Many of you are aware of initiatives prompted by TESOL’s 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, several of which have aimed to enhance professional learning and engagement through the organization by “expanding TESOL’s capacity for members to participate in professional learning opportunities”. One such initiative is to restructure the system of Interest Sections, special interest groups, which in the past primarily focused on activities around the annual convention, such as proposal adjudication and the planning of academic sessions and intersection panels. After the 2018 Convention, these types of special interest groups will be dissolved. TESOL is moving to a new association structure, which differentiates between two types of Communities of Practice (COPs): Professional Learning Networks (PLNs), and a new variety of Interest Sections (ISs).

TESOL’s Communities of Practice have a 3D function: one, to generate knowledge in a specific sub-specialty; two, to facilitate dissemination of information, and three, to engage members in dialogue. Professional Learning Networks achieve this in the form of a short-term study group, and the new Interest Sections in the form of an ongoing network that organizes regularly scheduled activities year-around.

Members of the Steering Committee have drafted a proposal to transform the current TEIS group into a new Interest Section. We propose a name change to Teacher Educator Interest Section. The reason for this change is that the name “Teacher Education” confused many TESOL members and was sometimes interpreted as a catch-all phrase within TESOL. We want to clarify that the group will focus on topics that are directly relevant to teacher educators.

We invite you to read the new organizational document below, and complete a survey to provide feedback to the Steering Committee. We also invite you to the Annual Business Meeting (Wednesday, March 28, 2018 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the North Building room 230a at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, IL) to discuss the plans further so that we can move ahead with confidence that the network we are building is one that will engage you in knowledge generation, dissemination, and dialogue.

Mission

The Teacher Educator Interest Section is a professional network of teacher educators who seek to advance the quality of English language teacher preparation and in-service teacher professional development through collaboration in a broad spectrum of scholarly activities.

The Teacher Educator Interest Section (TEIS) provides a forum for those who prepare new teachers on the initial and advanced levels, those who provide continuing education to teachers of English language learners in a variety of educational settings around the world and in the United States, or those who develop non-TESOL teachers in their work with English learners. The IS creates opportunities for teacher educators to exchange ideas and resources, collaborate on projects and scholarship.

TEIS is distinct from the Professional Development Professional Council in that it is an ongoing support network of professionals who are engaged with both long-term and short-term teacher education programs through TESOL International Association, whose purpose is continued professional development outside of credentialing. The Professional Development Council is mainly focused on planning pre- and post-conference workshops, webinars, and short-duration professional development for TESOL members; however, it is not an ongoing network for teacher educators.

TEIS views English language teaching with a wide angle, which encompasses English as a foreign language, English as a new/second language, English as lingua franca/international language, World Englishes, and English as the medium of instruction to English language learners on all educational levels.

Goals

TEIS is dedicated to fostering quality in teacher education programs, regardless of program location and context, by:

• Building a professional community to enhance expertise on English language teacher education;

• Improving understanding of teacher education standards and processes involved in developing knowledge, performance and dispositions of teachers of English as a new/foreign language;

• Sharing theory, research findings, and best practices that are pertinent to English language teacher preparation and development;

• Encouraging innovation, self-study, and continuous improvement in English as a new/foreign language teacher preparation programs;

• Providing assistance to those who wish to advocate for English language teacher education related policies, services, scholarship, and standards;

• Facilitating collaboration efforts on research projects that are focused on teacher preparation and development, and

• Inducting doctoral students into the teacher educator community.

Planned Activities

TEIS is planning the following types of activities beginning 2018-2019:

• TEIS Newsletter. Invite groups of TESOL Convention presenters to co-author briefs and practitioner articles, share resources and updates.

• Facebook page. Engage TEIS members in the instant exchange of resources, editorials, calls to action, and current events in teacher education. Publicize invitations for conference proposals and opportunities to collaborate.

• Teacher education blog. Invite new bloggers to be regular contributors on specific topics. Post invitations to participate in the research of other teacher educators or join research and study groups.

• my.tesol.org. Maintain a line of regular communication via my.tesol.org and disseminate documents and news of TESOL International Association. Participate in the collaboration of TESOL leadership and represent teacher educators in TESOL initiatives.

