MET Study Group

MET Study Group | Laura McLean | September 23rd, 2003

Several of us CPs who are currently working on (or waiting for) MET have decided to use this list as a central meeting point for discussion of issues or problems that come up as we work through the module. To make Jerry's job easier (thank you Jerry for your great work!), we will be prefacing our subject lines with "MET Study Group".

I hope nobody finds this an inappropriate use of the list. Our idea is that these exchanges might be useful to future CPs working through MET who don't have the opportunity to share their ideas on the tasks with others. Obviously we welcome the contribution of all other CPs who would like to add their two cents.

So... why don't we introduce ourselves briefly?

I'm Laura McLean, originally from the Chicago area, but I've been living in Torino, Italy, since 1991. I've taught in a variety of different contexts, but have settled into my job on the staff of the Political Science department at the university in Alessandria. I teach general English and reading skills to first and second-year students. I recently finished FND and am about to start working on TDA and MET. Actually, I've just finished the first unit of MET, and hope to finish Unit 2 and seriously pin down a topic by Sunday. By contributing to this group, I hope to gain a better sense of focus and pacing. Because of its public aspect, I tend to waste too much time while composing messages to this discussion list. But, wree

you arwae taht txet is sltil cmorpenhebisle wehn at lsaet the fsrit and lsat lertets mniatian teihr ogirainl positions? So, I'm going to stop worrying about typos or misspellings or slips of the tongue (finger?) etc. and just contribute! Hope you'll all do the same.

Best,

Laura

Re: MET Study Group | David Read | September 23rd, 2003

Hi all,

I've just completed the FND and am waiting for the MET module to arrive.

Just to briefly introduce myself: my name's David Read (originally from Southampton, England), and I'm currently working in Kyrgyzstan as a teacher trainer for the Soros Foundation. I've been working in ESL for the last eleven years in various places (Greece, Morocco, Croatia, Poland, Lithuania and Serbia) teaching a whole range of ages and levels. My current job involves teaching academic writing to university teachers, supervising local teacher trainers on a basic methodology course and co-tutoring on an advanced methodology course. I was a bit concerned that the lack of actual 'teaching' on my schedule may make the MET unit difficult to follow but I've been assured by Steve that I can focus on the methodology of teacher training (which is a relief). I'd be particularly interested to hear from any other CPs who are involved with teacher training (and are doing the MET) as we may be able to work together to find some common threads. Or hear from anyone really who's desperately trying to balance the demands of work and study!

Hope this study group gets up and running so we can share some ideas.

All the best

David Read

Re: MET Study Group | Laura McLean | September 23rd, 2003

Hi, David,

Welcome to the group. I won't make any more comments about the appropriateness of your surname, I promise... but is it past or present tense? LOL Have you received the module yet? My materials just arrived today. My experience with teacher training has been limited, so unfortunately I can't help you out there.

It sounds to me as though you do an awful lot of very interesting teaching, and your experience teaching in different countries must give you a very good sense of the importance of context. Since I've always taught primarily monolingual groups in Italy, it's harder for me to develop a keen sense of the influence of the wider social context on the classroom microcosm. What's more, I've been in the position either of having my behavior chalked up to my being a quirky and amusing foreigner, or of having my own routines formed within and by the Italian context.

Your experience has been very different. What sort of things have been hard to adjust to as you've moved from place to place, and how have you made sense of that sort of conflict? Do you "feel the wiser" for having an extra dimension of cross-cultural experience informing your teaching, and if so, how?

Best,

Laura

Re: MET Study Group | Gerry Munzing | September 24th, 2003

Hello again,

I don't mean to chronicle every single second of my MET experience, but I just finished the introductions to the course on both the video and the cassette. It appears one should listen to the cassette first, if possible.    

Steve explains the course clearly and my questions about the readings have more or less been put to rest.   There is a discrepancy between the books Steve recommends on the video and what is on the list provided by the English Book Centre.   However, I imagine that the most important thing is not that you have access to all of the references, as it depends on what we are actually able to get our hands on.

Cheers,

Gerry    

Re: MET Study Group | Sally Hirst | September 24th, 2003

My name's Sally Hirst. I've been teaching in Istanbul since 1990, so my experience is entirely in monolingual classrooms as well Laura, but I have taught in adult language schools, high schools and universities, so there is variety there in a sense. I have also got more and more involved in teacher training over the last four or five years. 

Currently I teach language at Istanbul University and work as a tutor on the face-to-face DELTA here in Istanbul. I'm also just coming to the end of a first stint working as a tutor on the IH Distance DELTA. I really want to do the Masters as it seems as if it will support the way my professional life has developed lately, but the way work has developed lately means I'm not going to be able to do it fast.

David, I'm torn between staying safely (well, that's how it seems) in my language classroom for MET or trying to relate it to teacher training. How far the parallels between the two situations can or should run true is just one aspect that I'm curious about. However, I've realized curious is not enough. I did GE earlier in the summer, then worked my way quite happily through the TDA file and reading, but now have spent two weeks not finding a focus. I thought turning to MET might help, as it is an area (I think) I am more familiar with. So if I can deal with the 'find a focus for an assignment' process in this module, maybe I can transfer the skill back to TDA.

I haven't tried using discussion lists before, but it seems like a good idea. The only snag is the university year, DELTA here and a new ICELT we are trying to set up all start in the next ten days, so I'll probably be a somewhat silent member of the group till I've got into the rhythm of the new year. MET files arrived yesterday, but another batch of Distance DELTA marking is due in at the weekend, still ought to manage something in the next 48 hours, but suspect some of you will be finished before i even get really started.

Re: MET Study Group | David Read | September 24th, 2003

Hi Laura et al,

I think you raise some good points, especially about social context and how that can affect the atmosphere in the classroom.   There also seems to be a sociopolitical dimension that can influence the classroom dynamic. Certain tensions seem to revolve around:

British v American English: certain countries seem to have stronger affinities to one or the other, depending on historical/current relations. The trainer who worked before me in a Serbian university was given a fairly torrid time from both students and staff, and when I probed to find out why, the overwhelming response was 'she was so American', and it really related back to the hostility Serbs had against America for the NATO bombings there (and they seemed to conveniently forget that Britain were involved as well!). On the flipside, when I worked in Morocco and most of the teaching involved TOEFL preparation, students would often complain before the course had started if they heard they were going to get a British teacher! They strongly believed that only an American teacher could prepare them for an American exam. Certain students also seem to identify more with British culture, and particularly this notion that British English is somehow 'better' by virtue of coming first. On the other hand, other students identify more readily with American English as the language of business, entertainment, culture etc.

Gender issues: I found in some more patriarchal countries (especially Greece and Morocco), students seem to prefer male to female teachers. Male teachers will often receive instant respect, while female teachers have to work much harder to win them over.

Native v non-native teacher: Again, there seems to be a strong prejudice in favour of native speaker teachers, often related to misconceptions about picking up the 'right' or 'wrong' accent. This is a particular issue with higher-level students, who often believed that have earned the 'right' to have a native speaker and that locals are somehow incapable of coping at that level (they clearly haven't met some of the native teachers I've met over the years, who   often are incapable of getting up in the mornings!). At the same time, native speaker teachers are often expected to have 'fun' classes and any attempts by them to teach properly can often be met with resentment; students attend native speaker classes expecting to have a chat, a joke and to watch the performing seal at the front. 

Ethnic issues: When I was a director of a school in Lithuania, I had to deal on several occasions with a group who had been openly offensive to their teacher because she was Polish by descent and they resented being taught by someone related to their historical oppressors.   Also, in Morocco a class openly refused to be taught by a British teacher, and after some subtle investigation by some of the local staff it became clear that it was because he was black and of African descent. Again, there was a certain amount of hostility towards the immigrant populations in Morocco from sub-Saharan Africa and a black person certainly didn't live up to their stereotype of what a British man should look like!

I've tended to focus on certain negative issues here, simply because they stick out in my mind as flashpoints. The vast majority of my experiences teaching abroad have been wonderful; however, I think all of the issues above can have some influence on the attitude and motivation of the students and can make teaching harder or easier depending on which side of the fence you fall. I'd be interested to hear what other people's experiences are abroad and whether your gender, nationality or ethnicity have ever had a positive or negative influence on your classroom. Laura, you said you were in Italy. How do Italians (especially the men!) react to having an American woman teaching them?

David

Re: MET Study Group | Laura McLean | September 27th, 2003

Hi, Jerry,

Thanks for your support. If our group's efforts can help a wider community, so much the better! As for the comprehensibility of garbled message, no I didn't receive the email you mentioned. However, I did learn about it from a friend I was chatting with online last week, and maybe she read the same email.

Best,

Laura

Re: MET Study Groupg | Laura McLean | September 27th, 2003

For Jerry and any others of you who are interested in online learning experiences via discussion groups, you might want to download and read the following article reporting on an AR cycle involving a course for teacher training by distance learning using a an open-source software program called Moodle.

I think it's also relevant reading for everyone contributing and/or lurking on this discussion list.

Here's a blurb from the moodle.org website:

"Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a software package designed to help educators create quality online courses. Such e-learning systems are sometimes also called Learning Management Systems (LMS) or Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). One of the main advantages of Moodle over other systems is a strong grounding in social constructionist pedagogy."

Best,

Laura

Re: MET Study Group | Dawn Grant-Skiba | September 27th, 2003

Hello everyone!!

Here's a shout from Poland.  My name's Dawn Grant-Skiba and I finished the FND back in the spring and am now waiting for the MET - it should arrive any day now.  Well, I'm really happy to be with you all and have hopes for a great time sharing experiences (good and bad). 

What can I say about myself?  Let's start with the fact that I am originally from the beautiful Caribbean island of Jamaica, have spent a few years in London, England where many of my relatives reside, and I'm married to a Pole which is why I am in this very cold country.   (It's actually really hot during the summer months - but hey! that was sometime back). I run my own 'show', which is too small to call a 'school' but I'm doing well. On a typical morning you should find me teaching Business English at a nearby international company.  In the afternoon I do a few classes at home (General English mostly) and have a nice mix of kids, young adults and older folks.  I kinda 'fell' into the teaching thing after my stint in the business world and have now been at it for four years.  I'm enjoying it a lot , which is why I elected to the MSc to support my business   degree. 

I wanted to reply to David's mail but I guess I'll have to do so next time as my 3-month old Benjamin is in a playful mood   :-)  I'll tell you about juggling family, study, career, etc. later, but I gotta go. 

Until later....

Dawn M

 

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