In addition to the new students who began their first summer courses on Monday, Tuesday was the initial day for the 16 students returning to SIT for their second summer. Returning to a place we know can show us how we are different.
Asked by Program Chair Susan Barduhn to reflect on the past year developing their teaching practices, students were quite insightful in their comments. Posted in writing below, the original quiet sense of deep listening and demonstrable respect in the classroom is absent. However, these statements are just as true today in print as they were yesterday when spoken. They show how thoughtful, serious, and careful teachers can be as they consider how to improve their effectiveness.
Today, fifteen students begin SIT’s MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. In addition to English, they speak 15 other languages, including these
This post is from Michael Ireland, Director of SIT Financial Aid.
Good News for Student Loan Borrowers
It is never too early to start thinking about repaying student loans. Some good news on the repayment front is that there are two new options that will help many students repay their loans:
The first is the Income Based Repayment (IBR) plan (available July 1, 2009). Under IBR, your required monthly payment is capped at an amount that is intended to be affordable based on your income and family size. Please use the following chart as a guide. Read the rest of this entry »
2009 Graduates of SIT. Reformer photo by Kimberly Hatch.
Saturday, May 30, marked graduation ceremonies for SIT Graduate Institute. Besides the recognition of the 265 graduates, a feature of the day was rousing remarks by Diane Larsen-Freeman, long-time faculty member and beloved friend of SIT. In her speech, Larsen-Freeman described the relationships that language and language learning have with all of the other of SIT’s degrees and its mission. Read the rest of this entry »
In an exciting development, the entire program of SIT’s Spring 2009 Sandanona Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Language is available online.
Part of the Donald B. Watt Library’s continuing expansions, the digital collection now includes MAT student presentations with abstracts, presenters, locations, and times. Additionally, selected session hand-outs will be available online following the conference.
Offered on a theme of reflection (if you didn’t guess from the program covers), conference sessions are configured into workshops, demonstrations or papers by the 37 presenters as a culmination of their classes which conclude this week.
To register for the conference, which is Monday, May 25, through Wednesday, May 27, please send your email request to marshall.brewer@sit.edu. Please state which sessions you would like to attend. There is no charge to attend the conference, but space is strictly limited.
Responding to an article by Jim Cummins, Stephanie Wilton Kumagai bases her insights on experience teaching in Japan and Costa Rica as well as her SIT learning. Her final presentation for the academic year MAT, “She Said What?!,” is a demonstration of the teaching skills required to turn miscommunication in intercultural classrooms into productive learning.
In his article “The Challenge of Learning Academic English,” Jim Cummins examines how English and academic subject teachers can support English language learners and other students who struggle with reading. As the academic level becomes more challenging in the middle years of elementary school, these students often fall behind their classmates and find it difficult to catch up.
Working toward SIT’s MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in US Public Schools and a Vermont teacher’s license, Colleen responds to a challenge from her professor in a class on literacy.
She identifies what she wants to remember. It is a personal statement and one that all teachers must answer for themselves. Doing so, Colleen demonstrates her beliefs about teaching and learning, about others, and about herself.
Written in the winter of 2009, Colleen was braiding her SIT learning, her previous teaching experience in Taiwan, and her observations of English learners in US public schools.
The Five Most Important Lessons for Teaching Reading
Literacy, the ability to read, is an essential tool for anyone who wants to participate fully in society. However, it is an unnatural act. Read the rest of this entry »
MAT student Anna Rozzo has experience teaching in the U.S. and Morocco. Anna took the new Politics of TESOL elective course this spring, and shares her thoughts, reactions, and key learnings regarding the class below.
This course covered many topics that are essential to my professional development as an ESOL teacher. I am now better informed about terminology and have a deepened understanding of Kachru’s circles. Besides examining professional terminology and reviewing the various types of ESOL models popular in the world today, taking a serious look at such issues as globalization, linguistic imperialism, language “development”, and sustainable teaching was an important part of this class for me. Read the rest of this entry »
This spring the MAT program introduced a new elective. Taught by visiting faculty member Beverly Burkett, the course has proven popular. Here, Bev talks about the experience of developing the course, its content, and what she is learning through teaching it.
The new course, The Politics of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages came about partly as a result of a discussion at the end of our Approaches class in the Fall. My students asked me how teaching has been a political act for me; how, particularly in my experience in South Africa, teaching has created change. Read the rest of this entry »
In addition to the new students who began their first summer courses on Monday, Tuesday was the initial day for the 16 students returning to SIT for their second summer. Returning to a place we know can show us how we are different.
This post is from Michael Ireland, Director of SIT Financial Aid. 
In an exciting development, the entire program of SIT’s Spring 2009 Sandanona Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Language 
Working toward SIT’s MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in US Public Schools and a Vermont teacher’s license, Colleen responds to a challenge from her professor in a class on literacy. 
MAT student Anna Rozzo has experience teaching in the U.S. and Morocco. Anna took the new Politics of TESOL elective course this spring, and shares her thoughts, reactions, and key learnings regarding the class below. 
This spring the MAT program introduced a new elective. Taught by visiting faculty member 