In this article, the author describes her preparations for the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) professional presentations in Haiti. As a cultural worker, (after Paulo Freire), she was very conscious of the need for care in working with "the Other" especially when the Other is known only from second hand…

In this article, the author discusses issues that have seemed most fundamental--yet perplexing because they are not well or widely understood--for the students who usually take his masters-level course called Second-Language Assessment. These master's students are experienced teachers, mostly of English, but also of other languages such as French…

This position paper observes the impact of "Proposition 227", California's "English for the Children" initiative, on the professional development of teachers of English Learners. It draws on information I obtained while working as an evaluator of the California Teacher Institutes (CTIs), a network of institutes aimed to enhance…

Lorenza Lara, Secondary Literacy Coordinator for the Denver (CO) Public Schools, specializes in secondary English Learner (EL) education. According to Lorenza, EL research has shown that educators often confuse youths' regular development in a second language with literacy difficulties. This research also has demonstrated the individuality of…

Darin Stockdill was a secondary school English and social studies teacher in Detroit. His early research with classroom instruction and professional development motivated him to begin doctoral study to explore how schools serving as research sites can become sites for professional development and collaboration. He finds an epistemic perspective on…

Elizabeth G. Sturtevant, a professor of education at George Mason University, holds a 33-year record of college-level teaching, scholarship, and service that centers on adolescent literacy. Her research helps clarify the pressures that affect teachers' literacy instruction, the role of secondary school literacy coaches, and adolescent…

Language arts educators who teach Latino English language learners know that part of their job is to help students learn to distinguish between the vernacular varieties of Spanish (or Mandarin, or Portuguese, or Swahili), English they use at home, and the school varieties of language expected in the classroom and in other professional and…

An English-as-a-Second-Language teacher makes a case for do-it-yourself professional development. (Author/VWL)

Reports one individual's experience of being both a language learner and a language teacher and argues that these are very different worlds that do not necessarily meet. Examines a number of related studies, in which teachers have chosen to learn a language for purposes of personal professional development, and briefly checks the writer's own…

Explores the use of an institutionally-sponsored program of reflective teaching (RT) activities at a university-based intensive English program in the United States. The activities are analyzed in terms of their function not only as a means of teacher development, but as a socialization mechanism for the teachers into the role and practice of…

In this interview, Julian Edge talks to the interviewer about choices of language use available in professional development groups and in master's programs. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the language teaching situation in Australia and the sense of professional distance between English-as-a-Second-Language teachers and foreign language teachers, which is unproductive for the teaching of literacy. Suggests that if teachers of English and teachers of foreign languages can be encouraged to work together, the best option…

Illustrates how tasks can be used systematically as context for developing learners' knowledge about language, skill in using language, and teachers' ability to teach. Outlines role for tasks in language learning, identifies limitation in previous studies of tasks to promote learning, and suggests need for tasks to lead learners to integrate…

Suggests that English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language (ESL/EFL) program administrators work together to make professional development a priority for ESL/EFL teachers. Discusses a professional development philosophy and strategies for meeting professional development needs. (Author/VWL)

Describes the origin and rationale of the California Foreign Language Project, a professional development project designed to improve and expand foreign language teaching in California while promoting access and equity within educational institutions for every student. (Author/VWL)