they only possess rudimentary English skills, or can it be assessed in the native language?

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Q:In an English for Specific Purposes context, does a teacher need to be an expert in teaching English AND a specialty area?

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Q: Is there a way to successfully fit a few, or several, ESP curriculums into a single classroom setting, and if so, how? (A different question, related to this one, would be, how to teach a multi-levels, and multi-interests class?

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Q: Graves (2000) states, “The lesson plan is not the lesson. The course design is not the course.” What does she mean by this? What are the dynamics involved in a lesson that cannot be expressed on paper? Short of being able to predict every action a student will take, in what way can a teacher design a course that will most likely resemble what will actually take place in the classroom?

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Q: Johns & Price-Machado (2001) ask a few questions that one should consider when developing a learner-centered curricula in the workplace: “Who are the participants in the workplace literacy programs? How do the workers experience the programs? How do programs change worker participation in the workplace culture? What happens to the workplace during and after workers’ participation in the program?” What they fail to ask, however, is what are the students’ motivations? Is the class mandatory, or do they have a choice, are they taking it to get a promotion? In the case that the class is mandatory and the student really has no intrinsic motivation to learn English, what are some of the things that a teacher can do to help motivate the student? How can a teacher make the class relevant for the student?

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Q: If, as Johns and Price-Machado write, “all language teaching should be tailored to the specific learning and language use needs … of students – and also sensitive to the sociocultural contexts” (pg. 43), do educators design curriculum that unifies, for example a more general language course with more specific context-centered instruction? Assuming students would also benefit in a variety of ways from both more casual, day-to-day conversation practice (particularly in ESL settings), would such instruction be blended into one “course”, or provided as a separate part (supplementing ESP)?

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Q: As stated in Flowerdew and Peacock, “each EAP discipline has its own specialized style of language use (discourse), and that this style should – if possible – be incorporated into the teaching materials”, despite “the obvious point that authentic texts are frequently too difficult linguistically, and for classes of students from various disciplines may require too high a level of specialised knowledge” (pg. 182). Does this conflict necessarily place emphasis on instructor background? If an English teacher is not necessarily qualified to produce an “authentic-enough” document that is appropriate for a given class, are there sample resources available for a variety of topics? How many programs have, for example, a mechanical engineering instructor available for an EAP/ESP to consult? Is it in their job description?

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Q: What are some age appropriate activities/tasks for adults?

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Q: what are tasks and activities that an instructor might do in a mixed-age ESL/EFL context? How does one address a context/design a course in which there are individuals from various backgrounds (age, gender, ethnic origin, language background, etc.)?

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Q: What are some of metacognitive skills we can teach our students for speaking?

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Q: Are “test taking skills” also considered metacognitive? Are they also valuable tools to teach our students, especially if it is an EAP/ESP course designed for the TOEFL test?

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Q: When teaching in ESP or VESP classrooms, should ESL teachers rely more on language and discourse analysis as well as language use, or on specialist expertise? In simpler terms, do teachers need to know about their student’s vocational backgrounds in order to teach them English effectively? Or are the tools of discourse analysis enough for a good teacher to make effective lessons?

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Q: For EAP students, many of their goals will be related to test taking and certifications. To what degree can an instructor go beyond these concrete goals to encourage learners to learn English for broader intellectual/educational purposes, and should an instructor try and re-define learner goals in this way? What about learner independence as discussed by Flowerdew & Peacock? For EGP students, is it appropriate for the teacher to encourage students to apply their English skills towards professional ends? How can needs analysis/assessment be used to define teacher limitations?

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Q: Many of the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills listed by Flowerdew and Peacock (2001, p. 184) are widespread in both their occurrence and efficacy for students to learn irrespective of academic fields, yet Johns and Price-Machado (2001) state, “There is little agreement on how or what EAP should consist of for those students who have not yet advanced into their academic majors (p. 52).” Are there generalized academic skills that can be taught in an EAP environment independent of “major” or is language specialization respective to a certain field a necessity for EAP success?

