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May 2011

From the Mouths of Hawks


May 2011 Cover
“As Americans we have access to a vast array of resources. Perhaps the most important first step we can take, as part of a National Strategy, is to identify which of these resources are renewable and sustainable, and which are finite and diminishing. Without doubt, our greatest resource is America’s young people, who will shape and execute the vision needed to take this nation forward into an uncertain future. 

“We must embrace the reality that with opportunity comes challenge, and that retooling our competitiveness requires a commitment and investment in the future. Inherent in our children is the innovation, drive, and imagination that have made, and will continue to make, this country great. By investing energy, talent, and dollars now in the education and training of young Americans — the scientists, statesmen, industrialists, farmers, inventors, educators, clergy, artists, service members, and parents, of tomorrow — we are truly investing in our ability to successfully compete in, and influence, the strategic environment of the future. Our first investment priority, then, is intellectual capital and a sustainable infrastructure of education, health and social services to provide for the continuing development and growth of America’s youth.”

The source of this quotation is not the National Education Association but the Pentagon. During the first week of April, as Congress engaged in last-minute bluffs over the budget, the Pentagon issued a report entitled “A National Strategic Narrative” under the pseudonym of “Mr. Y,” a play on George Kennan’s 1946 “Long Telegram” from Moscow (published under the name “X” the following year in Foreign Affairs) that recommended containment as the key strategy for dealing with the Soviet Union. Although the report was written by two senior members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a “personal” capacity, it must have had some official approval which makes its argument all the more compelling.

The report argues that the U.S. has confused its spending priorities, saying that we are overreacting to Islamic extremism, under-investing in youth, and failing to embrace the sense of competition and opportunity that made America a world power. The authors fear that the nation has been increasingly consumed by seeing the world through the lens of threat, while failing to understand that influence, competitiveness, and innovation are the key to advancing American interests in the modern world.

Surprisingly, the authors bravely suggest that America relies far too heavily on its military to engage with the rest of the world instead of investing in the education of its people. In stark contrast, the Pentagon budget has almost doubled in the last decade while spending on education and other so-called social services are increasingly coming under attack.

Although language education is not specifically mentioned, the report concludes with a call for America to look forward in today’s interconnected world, claiming that we have misunderstood interdependence as a weakness rather than recognizing it as a strength, and that the key to being competitive is credibility which requires “engagement, strength, and reliability — imaginatively applied through the national tools of development, diplomacy, and defense.”

Last month’s federal budget compromise cut $8 billion in funding from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. In Los Angeles, Calif., over five thousand teachers have been issued layoff notices. Education budgets are so tight across the nation that we are being led to believe that language education is an unaffordable luxury while those in the know see international engagement as the one necessity in which we need to invest. Know­ledge of world languages and cultures is a prerequisite to international engagement so let’s follow this advice from the frontline and divert just a small fraction of defense spending to the education we need to communicate, understand, and engage.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Blurring the Line Between Language and Culture
Fatiha Guessabi argues that culture is a language in itself

Using Personal Literacy Profiles as Catalysts
Kayla Palmateer, Ashley Fair, Stephanie Grant, April Passi, and Jan Buley share how reflecting on our own literacy journeys reveals new teaching perspectives  

The ABC of Teaching Diverse Learners
Vicky Giouroukakis and Andrea Honigsfeld present their A-Z of culturally and linguistically responsive practices

Satisfying the Demand for Teachers
Zulmaris Diaz and Lakshmi Mahadevan show how their research on the need to recruit and retain language educators in Texas applies nationwide

Teacher Education Selections

Last Writes
Richard Lederer with a Tribute to Teachers

October 2008

Hole Language

October 2008 Cover

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has recently created a furor by issuing an edict requiring that all competitors in its tour speak English or face suspension. The controversy soon spilled from the sports pages to headline news, and the LPGA backed down when it became apparent that the public and golfers were outraged at what seemed like a move to discriminate against foreign players who have increasingly come to dominate women’s golf.

Of course, the policy deserved this bombardment of public protest, as well as demands from the tour’s own corporate sponsors, such as State Farm, that the organization review its policy. However, at the same time, calls for English-only governmental policies receive widespread support and relatively little controversy. Just last month, pressure groups in Tennessee tried unsuccessfully to add an English-only initiative to November’s ballot and there were calls to make the southern Californian city of Lancaster English-only despite over 30 percent of its population being Latino. Thirty states have made English their official language, including California in 1986, and English-only movements receive widespread support instead of the outpouring of public indignation that they warrant.
The French, renowned for their linguistic pride, are encouraging the acquisition of English by offering free classes nationwide; in the African country of Ghana, where English is the official language but over 100 languages are spoken, the government is encouraging its people to learn French to better communicate with their neighbors; and, in Costa Rica, the government has embarked on an ambitious plan to create a bilingual country where three quarters of the population speak Spanish and English (see all reports on page 14).

