Who inspired you to work in literacy and languages?

June 11, 2010

My last post on Why Teachers are No Longer Revered as Sacred generated a couple of comments that got me thinking. In particular, I thought about my mother, who was an ESL Literacy Tutor back when I was little. I was 8 or 9 when learners started coming over to the house in the evenings for their lessons. (Back in those days, there were no issues with learners coming over to the tutor’s home.) Over the years, she had a number of different learners. One by one, they’d come through the door and she’d put the kettle on, as they got settled for their lesson.

The “learning sessions” were partly about reading and writing, partly about using English, partly discussions about Canadian culture vs. the learner’s culture, partly about her listening to them talk about how much they missed their loved ones back home. For a number of years at Christmas, we’d invite the learners to our home to share Christmas Day dinner with us. For some, it was the first time they’d experienced Christmas; for others it meant not being alone at a special time of year when they were feeling particularly homesick.

I never really thought much about all the hours my Mum worked as an ESL literacy tutor. Decades later, I now work in languages and literacy. I can’t help but think that somehow, those early experiences were imprinted on my brain and in my heart. My dear old Mum, who passed away over a decade ago now, who had a grade 10 education until she went back to school in her 40s to get her GED, inspired me early on to work in this field. Thanks, Mum, for the inspiration.

Who inspired you as a child to work in the field of languages and literacy?

__________________

Like this post? Share or Tweet it: Who inspired you to work in literacy and languages? http://wp.me/pNAh3-8Y

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.

2 Comments | education, ESL, languages, Literacy, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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.

___________

Like this post? Share or Tweet it: Why teachers are no longer revered as sacred http://wp.me/pNAh3-7z

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 | education, leadership, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
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)”.

______________________________

Share this post: University’s English Language Program accreditation restored https://wp.me/pNAh3-8C

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.

2 Comments | education, ESL, second languages, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
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

_____________

Like this post? Share or Tweet it: It pays to be nice to funders. (And it’s trendy, too.) http://wp.me/pNAh3-8u

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.

Comments Off on It pays to be nice to funders. (And it’s trendy, too.) | languages, leadership, non-profit, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
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.

__________________________________________

Share this post: 5 Things 21st Century Learners Need https://wp.me/pNAh3-8l

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.

1 Comment | Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »