Training for Language Teachers:A Model Program

Leona B. LeBlanc

Training for a profession is com­plex and comprehensive; fewtraining programs are designed

to respond to all professional needs. Ac­cording to Bonnie Fisher's recent Com­mentary in College Teaching, 1 effectivetraining for college teachers should in­clude: advanced training, comprehen­sivetraining, advanced practice, profes­sional responsibilities, administrativeand social responsibilities.

Such training has been established atFlorida State University for teachers ofcollege French. Although research hasbeen carried out and reported else­where,2,3 a description of a practicaltraining program for college languageteachers will underscore the validity ofthe five characteristics identified byFisher and, it is hoped, serve as amodel for other practitioners.

Advanced Training

The training program for collegeFrench teachers at Florida State Uni­versity starts well before the first dayof classes. New master's and doctorallevel teaching assistants are notified ofselection five months before classesbe­gin. They meet immediately with theirtrainer/supervisor to discuss their ap­pointment and teachingduties. Everyef­fort is made to treat aspiring instructors

LEONA B. LEBLANC is an associate profes­sor in the Department of Modem Lan­guages and Linguistics at The Florida StateUniversity, Tallahassee.

Vol. 35/No. 1

like colleagues in order to aid in theirtransition from students to teachers.

During the summer preceding theirfirst teaching assignment, new TAsobserve beginning language classes anddiscuss their observations with thetrainer. Correspondence is maintainedwith new teachers not in residence. An­nouncements, memoranda, and instruc­tional materials are distributed whilepersonal contacts continue, often forthe purpose of allaying fears and build­ing confidence. The aim of all these in­formal interactions is to lead thetrainees to think like teachers wellbefore they actually begin to teach.

Formal training takes place during aweek-long institute before the firstweek of classes. Trainees receive aweek's salary for participation in themandatory institute, which is organ­ized as follows:

TA Training Institute

First Day:

A.M. Introduction of participantsGoals of instituteResponsibilities of trainer/

supervisor and TAsPersonnel matters (offices, keys,

payroll, schedules)Exchange of educational and

career experience and goalsP.M. Who are our students?

What does it mean to be a fac­ulty member?

What is the role of the depart­ment? of the university?

Second Day:A.M. Goals of undergraduate lan­

guage programDiscussion of first year FrenchIntroduction of texts and other

materialsP.M. Discussion of methodology

Presentation of first day of classThird Day:A.M. TAs teach first day of class to

fellow traineesVideotaping, critiquing, discus­

sion of methodologyP.M. Introduction to classroom man­

agement, interpersonal skillsPresentation of second day of

classFourth Day:A.M. TAs teach second day of class to

fellow traineesVideotaping, critiquing, discus­

sion of methodologyP.M. Introduction to testing methods

and instrumentsPresentation of third and fourth

day of classFifth Day:A.M. TAs teach third and fourth days

of class to fellow traineesVideotaping, critiquing, discus­

sion of methodologyP.M. Introduction to language labs

and multi-mediaPresentation of fifth day of classReview, summary, evaluation of

institute

The institute meets two goals of ad­vanced training: (a) to learn as manyskills as necessary before entering theclassroom and (b) to prepare traineesto act like college teachers, not stu­dents. The trainees' evaluations and

19

real-life teaching attest to success in at­taining these goals.

Comprehensive Training

College teacher training at FloridaState University is indeed comprehen­sive. During the institute, many peda­gogical topics are taught and practiced:test design, lesson planning, writingcourse objectives and syllabi, student­instructor relationships, professionalethics. In the area of student-instructorrelationships, for example, a round tablediscussion is held where hypotheticalproblems are posed: How do you re­spond to a student who repeatedly re­quests make-ups? Can you have extra­curricular friendships with students?

Instruction in appropriate methodol­ogies is carried out during the institute.Since foreign language teaching methodsare diverse, trainees are exposed to theones most useful to their teaching as­signment. By use of such techniques asclassroom observation, practice teach­ing, critique of the teachers' guide,video-taping, the trainer helps to incor­porate the necessary skills into the TAsrepertoire.

Comprehensive training does not endwith the beginning of classes. It con­tinues throughout the year in weeklysessions, lasting one hour. Differentpedagogical and professional topics­often arising from immediate in-classconcerns-are addressed each week.New skills are modelled and practiced;critiques by peers and the trainer are of­fered. Weekly sessions providea regular,structured environment in which thenew teachers can solve problems, learntechniques, and get personal supportfrom fellow teachers and a supervisor.

Central to the training is the princi­ple of advanced practice. Insofar aspossible, no instructor presents con­cepts, demonstrates skills, or evaluatesstudent performance without guidedpreparation. During the institute, forexample, TAs are taught concepts andskills required for the first week ofclass. After discussing pedagogicalprinciples, trainees observe an experi­enced instructor "teach" several classes.Following a critique, the new teachersteach these lessons to each other. Thetrainer and fellow trainees give feed-

20

back; certain concepts and/or skillsare"taught" again in this "safe" situa­tion. This process is repeated untilmastery is achieved.