All of these policies have been formulated in recognition of the fact that the world works better, is more interesting, and provides more opportunities when more languages are spoken. Even many advocates of English-only policies appreciate that multilingualism is an asset but argue that it is a luxury that we cannot afford although we share the Americas with over 300 million Spanish speakers. Surely if Ghana and Costa Rica can afford bilingualism then so can the U.S.

English-only policies fly in the face of the principles on which this country was founded. Settlers came to America to escape the hierarchy of Europe, to create a meritocracy where it didn’t matter where your parents came from, what they did for a living, what language they spoke — all that mattered was what you did with your life, what you achieved, and how you treated your fellow citizens of the world. It is this principle that binds this nation together, not demands that we all speak the same language.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Enabling Education
Anna Uhl Chamot explains how teaching learning strategies can be the catalyst for lifelong learning

Bilingual Comprehension
Deborah Chitester presents her personal views on common confusions in bilingualism

Development Zone
Mohammed Arroub illuminates the benefits of engaging students in collaborative learning processes

English in the Emerald Isle
Christine Tsai discovers why Ireland has long been a popular English immersion destination

Russian Immersion
Christine Tsai suggests destinations to learn the language of Tolstoy

Last Writes
Richard Lederer on Top Dog Presidents

April 2011

A Land of Contrasts

April 2011 Cover

No matter which party is in power or what time of year it is, there is one thing that you can be sure of in America — whatever your viewpoint; there will be someone who believes the exact opposite.

Recently, the state of Arizona seems to have taken on the role of counterbalancing progressive opinion in its relentless victimization of undocumented immigrants but the decision of its Senate to ban state officials from speaking languages other than English (see News, p.10) seems to defy logic.

While the Arizona legislature was voting on this anti-lingual bit of law, our President was in Brazil, trying his best to endear himself to his hosts by speaking a few words of Portuguese, and explaining to the Brazilian people how American attitudes to its southern neighbors have changed, “Let us stand together — not as senior and junior partners, but as equal partners, joined in a spirit of mutual interest and mutual respect, committed to the progress that I know that we can make together.”

Also, last month saw U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hosting the First International Summit on the Teaching Profession in New York City (see News, p.9), the purpose of which was to “engage countries around the globe in an intensive discussion about promising practices for recruiting, preparing, developing, supporting, retaining, evaluating, and compensating world-class teachers.”

So, while most of us see the value in speaking other languages, communicating with and learning from people with different cultural backgrounds, the Arizona Senate thinks that its officials should not communicate in any language except English even though its population includes millions of Spanish speakers, it is home to hundreds of indigenous American languages (including the largest population of Diné [Navajo] speakers in the U.S.), it shares a border with Spanish-speaking Mexico, and over 40 percent of visitors to the Grand Canyon (its biggest tourist attraction) are from overseas. Surely the ability to communicate with your electorate in their language, potential visitors from overseas in their language, and business owners looking to relocate in their language is something that should be valued rather than banned?

However counterproductive this legislation may seem, the most amazing thing is that it will have plenty of supporters. The reality is that many of us have a quiet admiration for feisty conservatives who stubbornly oppose change and stand up for what they believe in no matter how absurd it is — maybe it’s the Walter Matthau effect. Everybody adores the grumpy old guy turned hero, and it’s about time that we recognize that the only motivation for such un-inclusive behavior is fear. And fear is neither a constructive nor an attractive motivator.

Arizona is a multicultural state blessed with astonishing landscapes, and vibrant, modern cities that need to look outwards if they are to develop. Suppressing linguistic diversity is not an option in today’s global society where everyone is a potential customer whatever language they speak so, in the end, such policy will only harm Arizona, as businesses will have to relocate to source the multilingual staff they need and those that remain will find that the rest of the world will carry on integrating with or without them.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Multistory Construction
Carol Gaab explains the relevance of teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling to modern teaching

Music Maestro
Keith Mason describes the glee that musicals can bring to the language classroom 

Moving On
Tracy Auerbach believes that kinesthetic learning techniques improve vocabulary learning across disciplines

Texas Roundup
A quick guide to the Lone Star State’s latest textbook adoptions for English learners

Castalleno en Casa
Daniel Ward can hardly conceal his passion for this most Spanish of regions

Last Writes
Richard Lederer plays accordion words

The Big ESOL

Language Magazine in New Orleans for TESOL

LangMag in New Orleans TESOL

‘Teachers are used to creating challenging games’

Thousands of English as a Second Language (ESL) educators took part in Language Magazine’s latest “treasure hunt” at TESOL’s annual convention in New Orleans last month.

