As a Teacher Learner
In a previous blog post I spoke about who a teacher might be. I actually wrote that at a time when I felt I was, together with other fellow students, suffering from unjust treatment from some of our teachers. I wrote that article as a kind of imagining a better world where our teachers are more careful about our learning. I should say that because of such breed of teachers, I had to put off my graduate work until further notice. To be honest, it was not just that. I had to stop my graduate studies because of conflicting commitments of study and work, not least that I had to travel to other cities in order to do the kind of study I needed. I found that I could not be doing both things, studying and working, at the same time. I wasn't making much of my studies as I wished or as I should have. Neither was I doing the kind of great work that would satisfy my ambition as a language teacher. I was torn between the two most important things in my life: teaching English and studying English. You might think that I was being lazy as many people could do both things simultaneously. Well, probably yes, but not to the extent that would make me quit.
As a teacher, I find that continuous learning is a must, particularly if you are a language teacher. Language is an ever growing thing. It's simply the carrier of human thought in all walks of life. Technological advances alone can account for the state of language flux. So, in order to succeed in your career as a language teacher you have to keep as much up to date as possible with the technological or otherwise advancements of interest to your students. It's never ending. However, as far as this contention goes, such kind of update would be within the realm of lexis or vocabulary. In principle, yes, that's true. Yet, taking the example of technological advances, it has other impacts on language. A very good example is "texting". Texting is a form of language that has evolved as a result of mobile phone technology. Further, as text messages became more and more popular, we can now hear of the m-novel, which, as far as I could know, is a new genre of literature circulated on mobile phones, hence the "m" in the name. Moreover, some people argue that texting would affect people's social behaviour as well. They say that we [the speaker is English; i.e. from England] used to be punctual about our appointments, so that in the old days we would say, "see you at the station at 9 by the gates." Now we might say, "I'd text you while I'm on the way." As a language teacher, I need to be aware of this in order to be able to answer my students' questions about such topics should they arise, or better, raise discussions about such issues in order to develop my students' awareness of language use as a most powerful social tool.
It does not need, it seems, much effort to know such information. You can get the answer to virtually any question from the Internet. I would agree with that claim, but only in part. I cannot deny that much of my own language development and knowledge came through the Internet. However, there were times when the Internet just returned zero results for my queries. Additionally, Internet content cannot always be taken for granted. There are some verification issues to be considered. Plus, knowledge or learning is not simply knowing answers to questions. It's, for one thing, to know something and be able to explain or verify it. A teacher would always find him-/herself in a position where s/he has to provide an answer to the most awkward questions of how and/or why. If we go back to people's misconceived idea that a teacher is all-knowing, we can easily see how much continuing learning is vital to the professional teacher.
If the Internet with all the vast amounts of information it contains won't suffice, where can a teacher go for continuous learning? Grad school is one option. And to me, it's the top-of-the-list one. Graduate work, as it were, gives you – as a language teacher – more insights; inroads into the study of language. It helps you own the tools necessary to do your own linguistic analysis and observation. I have always found that being involved in academia helps me feel and perform better as teacher. It gives you access to more credible sources of linguistic knowledge as well as allows you to sharpen up your language production. Earlier posts in this blog would testify that the time I spent doing graduate studies was fruitful. The whole blog, actually, testifies that interest in continuing learning can keep one on the right track.
As a teacher learner, I have always found that negotiating an idea with my students, particularly adults, is a good practice to enhance, and sometimes verify, one's own knowledge. The unique opportunity offered through teaching adult learners is unmatched. In my classes, I used to ask my students to give presentations about topics of interest to them. It has always been an enriching experience to exchange places with them to enjoy their informative presentations. Of course you can imagine the amount of knowledge you can get when you listen to fifteen or so people who come from different backgrounds with different interests. The range of presentation topics is really wide: mobile phone networks, how AC's work, colours and their meaning, myths, talk shows, historical figures, ads, peptic ulcer, photography, you name it. Imagine the excitement! Some of my students who happen to have prior training in HRD (human resources development) even organised mini training sessions for us in class. One of the greatest benefits I still enjoy is having access to interesting books through my network of ex-students. I learn a lot from my students.
