De Oliveira (2011) - Strategies for Nonnative-English-Speaking Teachers' Continued Development as Professionals

7/29/2019 De Oliveira (2011) - Strategies for Nonnative-English-Speaking Teachers' Continued Development as Professionals

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Communities of Participation in TESOL

Strategies for Nonnative-

English-Speaking TeachersContinued Development asProfessionals

LUCIANA C. DE OLIVEIRAPurdue University

There has been significant interest in issues related tononnative-English-speaking (NNES) teachers over the past severalyears (e.g., Braine, 2010; Moussu & Llurda, 2008). The researchliterature has focused on several aspects, including NNES teachersself-perceptions (Brutt-Griffler & Samimy, 1999), pedagogical skills(Kamhi-Stein, Aagard, Ching, Paik, & Sasser, 2004), and needs as

preservice teachers in teaching English to speakers of otherlanguages (TESOL) masters programs (Kamhi-Stein, 1999, 2000) aswell as collaboration between native-English-speaking (NES) andNNES teachers (de Oliveira & Richardson, 2004; Matsuda &Matsuda, 2004).

Several strategies have been found to contribute to NNESpreservice teachers work in graduate programs. Lee and Lew

(2001) found that NNES graduate students spend extra timeworking on reading and writing assignments, preparing for classpresentations, and organizing class contributions when comparedwith their NES peers. Sharing their English learning experiences inclass greatly contributed to NNES graduate students classroomperformance. They were able to participate more fully by discussingtheir successes and struggles as English learners. In addition tousing their nonnative status for contributions in graduate classes,

NNES teachers also use it in their teaching in several ways (Liu,1999; Maum, 2003). These teachers are good role models forlanguage learners and are empathetic to learners needs, becausethey have been through the process of learning English themselves

TESOL Journal 2.2, June 2011 229

doi: 10.5054/tj.2011.251476


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and are sensitive to the struggles and difficulties that studentsexperience. The ESL experience, which Maum (2003) defines asa cross-cultural and language learning experience similar to thatexperienced by the students (p. vii), is a key element in NNESteachers classrooms. Among the attributes that these teachers bringto the classroom are their conscious knowledge of grammar, . . .their ability to understand the challenges that second languagestudents are facing, . . . their empathy for their students, . . . theircross-cultural experience, and their ability to serve as excellentrole models (Nemtchinova, 2005, p. 252).

This article contributes to the literature on NNES teachers byproviding specific ways in which NNES teachers can use their

nonnative status in the classroom and in their professional work inthe field of TESOL. Drawing on my own experiences as an Englishlearner, I describe some strategies that NNES teachers can use fortheir continued development as professionals. The strategiespresented are most relevant for NNES teachers who live in placeswhere there is a constant use of English. However, the strategies canbe adapted for a variety of contexts.

STRATEGIES BASED ON EXPERIENCE: USING NNESTEACHERS NONNATIVE STATUS IN THE PROFESSIONThe way NNES teachers use their nonnative status will most likelydepend on their teaching context and specific learners. In thissection, I present classroom strategies based on experience andhighlight some ways that I have used my nonnative status while

teaching English as a second language (ESL) at the high school anduniversity levels in the United States. I also describe how mynonnative status benefits learners as well as myself in my currentrole as a teacher educator of NNES graduate students.

Revealing My Identity as an NNES Teacher

There are conflicting views in the literature about the benefits ofNNES teachers revealing their nonnative status to students. The

teachers themselves may not necessarily agree that doing so isbeneficial (Liu, 1999). Some may feel that it is important to gainstudents trust and respect first. At the beginning of each course, Ibuild rapport with students by saying that I know what it is like to

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be an English learner, and I talk about my own language learningexperiences. Revealing ones identity and nonnative status tostudents may depend on ones teaching context and students (Liu,1999), so NNES teachers should carefully consider whether to do so.I use the opportunities created by my nonnative status to reveal myfirsthand experiences with learning English. This strategy brings mecloser to students and usually serves to unify the class.

One example of a language learning experience I often sharewith students is using a monolingual dictionary. Some studentsmay think that using a monolingual dictionary in ones first yearof learning a language may be difficult because they may nothave a basic understanding of the language. However, I started

using a monolingual dictionary during my first year learningEnglish in Brazil. And I have to confess that it was hard at first.As a reading strategy, I looked up a word in the dictionary, and Iwould find maybe three (or more) words within the definitionthat I didnt know. Forcing myself to check the meanings of somany words in the language of instruction actually helped melearn many new words. I would recommend monolingual

dictionaries that provide sentences as examples to clarify whatthe main word means.

I also used a bilingual dictionary because it was helpful when Ireally needed to translate a word. For example, in my Portuguese-English dictionary, I would look up a Portuguese word that Iwanted to know in English. The dictionary would list many wordsas options for the Portuguese word, so what would I do? I would goback to my monolingual dictionary and look up each option to seewhich nuance was the one I needed. That took a long time, but itwas worth it. Now I use an online dictionary, which I havebookmarked in my web browser. The best aspect of many onlinedictionaries is that they give the pronunciation of words, so inaddition to learning the meaning of the word, one can listen to theword being pronounced.

Being a Role Model for StudentsThe literature has recognized being a role model for students as amajor part of NNES teachers work (e.g., Llurda, 2005). Not wellestablished in the literature is what this entails. NNES teachers can

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model behaviors by sharing specific strategies with students. Rolemodeling entails more than just who you are; it involves what you doas a language learner yourself. In this case, being a role modelinvolves demonstrating behaviors that encourage students to investin their own learning.

In working with NNES graduate students, being a role modelinvolves encouraging behaviors that enhance their professionalpreparation. In addition, NNES teachers can work with NNESgraduate students on professional activities such as conferencepresentations and coauthored manuscripts. Models of abstracts,handouts, and presentations can also be provided. I not onlyencourage all of the graduate students I teach to present at

professional conferences, I try to provide support by helpingthem write and submit their abstracts, prepare handouts, andpractice their presentations. My experience tells me that, forgraduate students, this type of mentoring is highly valued andappreciated.

Having a mentor is one of the best experiences I have had as anNNES educator. NNES teachers should try to find a mentor who

can help them in several aspects of teaching, scholarship, or both.Mentors can help in many aspects of ones professional life and donot have to be NNES professionals themselves. For instance, I havehad several mentors during my teaching career who have provideddifferent types of support for me as a developing TESOL pro-fessional. One of them, who happened to be an NNES educator,mentored me in several aspects of my professional life, but pri-

marily in leadership. The main component of finding a mentor iscompatibility. Mentoring relationships provide opportunities forpersonal and professional growth that might not otherwise berealized (Kamhi-Stein & de Oliveira, 2008).

In addition, instead of simply using myself as a role model, Iidentify and talk about successful NNES teachers working in avariety of contexts to show NNES graduate students that they, too,can thrive. Even NES teachers have found that using an NNES

educators experiences in language learning can be helpful forESOL students (de Oliveira & Richardson, 2004).

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Sharing Learning Strategies

Sharing the language learning strategies that they have foundhelpful has also been identified in the literature as part of NNESeducators work (e.g., Nemtchinova, 2005). Here, I outline fivespecific strategies that students in my classes have found usefulover the years.

Be a Good Listener

One of the most relevant strategies for continuing to learn English isto write down the words that you do not understand. Of course,spelling is often difficult, but students can write what they hearusing an approximate spelling. For instance, I was at a presentation

recently where one of the attendees started her contribution bysaying, Piggybacking on what she [the previous speaker] wassaying, and then continued on with her presentation. At that time,I was unsure of what piggyback meant, so I wrote pig back in mynotebook and later used a dictionary to find out what it meant. Iemphasize to students the importance of understanding the contextwhen learning how to use a word appropriately. Merely learning

the dictionary definition is not enough. What is important is to beattentive to what others are saying and not feel ashamed if youdont understand every word.

Develop Conversation Strategies

When dealing with unknown words in a conversation, I usually askthe person for clarification, an example, or an explanation. Insteadof saying, I dont understand (word/expression), I show studentsthat they can use more strategic ways to ask for clarification byexplaining what part of the utterance they did not understand.Some common constructions include the following:

N Im not sure I know what you mean.

N Would you mind clarifying that?

N Im not sure what youre referring to.

N Would you mind giving me an example of that?

N Would you mind explaining that again?

The most difficult conversational challenge is turn-taking. Turn-taking, or the way in which speakers hold the floor in conversations,varies between cultures and languages. It may be difficult to



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identify when to make a contribution, so I try to pay attention toclues in the discourse, such as intonation. The most helpful piece ofadvice I give students is to try to be aware of turn-taking systems intheir own language. One method I like is to practice turn-taking indyads or small groups. This can help students internalize thestrategy and allows NNES learners to become more comfortable inEnglish conversations.

