Teaching the Teachers

Written by Joie Colobong

Marianne 'Bela' Conley-Ramsey is a 2014 - 2015 ALEX 'Applied Learning Experiences Excellence in Teaching Award' winner. This article provides insights into the efforts she takes to provide real world learning experiences for her students.

English department instructor Marianne “Bela” Conley-Ramsay is the coordinator of UH Hilo’s TESOL (Teaching English as a Second, Foreign or Other Language) Certificate Program. Students who complete the requirements for the TESOL Certificate will develop the necessary skills to teach those learning English as a second or foreign language, and will thus be prepared for potential employment in various language acquisition-related professions all over not only the United States, but the world.

English Department Instructor Marianne 'Bela' Conley-Ramsey

Conley-Ramsay helms three of the six courses required for the TESOL Certificate; through her courses, students apply their classroom learning to real-world situations, develop connections with employers, and perform service learning in various settings.

In Second Language Acquisition Theory (ENG 350), students are exposed to contemporary research and theories behind the process of learning a foreign language as well as methods currently and formerly used to facilitate such learning in a formal classroom setting.

In ESL Teaching Practicum (ENG 422), students take what they’ve learned in ENG 350 and apply it to the real-world by teaching in a real classroom with actual ESL learners. For this course, Conley-Ramsay employs a variety of activities, games and exercises to allow ESL learners to improve their communication skills in English.

In ESL Materials and Methods (ENG 484), students demonstrate their capabilities as potential ESL educators by creating lesson plans detailing how they would teach the various aspects involved in learning English, such as pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Students in ENG 484 are required to draw from widely available information on language acquisition as well as their personal knowledge in creating their lesson plans.

Conley-Ramsay stresses the importance of being sensitive to the difficulties that ESL learners often encounter. She teaches her students to be mindful of such issues and to see teaching as a service for all communities. As Conley-Ramsay explains, “Teaching English is a way to empower communities since so much of the world’s business is conducted in this language.”

One very practical application of learned knowledge is the ESL interview. Often in interviews teachers are expected to create, film and send a detailed lesson plan on a particular subject to a particular audience. As a result, Bela's students practice making lesson plans in all skill areas as well as pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Bela explains, "because of our connection with Catholic Charities and their dependent funding, we have expanded our applied learning project to include assessment of students' progress which I write up in an annual report for CC. While we always did assessment of students' progress, never has such assessment mattered so much to so many people in our community." In other words, students in Bela's classes apply their classroom learning to real-life situations, forge networks with employers outside of school, and do service learning in various settings.