GATESOL News www.gatesol.org
May 2009
From the President
Building a Culture of Peace: A TESOL Learning Experience
Dr. Karen Kuhel, GATESOL President 2008-2009 Dear Fellow GATESOLers,
Dr. Jackie Saindon, GATESOL member I would like to welcome you to the first electronic edition of our GATESOL newsletter. This year we are moving to electronic formats for our Membership Directory, one issue of TESOL in Action, and all issues of the newsletter. You’ll be able to store them on your computer for easy access later. Enjoy!! Karen Kuhel, Ph.D. President, GATESOL
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1
President’s Letter Looking Ahead
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Building a Culture of Peace Dr. Jackie Saindon shares her experience at a TESOL mini-conference in Virginia.
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Well Done! Members Share News of Accomplishments.
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Of Interest GATESOL’s representation at TESOL Denver.
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From the Vice President Information about SETESOL 2009.
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Calendar Upcoming Events and Deadlines.
Why did you decide to teach ESL? Was it because teaching ESL was an enjoyable way to make a living? Was it because it was a way to earn a living while traveling? Or, was it because you were motivated to do something to change the world in some way? Whatever your reason for becoming an ESL teacher, you may have considered what teaching English meant to the future of the world. As a young and inexperienced teacher, I remember talking to colleagues about the larger meaning of teaching and its consequences. I asked myself such questions as: Were we reinforcing the dominance of the English language to the detriment of other languages? Or could we take a more positive view of our choice of profession? And, I wondered too, was there a role in our professional lives for building peace in the classroom and beyond? It was with these questions in mind that I decided to attend International TESOL’s conference on Building a Culture of Peace held in Fairfax, Virginia on February 7th. I hoped to hear what others who had posed these or similar questions decided, and additionally to learn what actions they had taken to build peace and mutual understanding. I had hoped that this session would be as organized as other International TESOL events I had attended, and I wasn’t disappointed. The sessions were well organized and presentations professional. The presenters answered the question, “Can teaching make a difference?” in bringing a culture of peace to the classroom and beyond. Peace Culture continued on page 2
Newsletter
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Peace Culture continued from page 1
The meeting started on Saturday morning with Featured Speaker, Emma Violand-Sanchez, who came to the United States from Bolivia and worked as an ESOL supervisor in the Arlington Public School District. Her story of coming to this country is similar to the story of other immigrants. Dr. Violand-Sanchez had the additional challenge of being a single mother and shared her difficulties in making the transition to living and working in the U.S. In addition to sharing her experiences in working with and for immigrant students, she had suggestions for new teachers: • • • •
Learn students’ names and the stories behind them Learn about the culture of the students Learn and build relationships with students and the community Develop allies and build coalitions
Violand Sanchez followed her own advice, and after her retirement, with the help of former students and community members, she won a seat on the Arlington School Board. She currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University. After the morning plenary, we broke into concurrent workshops including: Creating Cultures of Peace in the K-12 Classroom by Rachel Grant, Ilham Nasser, both from Georgetown University Teaching Conflict Management and Peacemaking in the ESL Classroom by Alison Milofsky, Special Advisor for the United States Institute of Peace, Washington, D.C. Stop. Reflect. Listen. Repeat. How to Teach the Language of Resolution by Judith Brussell; Ruth Takushi, Northern Virginia Community College; and Sarah Young, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C. Using Movies to Build a Culture of Peace and Multicultural Understanding by Mary Romney, Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Connecticut
I attended Allison Milofsky’s workshop on conflict management in the classroom. She then presented materials she developed for the United States
Peace Institute to be used in ESL and EFL classes here and abroad to sensitize students to issues of bullying and cultural stereotyping. These are practical activities, developed to be used with high school students, but can easily be used as is or adapted for adult students. If you are an International TESOL member, you can access this document on the TESOL WEB page under Resources, or if you will send me an email, I will send you a PDF of Milofsky’s presentation. (Saindon@gmail.com) Lunch was on our own at conference center “food court”, but despite the institutional setting, Indian food was available, delicious and inexpensive, and offered conference attendees a chance to network with others at the conference. After lunch, our plenary speaker was Charlie Haddad, Director of Education at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Palestine, who talked about the educational programs of the schools and their efforts to build peace in a war torn area of the world. He said that their schools have always educated Christians and Muslims of both sexes. Of the present enrollment of about 2100, 45% are girls, and 40% are Muslim. Students come from families with a wide variety of backgrounds.
