2006 has been a rewarding year for many students, staff, and alumni of the Graduate School of Language and Educational Linguistics at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
MATESOL candidate Lauren Braunstein’s article, Adult ESL Learners’ Attitudes Toward Movement (Total Physical Response) and Drama (Total Physical Response (TPR) Storytelling) in the Classroom, was selected as the third Annual California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL) Graduate Student Research Award recipient. Lauren sums up her project rationale: “Last semester, I did my practicum work at an adult school, and was curious about how an adult population would react to [the TPR] methods. I first found out the students' learning preferences. Most of the students preferred grammar-focused, traditional ESL classes. I then taught the students with TPR Storytelling. The students were actors. I made them wear funny clothes, use props, get out of their seats, and move around. It turned out that the students overwhelmingly loved the TPR Storytelling classes, despite their stated preferences for a "traditional" language class. That’s it in a nutshell.”
TESOL/TFL Professor Peter Shaw co-published (with Professor Bryan Lynch) the article “Portfolios, Power, and Ethics” in the TESOL Quarterly, June 2005. As a result, he was selected as the 2006 recipient of the TESOL Research Interest Section Thomson Heinle Distinguished Research Award. Peter explained that this project was four years in the making, during which time145 portfolios were read. Although reading the portfolios took a significantly large amount of time to read, Peter said it was a gratifying experience because the MATESOL and MATFL student authors are so creative and amazing.
Mary Smith, MATESOL & LPA 05 alumna and Coordinator of the English Language Institute and Lecturer in the Merritt Writing Program at the University of California, Merced, received the Mary Finocchiaro Award for Excellence in the Development of Pedagogical Materials. Mary submitted a unit of content-based instruction (CBI) material titled, Weighty Matters: Considerations for a Healthy Weight, targeting students at the community college or university setting pursuing a career in health sciences or those needing a general education requirement in the area of health.
Congratulations from everyone at GSLEL to Lauren, Peter and Mary for their hard work and dedication to the field of language education!
The Monterey Institute offers a unique opportunity for MATESOL/TFL candidates to simultaneously obtain certification in Language Program Administration (LPA). LPA students come from a variety of backgrounds and have a variety of different future goals, but all share a similar drive for success. Natural born leaders and experts at multi-tasking, LPA students balance their time at MIIS between regular TESOL/TFL classes, LPA-orientated business and teacher training classes, group meetings, and part-time jobs.
Patricia Szasz, MATESOL & LPA candidate, came to the Monterey Institute of International Studies because she was interested in working in language program administration in the future and she was impressed with the LPA certificate option offered at the Institute. During her studies, she has found several ways to utilize her natural skills of organization and leadership.
This past October, Patricia was the Conference Coordinator at the Socio-Cultural Theory Conference here in Monterey (co-organized by Professor Leo van Lier). In addition to being a full-time student, she also serves as the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Intensive ESL on campus, and held the position of English Program Coordinator (EPC) for the prestigious World Trade Organization (WTO) China Executive Program project, in conjunction with the Fisher Graduate School of International Business, here at the Monterey Institute.
The WTO project, which began four years ago, offers Chinese government officials the opportunity to fine-tune their knowledge of trade policy/commercial diplomacy, western business practices, and the English language by attending business, policy, and language classes at the Institute, as well as visiting various area businesses and government offices. Upon completion of the 11 week course of study, participants can opt to take a comprehensive examination which allows them to receive graduate-level credit. The Institute accepts this credit if participants choose to return to Monterey to receive a master’s degree in the business or policy studies programs. Ms. Szasz’s role in the project was to oversee all aspects of the English language learning component of the program. This included coordination among her ESL staff, and between her staff and the Program Head, Fisher Graduate School of International Business Dean Ernie Scalberg.
“As was the case as Coordinator of the SCT Conference, ninety percent of my job [as WTO EPC] was before the Chinese participants got here,” confided Patricia. Before their arrival, she was in charge of hiring four staff members (two English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers and two support ESP tutors), planning and implementing orientation for the newly arrived executives, conducting an analysis of the students’ English language needs, arranging the scheduling for the classes (ensuring ESP classes didn’t overlap or conflict with business classes being held for the WTO representatives at Fisher), troubleshooting Human Resources and payroll issues. She was also in charge of logistics, such as arranging room space for her classes and ensuring the teachers had teaching materials and other supplies.
After the Beijing representatives arrived, she facilitated and led staff meetings, problem solved with staff, dealt with the students’ cross-cultural issues and culture shock(when necessary), and occasionally reported to Dean Scalberg.
Patricia believes that her personality is well-suited to program administration and noted that the corporate experiences she had before coming to the Institute helped prepare her for the roles she finds herself in now. However, she believes she has gained a lot of valuable information through her classes here. “The interview workshops we did in Introduction to LPA and the role plays we did in Teacher Supervision were very similar to what I needed to do in the real world [as the EPC] and were really helpful for me,” she added.
Some of what she has learned has not been in the classroom, though. When asked what was the most important thing she learned as English Program Coordinator, she thoughtfully replied, “I learned that while you are focused on logistics and schedules, you tend to forget about the people… but when they arrive, everything is so much more enjoyable. That’s the real highlight!” Patricia is scheduled to graduate in December 2006, and plans to continue working as a language program administrator in the future.
As a leader in global education, the Monterey Institute takes pride on its outstanding students, recipients of many distinguished awards and interesting fellowships. We are pleased to announce that
Shannon Tumanut MATFL French 04 has received sponsorship from the French government and l’Education Nationale to be a language assistant in five primary schools in Autun (Burgundy, France). Shannon is the only TA in Autun, so she spends one day per week in each school.
Shannon’s teaching experience before this assignment had been primarily with college students and adults. She chose to work in primary school this time because she felt ready for a new experience. In the classes, the kids work on such things as numbers, colors, animals, and question formation.
For most of the students, Shannon is the first American they have met, so they all want to know three things: 1) If Shannon likes the United States, 2) How many days it took her to get to France (one student wanted to know if she took a boat), and 3) If she knows any of the characters from American TV shows like “Charmed” or “CSI.” With humor, Shannon comments on her relationship with the students, “The students are starting to get used to me now. One or two even said ‘hello’ to me outside of class. Then they usually giggle and run away, but at least they try.”
Teaching children is a different challenge for Shannon than she is used to. “It’s still too early to know if primary school is someplace I want to teach in the future,” Shannon says, “but I’m enjoying the experience and learning a lot about teaching, kids, and teaching kids.”
After this school year Shannon plans on going to Japan to teach and see where this experience will lead her.
Prospective students are always welcome to visit our campus. We request at least one week's notice, in order to arrange a series of appointments for you. Prospective students usually take a Campus Tour, and meet with our Career Manager; Dean or Program Head; Financial Aid representative; Student Affairs Director; Director of Enrollment and Careers. Please contact the Admissions Office (admit@miis.edu) to schedule your visit.
_________________________________________________________
Current works written by Jessica Kuwata, Irina Mikhailova, and Kristi Kienast MATESOL candidates.
Last updated March 28, 2006
