Becoming a Coordinator of an ELT Postgraduate Program: My Reflections and Suggestions

Araceli Salas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Puebla, Mexico

Leadership comes with responsibility; it is not a privilege. In the field of English Language Teaching (ELT), the role of a coordinator in a postgraduate program is crucial for its good functioning. However, their voices have not been heard enough in literature, at least in Mexico. Research on administrators has mainly focused on their effectiveness in terms of students’ achievements, not on the administrators’ involvement in the program (Brezicha et al., 2015). In my experience, becoming a coordinator requires a set of skills and competencies and the emergence of awareness from an administrative perspective to meet the needs of the program as well as teachers and students in the program.

I have been a language teacher for years. Formal professional development (PD) I received guided me throughout my career. Therefore, I usually take advantage of all PD opportunities and take agency in my own growth as an ELT professional. However, coordinating a postgraduate program was initially beyond the scope of my experience. Although I have had rich familiarity of language teaching as a language teacher and qualifications in higher education, these were not enough to fully prepare me to perform a program administrator’s duties. A year ago, I found myself in an administrative role when I accepted the job of coordinating the MA-ELT program at my university, which is a large public institution in Mexico. Although I had not previously considered stepping into this role, I viewed taking a coordinator’s role as part of my PD, a necessary step in my career, and a way to help my colleagues and students. These were the main reasons why I said “yes” when the position was offered. Reflecting on my leadership path, I would like to share some of the challenges and lessons learned during my leadership. I hope what I share will resonate with other ELT program leaders and help those who are ready to take such a role to lead a postgraduate program of ELT.

When performing this leadership role, my first concern was to understand what was expected from me regarding my knowledge about ELT as well as my management skills and competences. Vinogradova and Linville (2023) identified some of the tasks that coordinators in ELT programs are expected to perform. These tasks go from managing human resources to looking for funding and budgeting, developing partnerships, updating and revising curricula, planning for innovation and change, creating opportunities for continuing professional development, and supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion. At my institution and in my situation, I firmly believe that advocating for students and teachers, recognizing the processes of identity development, promoting quality as well as cultivating a culture of growth and respect are necessary and equally important. To meet all these tasks, an ELT coordinator should align all these objectives with actions and eventually make these happen successfully.

Seeing my expected tasks in writing, made me realize the relevance of a coordinator in an ELT postgraduate program. The tasks mentioned involve individual, collective and institutional actions and collaborative effort. Coordinating a program is a form of giving oneself to your community. Therefore, coordinators should always be on the lookout for help and collaboration. I started checking the tasks that I was already doing and exploring the ones that I had not previously performed as I was eager to learn.

Additionally, I have sought ways to foster positive outcomes. Howard (2023) proposes a path to reach goals as an educational manager: first, studying the context and examining needs in context while obtaining practical knowledge in the field. Thus, coordinators can plan and experiment in their programs. Based on the outcomes from these interventions, coordinators can reflect on observations and the input received. After all, we learn by doing, that is, by trial and error. These steps made me feel more comfortable as I grappled with the responsibilities and tasks ahead of me. I was on the right direction and moving at my own pace, all of which took me some time to learn.

Teachers transitioning to being coordinators need a set of skills and competencies to perform academic and leadership tasks. These competencies include communication, flexibility, organization, knowledge about ELT, and a willingness to pursue continuous professional development. I also have realized the importance of balancing work and personal life. I hope I can improve on all these skills so that I can better serve my program.

Another element to consider in performing this coordinating role, as in all top-down roles, is the emergence of tension. From what I have experienced, there are three types of tension, those which stem from the individual, that is, the coordinator challenging themselves. For example, balancing teaching, coordinating, and personal life or exercising agency and critical thinking when making decisions. The second type of tension is those that emerge from interacting with students, peers, teachers, and authorities within the institution. The coordinator needs to communicate and negotiate in order to gain a win-win result for both parties. The third type of tension is the institutional ones when the coordinator’s beliefs or opinions differ from the institution’s. I have encountered all these three types of tension; but I have learned from them. In all situations, communications should be enhanced, and all opinions be valued and acknowledged.