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Q: Is the knowledge quotation cited in the Johns and Price-Machado (2001) article a tad myopic: “what constitutes true…knowledge…is knowledge of appropriate topics and relevant details (p.50)?” Doesn’t knowledge also include the ability to formulate educated questions through the lensof a certain field in addition to the learned responses elicited in the quote? More oft than not, isn’t as Wittgenstein said, “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent,” one of the greatest indicators of true intellect?

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Q: In terms of English for Vocational Purposes, if you have basic English learners, how can you simplify terminology that absolutely requires advanced linguistic abilities in order to comprehend the processes at hand? (i.e. chemical reactions for chemists, certain theories for physicists, or economic theories for business people)?

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Q: In Graves’ chapters 1 and 2, there is a clear emphasis on determining your teaching context before you decide to design a course curriculum. We are then introduced to a number of teachers who speak about their experiences in a variety of situations in the classroom in the United States and abroad. However, the example with Ali in Iran made me think of a question that may or may not have happened to other educators. If you are an American teaching in an overseas institution, what do you do if perhaps your co-workers do not want to collaborate with you due to your nationality or if that environment of academic collaboration does not exist at all?

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Q: While Graves’s idea that course development can begin anywhere in the framework (needs analysis, developing materials, and so on) is reassuring in allowing teachers more freedom, it could also be overwhelming. If there is not a particular place to begin designing a curriculum, then where does one start?

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Q: Are there possible constraints on course design that could have such a negative impact as to make learning impossible? Are there situations in which teachers cannot make headway on teaching their students actual language use?

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Q: Can adjunct language instruction be implemented in an EAP classroom? What is an example of a content course that could be simultaneously implemented with the language course?

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Q: How do you design a syllabus around a needs analysis if you’re not given the necessary information about your students until the day class begins?

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Q: Are there some effective ways, and if so what are they, of communicating to stakeholders (like managers, administrators, etc.) who oversee workers or students enrolled in English for vocational/academic purposes the need to have some freedom to design curriculum and courses (or to at least have some “wiggle room”)?

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Q: In ESL settings, how personal is appropriate for a teacher to get when instructing students in both appropriate work behavior and etiquette? (e.g. Personal hygiene when in a professional setting, appropriate discussion topics with coworkers/clients/teachers, etc.).

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Q: From Bollati (2007), she describes her implementation, including challenges and breakthroughs, of an in-depth ESL program at a small college in Moline, Illinois. Does this success provide general, necessary scaffolding for implementation of a similar program in any ESL context in the United States? What are its strengths and does it have any weaknesses(taking off the rosecolored glasses)?

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Q: From Orafi & Borg (2009), it was clear there were flaws of the implementation of new curriculum for Libyan students, including the irony that the course books were titled English for Libya. Learning from this mistake and research, should other EFL context curriculums base themselves culture specifically based on that country’s current educational pedagogy? Meaning, should the creation of more curriculums like “English for Russia” or “English for Afghanistan” have a balance between CLT and their current pedagogical practices? How much English culture should be discussed within the curriculum, or is it even necessary?

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Q: How much of a teacher’s beliefs are influenced by his/her cultural, social environment and personal experience as a previous learner?

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Q: What happens when teacher’s beliefs clashes with a student’s pedagogical beliefs (based on cultural, social, personal environment) of what constitutes a “good teacher”?

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Q: Can a teacher be effective in an EFL context when the teacher has not been in the country enough to know about the L1 culture and be culturally-sensitive to aspects in his/her teaching pedagogy?

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Q: What is the biggest challenge in implementing curriculum changes?

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2) Why do countries enact changes in language curriculum while not appearing to consider implementation or possible challenges?

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Q: What are the major differences between 'local' and 'global' community? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

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Q: Bollati (2007) says, “By not being afraid to be judged by the standards set in the English Department, the ESL Program gained the respect of an influential and power group on campus.” How much of ESL learning and teaching involves risk taking like this? How much does one need to 'put themselves out there' to be an effective learner or teacher? Are the stakes higher for learners or teachers in a situation like this? What if a teacher fails to meet the standards of her colleagues?

