Why teachers are no longer revered as sacred

June 10, 2010

In 1971 a scholar by the name of Robert Nisbet claimed that “the man of knowledge and his pursuits were sacred”. Much has changed in the 40 or so years since professor Nisbet wrote those words. And it goes beyond the fact that do we not write only in the masculine gender any more. While teachers are still regarded as knowledgeable, they are no longer revered as sacred. While some may lament, and even resist it, teachers no longer enjoy the “aura of the sacred”, as Nisbet calls it.

In today’s world where technology is moving at the speed of light, young people are very aware that they know more than many of the “over-30s”, especially when it comes to technology. Adults regularly turn to young people for help and coaching on matters of hardware, software and social media.

Old, traditional, hierarchical and patriarchal attitudes are giving way to more collaborative approaches. Old, authoritative, “teacher-centred” or “expert-centred” approaches to teaching are as out as black and white televisions. Are you still lamenting the days when the teacher was worshiped?

Reference:

Nisbet, R. (1971). The Degradation of the Academic Dogma: The University in America, 1945-1970. N.Y.: Basic Books Inc.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

University’s English Language Program accreditation restored

June 8, 2010

A few weeks ago I did a post about English Language Institute at the University of South Florida having its accreditation revoked by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), an international standards and accreditation organization for English language programs. (See the original post here.)

Thanks to a reader who pointed me in the direction of “Accreditation Restored to U. of South Florida Program” by Inside Higher Ed. the same publication that reported on this initial situation. Higher Ed now reports that the CEA has agreed to “restore recognition, conditioned on the university now showing that there was no meaningful change in control of the program, and that it still met all standards (which the university says is the case)”.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

It pays to be nice to funders. (And it’s trendy, too.)

June 7, 2010

There is a shift occurring when it comes to working with funders, and in particular, the government. Today savvy educators and program directors are demonstrating how funding makes a difference, rather than simply asking for more and more and more. Demonstrating the impact that funding makes is a less antagonistic, more positive approach. It is a growing trend in the non-profit and voluntary sectors (National Council for Voluntary Organizations, n.d.) and is also emerging as a trend in education.

The Movement for Canadian Literacy (2009) asserts that literacy and language organizations are are “moving away from the adversarial, activist approaches of the past, to take increased responsibility for building stronger, more positive communication and working relationships with government“ (p.12). The new trend is that after clearly demonstrating the positive impact funders have made on students and prorams, language leaders say, “See the impact your contribution has made? Thank you. Thank you for investing in our students and our future. Their future. Now let’s see what can accomplish with your continued support…” Seeing government and funders as partners and “investors in the future” is a trend that is likely to continue.

References

Movement for Canadian Literacy. (2009). Ready or Not… Perspectives on literacy and essential skills in this economic downturn: A Canadian baseline study. Ottawa. Retrieved from: http://www.literacy.ca/?q=literacy/literacyprofessionals/resources

National Council for Voluntary Organizations. (n.d.). Demonstrate Your Impact.   Retrieved May 27, 2010, from http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/advice-support/recession-resources/crisis-management/demonstrate-impact

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

5 Things 21st Century Learners Need

June 7, 2010

Students of today are different. They live in a world of high-speed feedback and technology-enhanced everything. As a result, their worldview is drastically different from that of their parents. Student needs (and wants) haven’t changed fundamentally over the years, but how they are addressed has certainly changed. This is neither good, nor bad. It is simply different.

This post is based on my personal experiences and observations of over 20 years of classroom teaching. In my opinion, here five things students today want (and need):

Timely feedback. This means a few days at the most. Today’s students are accustomed to playing video games where feedback is instantaneous. If your students are waiting more than a few days for feedback, they’re likely to get frustrated and become disengaged with the learning.

Enjoyable learning. Learning opportunities are everywhere today. There are loads of free resources on the Internet that allow teachers to engage students in activities that are enjoyable. There’s no need for dull learning in today’s world.

Challenge. Today’s students are not lazy by any means. They thrive on challenge. Again, look at the video game industry. There’s always a new challenge to overcome. The first step to this is learning a new skill.

Voluntary repetition. This may seem counter intuitive to the idea of learning being enjoyable. When teachers think of repetition, their minds can drift back to boring, learning-by-rote drills of years gone by. But that’s neither enjoyable, nor challenging. Students want and need activities that challenge them in new ways. But if at first they do not succeed, they want the chance to try again without ridicule or punishment. Every time they repeat something, they understand it in a new way until finally they “get” it. The difference today is that the repetition gets linked to the challenge. Students want to choose to repeat the activity, not have it forced on them.

Boundaries. Students need a safety net and good, firm boundaries. These do not have to be enforced in an authoritarian or oppressive way. Instead, boundaries today are presented simply as “what is”. When students master a task, they move on to the next one. There’s no discussion. No begging. No fighting. It is simply what is. Add the element of challenge and enjoyment and you have students who ache to achieve because they know, intuitively, that the boundaries exist to help them succeed, not to hold them back.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Successfully promoting and marketing your language program: a webinar

June 5, 2010

This event has passed. But, don’t despair!

Click here to see the post that shares the slides and recording of this program – free and open access.

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“Successfully promoting and marketing your language program: a webinar”
Presenter: Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.
June 15, 2010

08:45 – 09:30 (with optional Q & A after)

Login-time: 08:45 Mountain Time (Calgary, Canada) (Adjust accordingly for your time zone.)

Start time: 09:00
End time: 09:30
Questions and Answers: 09:30 – 10:00

This webinar will go over

  • Marketing basics
  • Strategies and tips on how to market your language program on a shoestring budget.
  • Social media and networking for marketing

Who is this webinar for? Program directors and managers, department heads of language units, teachers, tutors, and other language professionals. If you already have the means to work with a professional marketing company, this session isn’t for you. This program will be most useful for those who have a limited budget and those who do their own program promotion.

How do you join the webinar?
1) Mark the date and time of the event in your calendar
2) at 08:45 Mountain Time (adjust for your time zone!) on June 15, click on this URL:
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/dropin.jnlp?sid=lcevents&password=Webinar_Guest
3) Have a pen and some paper handy to take notes.

With thanks to the folks at Elluminate (www.elluminate.com) who are generously providing the webinar platform at no charge for this event.

This is a free professional development seminar. Everyone is welcome to attend, so pass this along and invite a colleague.

Remember to convert the time of this webinar to your own time zone. You can do this at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html. In the top of the box where it asks you to “Select time and place to convert from” choose “Canada – Alberta – Canada”. In the box under that, select your country and closest city.

Related post:

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

6 Comments | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, ESL, language program administration, languages, marketing, social media | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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