Collaboration and Collegiality

Evidence of collaboration and collegiality in teaching ESL and world languages is demonstrated in various products presented throughout this portfolio.

Belief Statement

Collaboration and collegiality are critically important to the teaching and learning of ESL and world languages. Since completing my dissertation, I have embarked on various teaching projects involving  collaborative partnerships with EFL teachers and classrooms abroad. I believe there is immense value in connecting classrooms whose learners share the same language learning goals and need opportunities for immersion and practice.

Teachers can advocate for learners to find their own language partners and /or try to pair foreign language students ESL students on campus. In my experience, when immersion and practice are built into the curriculum with real language partnerships—coordinated, guided, and evaluated by the instructor—the outcomes can be stellar.

Pairing foreign language students with native speakers abroad has obvious benefits for developing real global learning communities and connecting students with their learning peers abroad, but what does it have to do with ESL in K-12 schools?

While I have not had the opportunity to pair ESL K-12 classrooms with peer EFL learners abroad, I believe there may be a benefit from this pedagogical concept. Why? Because ELs in the U.S. are encouraged to preserve their native language as they undertake the learning of ESL as an academic language. Through telecollaborative partnerships with EFL learners abroad, ELs in U.S. schools could strengthen their connection to their native language and homelands while learning ESL.