Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons^™

Opportunities For Healing Through Storytelling And Storylistening, Danielle Kennedy-Lareau

MA TESOL Collection

In this training material project, I explore the purpose of stories in the English language classroom. How can we use stories to teach and offer healing and catharsis to students who want it? Working with a group of 9 teachers from the YWCA Tulsa, we used Dina Nayeri’s memoir The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You, to explore how practical it would be to use a story as a source of material for students, and how we could use a story to help others tell their stories. The paper begins with a literature review describing my rationale for …

Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices Post-Covid: A Classroom Action Project, Jillian Weemaes

MA TESOL Collection

Out of recognition of experienced trauma, trauma-informed practices have existed in schools and classrooms long before the start of the pandemic and will continue to exist and evolve after. Programs need to evolve due to the changing nature of the pandemic such as the possibility of teachers experiencing trauma alongside their students, and distance learning complicating the ability of students to make connections with peers, teachers, and administrators. Limited literature currently exists in the field showcasing how teachers have changed and updated their practices since the start of the pandemic. The objective of this action research is to add to …

English Corner: A Guide For Teachers, Tom Fay

MA TESOL Collection

Throughout China, in both private and public schools, from kindergarten to university, there is a ‘class’ called ‘English Corner.’ In some places, ‘English Corner’ is supposed to be an informal, loose environment for people to communicate in English. In other places, ‘English Corner’ is a monthly event with a stage show, singing, dancing, and even a speech competition. ‘English Corner’ can be held in parks, libraries, university campuses, bars, cafes, or even in private homes. For many teachers in China, this ill-defined class can be their most dreaded lesson of the day, a class where at the worst of times, …

Educational Neuroscience For Adult Education Students In The U.S. And Maine, J.Sean Chung

MA TESOL Collection

Cumulative scientific evidence over the last seventy years has established that the brain has a lifelong ability to change itself which has almost revolutionary implications for educators and mentors. No longer is the brain thought of as fixed, with a gradual loss of potentiality. Rather, experiences have been shown to have the ability to alter and prune the neural connections in the brain, allowing for lifelong learning, and, not as once thought, learning in youth only. This paper will explore such neuroplasticity from an educational perspective, in particular how various pedagogical approaches and experiences can sculpt the adult brain. The …

Tutor Training In A Connecticut Mill Town, Eleanor/Nell K. Cass

MA TESOL Collection

This is a preliminary evaluation of a small volunteer tutoring program in northeastern Connecticut between 2011 and the present, focusing particularly on tutor support, the need for a new tutor training program and how experiential learning can benefit these. The program had a loss of administration in 2012. It is also coming to terms with demographic changes. Research methods were interviews with tutors, reflection through documents and other sources. There is an exploration of experiential learning and tutor training, and a description of context in the first part of the paper. The second part of the paper and accompanying tables …

Reflection On An Intercultural Communication Workshop For Japanese Executives: Doing Business With U.S. Americans, Kristine E. Menn

MA TESOL Collection

"Vérité en deçà des Pyrénées, erreur au-delà"

(There are truths on this side of the Pyrenees that are falsehoods on the other)

Blaise Pascal (Moran, Harris & Moran, 2007, p. 2).

This paper is a reflection on an intercultural communication workshop developed for sixteen upper-level Japanese executives who work with their U.S. American counterparts in a U.S.A.-based global corporation. This training session was only one part of a much larger training program initiative which was carried out in five countries in Asia as well as in several locations across the U.S.A. Throughout my paper, I will apply the …

Applying Systems Theory As A Lens On Teacher And Student Perceptions Of Assessment And Feedback In An Intensive English Program, Thomas A. Germain

MA TESOL Collection

The goal of this project was to apply systems theory, or more generally, systems thinking as a lens on the perceptions of teachers, students, and administrators who work together at an intensive English program (IEP). This goal necessitated a two-part project: a review of pertinent literature on systems theory and a limited qualitative study situated at the IEP. Sixteen participants, including seven teachers (more than half of the current faculty), two teacher/administrators, and seven students from different levels within the program, were invited to participate. The primary focus of the study was on participants’ awareness of and attitudes about two …

What Does It Mean For A Teacher To Bring The Whole Person To The Classroom? Reflections And Strategies To Access The Authentic Self And Connect With The Energy Of Joy In The Classroom Learning Experience, Arline M. H. Saturdayborn

