Letter from the Chair
Heather Linville, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, La Cross, Wisconsin, USA
I ended my Letter from the Chair for the last edition of TEIS News (June 2023) with the question, “What story would you like to tell about your teacher education context?” I am thrilled that this edition answers that question with stories from teacher educators in Asia. Please join us as we start this global teacher educator journey! Tremendous kudos to the TEIS newsletter editing team who have put this edition together: Khanh-Duc Kuttig, Bridget Schvarcz, and Vu Tran-Thanh. Thank you for your passion in sharing these teacher educator stories.
Like many of us, I am back in the classroom now, teaching TESOL methodology courses, as well as an introductory course in the field. Most of the pre-service teachers that I work with come from similar backgrounds, in terms of language, ethnicity, and even geography, as they all tend to have grown up in the upper Midwest of the United States. While there are advantages to such a homogeneous group, the main disadvantage is that they all have the same perspective on education. Few of them have personal experience with different educational systems or being in class with peers who are from other states, let alone other countries. It can be hard to envision something new or different if you have only known one system. For this reason, publications like this one that purposefully highlight diverse teaching contexts are essential.
I am eager to have my students read the first-person account “My Experience of English Language Teaching in Asia” to reflect upon the differences and similarities between what they know of language learning and teaching and Kenneth Kuo-Pin Chi’s experiences. As they learn about the historical foundations of TESOL in class, I want them to read how our field has changed over the last 75 years as well as predictions for the future from two scholars based in Asia (in “ELT: Past, Present, and Future”). As we all confront the challenges and benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI), I want them to learn how teachers in Southeast Asia are meeting those challenges in "Empowering Southeast Asian English Language Teachers to Thrive in the Age of Artificial Intelligence." For it is through the sharing of diverse perspectives and through stories that we all can come to the best solutions to our common problems.
It is worth repeating that the goal of TEIS is to promote quality teacher preparation programs in all contexts. We are here for you to achieve that goal, and we hope you will engage as readers and as writers who tell their own stories. The Call for Submissions for the next newsletter is a great place to start with a focus on Latin and Central American teacher educator stories. We also continue with our storytelling in language education and language teacher education webinar series as well; check out the upcoming ones in this edition and past ones on the TESOL YouTube channel (https://tinyurl.com/3c4wbwx8). Happy learning and teaching!
Heather Linville
Chair, TEIS
Heather Linville is the current Chair of the Teacher Educator Interest Section, and Professor and TESOL Director at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.