View Content #27270

By Lindsay Marean, InterCom Editor

One of my hobbies is having opinions about things. How about you? One of my passions is teaching and learning languages. I bet this is one of your passions, too! How much would you bet that we both have some passionate opinions about language teaching and learning, informed by research, our own experience, training by and observation of respected colleagues, and intuition? I would bet you an equal amount that we don’t have exactly the same opinions.

• How much target language should we use in language learning experiences?
• How important is production for language acquisition, and how does this change depending on proficiency level?
• How important is accuracy relative to getting a point across, and relative to a student’s affective disposition toward using a new language?
• How closely is intercultural communicative competence linked to language proficiency?

As InterCom editor, my job entails following endless listserv threads debating methodological approaches, and reading endless blog posts advocating for one approach or another. Although some language is quite heated, in many cases I am inspired by my colleagues’ ability to find common ground and arrive at helpful insights. One of my favorite examples is Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell’s post from three years ago, “Where are the points of agreement in language teaching?”

What helps us to elevate our discourse so that our exploration of diverse, strongly-held opinions leads to growth and gives us fresh inspiration? I believe that the advice that CASLS director Julie Sykes offers in our July 1 Topic of the Week article holds a key. The three elements she lists are these:

• Cultivate a gracious internal dialogue.
• Practice generous assumptions with others.
• Tend to your own side of the street and mind your own business.

In order to be open to divergent ideas, we must start from a place of comfort with our own teaching. Remember that you are a good teacher and will continue to be so even if you change your practice in ways that you would never have done five years ago.

The most generous assumption that you can make of your colleagues is that they are as passionate about languages as you are. If you are truly interested in growing from an exchange of opinions, listen carefully to your colleagues as they connect their “how” (implementation decisions) with their “why” (everyone deserves to be multilingual).

While I was looking for specific advice for elevating discourse, I came across these six rules for meaningful conversation by Holly Vradenburgh. I encourage you to read this thoughtful post, where Ms. Vradenburgh reminds us several times of conditions that must be in place in order to have a Meaningful Conversation. If they are not in place, then now is the time to focus on your own practice rather than to question your colleagues on their practices.

Many of us recharge partially through time alone, and partially through meaningful interactions with others. I hope that this post and the accompanying Activity of the Week will help you to get the most out of your collegial interactions this summer and throughout the school year.