Where Are They Now? Catching Up with Language Education Alumni
| by Sierra Abukins
Our TESOL and TFL graduates are working and studying all over the world. Read what our alumni and faculty have been up to lately.
Professor Emerita
Dr. Kathleen Bailey is a professor of Applied Linguistics at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). She is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of TIRF – The International Research Foundation for English Language Education, as well as President of the Foundation – offices she has held since September 2009. In addition, she has served as the President of both the International TESOL Association and the American Association for Applied Linguistics. Previously she served on the TOEFL Research Committee.
Dr. Bailey’s research interests include teacher education, supervision and development; second language acquisition; language assessment; classroom research; leadership in language education; and research methodology. Her work as a teacher educator has taken her to Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Colombia, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay, as well as to many parts of the United States. She has been honored as a recipient of the James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL and the Heinle Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a recipient of the Leslie Eliason Excellence in Teaching Award, as well as a two-time recipient of the Allen Griffin Award for Excellence in Teaching in Monterey County. In 2021 she received the Distinguished Scholarship and Service Award from the American Association for Applied Linguistics.
Professor, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Teaching Foreign Language
Bailey is pleased and honored to be a catalyst for her students’ greatest achievements.
My name is Kathi Bailey, and I work in the TESOL and TFL Programs. TESOL, T-E-S-O-L, is Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, and TFL is Teach Foreign Languages. Some years ago, the TESOL Association started an initiative called the Leadership Mentoring Program. And every year, at the beginning of the TESOL Convention, there was a really nice lunch that was given to honor the people who were serving as leaders in TESOL.
So I got to the lunch early, and I found a table at the back of the room, and I took a seat off to the side so I could see what was going on. But as I was sitting there and the room filled up, lots and lots of people came over and were talking to me.
Most of them are graduates. They were hugging me and telling me about their accomplishments, their publications, their families, their jobs, their raises. It was really exciting. And after a few minutes of this, one of the wait persons who’d been standing just behind me. She came up to me and she said.
Excuse me, are you the person being honored at this lunch in? Shouldn’t you be sit at the head table? And I said, no, I’m not the guest of honor. Why did you think so? And she said, well, because everybody’s hugging, and thanking you, and telling you about how great and difference you made in their lives.
And so then, the program began and everybody settled down, the lunch was served. And I kind of thought to myself in a quiet private way, I am the person being honored here. I’m honored by the promise fulfilled by our graduates. They’re working all around the world, as program administrators, materials developers, authors, editors, teacher educators, test developers, researchers.
And of course, they’re excelling as language teachers worldwide. This is what I find so rewarding about working in this program. The students that come here, the students we attract have the capacity for leadership. They make a difference. It’s a great, great place to study, and it’s a great place to work.
And my hope is to continue this legacy of leadership so that our graduates will continue to influence language education worldwide.
EDUC 8540
Language AssessmentCourse Description
Considers issues in language assessment including reliability, validity, test bias, and authenticity. Examines differences and similarities among placement, proficiency, achievement, aptitude, and performance testing. Explores alternative evaluation procedures. Prepares students to evaluate tests and to develop original language tests. Prerequisites: Language Analysis and Educational Research Methods.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8559
Teaching of Listening&SpeakingCourse Description
Teaching of Listening & Speaking in L2 Contexts
This seminar will be taught online in fall semester 2021. It will introduce students to the teaching of speaking and listening in second and foreign language contexts. Topics to be covered include factors that influence L2 listening, target language interaction, accuracy and fluency in speaking, pronunciation, pragmatics, and helping learners overcome their anxiety about speaking and listening in their second or foreign language(s). Assessment issues will also be addressed near the end of the course.
These are the main course goals:
1. Students will be familiar with the main theories related to listening and speaking in L2 contexts (e.g., communicative competence, language proficiency, interactionist view of second language acquisition, sociocultural theory, etc.).
2. Students will be confident with their understanding and use of key concepts and the jargon used to discuss teaching of and research on L2 speaking and listening.