Players (including those pictured above) solved clues using the latest issue of the magazine to discover which exhibitors they had to visit to get their game cards punched so that they could win T-shirts and subscriptions.

“Teachers are used to creating challenging games for their students so they love having the tables turned on them and getting the chance to do the fun part,” commented Emma Sutton, Language Magazine’s marketing director.

March 2011

The Communication Revolution

March 2011 Cover

As dictators topple across North Africa into the Middle East, and new uprisings coalesce on almost a daily basis, one of the most striking aspects of this new revolutionary wave is the ability of its participants to communicate not only with their compatriots or comrades but across borders with news organizations and like-minded activists via social networks, blogs, and other forums.

The defining image of the international Arab democracy movement is that of a rebel wielding not an AK47 but a Blackberry. From Tunisians blogging to Egyptians tweeting and Libyans texting, multilingual techno-literacy is the mass’s weapon of deconstruction.

Impassioned pleas for support in English, French and Arabic accompanied by amateur video were heard around a world that had no idea of the fomenting discontent until it was communicated internationally via web-enabled devices predominantly in English – the language of international communication.

The English-language Saudi daily Arabnews captured the feeling when it published the catchy headline: “It’s cool to be Arab again” during the Egyptian revolt.

Another icon was the handwritten sign in English held aloft in the streets of Cairo which read: “Today, my real birthday, I am free.”

Some commentators have called the uprisings “Twitter or Facebook revolutions,” giving credit to the media that enabled them. While others have stubbornly denied that such grassroots media have played any part whatsoever.

The reality is that educated, literate, multilingual activists were sufficiently empowered by these new communication tools to break free from their shackles. Years of interconnectivity had exposed the shortfalls of these oppressive regimes to their citizens and constant, cross-cultural communication acclimatized youth to inevitable change.

The instantaneous nature of internet self-publication explains the viral spread of these revolutions and their lack of hierarchy. But only the articulate, web-savvy players were truly able to participate.

“They (the West) are seeing something new,” said Sari Hanafi, a sociology professor at the American University of Beirut. “They are looking at civilized, peaceful people, not the stereotypical image of the bearded Arab.”

Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based news service vilified by many during the first stages of the Iraq War, is now in discussions with Comcast, America’s largest cable operator, about bringing the network’s English-language channel to millions of U.S. homes. But we need to know more about the partners in revolution. In the last 60 years, the population of Egypt has quadrupled from less than 20 million to 84 million people of which the vast majority are under 30 years old. Youth equals change as long as youth is educated and has access to information.

Protesters were only able to secure international media coverage so quickly thanks to their multilingualism and the ability to broadcast their own news using smartphones. With the world already watching, repressive regimes were less likely to forcibly quell rebellion so these democracy movements had the chance to grow. Then, they were able to garner the domestic and international support they needed to succeed. Communication breeds democracy so it is in all of our interests to do all we can to encourage global literacy and multilingualism.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Making Content King
Alma Krilic suggests reorganizing language programs according to their content area instead of students’ proficiency level

How Long is Too Long?
Diego Uribe presents a study of attaining academic English proficiency 

Jogging the Brain
Aned Muñiz has found that incorporating sports into her language class is a winning formula

English to Go
M. Catherine OliverSmith describes how expert execution of a simple idea has resulted in an international educational phenomenon

Playa and More
México and Costa Rica are deservedly two of America’s favorite tourist destinations and they also offer a wealth of Spanish immersion opportunities

Last Writes
Richard Lederer on speaking Strine

Egypt Advisory

Cairo, EgyptEgypt is probably the most popular destination for Arabic immersion programs so the current instability is affecting many language students.

The American University in Cairo (AUC) issued the following statement, “Classes at the university are cancelled for the coming week. We anticipate resuming administrative activities on Wednesday, February 2, 2011. AUC faculty, staff and students are being encouraged to remain in their homes, and AUC dorms are complying with the curfew imposed by the Egyptian government.”

For updates, watch the U.S. cable-news networks and Al-Jazeera offers English language coverage form an Arabic point of view.

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program

March 1, 2011: Student Deadline for submission of online application for Fall 2011 & Summer 2011 study abroad programs.

The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards for undergraduate study abroad and was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000. This scholarship provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study abroad programs worldwide.

For further information, http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program

Making Learners Click with Digital Storytelling

Nile Stanley and Brett Dillingham see the value in connecting learning literacy, language, and technology through storytelling

What Is Digital Storytelling?
Storytelling is the oldest form of teaching and probably the best way to learn. Recent research indicates our brains are actually “hard wired” to remember information in storytelling format (Willingham, 2004). Storytelling has received a wealth of support as an important teaching tool grounded in constructivist learning principles (Stanley and Dillingham, 2010). Digital storytelling is storytelling that contains some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips, or music. We have created digital storytelling projects with Alaska Natives, in Irish schools, with undergraduate and graduate students in education, and with inner-city populations in the southern United States. No matter the group or location, digital storytelling captivates, engages, and educates.

Why Digital Storytelling?
When it comes to learning language with new media it seems our students are En La Frontera — on the border — having two separate lives. Like digital natives, most of our students have been surrounded by computers, the Internet, mobile phones, iPods, digital cameras, and video games since a pre-school age. They often are more comfortable with technology than their teachers. Paradoxically, today’s students — except for most children of poverty — live a digitally-saturated life away from school, but live a relatively digital-free life at school (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). Many teachers have not had the preparation to integrate technology in their classrooms, or emphasize it in their language teaching (Velazquez-Torres, 2006). To connect learning literacy, language, and the ubiquitous technology that surrounds us, we suggest teachers take a close look at digital storytelling and what it has to offer.

Create a Story, Not a Bad Movie!
We contend that digital storytelling instruction will be most successful with second language learners if grounded in constructivist learning principles and informed by the professional standards for both students and teachers (see resources). Furthermore, we believe that the learner’s storytelling is more important than the technology. Technology can enhance a story. However, an engaging story with an interesting beginning, problem, solution, and ending should be the driving force behind any project. What our students are saying should always be more important than how they are saying it. We’ve come to the same conclusion as digital storytelling expert and author Jason Ohler (2008, p.6): “All technology is an amplifier… and what happens when you give a bad guitar player a bigger amplifier? Ouch!” That is to say, we have been part of incredible digital storytelling projects of which any teacher, parent, or community member would be proud, but we have also witnessed others (not by our students!) that left us with the same feeling one gets from a Hollywood movie that concentrated on special effects only to let bad acting, empty dialogue, and a weak story ruin the film. No technology or special effects can replace a well-developed story complete with literary elements and personal voice.

How does the teacher insure effective integration of digital storytelling into the curriculum? Teachers can show students how to use computer tools for accessing information, interpreting, and organizing their personal knowledge to produce and represent what they know to other people. Sadik (2008), researching the Egyptian Ministry of Education’s initiative of integrating technology, found that teachers could use digital storytelling successfully to increase student engagement in learning. Similarly, Adams (1999) reported that at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas, digital storytelling helped transform the attitude of teachers toward technology, and of English Learner immigrant students toward themselves. The technology tools were affordable and easy to learn. Adams (1999) recounted a quote by educator Jason Ohler: “You don’t have to be a technical whiz to teach digital storytelling. If you have an open mind and classroom management skills, and are willing to use students as resources, it can work.” Drawing on data from a multi-year case study with an immigrant child and adult, Hull and Katz (2006) concluded the most pivotal effect of learning with digital storytelling was its effect on the individual’s self efficacy: “…the opportunity [with digital storytelling] to be successful as a learner and doer can foster a view of self as agent, able to influence present circumstances and future possibilities, and to situate self in relation to others in socially responsible ways.”
The full impact of digital storytelling on language learning has yet to be thoroughly researched. The U.S. Department of Education’s Technology Plan (2010) provides for grants in much needed research on digital learning with “a particular focus on the identification of evidence and increasing the level of understanding of what strategies and innovations work for what students under what circumstances.”
Opp-Beckman, & Klinghammer, S.J. (2006) are authors of a popular English as a Second Language (ESL) video module teacher training series, “Shaping the Way We Teach English,” on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu2JRqTdtGQ. Their research underscores that the foundation of successful language learning practices should:
• Emphasize a social, constructivist, inquiry-based approach,
not a lecture, “talking head” approach.
• Build language awareness so learners become better, more
conscious participants in their own leaning as they do the work of
analyzing and reflecting on language and its use.
• Practice contextualization, the meaningful use of language for real communicative purposes.
• Use technology to personalize the learning experience to
communicate authentically and purposively with others.
• Develop the primary skills of speaking, listening, reading,
and writing.
• Integrate the skills of critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, research, negotiation, and community building.
• Integrate skill development (e.g. word study, pronunciation, fluency, comprehension, spelling and grammar) in meaningful context.

Digitize stories with Movie Maker
So how does one evoke the electronic muse and get started composing digital stories? Many different software programs are available that support Digital Storytelling. Windows Movie Maker software is easy to use and comes already installed on many PCs. You can use the Google Image search engine to find free, non-copyrighted pictures that support your student’s electronic remaking of classic stories by their favorite authors, or record performances of students’ original stories with a digital video camera. Download the videos to Movie Maker, use a microphone to do voice-over narration where necessary, and add music (either free downloads or original songs if you’re musically inclined). Final E-story projects can be published on DVD, BlackBerry, iPod, YouTube or Teacher Tube. Raven Day, an original folktale told by storyteller Brett Dillingham is another good example of the use of Movie Maker and may be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvTrd-vUDxQ. You can view several examples of ESL digital storytelling on YouTube. If you do not have access to Movie Maker, visit the University of Houston
Center of English technology tools website http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/technology_tools.html
where you will find links to the step-by-step, online manuals of the
recommended software programs used to do digital storytelling: Microsoft Photostory, Apple iMovie, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and Adobe Premier Elements.

What does digital storytelling development for second language look like at the Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels? It is the language proficiency and technical tools skill development and not the age or grade level that matters with digital storytelling. Storytelling can be at any level. Beginning digital storytellers learn and practice the basics in order to find their voice. Suggested activities include:
• Tell personal stories about self, family, pets, ideas, and experiences, using sound, expression and movement. Create a visual portrait of the story. Rehearse and perform for class. Practice retelling another’s story.
• Write a narrative paragraph about yourself using a word processor or dictate to a teacher or capable peer, use a spelling and grammar check, and share with others through email, blog or other social network.
• Learn how to record personal stories with the proper pacing, inflection, and tone using a microphone and computer recording software.
• Collect visual, audio and other sensory materials to tell a story. Use search engines to find images, music, and sound effects in the public domain and download to the desktop to create a PowerPoint presentation of a story.

Intermediate digital storytellers need to hone their voice by drawing on literary and content area texts and using more sophisticated technologies such as:
• Learn to use authoring software with online tutorials such as Movie Maker, iMovie and Photostory to do creative retellings of favorite stories, books, and events.
• Enter a video production contest and film stories of historical events or scientific discoveries from multiple viewpoints.
• Research different folklore and tell urban legends in a digital storytelling festival via a podcast, webinar or YouTube.
• Produce a digital recipe book with interesting stories compiled by your class, disseminate through DVD, and sell it as a fundraiser.

Advanced digital storytellers use story as a powerful, community-changing tool when they share their voice and leverage technology as experts, continually adapting and learning to creatively and responsibly work and play in a globally competitive workforce.
• Explore identities through storytelling about gender race and culture. Learn new technology tools and techniques from an online mentor.
• Challenge familiar stories about controversial people and events by examining what is missing or underrepresented. Consult a reference librarian and learn new online research databases.
• Interview recent immigrants and retell their stories creatively (e.g. children’s Ebook, claymation, puppetry, a musical, or storytelling festival).
• Influence and guide others toward a civic minded goal by creating a public service campaign (e.g. “save our library,” increase Broadband internet access, encourage equitable financial aid for immigrant
students.)

Evaluation
The following are some general instructional strategies for teaching and improving live and digital storytelling performances that should be used at all levels.
Use modeling, feedback, discussion, and guided practice. We have used the following simple but very powerful discussion process effectively to evaluate child and adult storytelling performances at all levels. After the storytelling performance, ask the audience, “What did the storyteller do to make this a good storytelling? What sounds, expressions, and movements did the storyteller do well?” You want students to focus on how the story was told, not the content. Specifically, you want them to think about how well the storyteller used sound, movement, and expression to tell the story. After several students have shared the positives, ask “What could the storyteller do to make the performance even better?” You want the performer to internalize the process so it becomes self-evaluation (“What can I do to make my performance better?”).

Model the language of response and criticism. Teachers must model constructive as well as critical feedback without using harsh words in order to teach effective storytelling. Ask, “What did I do to make this a good storytelling?” and then model a positive response: “I liked the way you moved like a fish, spoke loudly enough, made that train sound. Follow up with, “What could I do to make it even better?” and then model a response like the following: “To make it even better, you might want to speak up louder, pretend to be talking into a phone, look scared when the door opens, etc.” Storytellers learn to use variations of these two questions. This language is polite yet direct and useful to the storyteller so he or she can improve the story.

Tell stories or view digital ones in small groups and get feedback. Students tell their stories to a group of three to five of their peers, integrating sound, expression, and movement. Tell the storytelling audience to pay close attention so they can provide feedback about the performance. Upon finishing the story, the storyteller asks the group, “What did I do to make this a good storytelling?” Tell them not to speak out but to raise their hands and wait to be called upon. After two or three responses, the student asks, “What could I do to make it even better?” The group responds with the appropriate language, modeled by the teacher. In this process, students become open to being critiqued as storytellers (and as writers). Students can retell their stories and target specific techniques from the Storytelling Performance Rubric below that they wish to improve, such as remembering to use different voices for different characters. After students perform their story again, the group can respond with feedback about how the storytellers improved upon the targeted technique. This type of guided practice increases confidence and improves performance.