Evangelical Lutheran Church works in Jordan and the Holy Land
The schools, operated under the auspices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, are unusual in that the focus is on academic excellence, but it also fosters education that is holistic, considering the whole child, including arts, theater and athletic activities. Through these programs and activities, the school fosters mutual understanding between Christian and Jewish families and Christian and Muslim children. Peace Culture continued on page 3
Newsletter
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Peace Culture continued from page 2
Afternoon workshops included the following: Developing a Culture of Peace: Globalization, Immigration, and the Ethics of Choice by Jorge Osterling and Eluvia Ndura-Ouédraogo, George Mason University Teaching Conflict Management and Peacemaking in the ESL Classroom and in TESOL by Rebecca Oxford, University of Maryland A Culture of Peace: Developing the Fundamentals in the PK–12 Classroom Building by Sandra Duval and Anne Marie Foerster Luu, Montgomery County Public Schools; Stefanie Kain, Center for Young Children at the University of Maryland Understanding about Arabs and Arab Americans by Zeina Azzam Seikaly, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University and Richard Seikaly, EnVisions Consulting, LLC, Falls Church
These workshops were generally well attended. The workshop I attended got off to a late start, but there was good discussion in the audience before the presentation started. I heard positive comments from others who attended the session for K-12 teachers. In the final plenary, Immigration Issues in Prince Williams County, graduate and undergraduate students shared their experiences in Prince Williams County, a target of anti-immigration policies and actions. Teachers in the Prince Williams School District were noticing families disappearing from their schools and learned that some were being deported and others were forced by financial crises and the resultant foreclosures to give up their houses and move in with families and relatives. Graduate students and student teachers also found that hate groups targeted Prince Williams County and launched antiimmigration activities. Graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom were themselves immigrants, worked with the local organization to mount activities to protect the rights of immigrants and to highlight the violent activities being perpetrated by individuals and hate groups. This presentation underlined the reality that wherever we are, we need to be conscious of what is happening to our students and their families, and we need to be ready to advocate for them when necessary.
For me, this conference was worth the 10 ½ hour drive to Fairfax, Virginia because it demonstrated how people can get involved themselves in being advocates for their students and why we have to be those advocates. For those of us who want to do more to build peace, we learned there is more to do and were given classroom methods to foster peace and mutual understanding in the classroom. For those of us who need to do more, we found there are many ways to help people and groups who have taken on larger issues around peace and injustice around the world. If you want to get involved in issues beyond the classroom, sign up to be on the Georgia TESOL’s list serve to find out what the organization is doing and join the Georgia TESOL’s sociopolitical concerns interest section. Over the past 3 to 4 years, we have been involved in writing position statements and in political advocacy at the state and national levels. Individuals should also stay abreast of news that affects their students and immigrants in general, be ready to speak at public meetings, and be prepared to write letters to their local papers. -Jackie Saindon is a part time instructor of ESL at Gainesville College, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Language and Literacy Department at the College of Education, UGA. She currently serves as the President of the Athens-Clarke Literacy Council.
Jackie Saindon (left) is committed to advocating for her ESL students and is pictured here with Rep. John Barrow (D-GA) and another constituent from his district.
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Well Done!
Yanira Alfonso, recipient of the 2008 Peru TESOL grant and Grant Liaison for the 2009 recipient, attended Peru TESOL’s annual conference in August, 2008. An ESOL advocate, former ESOL and classroom teacher, and currently a Reading Specialist, Ms. Yanira Alfonso will be a Literacy Coach at Hopkins Elementary School (Lilburn) this upcoming fall.
Send news of your TESOL-related accomplishments, awards, publications, presentations, and success stories to kpeters@gsc.edu. Please place GATESOL Newsletter in the subject line of your email.
GATESOL Member and ESOL teacher Dr. Yvette Drew was nominated for 2010 - 2011 Teacher of the Year at Elizabeth Andrews High School in Dekalb County. Other Dekalb County ESOL teachers nominated for TOTY are Gaynell Allen (Jolly Elementary) and Gayle Harper (International Student Center).
Yanira Alfonso (left) at the 2008 Peru TESOL conference.
From the Editor
Pictured above is Dr. Yvette Drew.
GATESOL past president, Dr. Karen Harris, played an instrumental role in the great success of the 2008 GATESOL conference at Jekyll Island. GATESOL welcomed Dr. Sonia Nieto (University of Massachusetts) as plenary speaker.
