Becoming an “Informed Eclectic” - Unit 3 Reflections

Three reflections for Unit 3:

Thought #1 – You have likely heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” I think it might also take a village to make a teacher. As I have tried to follow the Unit 3 lesson plan, I have contacted people in my PLN through email, Twitter, Facebook Messenger, and texting. I have followed twitter feeds, and been careful and observent as I work with staff whose first language is not English. I have received encouragement, help, links to sites, and been given an opportunity to observe in-class teaching to see how the elements of language are actually taught in a class. Resources are coming so I can practice English grammar to improve my own skill level, with the hope that I will be a better supporter of learners in the future. I want to be able to help develop confidence in learners; others are helping and supporting me, I am grateful, and I wish to do the same.

Thought #2 – I thought I knew English. And I do, but not in the way that ESL teachers do. If humility is the beginning of wisdom, then I am in a good place. I was humbled by my lack of knowledge around the structures and forms of this language that is so dear to me, and I am comforted by the fact that there are supports and hope for me to become better; even more, there is hope to become better with a purpose - so that I may help others. Adults want their learning to have meaning – this is meaningful to me.

Thought #3 – In past posts I have shared that sometimes the answer is not as easy as you might hope. Sometimes the answer is “it depends”; or perhaps one theory or set of assumptions does not contain all you need to solve your question. The pieces sometimes do not equal the sum you were expecting. One of the most encouraging things (for me) from our text this week is a quote found on page 466, where it reads “...we need to consider an informed eclectic approach to form-focused instruction (Savage, 2010.)” While the quote is specifically referring to form-focused instruction, I appreciate the idea that we can use a variety of approaches in teaching the elements of language. This allows a certain measure of freedom to ensure that we are meeting the needs of learners, not just following someone's rules of language. There is value in using/balancing all the theories and ideas, concepts and instructional methods to the betterment of the learner; it must be less about which theory is the most right, or best. “Best” is not best for everyone, whether teacher or learner. I like the idea of being an informed eclectic when it comes to language learning, for both the teacher and the learner.

The sum of this week? I am encouraged and supported. I am humbled and on a path to wisdom. Sense and meaning are important, structures are needed, but individual approaches are encouraged. I am learning so I will not squander the opportunity to encourge, support, and help develop wisdom. A good goal is to provide sense, meaning, and structures in learning, and I will remember that people (not theories or approaches) are on the other side of any teaching I do. I need to keep people and their needs as the priority, and adapt the rest to support learners.

References

Brown, D. & Lee, H. (2015) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Upper Saddle River: Pearson