Approaches to Teacher Education Abstracts:

1. Exploring Teacher Belief Systems: Why Teachers May Not Practice What They Preach?

Dr. Mary Ann Christison, President of TESOL, Professor of ESL and
Director of the International Center at Snow College, Utah

Teaching second or foreign languages is a complex process. Traditionally, language teachers have defined themselves in terms of what they do. Recently, however, language teaching professionals have become very interested in trying to understand how to deal with the many dimensions of what they do. In order to understand this process, it is important to look at the beliefs teachers hold about language teaching and learning that underlie their actions.This plenary will focus on exploring teacher belief systems. Through several fun and interesting self-reporting activities, participants will explore their own belief systems. Christison will then use the activities and information to introduce a research project that she conducted on the relationship between teacher beliefs and teacher practice in the language classroom. See the handout for this lecture.

2. The Curricula of Teacher Education Programs: What's Right, What's Wrong and Is There a Gap?

Dr. Joy Reid, Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Wyoming

At first glance, curriculum development for teacher education/preparation programs seems transparent. Exiting graduate students should learn how to teach English as a second/foreign language in classrooms. On second look, however, the designs of MA TEFL/TESL programs are both diverse and idiosyncratic. Questions abound: What should the focus be? linguistics? teaching methods? content-based or language-based? preparation for PhD work? For what potential students? age, educational background, interests? goals: academic, social, survival? How best to prepare teachers for classrooms? What are the political problems? preparing employees? serving the needs of students learning English serving the needs of English language programs responding to trends and new research? This presentation will demonstrate the results of a survey of U.S. MA TEFL/TESL programs, and the results of a three-day seminar in which Directors of MA TEFL/TESL Programs and Directors of Intensive English Programs in the U.S. discussed the gap that exists between recent graduates and the essential qualities and knowledge needed for their first teaching positions. Participants should come to this presentation with knowledge about the focus and problems involved in EFL programs in their countries. See the handout for this lecture.

3. Language Teacher Education (LTE) Methodology - Where Now?

Dr. Ted Rodgers, University of Hawaii and Bilkent University

A number of recent commentators have concluded that the age of language teaching "Methods" is over. They say that Designer Methods - Silent Way, The Natural Approach, Suggestopedia, Total Physical Response, etc. - are as dead as dinosaurs. These commentators have proposed attention should be properly turned not to Methods but to method-free General Principles (Brown, 1994) or Teaching Expertise (Freeman, 1993). Where does this leave the traditional LTE course (or courses) entitled "Methodology"? My presentation, through song and story, reprises the changing views towards Methods and Methodology. I propose that before "Designer" Methods, as primary focus for LTE courses in Methodology, are finally laid to rest, an autopsy may be appropriate. I offer a comparative analysis of Methods and suggest that personality-based promotional publicizing of Methods has obscured some basic pedagogical commonalties which bear re-examination.. It is these heretofore unrecognized commonalities that comprise the secret synergy of Methods and which provide the basis for several alternative views of the nature and content of future Methodology courses in LTE.

4. Using the Six T's Model to Train Teachers to Integrate Language and Content in their Classrooms

Dr. Fredrika Stoller, Associate Professor of English at Northern Arizona University

Language teachers are searching for effective ways to integrate language and content instruction in their classrooms. The Six T's approach to content-based instruction-- based on themes, topics, texts, threads, tasks, and transitions--provides teachers with a framework for creating a coherent curriculum and well-articulated lesson plans that meet their students' language- and content-learning needs. In order to understand how this approach can be integrated into teacher education programs, the presenter will provide a rationale for the approach, describe the six T's and their interrelationships, and discuss ways in which the approach can be integrated into teacher education curricula.