The Context

As teachers, we are often tasked with developing courses that will help our students to progress. Being an online language teacher, I am presented with an interesting set of opportunities and challenges. The online context allows me to draw from a rich list of teaching methodologies and approaches to design something that is flexible. I am also able to tailor lessons to learners with a wide range of learning styles and who come with different levels of negative affective filters. I can attempt to reduce those in a non-threatening way. On the other hand, I am also tasked with doing it all. No one has provided me with a nicely laid out curriculum and set operating parameters. I am only just now beginning to form a support network of other teachers facing my same challenges. And the list goes on. Many of these are not exclusive to the online environment, but that this the environment I teach in, so that is the environment I will talk about.

The Background

Less than a year ago, suffering from extreme discouragement, I took a week off from classes, intending to spend the entire time doing research and learning how I could improve the lessons I was giving to my students. I was a brand new teacher who felt as though I had taken a high dive into deep water. But as I researched, I began to remember things from my training and, even though I did not accomplish much of what I had set out to do, the week off had refreshed my soul and given me time to learn some valuable things. My lessons definitely improved after that.

In the many months that have followed, I have still felt overwhelmed and discouraged at times, especially feeling as though I were just going from lesson to lesson with no real cohesive structure and no real support. Then I met a teaching coach in a FaceBook group. One of the things he specializes in is instructional design. An answer to my prayers! So after some sessions with him, I am now equipped with some new knowledge and mental tools for designing courses and units for my students. But there are still gaps. What approaches should make up my core methodology? How can I design a curriculum that is logical for me and for the students, so that I can measure their progress and help them to do so? How do I design something that is flexible enough to be tailored for the different students and different skill needs? So many questions to answer. So here I am again, taking a week off to plan and research.

The Journey

I am not such a dreamer as to expect that I will solve all my problems this week, but I’m certainly going to try and solve some of them. My biggest problem is trying to decide which problems are priority, because I have to start teaching again next week, and I need something to show for this time off. So I invite you to join me in this journey as I prioritize, research, and move through the mire. And, well, if you have comments or tips, feel free to share. My hope is that you will dialog with me on this journey, profit from my fumblings, and that maybe these entries will help make your own journey clearer.

The First Day

Today has not seen a promising start to this endeavor. I allowed myself to become distracted by other things I would like to accomplish, such as optimizing my website, and finding ways to attract students. These are valid accomplishments, but not my main goal. Hey, I am being honest and real here! Still, I found a great video which served as a reminder of what some of my priorities ought to be, bringing a little clarity to the journey. It was a video providing an overview of what is needed for a language curriculum design, such as needs assessment, (du), input from students, understanding of the learning context, etc. I found another video from the same channel which provided a list of principles on which a curriculum should be based. Now I realize that this is a little subjective, and I can find other lists of principles that are thought to be just as valid. But it reminded me that any curriculum and philosophy of teaching should be based on sound research. Another no-brainer, but one that is easily forgotten in the mire of all that a teacher must consider when she is the teacher and the administrator in the thick of the battle so to speak. I took some nice notes that I think will prove to be quite useful. The day has not been a total loss. As the day draws to a close, I think tomorrow will be focussed on choosing a framework and articulating some of my beliefs about language teaching. So good night for now, and happy teaching.