Digital Storytelling Rubric
(from Stanley and Dillingham, 2009, p. 109)

Story
Is the story engaging, with an interesting beginning, problem, solution and ending?
Detail
Is the story told with enough detail to be coherent?
Point of View
Does the story have a clear purpose and point of view?
Narration
Is the voice narration clear and match the story line? Does it and flow well with the content and images?
Pacing
Does the pacing of the narrative keep the audience engaged?
Grammar and Language Use
Are grammar and language use correct and appropriate for the telling of this particular telling the story?
Images
Are the background images high quality and appropriately
coordinated with the different scenes in the story?
Music
Does the music match the story line and tone?
Professionalism
Does the author have a title and credits page?
Does the credits page contain appropriate reference
citation/permission for any copy written material?

We shortchange our students when we say the technology we use is too expensive, complicated, or distracting to integrate with language learning. According to educator Jason Ohler (2010), author of Digital Community, Digital Citizen, a primary mission of educators should be to help students understand not only how to use technology, but more importantly, when and why. Technology is redefining our roles as citizens in today’s globally connected infosphere. Digital storytelling (Stanley and Dillingham, 2009) offers an easy way for language educators to integrate technology with teaching, and to help students blend personal empowerment with community responsibility.

Resources
FreeESLMaterials.com lists over 50 sites for digital storytelling
http://www.freeeslmaterials.com/digital_storytelling.html
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Technology Standards for Language Teachers http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?
CID=1972&DID=12052
Technology Standards for Language Learners
http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?
CID=1972&DID=12051
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
National Educational Technology Standards (NETS): http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS

References
Adams, C, (1999). “Digital Storytelling.” Instructor.119 (3).,35-38.
Opp-Beckman, & Klinghammer, S.J. (2006). Shaping the Way We Teach English: Successful Practices Around the World. Washington, DC. Office of English Language Programs. Retrieved on November 13, 2010, from http://oelp.uoregon.edu/03_manual_20060319.pdf
Hull, G. A., & Katz. M. L. (2006). “Crafting an Agentive Self: Case Studies of Digital Storytelling.” Research in the Teaching of English, 41 (1),43-82.
Ohler, J. (2008.) Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Ohler, J. (2010). Digital Community, Digital Citizen. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Sadik, A. (2008). “Digital Storytelling: A Meaningful Technology-Integrated Approach For Engaged Student Learning.” Educational Technology Research and Development, 56 (4) 487-507.
Stanley, N. & Dillingham. N. (2010, November). “Telling Tales: Nile Stanley and Brett Dillingham Explain the Benefits of Teaching Performance Literacy through Storytelling.” Language Magazine, 10 (1), 27-29.
Stanley, N. , & Dillingham, B. (2009). Performance Literacy through Storytelling. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House.
United States Department of Education (2010). Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Technology. Retrieved on November 13, 2010, from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010
Velazquez-Torres, N. (2006). “How well are ESL Teachers Being Prepared to Integrate Technology in their Classrooms?” The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language. Retrieved on November 13, 2010, from http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume9/ej36/ej36a1/
Willingham, D. T. (2004). “ Ask the Cognitive Scientist: The Privileged Status of Story.” American Educator, 28(2) ,43-45;51-53.

Nile Stanley ([email protected]) is an associate professor of Childhood Education at the University of North Florida.
Brett Dillingham ([email protected]) is an internationally known storyteller from Juneau, Alaska and director of the Performance Literacy Institute.

Travel Wise

Why should kids have all the fun?

There is a wide range of professional development programs for teachers that also just happen to have an international element

Studying abroad is not just for undergraduates. In fact, according to study abroad program coordinators, many graduate students improve their GPA while participating in foreign programs, and gaining international relations experience is invaluable in today’s job market.

StudyAbroad.com offers a comprehensive directory of nearly 200 graduate study abroad programs taught in English alone. A key feature of the site is the ability students have to search for programs based on location and academic subject. Once students find programs that align with their interests, they can to contact the program providers directly to learn more and begin the application/enrollment process. After finding a graduate study abroad program, students can prepare for their trip with a variety of informative resources. Blogs written by current students studying abroad offer a peek inside the life that awaits study abroad hopefuls with pictures, descriptions of the classroom environment and stories of day-to-day life in a foreign culture with lots of weekend travel. Articles paint a picture of what to expect when studying abroad with tips on everything from what to pack, how to adjust to foreign life, what to do and see while abroad, how to re-adjust to American life, and much more. A directory of scholarship information allows students the option to search for financial aid options specific to their study abroad plans and financial needs.