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Q: Bollati mentions somewhat vaguely that the ESL program grew because “the college’s president was determined to open the doors of the college to the world” (pg. 32). What the cause for the change was? An honest desire to open an academic campus to students from around the world? Perhaps money was a factor?

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Q: Also from Bollati — what is a “qualified part-time instructor”? (pg. 18).

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Q: Should instructors overtly explain course objectives/methods to students? This is probably much easier in EFL contexts where the instructor speaks the target language, but in any case… Should students be made aware of these changes in curriculum? Furthermore, should the benefits be explained to them?

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Q: Is it wise for EFL instructors to research the status of English in the country in which they are teaching? If so, is it also wise for ESL instructors to research the countries of their students?

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Q: How can one reconcile the differences between teachers’/students’ beliefs about teaching? For example, I would ideally like to teach in adult education courses. I recognize that adult learners prefer learning grammar and learning in a more traditional format, but I also recognize that CLT is more effective. How would I best create a classroom that is friendly to both of these ways of viewing teaching/learning?

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Q: In regards to the Bollati article, is the hiring of ESL instructors predominantly parttime? If so, is this because the ESL department is not recognized as a full tenure track teaching department? What about the UIC Tutorium: are those teachers part- or full-time?

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Q: From the Orafi & Borg article, it seemed a major roadblock for implementing a more communicative program in ELT classrooms was lack of professional development. How many hours is an ESL instructor expected to devote to his/her professional development through workshops or teach-ins?

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Q: Is CLT cultural? In EFL settings, does CLT bring a large and perhaps inflexible degree of Western-liberal education cultural bias to the classroom? Does its cultural underpinnings limit its effectiveness in EFL settings with differing educational traditions?

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Q: If teaching in an EFL setting, is better to adapt CLT ideology with pre-existing cultural educational traditions, or is it better to ask that students adjust to the new ideas of CLT as separate from their educational traditions?

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Q: In regards to the Bollati article, what types of roles and responsibilities should a teacher assume outside the classroom in the home institution and community at large?

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Q: In an educational context where teacher autonomy is restricted, is it better to question and challenge the curriculum both inside and out of the classroom, or is it part of a teacher’s responsibility to respect the authority of the institutional policies?

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Q: Bollati goes on at length about the numerous facets of setting up an ESL curriculum/program at a small university, and how it took a little bit of networking and innovation to establish the International Studies program as a shining achievement for the school. However, I have a question involving the resources for the classroom. Is it economically viable to go out and pay for resources out of your own pocket if your institution doesn’t provide any sort of stipend for your classes?

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Q: With Orafi and Borg, they talk about the gap between curriculum goals and actual classroom practices. Even though there has been the introduction of “communicative classroom” curriculums in various foreign countries, it doesn’t seem like these teaching cultures are willing to change any time soon. So is it going to take decades to change these ancient cultural norms in the classroom, or are we, as trained ESL/EFL instructors, simply fighting a losing battle?

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Q: What comes first (or has the most significant effect) during the process of implementing communicative curriculum successfully in an environment similar to Libya’s classrooms: teachers’ patience and positive attitudes towards the students with additional training in CLT practices or the students’ willingness to learn while understanding the shifts in classroom practices (student-centered, communicative tasks and activities)? These seem heavily interrelated, and each side must meet half-way, but what comes first in this complex and on-going process?

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Q: In Bollati’s article on developing an ESL program, what was the leading factor in legitimizing the program, and attracting the masses simultaneously? What important strategies can we take away when we are attempting to meet learners’ needs (as shown when Bollati was able to bridge the gap between two different populations)?

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Q: Assuming that we have considered the gap between teacher beliefs and the intentions of a new curriculum, can a new curriculum workshop or support system of a new curriculum actually change teachers’ beliefs about teaching, especially since these beliefs are deeply rooted in a lot of cultures and societies?

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Q: How can assessment of a curriculum actually have legitimacy in really testing what it wants to test, without having too much of a washback effect, where the teacher and students only want to focus on items in the curriculum that will be covered on the test?