Additional needs for advanced prac­tice are identified during classroomobservations. The trainer visits eachTA's class regularly, announced andunannounced.During a post-observationconference, the trainer critiques whatshe or he observed and provides reme­diation. Once concepts and skills have

Course and studentmanagement duties get

short shrift in mosttraining....

been mastered, the trainee will re-teachthe material during the next class.Great confidence is gained in this train­ing, because the TA is not under thepressure of having to perform flaw­lessly for 30 students.

Professional Responsibilities

The successfulcollegeteaching train­ing program does more than simplyshow neophytes how to compose afinal or when to teach the subjunctive.The goals and tasks of teaching encom­pass a myriad of professional responsi­bilities for which we prepare our TAs.They include:

Use ofmedia. To meet the challengeof teaching in a sterile environment, re­moved from the target culture, the for­eign language teacher is aided immeas­urably by media. Personal and com­mercial materials abound: posters,slides, video-tapes, cassettes, films,and games. Trainees learn how to usethem effectively by hands-on experi­ence with film projectors, video andaudio recorders, over-head projectors,and labs.

Office hours. The new teachers usetheir office hours actively. They seestudents who have academic or per­sonal problems, invite others to stop byto discuss career goals, and bring three

or four students in for group work.Hours are scheduled so as not to con­flict with students' other classes; in­structors are trained to pursue contactrather than wait for students to visitthem when it may be "too late."

Placement of students. Most under­graduate foreign language studentshave studied the target language else­where (high school, college, abroad,etc.). College language teachers mustbe trained to evaluate students' incom­ing skills and to place them at theproper level of instruction. Knowledgeof situations where instruction oc­curred plus sensitivityto individual stu­dent's needs are both required.

Extra-curricular activities. Profes­sional responsibilities often extend be­yond the classroom. Our trainees havenumerous opportunities to experiencethis first hand. Throughout the aca­demic year there are foreign language­oriented activities in which studentsand instructors are encouraged to par­ticipate. Clubs, interest groups, filmfestivals, international week, andtravel abroad seminars are opportuni­ties for teachers and students to inter­act in an informal atmosphere.

Peer exchanges. TAs in our programexchange ideas, techniques, and mate­rials with their fellow teachers. Theysubstitute for one another in case ofabsence; they review each other'shandouts to give suggestions for im­provement. They coordinate activities(guest speakers, slide shows, etc.) tomaximize individual effort. The in­structors recognize the value of ex­changing their work with co-teachers, aprofessional responsibility that shouldlast throughout their careers.

Administrative and SocialResponsibilities

The fifth characteristic of effectivetraining encompasses skills often viewedby the neophyte as least important toteaching. Course and student manage­ment duties get short shrift in mosttraining; TAs assume that recordinggrades, keeping attendance, schedulingoral exams, etc., are self-explanatoryactivities. In fact, our program empha­sizes heavily these so-called "adjunct"responsibilities. Training in course

COLLEGE TEACHING

management is thorough. It includes,among many activities, instruction insyllabus planning, devising an absenceand make-up policy, using a grade­book, and avoiding a pile-up of papersto grade.

The student group itself must also bemanaged: arranging for make-up ex­ams, pairing students with tutors, us­ing strategies for increasing attendanceand participation. The physical envi­ronment is also the teacher's responsi­bility: Are there enough desks to ac­commodate visitors? Does the movieprojector work today? The trainingprepares new teachers to handle asmany of these responsibilities as can beenvisioned with new problems addedeach year.

Beginning teachers require, in addi-

tion, a great deal of guidance in thesocial aspects of instruction. In orderto foster good rapport, the/"fAs aretaught to put themselves often in theirstudents' place. Beginning and endingclass on time, retuming papers aspromised, controlling disruptions,making corrections dispassionately,praising individual improvements-allof these actions demonstrate interestand respect on the part of the instruc­tor and enhance learning.

The collegeteacher training programin French at Florida State University iscomprehensive yet continues to evolveto meet changing needs. It is basedupon the five important qualities thatBonnie Fisher identified as necessaryfor training new teachers for the totalprofession of teaching. The placement

of our graduates in college teachingpositions throughout the country is butone measure of the success of the pro­gram. Colleagues at other institutionsmay wish to establish similar programsin taking up the challenge of preparingeffective college teachers.

NOTES

1. Bonnie F. Fisher, 1985. "Commen­tary: Effective training for collegeteachers," College Teaching, 33:3:100.

2. Leona Bailey (LeBlanc), 1974. "Theuse of videotape recorders in the training offoreign language teachers," Bulletin of theAssociation of Departments of ForeignLanguages, 5:42-43.

3. Leona Bailey (LeBlanc), 1976. "Anobservational method in the foreign lan­guage classroom: A closer look at interac­tion analysis," Foreign Language Annals,8:335-344.

Coming inCOLLEGE TEACHING

Subscribe Today!(See back cover)

I I I

Vol.35/No. 1

"Break Out, Be Therel"Thoughts on Teaching Creativity

Patricia Hutchings

Training of Foreign TAsElizabeth Bernhardt

plus

"SPECIAL FEATURE:"

Tribute to a Memorable Teacher

21