Teacher Discussion Forums

Hi everyone,
I'm starting a thesis about teacher professionalism- essentially asking teachers of adult ESL how they define their jobs, their professional values, priorities and so on. So, to that end, here are some basic questions. If you would care to post your replies to them, that would be great.
1. What distinguishes the role of the teacher of adult ESL from that of teachers/trainers in other fields?
2. What do adult ESL teachers provide their learners that is above and beyond simple language tuition?
3. What are the challenges/frustrations/blockages that ESL teachers have to face? Where do they come from? Government? Funding bodies? Managers?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks!!!

The posts on Dave's give you a wealth of information. You can tell the frustrations because the posts (for example on discipline) will have multiple viewings. There are some excellent threads in Applied Linguistics on frustrations with schools, managers, etc. and frustrations with how people teach. All this was written without thinking specifically about the questions you posed and I would think would be more valid because they are spontaneous and often anonymous. It will make a super study.

Shadowcat wrote:Hi everyone,
I'm starting a thesis about teacher professionalism- essentially asking teachers of adult ESL how they define their jobs, their professional values, priorities and so on. So, to that end, here are some basic questions. If you would care to post your replies to them, that would be great.
1. What distinguishes the role of the teacher of adult ESL from that of teachers/trainers in other fields?
2. What do adult ESL teachers provide their learners that is above and beyond simple language tuition?
3. What are the challenges/frustrations/blockages that ESL teachers have to face? Where do they come from? Government? Funding bodies? Managers?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks!!!

1. We teach communication, the very foundation of all other taught learning.
2. Cultural insights and exchange
3. Student reactions to politics: Many of my classes were somewhat disrupted by student anger around the time the American 'Spyplane' landed on Hainan Island. (I'm American and I teach in China.) I lost a job when the US invaded Iraq. (Again, because I'm American.)[/i]