3. Students will develop a repertoire of skills and a range of activities for teaching L2 listening and speaking for their target audience (age of learners, proficiency levels, target language, etc.).
4. Students will understand the key role of L2 pronunciation in developing learners’ communicative competence.
5. Students will understand the role of pragmatic competence in L2 oral/aural interaction.
6. Students will understand key principles of effective language assessment.
7. Students will be familiar with a range of assessment procedures for evaluating their learners’ L2 speaking and listening.
8. Students will develop their oral presentation skills and confidence for sharing ideas/activities for teaching listening and speaking in L2 contexts and for leading professional development sessions for other teachers.
9. Students will develop a substantial project on some aspect of teaching L2 listening and/or speaking.
This is a variable unit seminar. That is, it may be taken for either two or three units, depending on the individual student’s needs and/or course load. All students will attend the synchronous sessions and complete the required asynchronous activities, but the students taking the course for three units will do an additional assignment (to be negotiated with the instructor).
Terms Taught
EDUC 8581
Leadership in Language EdCourse Description
Leadership in Language Education
This seminar will be taught online in fall semester 2021. It will focus on developing leadership qualities and skills for professionals in the broad field of language education. Whether you aspire to train language teachers, develop curricula, run language programs, write materials, work in language assessment, or be a teacher-leader in your own school context, there are leadership skills that you can develop and employ to be more effective in your chosen role. The following goals and student learning objectives will be addressed in this seminar:
1. Participants will be familiar with key frameworks describing the components of leadership.
2. Participants will interact with successful leaders in our field, in order to understand typical leadership experiences—both challenges and successes.
3. Participants will recognize the characteristics of successful leaders in our field.
4. Participants will develop initial plans for their own future development as leaders in the broad field of language education.
5. Participants will demonstrate their leadership potential by engaging in and sometimes managing activities in our seminar.
6. Participants will gain confidence and skill in their own abilities as leaders.
These goals will be accomplished through a series of readings, discussions, and small projects as well as a substantive final project.
This is a variable unit seminar. That is, it may be taken for either two or three units, depending on the individual student’s needs and/or course load. All students will attend all the synchronous sessions and complete the required asynchronous activities on schedule, but the students taking the course for three units will do an additional assignment (to be negotiated with the instructor).
Terms Taught
EDUC 8661
Language Teacher SupervisionCourse Description
This seminar provides language teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the challenges of becoming language teacher supervisors. It examines current models of, and research on, language teacher supervision. Students practice observing teachers and conducting post-observation conferences, developing their ability to provide professional feedback, differentiate between evaluative and developmental supervision, and examine the variables related to working with teachers in a variety of specific contexts.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8662
Language Teacher EducationCourse Description
This seminar is intended for experienced language teachers who have (or expect to have) responsibilities for educating other language teachers. Its contents and goals are based on the assumption that in our field, people are typically promoted into training positions because they have done well as teachers themselves. Seldom do they have specific training for this important professional role. Participants will develop skills and knowledge for taking on professional roles as teacher trainers.
Terms Taught
I am fascinated by the caliber of students who complete their degrees in TESOL or Teaching Foreign Languages at MIIS. Many of them also complete additional specializations, for instance, in Language Program Administration or International Educational Management. Over the years several alumni have taken leadership positions in their schools, programs, and professional associations. The students’ internationalism, and dedication to teaching and research make MIIS a rewarding place to teach! My own research focuses on the broad themes of how languages are taught and learned, teacher development, and language assessment – all topics which strongly influence how our profession moves forward internationally.
Professor Bailey has been teaching at the Institute since 1981.
| by Sierra Abukins
Our TESOL and TFL graduates are working and studying all over the world. Read what our alumni and faculty have been up to lately.
| by Kathi Bailey
Seeking professional development, teacher Lisa Irving Friel MATESOL ’99 found herself back at the Middlebury Institute, made possible with expanded online offerings.
| by Sierra Abukins
A national leader in the TESOL field, she has taught and mentored hundreds of students who have gone on to their own leadership roles.