Besides the tensions mentioned, other challenges that a coordinator in an ELT postgraduate program might face may occur in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, such as balancing and appreciating the blend of two cultures and languages that concur in a program due to its nature. Additionally, in terms of human resources, the diversity of students and professors´ backgrounds, for example, might create critical situations, such as misunderstandings or pragmatical differences. The coordinator must have the ability to create a supportive and equitable environment for all and foster well-being and growth for everyone.

Based on my experience, I have come to understand that some conflicts may arise outside of the coordinator’s control; but they cannot be avoided. Handling these conflicts can be a critical for a coordinator. Facing such a situation, I tried to find some solutions including reading effective management strategies in literature (e.g., Pinto, 2024) and following them. Sadly, studies to support ELT postgraduate program coordinator or administrator are scarce. Here, I have listed some helpful strategies. Although I have not had the opportunity to apply them all in my personal situation, they are worth sharing with readers:

1. Open and honest communication
2. Active listening
3. Objective mediation
4. Setting clear goals and expectations
5. Looking for conflict resolution training
6. Focusing on solutions
7. Seeking external help when necessary
8. Promoting a positive work environment
9. Delegating
10. Reflecting

By using these strategies, coordinators may be able to deal with everyday conflicts in their programs. I found some of these strategies practical; they helped me understand how and from where to start faced with challenges.

Another pivotal element in a coordinating position is building a fair, ethical, and integral culture in the workplace. This can be achieved through a combination of ELT experience, strong personal and professional beliefs and values, a sense of service to the community, and a willingness to pursue continuing PD to benefit the program as a whole.

Looking back and summarizing, coordinating an ELT postgraduate program requires academic, leadership, and administrative capabilities. It is not an easy job, but it can be rewarding on both the professional and personal levels. Coordinators are in a position in which they find themselves at a crossroad, deliberating between what they think is the best way to do things, what peers think and what the institution demands. I admit taking my time to try and feel comfortable in this role while trying to find answers. Transitioning into being a coordinator is not easy, it takes courage. However, the act of shaping an environment of respect, learning and hope is worth the effort, because a good coordinator can contribute to the success of students, the well-being of teachers and the growth of the program. I hope what I have shared in this article helps some ELT leaders in their programs. More importantly, I would like to hear your stories of being a postgraduate program coordinator of ELT.

References

Brezicha, K., Bergmark, U., & Mitra, D. L. (2015). One size does not fit all: Differentiating leadership to support teachers in school reform. Educational Administration Quarterly, 51, 96-132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X14521632.

Howard, E. (2023). Making the transition: From language teacher to program administrator. In M. Christison & F. L. Stoller (Eds.), English language program administration: Leadership and management in the 21^st century (pp. 15-28). Springer.

Pinto, P. (2021, July 18). The 5 steps of conflict resolution: Essential techniques for effective mediation. Life + Leadership = Success. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-steps-conflict-resolution-essential-techniques-pedro-rgsf/

Vinogradova, P., & Linville, H. (2023). Language programs in diverse contexts: Voices of language-programs administrators. In M. Christison & F. L. Stoller (Eds.), English language program administration: Leadership and management in the 21^st century. (pp 45-64). Springer.

Araceli Salas holds a PhD in Language Science and an MA in ELT. She is a professor of BUAP, Mexico, where she is also the Coordinator of the MA Program of ELT. Her research interests are discourse analysis, teacher-education leadership, and female empowerment. She has published several articles and book chapters in the field of ELT. Dr. Salas is a co-editor of a book series of Women Empowerment and Leadership Worldwide, and a journal editor of MEXTESOL Journal, Journal of Education, Language, and Ideology, Estudios interlingüisticos, and Lenguas en Contexto.