Best Practices in OnlineTeacher Training

Angel Steadman, Teacher Training CoordinatorLinda Chu, Global Programs Development OfficerJeremy Lee, Student Activities Coordinator

TESOL International ConferencePortland, Oregon, USAFriday, March 28, 2014

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Before we get started…

• What this is about:• Conducting online teacher education and

development – applicable to TEFL certificate, MA TESOL, and other programs aimed at training/educating teachers online

• What this is not about:• CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning)

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What We’ll Cover

• Background• At CESL• Regular Programs• Customized Programs

• Recent Trends• A New Field

• Challenges:• Learner-Centered Teaching• The Teaching Practicum

• Proposed solutions• Directions for the future

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Background

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CESL’s Teacher Training Program

• TEFL Certificate Programs• F2F 100-Hour TEFL certificate program• 50-Hour TEFL Basic certificate online• 50-Hour TEFL Advanced certificate online

• 20- and 40-Hour Teaching Practicum

• Online professional development classes:• Classroom Assessment• Pedagogical Grammar

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CESL’s Customized Online Programs

• Why customize?• Course timing• Course additions• Special groups

• Pros and Cons• Cost/discounts• Homogeneous group• Timing• Number of participants

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Sample Customized Programs

Chungnam, South Koreafully online

Hermosillo, Mexicohybrid, site visit and online

China and Brazilhybrid, F2F and online

Colombiahybrid, F2F and online with English classes

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CESL’s Customized Online Programs

• Trends• Internationalization• Teacher Training and Professional Development• Content Area Teacher Training

• Future Course Design• Online Design for online or Face-to-Face Delivery

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Recent Trends

• Exploding interest in online courses• Online course enrollment in the US at an all-time high• Enrollment at CESL has doubled in past year

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New Field

• Very little research on Online Language Teacher Education (OLTE) (Murray 2013, 26-27)• TESOL Quarterly published 23 articles on teacher education

from 2002-2011• Only two were related to technology, both about MA-TESOL

courses• Sharp contrast to literature on CALL

• Rapidly changing technology and functionality• Affects the pedagogical approach – socio-constructivist

approach only available with many-to-many communication; earlier online courses were more behaviorist/connectivist in approach

• Global discrepancies in access to technology

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Online Teacher Education Today

Benefits: 1. Ability to have truly global classes with students living in many different countries2. Greater access for teachers living abroad, in rural areas, or with scheduling restrictions

Challenges:1. Online courses tend to be less learner-centered and more heavily focused on content knowledge2. The teaching practicum – how to provide an authentic teaching and mentoring experience without face-to-face interaction?

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Challenges

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Challenge #1: Less Learner-Centered

• Student feedback:• “Make the course more interactive. It felt like I was not in a class but learning

by myself.”• “In case of on-line course, there is a limitation that interaction between the

teacher and students are very weak. I hope that there would be some changes on this.”

• “Ask us more questions. Make us talk even more.”• “The only thing I would try to figure out how to manage in order to

encourage more students to participate, is the Chat Sessions, since we were always the same ones participating.”

• “Discussion "forums" were too programmed, felt stiff, lacked genuine feel of a proper discussion, May just be the nature of "virtual" online settings.”

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Challenge #1: Learner-Centered Curriculum

• Online lectures (PowerPoint, video, audio, etc.)• Selected readings• Discussion fora• Quizzes and exams• Videos• Synchronous chats with instructor and peers

Common components:

• Informal peer and student-teacher interaction• Group work• Student input and synchronous discussion of content• Ability to ask questions freely and receive responses

quickly• Real-world application of theory

What’s often missing:

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Discussion

• How does peer-to-peer communication differ in an online environment?

• What elements of online teaching have helped you create a more learner-centered classroom?

• How should content courses like the TEFL certificate program provide content in an immediately applicable way?

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Challenge #2: The Teaching Practicum

• Students regularly cite the practicum as the most useful part of their education (Faez & Valeo 2012; Stoynoff 1999)• “…the most exciting and daunting aspect of teaching is moving from

the thinking to the doing”• “This practice allowed me to find and gauge my strengths and

weaknesses as a teacher”• “I…changed my teaching philosophy to emphasize the importance of

making deliberate classroom choices that are catered to the goals, interests, and needs of the students.”

