Agilent – TWB, August 2006
Andy Corcoran
Principal: Chinese American International School
San Francisco, California.

The two weeks in Sichuan Province were remarkable. That summarizes both personal and professional aspects of the experiences. As I renegotiate my contract in my current position, I will be trying to incorporate the flexibility to do something like this on a regular basis. It was truly an enriching experience.

It was a pleasure to work with Erin and Diane on the TWB English team. We came from 3 different schools, 3 completely different backgrounds, and 3 different disciplines. Somehow, that worked. Perhaps the most important quality was our ability to focus on the needs/wishes of the teachers and not on the restrictions of the material. It would have been easy for Erin and Diane to let their ownership of the prepared material get in the way of the needs of the participants. They did not. We maintained an important flexibility throughout the workshop that was enhanced by the different experiences and talents we brought.

Our administrators, Yunus and Fred, worked well at ensuring organizational issues did not impact the conduct of the workshops. While we were kept informed as necessary, we were not affected by external issues.

The workshop materials were good for a pilot project. The poetry was a major success and Diane’s approach was very well received. The other major planned elements such as the grammar and the 5 paragraph essay were also well received. Erin proved to be invaluable with her background in ESL (not to mention the enthusiasm she brought to each exercise).

While we need to focus the materials more on American culture at large, the videos and postcards were excellent aids. While interesting, it also gave the participants a somewhat slanted view of the US. I would compare it to a teacher from China coming to the US and spending most of her time talking about Tibet. In the future we could bring either video workshops like ASCD produces, or clips of our own students. I prefer the latter, but others might find the professional clips more valuable.

The participants wanted materials and activities that would interest their students. Have a repertoire of songs that the teachers can take to their classrooms. Simple children’s songs were very popular with the teachers. Look into whether it is feasible to have student to student connections. There are many organizations that provide those linkages now, but it is not clear whether this could be implemented in rural areas like Jintang or Dujianyan.

I was surprised at the number of English teachers who had never spoken with a foreigner before. Many were almost desperate for conversation or “free talk” as they called it. Those sessions were effective ways to talk about culture, our own lives, etc. as well as to help the teachers improve their spoken English.

Each day we asked the participants to evaluate the workshop. By asking three simple questions (variants of: what went well, what do we need to improve, and what should be added) we were able to adjust to meet the needs of the participants. It also introduced the teachers to the importance of feedback.

Yunus was very good at making sure there was time to relax. While the two weeks were full, we had time to recharge. Even though climbing up and down a mountain may not seem relaxing, it can be invigorating. The two days in Chengdu before the workshops were important for me since I had not met anyone before and we had a chance to gel as a group.

Follow-up and support is one of the most complicated areas and one of most interest to me. While I see the importance of going to different places and working with new teachers in order to cast as wide a net as possible, I worry about the long term success if teachers do not have some sort of support once they leave the workshop. Perhaps a two pronged approach could be considered.

First, look to the principals. The principals need to know what we are showing their teachers and what it will look like. This is a little different from the discussions Diane had with the principals and curriculum people which seemed to be on a more philosophical level.

We were encouraging the teachers to try things that were new to them. The first few times they may not work as intended. Principals need to know that and be supportive of some level of risk taking. We also pushed the idea of feedback and positive re-enforcement. In many ways that is very counter-cultural, but it is in line with what the central government is promoting. Even just a day or two with the principals could make a big difference in bringing some of the techniques into their schools.

Second, have something long term and direct to support the teachers. Over and over we heard teachers ask how they could do this in their classes with 60+ students. While some of the techniques we discussed would require modification, I am convinced they can be used on large classrooms. The key is in direct support. Their own principals or department chairs cannot provide it because they have not done it themselves.

Since returning to San Francisco, I have been searching for a way to make this possible. What it requires is someone from the team visiting the schools during the year, spending a few days at each school on a rotating basis to meet with the teachers, observe them in action, talk with the principal, and perhaps model an activity. At some mid point in the year, conduct a refresher workshop to bring everyone together again to celebrate progress and reevaluate stutter-steps.

These teachers will have to confront a great deal of inertia, both from others and from within themselves. They will have a greater chance for success if they have support during the year. I have committed to stay in touch with those participants who contact me and to support them as I can from afar, but I think they need more. We are well aware of the syndrome in our own schools in which a teacher comes back from a workshop or conference energized and committed to follow through with what they learned, only to see them 18 months later still doing what they have always done. It would be a shame if the participants succumbed to the same fate. I believe the answer for these teachers, as well as our own, is ongoing support.

It is still to be seen how transformative this experience will be, both for the participants and for me. This summer experience has definitely been first steps on a very long, very exciting journey. How far we go is still unclear, but even the first steps have taken us farther than we imagined. Thank you to all who made the journey possible. Now we see where it takes us.

I hope you find something helpful in this reflection.

I certainly did in Sichuan.