Welcome to GATESOL’s online newsletter! I hope that many of you are enjoying some much needed rest during this break in the academic year. While you are relaxing and resting in the sun’s rays this summer, remember that this newsletter would not exist without you, the GATESOL members. I rely on all of our members to submit articles, photos, news of accomplishments, and important TESOL dates. All submissions are welcome! Photos should be in .jpg file and of mediumquality or better resolution. Please email submissions for our next newsletter to kpeters@gsc.edu by the 15th of July. I am looking forward to seeing all of you at SETESOL! Wishing you a wonderful summer, Karen Peters-Barker, Editor
Dr. Sonia Nieto (left) and Dr. Karen Harris (right)
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TESOL at Capitol Hill continued from page 4
Of Interest…
Forging New Pathways into Distance Learning -John Stowe
GATESOL Representation at the International TESOL Conference in Denver GATESOL had strong representation at the TESOL Conference in March. Listed below is a sampling of the presentations. Only GATESOL members are mentioned though they may have presented with other colleagues. Information was taken from the conference program. –Karen Kuhel Essentials of Teaching Pronunciation -- Linda Grant Forging Pathways from University Classrooms to EAP Oral Communication Courses -Meredith Bricker The Power of Stories to Create Community -Gertrude Tinker Sachs, Katherine Stocking, Sarah Mantegna Redefining Cultural Identity -- Diane Belcher, Gayle Nelson Students’ Attitudes toward Asynchronous Online Discussions In Graduate TESOL Courses -Joseph J. Lee Haptic Integration Of Intonation And Grammar Instruction -- Amanda Baker ITAS: Assessment, Pedagogy, Culture -- Donald Rubin Wearing the Second Hat: Language Teachers Becoming Observer-Supervisors -- Debra Snell Effective Hiring Practices for Teachers of ELLs - Barbara Beaverson Uncharted Pronunciation Pedagogy: Exploring Biovisual Feedback for Vietnamese Learners -Pamela Pearson, Rachel da Silva
Newcomer Middle School ELLs: Perceptions, Expectations, and Attitudes -- Margo Williams Exploring Adolescent ELLs’ Negotiation of Multiple Literacies and Identities -- Jayoung Choi Innovative Capacity Building for Serving ELLs In Rural LEAs -- Chris Scott, Carol Johnson, Amy Lacher Rethinking the Needs of Teaching Non-LEPLabeled Language Minority Students -- Chang Pu Reach Out to Parents for Student Success -Amalia Stephens An Underexplored Vantage Point: Cooperating Teachers’ Beliefs about Mentoring -- Caroline Payant Using Open Mics to Bridge the Gap -- Amanda Kail Framework for developing Successful Collaborative Teaching Models -- Mae Lombos Wlazlinski -If GATESOL has inadvertently left any presenter(s) off of this list, please let me know at kpeters@gsc.edu, and I will be sure to acknowledge your contributions to TESOL Denver in the August edition of the GATESOL newsletter.
A Note of Sympathy GATESOL would like to extend its sympathy to Dr. Ayanna Cooper, whose father recently passed away. Dr. Ayanna Cooper is the current Vice President of GATESOL and a valued member of the Board.
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Calendar Please send important TESOL-related dates of conferences, workshops, event registrations, paper submission/proposal deadlines to kpeters@gsc.edu. Please place GATESOL Newsletter in the subject line of your email.
January 19-20, 2009: TESOL Academy 2009 in Charleston, SC. The College of Charleston. Continuing Education Workshops for ESOL Professionals For more information, contact
About 2009 SETESOL
edprograms@tesol.org or visit www.tesol.org.
A Note from GATESOL’s Vice President Dear GATESOL Members, As summer quickly approaches, I'm sure you're thinking about hot & humid days, ice cold lemonade, and sleeping in! But what will you be doing in the fall? Attending the Southeast TESOL conference of course!
September 17-19, 2009: The 2009 SETESOL Conference hosted by GATESOL in Atlanta, GA. A Passion for Language and Teaching Pre-conference workshops will be offered September 16th. Updated information on hotels, proposals, and registration can be found on www.gatesol.org.
A Passion for Language and Teaching is a three day professional development opportunity not to be missed! September 17 - 19th are filled with great plenary speakers, informative breakout sessions and networking with other educators. Wednesday, September 16th is the preconference institute (PCI); some of the titles include Writing for Publication, Intro to WIDA and ELP Standards, Strategies for Effective Interaction in the Classroom, Advocacy in ESL Teaching and Learning, Developing Bilingual Ed. Programs, The Power of Writing for English Language Learners, and Differentiating Instruction for English Language Learners. More information about the conference including registration can be found on the GATESOL website (www.gatesol.org). This event is for everyone, teachers (mainstream and ESL), administrators, college students and more! Looking forward to seeing you in September! Dr. Ayanna Cooper 2009 Southeast TESOL Conference Chair Georgia TESOL Vice President
Listserv The listserv is for Georgia TESOL members to post news, questions, and other relevant information for other members. GATESOL is moving to a Yahoo! groups listserv. Please follow these instructions for joining the listserv. If you want to subscribe: send an email to: GeorgiaTESOL-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Note: you may be asked to sign in or register for a Yahoo! ID to access all the web features of your group.
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