• …and often cite the more theoretical aspects of class as being the least useful (Faez & Valeo 2012)• “…less emphasis on theory and more emphasis on how to teach

English. Save the heavy duty theory for master’s level learners.”• “…more real-world application practice…”• “…more real life situations with students…”

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Challenge #2: The Teaching Practicum

• Requires student to travel to Tucson, pay for lodging, transportation, etc.• Visa issues can be a problem for international studentsOnsite

• Requires student to find a suitable institution with MA- or PhD-educated mentor willing to follow CESL’s mentoring guidelines without pay

• Problems authenticating documents and comparing practicum experiencesOffsite

• Requires technology that many students do not have access to or are very unfamiliar with

• Uses videos in lieu of in-person classroom observationsOnline

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Discussion

• Describe your own practicum experiences, either as a student or a mentor. How would you have done things differently?

• What is being done in your school (or schools that you are familiar with) to allow distance students to complete the teaching practicum?

• How successful are non-F2F practica? How are they different?

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Proposed Solutions

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Striving for Solutions

Rethink the role of the practicum – how is it situated within the overall course, and how can it be changed

Review the curriculum for ways to be more learner-centered

Investigate new methods and technologies for delivering courses online

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The Practicum

• Most challenging aspect• Currently offered F2F only after several failed attempts

at online and offsite options• Essential in training/education/development, even for

in-service and experienced teachers• Changes to curriculum help to begin filling this void:

• More practical and directly applicable assignments• More videos of classes for observation available• Greater emphasis on lesson planning and course creation• Directed work with group members, including current

teachers

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Curriculum Review

Old Curriculum• Readings, quizzes, activities,

discussion questions• Final exam• No required group work

New Curriculum• Final portfolio project• Quizzes and discussion questions

given less weight• Group work• More opportunities for sharing

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New Methods and Technologies

• More use of audio and video, both by instructor and students

• Greater attention to networking and “opening up” the class• Facebook pages and private groups• YouTube channel with videos of classes, interviews,

etc., now available publicly• Maintaining contact with graduates

• Better use of the graduate listserv for marketing, feedback, etc.

• Professional development classes aimed toward our graduates who are now teaching

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Directions for the Future

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Teaching PresenceInteraction

w/Instructors

Cognitive Presence

Interaction w/Content

Social PresenceInteraction w/Peers

Interface

Learning Community

LEARNING

Supporting Discourse

Establishing Environment

Selecting Content

Adapted from Rourke, et al.’s (2001) Community of Inquiry Model and Swan’s (2006) Relationships between Interactions and Learning in Online Environments.

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Directions for the Future

• Continually adapting methods and curriculum• Expanding connections with teachers via more

social networking options• More dedicated community of practice

• Global, made up of new and experienced teachers• Non-evaluative virtual meeting space for seeking

advice, establishing/maintaining connections, informal peer mentoring, etc.

• Monitored by program coordinator but run by participants

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Back to you…

• In what ways are you “opening” your classroom?

• What are some new methods or forms of technology that have worked in your situations?

• What are some other challenges you are working to overcome in online teacher education?

QUESTIONS?

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References

• Allen, I.E., & Seaman, J. (2014). Grade Change: Tracking Online Education in the United States. Babson Survey Research Group.

• Faez, F. & Valeo, A. (2012). TESOL Teacher Education: Novice Teaches’ Perceptions of Their Preparedness and Efficacy in the Classroom. TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 46, No. 3. pp. 450-471.

• Murray, D.E. (2013) A Case for Online English Language Teacher Education. Monterey, CA: The International Research Foundation for English Language Education.

• Stoynoff, S. (1999). The TESOL Practicum: An Integrated Model in the U.S. TESOL Quarterly, Vol 33. No. 1. pp. 145-151.

• Trentin, G. (2010). Networked collaborative learning: Social interaction and active learning. Oxford, UK: Chandos Publishing.

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Thank you!

Contact:Angel Steadman

Teacher Training Coordinatoramiller2@email.arizona.edu

Jeremy Joseph LeeStudent Activities Coordinatorjeremyjlee@email.arizona.edu

Linda ChuGlobal Programs Development Officer

chul@email.arizona.edu

View this presentation:(Slideshare link to come)

Stay in touch:https://www.facebook.com/ceslteachertraining