Session 1:
Title: Beginnings, Endings, and the Routines in Between: Structuring ESL/EFL Courses for Success
Description:
All courses have beginnings, but they do not all begin well. And a course that ends poorly can undo much of the good that came before. This workshop will examine the life cycle of an effective ESL/EFL course from start to finish, focusing on strategies that can help us to:
- begin well by reaching out to students, setting the tone for the term, and fostering positive group dynamics,
- manage day-to-day lessons through routines and “high structure” strategies that increase efficient use of time and facilitate learning, and
- close our course with principles like the peak-end rule in mind, so that we can consolidate learning and inspire students to further accomplishments well into the future.
If you have ever taught an ESL/EFL class that had a beginning, middle, and/or end, and if you ever wanted to explore ways of managing those stages more effectively, this is the session for you. Teachers of all levels of ESL/EFL in all environments (face-to-face, online, IEP, community college, etc.) are welcome.
Biography:
Dr. Christopher Stillwell has a master’s degree in TESOL from Teachers College Columbia University, and he has both a master’s degree and a PhD in education from University of California, Irvine. He has worked as a teacher educator for more than 15 years, in such places as Egypt, Peru, and Laos, and he has taught ESL/EFL in Spain, Japan, and the US. He edited two books on Language Teaching from Other Fields for TESOL International. He has recently served as a mentor for the TESOL program at Columbia University, as Distance Education Coordinator, Professional Development for College of the Sequoias, and as an English Language Specialist for the US Department of State. He is currently a professor of ESL at Saddleback College, and he is an instructor and advisory board member for UC Irvine’s online TESOL certificate program.
Link to the video recording: