SUDAN TESOL

TOWARDS BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS

AHFAD UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN, ODURMAN LOCALITY, KHARTOUM, SUDAN

FEBRUARY 26-27, 2015

JANE HOELKER

BUILDING COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE AMONG TEACHERS AND LEARNERS

COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF QATAR

DOHA, QATAR

JHOELKER@GMAIL.COM

Thank Sudan TESOL for the invitation to participate in the

5th International Sudan TESOL Conference.

• Dr. Aymen El Sheikh,

• Professor Bakri Osman Saeed,

• Dr. Asim Osman Mahgoub,

• & Conference Committee.

Peace Corps English Teacher in Rwanda & Mali in early 1980s.

Really nice to return to Africa!

(1)What is a Community of Practice?

(2)Examples . . . Asia, Middle East, United Kingdom & South America

1-CoP of multilingual students . . . Negotiate English as lingua franca to organize event . . UK

Virtual, distributed

2-CoP of educators . . . Global presence . . . The Webheads in U.A.E.

3-CoP of pre-service teachers engaged in teacher training in Turkey

4-CoP of 60 EFL Teacher Trainers in Southern Brazil

5-CoP used to manage teacher multimembership in PD organizations . . . Japan

6-CoP moves reform forward in boys’ school . . . Qatar

Etienne Wenger, computer scientist , & Jean Lave, anthropologist

Communities of Practice & Situated Learning (1991) http://www.wenger-trayer.com (new website) Why do good grades in school—not translate into performance in

workplace?

Met Institute for Research of Learning, California Observe apprenticeships among traditional tailors in Africa

1) What is successful learning?

2) How is learning impacted by technology-enhanced techniques

Enormous variety computer devices & applications & software

Interactive video, CD-ROM, networks, hypermedia systems, work-group collaboration tools, speech recognition, image processing & animation, blogs, wikis, etc.

Shift in perception of what learning is Social process Not solely in head of individual learner Approach learning in different way

Legitimate peripheral participation process whereby learners participate in communities of practice (CoPs) with

other learners and experts, gradually moving toward full participation in social, cultural practices of community

Problem

When setting where learning takes place separated from where perform

--learner learns to “manage learning situation”

BUT often fails to learn how to perform skills in workplace, where has to perform

Performing abstract, theory exam “not =“ learning to perform through apprentice learning

Relationship learner + skills apprenticeship = more complete

• Student teacher of English write perfect lesson plan = perfect lesson?

• Chemistry Ss write perfect equation workbook = perfect lab experiment?

• Friend read book about brain surgery = operate on you?

• Surgeons travel to operate with colleague = higher expertise - anticipate

SLA research

Development L2 skills social context far more complex & dynamic (Donato, 1994)

Hard data or quantitative research solely . . . Blurs cognitive processes Blurs social plane not same experiment results as researchers

where strange people strange things strangers briefest possible period of time (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, p 513)

Motive of researcher? Educators -- not ignore motive of learner

What is a Community of Practice (CoP)?

• Group people (master/journeyman/advanced apprentices or living curriculum and novice)• share concern, problems, passion topic & • deepen knowledge & expertise interacting ongoing basis (Wenger et al,

2002)• Bound value • Common sense of identity – very special

What are components of CoP?

Distil . . .

• Domain = knowledge , defines issues & creates common identity

• Community = people passionate domain

• Shared practice = developing, effective in domain

What are different types of CoP?

Small, 3-4 thousands

Short-lived or long lived (artisans - violin makers over centuries)

Co-located or distributed over distance Same workplace . . . Scientists around globe . . . Need globalization increases

distributed more numerous

Homogeneous or heterogeneous Same discipline or practice . . . Different functions, same customer . . . Within

business . . . Across business units . . . Across organization boundaries

Spontaneous or intentional active, mature communityUnrecognized or institutionalized brown bag lunches - case histories

Concepts identity & motive (Norton Pierce, 1995)

Person “cognitive” entity

• Non-personal view knowledge, skills, tasks, activities & learning

• Focus person – in world as member of socio-cultural community

Person defined by CoP & person defines CoP Learning = becoming different person, possibilities

What happens person?

Longitudinal case study

• 6-month ESL course recent immigrants - Ontario College, Newtown, Canada

• 5 women: 2 Poland, 1 Vietnam, 1 Czechoslovakia, 1 Peru

• Journal entries 1 year

What is relationship of language learner to target language?

