Session Title:

Language Teacher Agency in Classrooms (EVO2022)

Logo:

Abstract:

This session aims to empower language teachers through developing an ecological perspective of agency. Participants will examine the interplay of various factors influencing teacher agency. They will also reflect upon and share different ways of achieving agency and have a chance to implement language teacher agency in their classrooms.

Target audience:

We aim to connect with pre-service and in-service teachers, teacher trainers, mentors and teacher educators in English language education and those who are interested in exploring their agency in teaching.

Session objectives:

By the end of this hands-on session, participants will

- develop a better understanding of “Language Teacher Agency” and its influencing factors

- reflect upon the factors influencing their instructional practices and decision-making in classrooms

- apply their agency in their current and future teaching

- develop tools/strategies to build a supportive community to enhance their agency

- share their agency in teaching with other participants in this community of online practice in EVO, and if possible, beyond.

Syllabus:

The session syllabus include the major focus for each week and at least one activity or task.

See below.

Week 1: (January 10 - 16) : Understanding Language Teacher Agency (LTA) and Classroom Practice

Discuss what is “Language Teacher Agency”?
Understand different conceptualizations (sociocultural and ecological perspectives) of LTA
Make the connection between LTA and classroom practice
Reflect upon individual understanding

Activities:

Participants register and start setting up a Canvas Free for Teachers site.
Participants make an online video to introduce themselves and post the video in Discussion Forum.
Participants read short texts on LTA and its connection with classroom practice.
Participants post in Discussion Forum on their understanding of LTA.

Moderators: ALL

Week 2: (January 17 - 23): Exploring the temporal and relational dimensions in achieving agency

Examine iterational, practical-evaluative, projective dimensions of LTA
Analyze scenarios of different contexts
Connect the observation to individual teaching contexts

Activities:

Participants read short texts on iterational, practice-evaluative, projective dimensions of LTA.
Participants post in Discussion Forum on their understanding of the three aspects of LTA.
In the Zoom meeting, participants are given one of the three scenarios and analyze the LTA enacted in the scenarios and share their analyses.

Moderators: ALL

Week 3: (January 24 - 30): Reflecting upon past influencing factors on agency (past)

Recognize facilitating and prohibitive factors on LTA
Brainstorm for potential solutions to address challenges
Engage in dialogic reflection among participants

Activities:

Based upon their own teaching experiences in the past, participants post in Discussion Forum on the facilitating and prohibitive factors on LTA.
Participants respond to each other's posts to address those identified prohibitive factors and possibly help each other to find solutions.
In the Zoom meeting, participants read the moderators' reflections and self-transformation process though their engagement in the reflection process on LTA.
In the Zoom meeting, participants share their takeaway in Discussion Forum on reading the reflections.

Moderators: ALL

Week 4: (January 31 - February 6): Enacting agency in classrooms and beyond (present)

Identify a problem in current teaching contexts
Practice agency in classrooms
Apply strategies and technology in building a supportive online community
Reflect upon the experience of enacting agency in their own teaching contexts

Activities:

Participants identify one problem in their current teaching contexts and post in Discussion Forum and share what they can do to solve their problem.
Participants create their own action plan in the Zoom session.
Participants post and respond to each other's action plan.

Moderators: ALL

Week 5: (February 7 - 13): Setting up and sharing further goals (future-oriented)

Develop future teaching or career goals
Identify approaches in achieving the goals
Share the goals and approaches with other participants
Envision goals of implementing teacher agency

Activities:

Participants post their future teaching or career goals in Discussion Forum.
Participants identify approaches in achieving the goals in the Zoom session.
Participants share their highlights and key takeaways from the course.

Moderators: ALL

Media:

Interactive space: Canvas Discussion Forums
Content space: Canvas Free for Teachers
Live meeting space: Zoom

Other technology tools:

Google Drive
Mentimeter
Padlet

Sponsor(s): Higher Education (HEIS), Teacher Educator (TEIS), Ohio TESOL, and Graduate Student Working Group for Foreign Language Research and Teaching (FLRT).

Join this session

Registration starts on Jan 2, 2022.

To self-enrol in this EVO session, please click https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/J6EJ9H, Or https://canvas.instructure.com/register, using the following join code: J6EJ9H

Moderators:

Name (last, first)	Email address	Location (country of residence)	Biodata (max. 50 words)	Photo
Weng, Zhenjie	weng.151@osu.edu	United States	Zhenjie Weng is a doctoral candidate in the Multilingual Language Education program at The Ohio State University. She also teaches second langauge writing to international undergraduate and graduate students. Her research focuses on second language writing teacher identity, teaching expertise, and teacher agency. In her recent work, she studies graduate level ESL composition teachers' identity construction and teaching practice.
Kim, Grace	kim.6874@osu.edu	United States	Grace J. Kim is a doctoral candidate in the Multilingual Language Education program at The Ohio State University. Her research examines language socialization and biliteracy development of emergent bilingual learners, dual language program curriculum design and teacher education, language teacher agency and leadership, and language teaching with technology.
Zhu, Jingyi	zhu.1662@osu.edu	United States	Jingyi Zhu taught EFL in university settings and now teaches ESL composition at undergraduate and graduate levels. Her interests are L2 reading, arts-based practices in L2 research, and language teacher education.

Primary Contact:

Zhenjie Weng

weng.151@osu.edu

(724)4679518

Acknowledgement

By allowing your name to be put forward as co-moderator of this session,

you acknowledge the following:

I understand that session first-time moderators are required and returning moderators are encouraged to participate in the 5-week Moderators' Development Session from October 17 until November 14, 2021.
I am available to actively engage in the EVO session I have agreed to co-moderate between January 10 and February 13, 2022.
I further understand that

EVO sessions are free of advertising and commercial sponsorship.
EVO sessions are free and open to all
No academic credit may be given for participation.

Acknowledged:

Zhenjie Weng

Grace kim

Jingyi Zhu