Pepperdine University:
The Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) offers an innovative learning community comprised of academically acclaimed faculty who are scholar-practitioners and experts in their respective fields. Providing students with real-world experience and expertise through curricula designed to produce an immediate improvement in their job performance, GSEP offers a unique study abroad component to many of our graduate programs.   The Doctor of Education in organizational leadership program (Ed.D.) provides students with the opportunity to travel internationally to countries such as China, India, and Brazil. During a one week to ten day trip, students meet with local and national leaders, observe and examine industries and organizations such as healthcare, schools, universities, and manufacturing. Through cultural immersion, students gain a well rounded, cross-cultural perspective of business and industry. The experience is expanded upon in the classroom through coursework designed to challenge ideas, promote discourse, and bridge discoveries to theory and practice. Students find the travel experience to be inspirational, and for many, it is life changing. Returning with a refreshed awareness and appreciation for other cultures as well as for life in the U.S., students continue to advance in their current professional pursuits or begin new ventures and innovations.Pepperdine provides a learning community that expands students’ professional networks while encouraging them to challenge the status quo; they become adept leaders throughout diverse disciplines and fields both nationally and internationally.

Shenandoah University
TESOL Program

Shenandoah University, a private university located 50 miles away from Washington, D.C., offers online Master of Science and certificate programs in TESOL to students across the U.S. and in 19 countries worldwide.Established in 1999, the University’s online TESOL program boasts of over 1,000 alumni who are teaching students of all ages, proficiency levels and academic and professional needs. “We are proud of our strong programs and tradition of excellence and accessibility for our students. We know that students leave us with skills and knowledge that identify them among the finest teachers of English to speakers of other languages around the world,” says Liz England, Professor and Department Chair in TESOL at Shenandoah.Housed in the School of Education and Human Development, the online TESOL programs offer courses using the Blackboard system taught by three faculty members located in Winchester, Virginia, and three adjunct faculty members. All faculty members have PhDs and are active in scholarly and service activities in TESOL and related fields.  Currently, students are located across the U.S. — in Virginia, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, California and Oregon — as well as in other countries including Korea, China, Japan, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Romania, and France.

Acceptance into a TESOL program is based on rigorous admission requirements set by the University’s Graduate Admissions Office. Admitted students are assigned graduate advisors who communicate regularly and support them throughout their coursework.  Students keep in touch with one another long after they leave the program and enjoy opportunities to meet at conferences locally, nationally and internationally. A recent graduate says, “SU TESOL offered me the best possible way to complete my master’s in TESOL and I never even expected that I would make so many friends and colleagues in a distance program!”  To apply to TESOL programs at Shenandoah University, students send application documents, official transcripts, reference letters and a statement of purpose to the Admissions Office (www.su.edu/admissions). Upon acceptance, students enroll in classes taught in Fall and Spring semesters as well as selected courses in Summer term.

In Britain with Brigham Young University

BYU’s study abroad program is for English Language majors and non-majors alike — if you speak English, if you love language, you’re invited. The “English Language in Britain” program explores where English came from and how diverse it has become. Participants study the language in its historical periods, from Old English to contemporary English, as well as dialects, from British Englishes to Englishes world-wide. Further enrichment comes through lectures by leading scholars from British universities like Cambridge and Oxford. Consider it the “Beatrix Potter & Henry Higgins” tour of Ireland, Wales, England, and Scotland.The city of London is the base for studies. Homework assignments lead to historical sites like the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the Globe Theatre, Hampton Court Palace, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Include are visits to neighborhoods featuring distinctive dialects like Cockney, Received Pronunciation, Caribbean English, and Indian English, as well as trips outside London to sites connected to the history and varieties of English, such as Stonehenge, Stratford-on-Avon, York, the Lake District, Dublin, Cardiff, and Edinburgh.

Students enroll in at least six credit hours. The core courses of the program are:n ELang 223 Introduction to Language Study (3 credit hours)

ELang  324 History of the English Language (3 credit hours)n ELang 468 Varieties of English (3 credit hours)

Graduate students are welcome to join the program with permission from the co-directors. Course work for graduate students is determined in collaboration with the co-directors.

USAC

USAC offers graduate students a wide range of 600-level in almost any region within their domain, including Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and Europe. There are many common concerns when it comes to studying abroad, but USAC is designed to allay many of those fears, including questions of cost, language barriers, and graduating on time. USAC’s status as a non-profit consortium means that it can keep costs low so that it can sometimes be cheaper to go abroad than to stay at home. With no language prerequisite to going abroad and such a wide range of courses available, there should be nothing preventing students from studying abroad. For those doing graduate study in political science, for example, there are courses in Chile, Italy, Costa Rica, and Germany; taught by both international and American professors which can be as broad as International Affairs since 1945 in Torino, Italy, or as specific as International Political Economy: North-South Relations in Heredia, Costa Rica. Also on offer are graduate engineering courses in Luneburg, Germany and graduate geography courses in Viterbo, Italy.