MA TESOL Collection

Since I began teaching 10 years ago, I have been summoned by an energy, a vitality that is guiding me. Most days when I walk into the classroom, no matter what is going on in my life, I connect with an energy that makes my heart feel full, brings my whole body alive and fills me with joy. This thesis is an investigation of what I experience when I enter the classroom. I love the energy I have in the classroom. I don’t think it is special to me. I think this energy is available to anyone, if they are …

Breathe To Understand, Maxine Swisa

MA TESOL Collection

BREATHE is an acronym for Breathe, Reflect, Empathize, Accept, Thank, Hearten, Engage. The addition of Understand allows for a holistic approach to living a healthy and balanced life both inside and outside the classroom. This paper took form as a result of my personal, spiritual journey, as well as my teaching practice. I noticed that the majority of my students enjoyed experiential activities that included time and space for self-reflection, relaxation and meditation. I began looking for books, seminars, and workshops that explored these areas. Deepak Chopra, Jonathan Kabat-Zinn, Dan Siegel, Eckhart Tolle, et al. offer insights into the benefits …

Utilizing The Interactive Reading Model In A Continuing Education Course, Shawn Mcrae

MA TESOL Collection

This paper seeks to provide an alternative method of reading instruction to female Saudi Arabian university students enrolled in a continuing education class for banking. Rather than a teacher-centered approach that relies on textbooks for materials development, a student-centered approach has been utilized in order to encourage participation, allowing the learners to have more input in the learning process. The use of student-generated materials allows for an authentic medium of communication, enabling students to practice their language learning skills using topics of social and personal relevance. From a teaching perspective, this is extremely important; it can increase students’ motivation, stepping …

Creating Avid Readers Across Content Areas: Explicit Reading Instruction In The Esl Classroom, Rashmi Koushik

MA TESOL Collection

Colleges are experiencing budget crises on a paramount scale and are funding programs that place higher demands on students to be able to read academic texts in specific fields of study. Unfortunately, students are often overwhelmed with the level of reading and the types of content that they encounter. Even more often, L2 (Second Language) learners are often left out of academic reading instruction in the college-level ESL classroom, and therefore rarely advance into academic pathways. This paper seeks to define and articulate the use of explicit reading instruction to help L2 learners become better readers in English, particularly of …

Acting For Transformation: An Esl Teacher And Her Adult Immigrant Students Dramatize The Students’ Life Stories, Dana Horstein

MA TESOL Collection

This paper documents the implementation of a year-long drama project that was conducted with adult immigrant English as a Second Language (ESL) students at Asian Human Services, a community-based organization in Chicago. Throughout the year, during the fall, winter, and spring terms, three classes of students dramatized their life stories. This paper provides background for the project by explaining the history and role of drama in language education. It also considers the teacher’s motivations for the project and its design; its ultimate challenges and successes; as well as the insights that it provides about what it means to be a …

A Teacher Training Program On Reflection, Niura Regiane Henke

MA TESOL Collection

This paper reports the teacher training program I developed and conducted to introduce student teachers to the practice of reflection. The paper is based on the lesson plans, participants’ reactions and observations, and personal reflections on how the program evolved. The data collected in my research draws on relevant materials published in the literature of this area. As a final conclusion, I analyze the program as a whole. From this analysis I derive conclusions which might be useful to other teachers and teacher trainers interested in the reflective practice.

Two-Week Training Course For English Language Teachers In The Ukraine, Maryna Gayduchenko

MA TESOL Collection

This is a two week teacher training course for Ukrainian secondary school EFL teachers. What is innovative about this particular course is that it was designed and written by a non-native EFL teacher and trainer for non-native EFL trainees. The following advantages make its importance particularly relevant: a non-native trainer is a role model for trainees – living proof that it IS possible to master new approaches and techniques; a non-native trainer is intimately acquainted with the challenges trainees and learners face and the strategies for dealing with them. The main objective of the course is to help trainees develop …

Spanish For School Nurses: A Specialized Program For Use In Teaching Basic Spanish To Nurses Who Work In A Multicultural Environment, William Earl Wood Jr.