Note:
In composing this article, I have relied on the following sources:
As a teacher, I find that continuous learning is a must, particularly if you are a language teacher. Language is an ever growing thing. It's simply the carrier of human thought in all walks of life. Technological advances alone can account for the state of language flux. So, in order to succeed in your career as a language teacher you have to keep as much up to date as possible with the technological or otherwise advancements of interest to your students. It's never ending. However, as far as this contention goes, such kind of update would be within the realm of lexis or vocabulary. In principle, yes, that's true. Yet, taking the example of technological advances, it has other impacts on language. A very good example is "texting". Texting is a form of language that has evolved as a result of mobile phone technology. Further, as text messages became more and more popular, we can now hear of the m-novel, which, as far as I could know, is a new genre of literature circulated on mobile phones, hence the "m" in the name. Moreover, some people argue that texting would affect people's social behaviour as well. They say that we [the speaker is English; i.e. from England] used to be punctual about our appointments, so that in the old days we would say, "see you at the station at 9 by the gates." Now we might say, "I'd text you while I'm on the way." As a language teacher, I need to be aware of this in order to be able to answer my students' questions about such topics should they arise, or better, raise discussions about such issues in order to develop my students' awareness of language use as a most powerful social tool.
It does not need, it seems, much effort to know such information. You can get the answer to virtually any question from the Internet. I would agree with that claim, but only in part. I cannot deny that much of my own language development and knowledge came through the Internet. However, there were times when the Internet just returned zero results for my queries. Additionally, Internet content cannot always be taken for granted. There are some verification issues to be considered. Plus, knowledge or learning is not simply knowing answers to questions. It's, for one thing, to know something and be able to explain or verify it. A teacher would always find him-/herself in a position where s/he has to provide an answer to the most awkward questions of how and/or why. If we go back to people's misconceived idea that a teacher is all-knowing, we can easily see how much continuing learning is vital to the professional teacher.
If the Internet with all the vast amounts of information it contains won't suffice, where can a teacher go for continuous learning? Grad school is one option. And to me, it's the top-of-the-list one. Graduate work, as it were, gives you – as a language teacher – more insights; inroads into the study of language. It helps you own the tools necessary to do your own linguistic analysis and observation. I have always found that being involved in academia helps me feel and perform better as teacher. It gives you access to more credible sources of linguistic knowledge as well as allows you to sharpen up your language production. Earlier posts in this blog would testify that the time I spent doing graduate studies was fruitful. The whole blog, actually, testifies that interest in continuing learning can keep one on the right track.
As a teacher learner, I have always found that negotiating an idea with my students, particularly adults, is a good practice to enhance, and sometimes verify, one's own knowledge. The unique opportunity offered through teaching adult learners is unmatched. In my classes, I used to ask my students to give presentations about topics of interest to them. It has always been an enriching experience to exchange places with them to enjoy their informative presentations. Of course you can imagine the amount of knowledge you can get when you listen to fifteen or so people who come from different backgrounds with different interests. The range of presentation topics is really wide: mobile phone networks, how AC's work, colours and their meaning, myths, talk shows, historical figures, ads, peptic ulcer, photography, you name it. Imagine the excitement! Some of my students who happen to have prior training in HRD (human resources development) even organised mini training sessions for us in class. One of the greatest benefits I still enjoy is having access to interesting books through my network of ex-students. I learn a lot from my students.
Note:
In composing this article, I have relied on the following sources:
- "On Chambers", a blog post on Prof D Crystal's blog: http://david-crystal.blogspot.com/2009/09/on-chambers.html
- "On a new m-novel", a blog post on Prof D Crystal's blog: http://david-crystal.blogspot.com/2009/10/on-new-m-novel.html
- A number of Prof D Crystal videos on YouTube including:
- On Anniversaries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIeD0uRWeYA
- It's Only a Theory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7WSzxQ0nX4
- On Anniversaries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIeD0uRWeYA
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