A wide range of courses are available including anthropology, foreign languages, business, and journalism, And an array of destinations,  including Ghana, Sweden, Mexico, and Norway. Graduate offerings are available year-round, so participants can study for a summer, a semester, or a full year. Summer courses are in fewer countries, but include the United Kingdom where literature, theatre, and history classes are all offered at the graduate level.

School for International Training (SIT)

SIT Graduate Institute’s MA TESOL program in Vermont is designed around the Experiential Learning Cycle, with the internship in the middle of the program. A supervisor comes and spends a week with the teacher, no matter where in the world it is. Those on the Summer MA program, designed for practicing teachers, attend two summers. In between, they return to the schools where they are employed and use it as an internship. This year’s group is teaching in Brazil, Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Those on the academic year program do their internships in January/February. Here are some of the sites:

Thailand
Two Thai K-12 schools outside of Mae Sot, where 70-80 percent of the students are Burmese.  South Africa A primary school and a high school in the village of Memel, Free State; and at the university in Port Elizabeth.

Morocco
The American Language Center in Kenitra. Most of the students are from the various local high schools where they are studying English in their schools already. Costa Rica Central Espiral Mana, an agricultural village, where English classes are available to all students 13 and older in the community. The country’s 2011 focus is on training public school teachers to bring their English Language skill to a level beyond basic.

The U.S. sites are in New England, in public and private schools, prisons, language institutes, community centers, and colleges. The students from the host institutions are immigrants, refugees, international students or visitors.

February 2011

State of the Teaching Profession

February 2011 Cover

Last month, President Obama spent a substantial portion of his State of the Union address (about 1,000 of the 7,000 words) on education. It is encouraging to see that education is once again being afforded the importance that most Americans think it deserves, especially during this time when all the press is interested in is the economy.

Even more encouraging was the President’s “we need you” appeal for teachers: “We want to reward good teachers,” and: “If you want to make a difference in the life of a child — become a teacher.”

Obama cited the Korean education system as an example we would do well to follow: “In South Korea, teachers are known as ‘nation builders.’ Here in America, it’s time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect,” he said.

Although we should applaud his sentiment, South Korea’s reality is not as rosy as the President’s portrait. Pressure to succeed at school is all-consuming, to the extent that a South Korean blogger explains: “As someone who has straddled multiple cultures throughout my life, I can firmly say that the ‘culture’ of education in the U.S. is the one in which I would want my child; South Korea’s would be one of my last choices.”

And then, we should consider the way in which Seoul is quick to limit teachers’ democratic rights. Just last month, the Seoul Central District Court, found some members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union, including its former leader, guilty of violating laws banning public officials from political activities by making donations to the opposition Democratic Labor Party. Some 130 teachers were fined.

It is a serious crime, the court said, for teachers, who act as role models for their students, to disregard the duty of political neutrality as defined by the country’s Constitution.

Whatever the situation in Korea, few can disagree with the President’s assertion that school teachers deserve more respect.

However, Obama’s subsequent declarations indicate that too much emphasis is being placed on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects: “We want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math,” and that “We need to teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair.”

There is a growing body of research showing that what is limited in our educational system is learning that is academic rather than consumerist or market-driven (Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, Arum and Roksa, 2010). And the latest research supports the argument that we need to concentrate on closing the achievement gap if we want to see general educational improvements in the U.S., so increasing opportunities for English Language Learners (ELLs) should be a priority (see News, page 9).

If the President really wanted “every young person listening tonight who’s contemplating their career choice [to] become a teacher,” he would be well-advised to push for higher teacher pay, greater autonomy, and to recognize that it is proficiency in the arts disciplines, including English language arts and world languages, that helps to produce the critical thinkers that shape our society.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Aspire to Inspire
Carolina Amoroso recommends going beyond the call of duty

Quality for All
Daniel Ward introduces professional development options

Turning the Tables
Lesley Gledenning asks what teachers can learn from students

Diversity in Teacher Education

Making Learners Click with Digital Storytelling
Nile Stanley and Brett Dillingham see the value in connecting learning literacy, language, and technology through storytelling

Travel Wise
Why should kids have all the fun? There is a wide range of professional development programs for teachers that also just happen to have an international element

A Word Here or There
Kalie Bredo takes a look at professional development programs abroad for language teachers

Last Writes
Richard Lederer on teaching Helen Keller

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