Presenter
Barbara Hoekje
When?
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
10:30 am–12:00 pm ET
Find the program start time in your local area. Who Should Attend?
IEP faculty, staff, and program administrators in U.S.-based language programs at the postsecondary level. In addition, postsecondary ESL/EFL or other language courses or programs enrolling one predominant population will benefit from this seminar.
Registration
Cost: Free for members; US$45 for nonmembers
Register Online Register by Fax or Email (PDF) Please review this important information: About Your Registration Accessing Your Virtual Seminar More About This Seminar
This presentation examines the dynamics of intensive English language programs whose student population includes a majority of students who share the same language and culture. How do such monocultural student populations impact the classroom and other aspects of the language program? The opportunities and the hazards of such situations will be discussed in terms of their impact on the creation of effective and equitable learning environments for all students in the program. The dynamics of EFL and ESL settings are considered. Participants are encouraged to consider the contexts of their own programs and submit comments, questions, strategies, and other contributions prior to or during the webinar so that expertise can be widely shared.
What Will I Learn?
Participants will
- Gain an understanding of the language program ecology and the role that students play in the ecology;
- Analyze the nature of classroom and program dynamics with a majority of students from the same language and culture in contrast to a more diverse student enrollment;
- Understand the nature of program change to accommodate new student norms;
- Gain concrete strategies for responding to these dynamics.
Discussion Questions
- What shifts or changes in your program have you seen to accommodate the new norms of a dominant student group? This could include the curriculum, teaching methods, student support services, teachers, and so forth.
- In relation to a dominant group from one language or culture, what specific opportunities or hazards have you experienced at the classroom or program level? What strategies have been effective in your context at the classroom or program level?
- What kinds of professional development or organizational support is needed so that teachers can respond more effectively to this situation?
About the Presenter
Barbara Hoekje, PhD, is director of the CEA-accredited English Language Center of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA. She is past president of the consortium of University & College Intensive English Programs and has served as president of the International Teaching Assistant interest section of TESOL International Association and the regional TESOL affiliate of Eastern Pennsylvania (PennTESOL–East).