Teaching Adult ESL Learners as Community Leaders
Submission Type
Event
Faculty Advisor
Teddy Amoloza
Expected Graduation Date
2019
Location
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-21-2018 2:00 PM
End Date
4-21-2018 3:00 PM
Disciplines
Education
Abstract
During my internship at EarthRights International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I was introduced to new methods of teaching based on Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This approach to teaching and learning condemns conventional “banking” learning, learning that occurs one-way from teachers to students, and promotes learning that engages and transforms students into active, autonomous learners. Applying this new approach into teaching ESL adult learners, I faced challenges with the change in method. The transition from conventional methods was difficult for the students, and at times they felt unmotivated because there was no definite answer or solution given to them. I will talk more in-depth about the challenges and how I overcame them by incorporating what I learned from Freire’s method and other multicultural teaching techniques. Furthermore, through working with the students, it became clear why students were motivated to choose an English program, and why English was an important tool to pursue human and environmental rights activism in their communities.
Teaching Adult ESL Learners as Community Leaders
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
During my internship at EarthRights International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I was introduced to new methods of teaching based on Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This approach to teaching and learning condemns conventional “banking” learning, learning that occurs one-way from teachers to students, and promotes learning that engages and transforms students into active, autonomous learners. Applying this new approach into teaching ESL adult learners, I faced challenges with the change in method. The transition from conventional methods was difficult for the students, and at times they felt unmotivated because there was no definite answer or solution given to them. I will talk more in-depth about the challenges and how I overcame them by incorporating what I learned from Freire’s method and other multicultural teaching techniques. Furthermore, through working with the students, it became clear why students were motivated to choose an English program, and why English was an important tool to pursue human and environmental rights activism in their communities.