MA TESOL Collection

During the past twenty years, there has been a great influx of Spanish speaking people into the United States, especially the state of North Carolina. This increase of Spanish speakers has had an impact on all areas of society: employment, housing, health care, transportation, and education. This project focuses on language training for a specialized group who has a daily need to communicate in this new environment: school nurses. It examines materials that are currently available to teach nurses the Spanish language. It discusses the language requirements that nurses use to function in a multicultural environment. It looks at some …

The Role Of Nifl Content Standards And Casas Competencies In An Esl Adult Education Teacher’S Course Development, Mary Anne Sullivan

MA TESOL Collection

This project explores the relevance of the National Institute of Literacy (NIFL) Equipped for the Future (EFF) Content Standards to an Adult Education ESL Teacher’s course development and the prioritization of the CASAS competencies in an Adult Education ESL Teacher’s course development. It examines their role among other sources of input for teacher course development. And finally it concludes that the degree of implementation of the EFF Content Standards and CASAS competencies is dependent on the appropriateness to the context.

Introduction To Bridge Procedure Guide (A Course Development In Maritime English), Olena Svitlychna

MA TESOL Collection

The paper presents a course development in maritime English and provides justification of the main pedagogical bases and principles of the materials. Introduction to Bridge Procedure Guide is designed to enable trainees with lower intermediate and intermediate level of English to discuss bridge procedures as well as to improve their general productive and receptive skills. The paper includes Introduction setting for the main teaching methods and techniques, Table of Contents, Introduction to Bridge Procedure Guide with Jigsaw Activities, the Key to the exercises, and English-Russian Vocabulary, Bibliography. The course materials have been field tested and will be used in Odessa …

Using A Story As A Basis For Working With Language And Culture, Marie Finnigan Miyashi

MA TESOL Collection

The focus of this paper is the development of linguistic materials for adult ESL/EFL students based on the use of a story involving and ethical or moral dilemma. The story and follow-up activities which are presented can be utilized in a variety of settings. This paper will describe how this framework was originally used for intercultural seminars as well as how it can be used to teach linguistic aspects of language in the ESL/EFL classroom. I relate my personal history in learning to use stories with adult learners, and discuss my beliefs regarding their value in the classroom. A module …

Using Children’S Books In The Adult English As A Second Language Classroom, Patricia Connors Little

MA TESOL Collection

This paper reports my personal story of using children’s books in the adult English as a Second Language classroom. The introduction explains how and why I came to the decision to use the books. Chapters One through Four are an overview of the books I used in my classroom and explain our collective classroom experience using them. Additionally the paper contains my classroom observations and reflections which helped guide me in selecting stories and lesson planning. The document highlights some of the advantages of using children’s books as well as some suggestions for ESL teachers who are interested in exploring …

A Journey To The Edge: Autobiographical Writing In The Esl Classroom, Deborah Lafferty

MA TESOL Collection

I teach ESL at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. One class project was the creating and publishing of a collection of the students’ autobiographical writings. This paper documents the process that my students and I engaged in. We used the process approach to writing and peer response. This paper discusses the theory behind this approach and its practical application in the classroom, the questions, concerns and dilemmas that I encountered and my responses to them. I also include the changes I would implement in a future project of this kind. The final product, The Golden Gate of Hope, …

An Eclectic Approach To Teaching A French Intermediate Class, Sylvia Marie Gaudet

MA TESOL Collection

This Independent Professional Project is a curriculum designed for a French Intermediate class taught to adults at the School for International Training. This curriculum contains an introduction which includes: a description of students and their needs, a discussion of the purpose of the curriculum, an overview of the content and sequence of the lessons, a description of teaching and learning activities, the rationale for this Independent Professional Project, an explanation of validity of the lessons and of the development of the curriculum after the field test, as well as suggestions on how this curriculum can be utilized. The fifteen lessons …

A Demonstration Unit For A Proposed Intermediate Reading Skills Workbook For Esl Students Preparing For Careers In The Health Care Professions, Price Daniel Norman

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a materials development project that consists of three parts. First, there is a rationale that examines the reading habits of inter­mediate ESL students and then proposes a pedagogical framework and materials format which will guide the students to become more efficient and independent readers. Part II is a demonstration unit for a pro­posed English for Special Purposes Workbook for ESL students of intermediate ability who are preparing for careers in the health sciences, Based on the pedagogical framework and format proposed in Part I, the lessons of the demonstration unit typically provide short authentic reading passages of …

Halloween Spooks In The Esl Classroom: Holidays As A Means Of Introducing Culture, Sonya Fletcher Kennedy

MA TESOL Collection

In this project I would like to suggest to the ESL tea­cher some ways of introducing culture into the classroom by discussing holidays. Each holiday is presented with a text followed by a variety of activities designed for students, in or out of the U.S., with a minimum of one hundred and twenty hours of English instruction. Although I have written this project with adult classes in mind, most of the activities can be adapted for children. Judging from my own experience, the size of the class can be anywhere from seven to twenty-two students.

I will cover Halloween, Thanksgiving, …

From Haiti To The Esl Class: Working With Adult Haitian Esl Learners In The Us, Dona A. Vassall-Paquiot

MA TESOL Collection

This project provides the person unfamiliar with Haiti and its inhabitants with some background information on the country - politically, economically, socially. It also gives a perspective on why Haitians leave Haiti to come to the US, and the stages they must go through in order to do so. Teachers are given some insight into what to expect from their students in an ESL class, given their background and experiences. Finally, factual information is provided on Haiti - i.e. holidays, major cities, etc. - for the interest of the reader. It also serves to help the teacher make the ESL …

Using Student Generated Material In A Student Centered Classroom, Katherine Rawson

MA TESOL Collection

This paper deals with a description and analysis of activities I developed for producing and using student generated material in a student centered classroom. The activities were developed during two months of student teaching in Mexico. The paper begins with a discussion of student centered learning, the role of the teacher and the role of the student in a student centered class, and how student generated material fits into this. The following section is divided according to each of .three· classes I taught in Mexico, and these include both children and adult classes, at beginning and intermediate levels. This section …

55 And Over: A Study Of Success For The Senior Student, Kathleen Watson Quinby

MA TESOL Collection

The following paper is a report on a class that was taught to elderly Cambodian refugees in the Philippine Refugee Processing Center in 1981. It covers the development of the class from its inception to its final party for '"graduation'". There were many hurdles for the students to overcome in their learning. The strategies that were used to aid the students in overcoming these are discussed and described. Relevant curriculum, a supportive environment in the classroom, and achievable goals are the three key elements that are noted as necessary for success in such a class.

Developing A Conversational English As A Second Language And Acculturation Program For A Social Service Agency Engaged In The Resettlement Of Soviet Jewish Immigrants, Robert Charles Wachman

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes the creation and first year of development of a three-component conversational ESL and acculturation program for Soviet Jewish immigrants. The project was designed to meet the needs of a private social service agency engaged in resettlement in Long Beach, California. It consisted of reorganization and development of a newly formed volunteer tutorial project, and the creation and development of a weekly class program and a series of cross-cultural communication gatherings.

Of special note are selections which discuss the orientation, on-going training, and problems relative to the employment of non-professionals as tutors and teaching assistants. Approaches, methods, and …

Responsibility - A Foreign Perspective On Four Issues In The Master Of Arts In Teaching Program, Margaret Elizabeth Mcdonald

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a foreign perspective on four issues: Responsibility and Student-Centered Learning, Group Process, Experiential Learning, and Culture and Individuality in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at the School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont. Personal Experiences as a student and student-teacher are combined to address these issues as they relate to foreign students at the school. The central theme is responsibility. Each section marks a disctinct stage and describes the author's development of the ability to take responsibility for learning in a system that is fundamentally different from her own. The author concludes with the view that …

Learning To Trust And Trusting To Learn: A Discussion Of The Attitudes Of The Teacher And Student In The Counseling-Learning/Community Language Learning Model, Lois Rosen

MA TESOL Collection

The author explores the relationship between learning and trusting in four different contexts. In all four contexts the principles of Counseling-Learning and Community Language Learning are seen at work. In the first part of the paper the philosophy of Counseling- Learning is set forth. In the next part, a workshop in Counseling-Learning and Community Lanuage Learning is described. In this section, the five stages of language learning as advanced by father Curran are described, and an informal paper by Earl Stevick on "Two Ways of Teaching" is appended. In the next part, the author's use of CLL in ESL classes …

Preparing And Adapting Reading Materials For Esl Adults, Kathryn L. Riley

MA TESOL Collection

The adult ESL student who is illiterate or functionally illiterate in his native language has particular difficulty when learning to read English. This paper is a step by step description of a materials writing project undertaken at Bristol Community College, Fall River, Massachusetts; the goal of the project was to develop reading materials for adult Portuguese ESL students, many of whom were illiterate. Included in the paper are the general guidelines followed, specific steps taken to meet the requirements of each guideline, and a discussion of each level of materials developed. Examples of all four levels are included. Particular emphasis …