• Sometimes speak it, sometimes don’t

A language learner is complex Immigrant to new land - Mother of children - Wife to husband Employee, usually underemployed due to language use limitations Embarrassed not able express self like adult like in native tongue Ambitious for family - Aware of power relations as interact native Canadians

in English Marginalized day-to-day interactions

(1) Argue landlord not to cancel rent lease

(2) Co-worker (15 years old) fast food restaurant do fair share cleaning up when closing eatery for night

As learn negotiate needs & wants

• acquire rights & resources due them

• reconstruct selves

Language is a place where . . .

• sense of self deconstructed, reconstructed, organized, reorganized—site of struggle

Positive note—sense of self open to educational intervention

CoP scaffold, can acquire expertise in social interactions

Adult Vietnamese learners English (Young & Miller, 2004)

4 writing conferences changes patterns co-participation Peripheral, fuller participationDynamic dramatically transformed instructor= co-learner understood process language learning better

(1)Examples . . . Asia, Middle East, United Kingdom & South America

1-CoP of multilingual students . . . Negotiate lingua franca to organize event . . . UK

Virtual, distributed

2-CoP of educators . . . Global presence . . . The Webheads in U.A.E.

3-CoP of pre-service teachers engaged in teacher training in Turkey

4-CoP of 60 EFL Teacher Trainers in Southern Brazil

5-CoP used to manage multimembership . . . Japan

6-CoP moves reform forward in . . . Qatar

1-Multilingual students negotiate English as Lingua Franca, University of Hertfordshire,--UK

Scholars search lingua franca core to teach Ss In context of globalization many varieties Need to learn, implement in day-to-day exchange negotiation strategies Recorded interactions multilingual Ss (5) plan university event Used own varieties of English Shared practices, not so much shared grammar

Suresh Canagarajah, William J. and Catherine Craig Kirby, Professor in Language Learning Departments of Applied Linguistics and English, Pennsylvania State University, USA, (asc16@psu.edu)

2-CoP of educators . . . Webheads in Action,--GLOBAL

Virtual, distributed Worldwide communication network

Cannot rely on face-to-face meetings Ongoing teacher development about IT and English teaching and learning TESOL International Electronic Village Online

Met E. Wenger Spain 2007 Wenger Keynote speaker WiAOC 2007 virtual conference of the Webheads New geography impacting knowledge & identity Technology influences community across time & space

Webheads-more than distributed—multi-spaced

Vance Stevens, Al Ain University, U.A.E., (vancestev@gmail.com)

Virtual, distributed 2-CoP of educators . . . Webheads in Action,--GLOBAL

Difference between Groups and Networks (Downes, 2006a)

http://learning2gether.net

http://adVancEducation.blogspot.com

http://vancesdiveblogs.blogspot.com

Groups require Networks require

Unity Diversity

Coherence Autonomy

Privacy or segregation

Openness

Focus of voice Interaction

3-Teacher training—TURKEY

Virtual, distributed CoP

Pre-service English Ts interact common PD goals Social learning via virtual communication Notion virtual communities - significant implications

Golge Seferoglu, Associate Professor, Department of Foreign Languages, Middle East Technical University, Ankar, Turkey

4-Teacher training—BRAZILVirtual, distributed CoP

ENFOPLI, CoP 60 EFL T educators, teacher undergraduate, graduate, private, public universities5 annual event reports, 1,700 emails discussion group examined in Perin’s Ph.D. thesisEvidences: domain, practice, community

Jussara Perin, Modern Foreign Languages Institute Universidad Estasdual de Maringa, Parana, Brazil

5-CoP used to manage multimemberships—JAPAN

4 participants members multiple CoPs (Ph.D. thesis, Temple University, Japan) T communities their school, Ts’ associations, Study groups TESOL identities

Local communities not established close relationships w/global TESOL Attend in-service T training workshops conducted Western TESOL

backgrounds Choose not to use, even cannot use novel, TESOL pedagogy - developed

different learning/teaching context from own Had to form language user communities View classroom CoP = T expert Ss apprentices

Takako Nishino, Ed.D., Kanda University of International Studies, Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Japan, (zippyn@gmail.com - Main), (nishino-t@kanda.kuis.ac.jp)

6-CoP push reform process forward model school, Doha, Qatar

(Interview Dr. John McKeown, Consultant w/Mosaica) 77 charter schools around world 16,000 Ss Innovative curriculum

We cannot learn without belonging & we cannot belong w/o learning practice norms, values . . . because practices go to core of person’s identity (Wenger, 1998)

Create what we need in our context— not conform to some “ideal” standard

Traditional schools in Qatar T lectures Ss no books, no paper, no pens Ss interrupt w/questions after 10 mins No lesson plan

4 major practices 1-Feedback: multiple sources, immediate, opinions meet

evidence, receive & act on feedback, clarify message—Can you repeat what you think I said?