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Q: Much of Bollati’s success lies in the hands of her students, who actively claimed their place on campus and brought events to the rest of the student body. How was she able to encourage their motivation and participation, or was she simply lucky to get a strong batch of students in the first few years?

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Q: In a situation in which a program does not have administrative support, what rationale can be given to the administration to encourage financial and logistical backing for ESL programs?

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Q: Once we graduate from the TESOL program what are the ways we as teachers can stay informed about the changes in ESL methods? (excluding reading research articles)

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Q: The teachers in the article state that their students cannot participate in group work because of a low level of proficiency, how can we incorporate group work in a classroom of beginners?

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Q: How much of the reluctance on the part of the Libyan teachers is based in culture and traditional roles of teachers, and how much is based on teacher reluctance and resignation to immutable changes in circumstances?

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Q: How much pressure did the teachers in Libya feel, if any, to maintain the status quo, and did they really see value in the communicative language curriculum?

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Articulating Beliefs

Q:When, where, and why did people start learning/teaching English?

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Q My instructor stated that China and Brazil were essentially the “rising stars” in the business world and that some day we all might need to know Chinese and Portuguese. Do you think this is possible? If not, what provides English with its high status? Is it possible that English will ever lose its place as an essential language? Furthermore, is it because of our own narcissism that we believe that English is, in fact, an essential language?

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Q: In Parker’s commentary, satire and sarcasm included, what truths do you find in his statements, if any?

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What other ways besides surveys or explicitly asking students what they like/don’t like about a course/teaching are there? What method would provide the most valid results, i.e. the most honest results?

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Q: Graves seems to think so, but is it possible to hold contradictory beliefs about learning and maintain a coherent pedagogical style?

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Q: Is there a way to learn about students’ beliefs related to learning through needs assessment? I think it’s just as important to know what the students believe education is or could be.

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Q: The principles found in the Ellis article seem to be very common sense ideas; I found myself thinking they were even silly to write down on paper because they were fairly obvious! Can these principles be taught in the classroom to teachers, or should they be learned in the field through experience?

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Q: Parker seems to assert that a teacher is only qualified, and should only teach, what he or she went to school to learn to teach. I have always learned so much more from my teachers beyond the content of the classroom. Are students really served by teachers who do nothing but “stick to the curriculum” and not try to have an impact on their lives in ways beyond the curriculum and content of the course? Or are the students being cheated in such cases?

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Q: How can teachers in assessment prep courses add flexibility into the syllabus when they are in such a high-constraint context?

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Q: What are some good ways to obtain explicit feedback from students what won’t simply be “class is going great” or “class is going terribly”?

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Q: What can a teacher do in the case of a teaching institution not open to beliefs? Teachers become teachers with the baggage of beliefs attached to their ankles. It’s only called ‘baggage’ when you can’t express those beliefs, and suppress them.

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Q: Why are we constantly filling ‘roles’? Roles change incredibly in various contexts, but can there manifest some universal thoughts on a teacher in a less-authoritative sense? How can we influence such an issue coated in vast ideas of social-politics and culture?

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Q: To what extent does a teacher have to negotiate their beliefs about teaching with the administration/a supervisor?

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Q: Are these beliefs something you would want to include in a resume or cover letter?

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Q: What can a teacher do to motivate students who do not think that learning English is important, especially in a context in which they are not externally forced to learn English, such as through testing?

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Q: In her study, Wette concludes that “far from occasionally straying away from plans into improvisational teaching, teachers in fact regard all curriculum plans as provisional and alterable in response to classroom events” (p. 576). Is this a product of experience, or is there a way that novice teachers can learn to have extremely adaptable lesson plans without completely giving up the idea of lesson planning?

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Q: Should as Parker (2011) states a TESOL instructor’s job be limited only to the “business of teaching English (p. 336)?”

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Q: What do you think Wlodkowski (1986) means as quoted in Ellis (2005) by saying to “explain thing simply” in order for “instructional clarity” (p. 19)? How can this be accomplished without belittling a student’s abilities to comprehend?

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