Prepare for Meetings and Other Speaking Events

I like to emphasize to students that graduate education is prepa-ration to become a professional. Although many of us complainabout having to attend meetings, the fact is that meetings, including

graduate seminars, are influential in many ways. In order to haveyour voice heard, you need to present yourself in a professionalmanner. This can be a major challenge for NNES teachers who workand study in professional environments dominated by nativeEnglish speakers. One strategy that I use to prepare for meetingsand other speaking events is to list exactly what I am going to say.For instance, when I was in graduate school, after reading an article

I would write down a list of some contributions I planned to makeduring the class discussion of the readings for that week, exactly as Iwould make them. This helped me synthesize the readings,conceptualize my contributions, and prepare for group discussions,because I was often unsure about what contribution to make. After Istarted using this strategy, I felt better prepared and ready to sharewith everyone in the group. Even now, as a faculty member, Iprepare some contributions to faculty meetings or other groupmeetings ahead of time so I know for sure certain things that I amgoing to say and how I am going to say them. This strategy helpsme have confidence in what I am saying because I dont feel thepressure of having to think of everything I want to say on the spot.

Make a List of Good Clauses

Good clauses are expressions or starters that you would normally

use in your area of study or daily life. It is important for me as anovice scholar to be able to organize my articles in ways that areappropriate for academic writing. Therefore, I try to look forlanguage chunks in academic papers that I could use in my writing.

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I often rephrase them or at least try to learn the basic structure that Ican incorporate in my papers. This strategy is also helpful tostudents because it aids with information retention as they learnnew words, phrases, and clauses. Below are a few examples that Ioften use in my scholarly work:

N Much of the literature on X documents specific aspects of Y.

N This paper will begin with a review of the literature pertaining to various aspects ofX.

N Subsequently, data collection and procedures will be outlined, followed by adiscussion of the significance of the proposed research.

N This finding is similar to that of an earlier study . . .

N The results indicated/suggested . . .

N The authors noted/claimed . . .

N This chapter describes/shows . . .

Be Diligent

NNES teachers need to emphasize that learning does not happen dodia pra noite (from day to night), as we say in Brazilian Portu-guese, but takes a great deal of time, work, and commitment. This isa complex issue because sometimes students may need to improve

their English skills rather fast in order to be able to pass astandardized test or continue with their studies. However, it isimportant for NNES teachers to emphasize the time commitmentthey have invested in their own learning so that students they teachare aware of what is involved in language learning.

The strategies I have outlined here are meant to provide ex-amples of how NNES teachers can use their nonnative status with

students, based on my experiences as an ESL teacher and as ateacher educator of NNES graduate students. Revealing onesidentity as a nonnative speaker, being a role model for students, andsharing learning strategies are ways that NNES teachers can usetheir nonnative status as leverage for assisting and motivatingstudents.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Continuing to develop language skills is often difficult for NNESteachers because they may not know what strategies to use. Theircontinued learning of English depends on using some techniques thatcan be incorporated into their daily lives through experimentation.



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Most significantly, perhaps, NNES teachers can draw on their ownlearning experience to advise ESOL students about the responsibilitythat they have for their own learning.

Based on the major points presented in this article, I offer tworecommendations for teacher education programs. First, NNESgraduate students could be asked to consider the benefits anddrawbacks of revealing their NNES status to students. This topiccan create a number of opportunities for discussion about classroommanagement, methodology, and learner identities. Preserviceteachers can reflect on how NNES teachers can use their nonnativestatus in their classrooms. Second, teacher educators can ask NNESgraduate students to reflect on their language learning strategies

and share these strategies in TESOL graduate programs. Thesereflections could be a topic for discussion and would bring NNESgraduate students experiences as learners of English to theforefront.

The strategies presented in this article are meant to encouragebusy NNES teachers to continue to develop as professionals in thefield of TESOL. The ideas that I share point to ways in which

teacher educators can bring their own experiences, as well as thoseof students, into the discussion of issues revolving around theoryand practice. The impact of NNES teachers on the field willcontinue to grow along with their needs for professional support.

THE AUTHORLuciana C. de Oliveira is an assistant professor in the Department ofCurriculum and Instruction and the Department of English (courtesy)at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana. She is also directorof the English Language Learning Licensure Program for the Collegeof Education. Her research focuses on the challenges of academiclanguage for ELLs in K12, teacher preparation for ELLs, andnonnative-English-speaking teachers. She is the author ofKnowing andWriting School History: The Language of Students Expository Writing andTeachers Expectations, which received the 2011 David E. Eskey Award

for Curriculum Innovation from California TESOL. She is pastpresident (2010) of the Indiana Teachers of English to Speakers ofOther Languages association.

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De Oliveira (2011) - Strategies for Nonnative-English-Speaking Teachers' Continued Development as Professionals