2-professional standards: expect results, track changes, mix novice & experienced faculty, energy of new w/experience of wise

Inspired veterans learn new tricks Support Ts, esp novice Ts fix problem

“Not knowing” not bad T, but-- Improved Ss attitude gave status to T

3-same job not = CoP Members must interact & learn together

attitude changes Research only 11% make changes 120 Ts, only need 12

4-establish trust First mtg share meal Observation, supervisor=resource Ask T what could work on next time, what’s doable

Curriculum coordinator Testimony--Textbook policy Recommendation--Take baby steps & celebrate that step!

Math coordinator Testimony—new practice, photos, wiki websites, tracing paper, smiley faces, plastic

bags filled w/pencils, Qatar Academy library Recommendation—Debriefing important, tease out at the moment

Science coordinator

Testimony—Ss language level in Arabic, English, Vocabulary walls, content-specific vocab, delegate science order March not September, T confidence, started volunteer , colleagues ticked off standard checklist posted wall common room,

Recommendation—Have specific times to share what learned

Veteran teacher & T portfolio reception area

Indicators of progress -- Parents’ Night Meeting

Initially concerned children reported “liking school”—must mean curriculum is too easy Ts explained that students placed at center of

learning process Parents relaxed

See children being more thoughtful . . . spending allowance spend all now or save bigger purchase later—planning

for future

African periphery challenges process-oriented approaches (Muchiri et al, 1995)

Context w/limited material & facilities Product-oriented approaches better Process-oriented approaches require

time, resources, material don’t have prepare tasks inductive, discovery approaches

Ts seldom follow method precisely Differ class to class, teacher to teacher Cultural, institutional, logistical demands Intention specific method Change match classroom events, situation Abandon search for “final” solution

What’s happening within cultures? (Canagarah, 2001)

As educators importing materials & methods developed West (centre) to periphery cultures

Materials look interesting Prescribed by syllabus

Have to consider identity & investment (motivation) Methods not bland, pragmatic functions teach language Develop, grow, evolve out of groups Value systems-cultural, political, economic Reflect social relations, ways of thinking & learning strategies

Conclusion

. . . Through Communities of Practice Effective language educators

respect Ss’ context

Effective language learners negotiate social identity ownership learning perform excellence increasingly technological & scientific world

BIBLIOGRAPHYBronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist. 32, p 513-530.

Donato, R. (1994). Collective scaffolding in second language learning. In Lantolf, J.P. and Appel, G. (Eds.). Vygotskian approaches to second language research. Ablex Publishing, Westport, CT, p 35.

Downes S. (2006b, Sept. 21). Sudden Thoughts and Second Thoughts. Stephen’s Web., Retrieved October 9, 2009, from http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=35839.

Hoelker, J. et al.. (2009). Global and local perspectives: Evolving communities of practice in EFL. TESOL International English as a Foreign Language Interest Section Newsletter, 9(1).

Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. London: Cambridge University Press.

McKeown, J. (2008, April). Dual identities to shared community: Promoting bilingual and bicultural best practice. Paper presented at the Qatar TESOL International Conference, Doha, Qatar.

Muchiri, M.N., et al. (1995). Importing composition: Teaching and researching academic writing beyond North America. College Composition and Communication, 46(2), 175-198.

Pierce, B.N. (1995). Social identity, investment, and language learning. TESOL Quarterly, 29(1), 9-31.

Stevens, V. (2004). Webheads communities: Writing tasks interleaved with synchoronous online communication and web page development. In Leaver, B. and Willis, J. (Eds.). Task-based instruction in foreign language education: Practices and programes. Georgetown University Press, pp. 204-217.

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. New York: Oxford University Press.

Wenger, E., McDermott, R. & Snyder, W.M. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice. Boston, Harvard Business School Press.

Young, R. F. & Miller, E. (2004). Learning as changing participation: Discourse roles in ESL writing conferences. The Modern Language Journal, 88 (4), 519-535.

 

BLOGS BY VANCE STEVENS

http://learning2gether.net

http://adVanceEducaton.blogspot.com

http://vancesdiveblogs.blogspot.com