• Twitter. Broadcast contents of the newsletter and TEIS blog, publicize TESOL Convention events, research briefs, and professional development opportunities.

• TESOL Convention proposals. Invite teacher educators’ submissions and organize various academic sessions and panels on current and relevant topics to teacher educators.

• Webinars. Organize three webinars annually to be presented to teacher educators related to recent developments in scholarship and pedagogy.

• Doctoral candidate forum. Organize a webinar series for future teacher educators to induct them into teacher education and mentor them in the early stages of their career.

• Affiliate engagement. Seek opportunities for partnerships with TESOL affiliates by having TEIS members present on teacher education focused topics at affiliate events and conferences.

• Connections to related professional organizations. Connect and coordinate with teacher educator groups within other professional organizations (for example, the American Association for Applied Linguistics, the Second Language Research SIG of AERA, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the National Association of Bilingual Education, the National Council of Teachers of English, the International Literacy Association, and the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language).

Leadership

The Steering Committee consists of the following voting members:

1. the Chair
2. the Chair-Elect
3. the Chair-Elect-Elect
4. the immediate Past Chair
5. the Newsletter/Blog Editor
6. the Community Manager

Election for Chair Elect-Elect takes place annually by the full membership. The term is four years to rotate through the roles, with progressive responsibilities added until year 3, and advising/mentoring responsibilities in year 4.

The Newsletter/Blog Editor and Community Manager are elected for the length of service to be until these leaders are willing to serve. The Steering Committee votes annually on continuing these leaders in their position based on satisfactory performance of their duties.

The Chair:

1. assumes responsibility for the functions of TEIS, including but not limited to responding to correspondence and calling meetings with the steering committee;

2. plans the agenda for and presides at the Business Meetings of TEIS;

3. represents TEIS in making public its policy decisions;

4. serves in such capacities as may be determined or assigned by TESOL, the Interest Section Council, and/or the TEIS Steering Committee;

5. submits an annual report of TEIS activities to the TESOL Executive Board, and to the annual Business Meeting of TEIS;

6. organizes and publicizes annual webinar topics and recruits speakers with assistance of the Chair-Elect and the Steering Committee;

7. plans networking event for TEIS members at the annual convention,

8. solicits contributions for the newsletters, and

9. writes “From the Chair” column for the TEIS Newsletter.

The Chair-Elect:

1. in the temporary absence of the Chair, presides at the Business Meeting of TEIS and its Steering Committee;

2. organizes, in cooperation with the Chair, proposals for a TEIS academic session and additional panels on topics identified by the TEIS membership and the Steering Committee;

3. serves as a member of the Steering Committee;

4. prepares the minutes of the annual Business Meeting and distributes them to the Steering Committee members within 30 days after the Business Meeting for approval and subsequent entry into the permanent records of TEIS;

5. prepares a summary of the minutes for publication in the TEIS Newsletter;

6. assists Chair in the organization of annual webinar topics and recruits speakers;

7. organizes and publicizes the Doctoral Student webinars annually with assistance of the Chair-Elect-Elect and Advisory Board;

8. solicits contributions for the newsletters, and

9. assists the Chair in carrying out his/her assigned responsibilities and performs other duties assigned by the Chair and/or Steering Committee.

The Chair-Elect-Elect:

1. organizes, in cooperation with the Chair and the Chair-Elect, proposals for intersection panels in which TEIS may be a primary or secondary partner;

2. serves as a member of the Steering Committee;. takes notes at the annual Business Meeting, and assists the Chair-Elect with the preparation of the minutes; in the temporary absence of the Chair or Chair-Elect at the annual Business Meeting, assumes the responsibilities for preparing the minutes of the meeting;

3. solicits topics, articles, column editors and other contributions and contributors for various activities (i.e., newsletter, blog, social media, webinars), and

4. assists with social media networking activities and other duties assigned by the Chair and/or Steering Committee.

The Immediate Past Chair:

1. assumes the duties of the Chair, should the Chair be unable to serve the remainder of his/her term;

2. assists and advises the Chair and the Steering Committee in their duties;

3. solicits topics, articles, column editors and other contributions and contributors for various activities (i.e., newsletter, blog, social media, webinars), and

4. develops liaisons with other TESOL groups and professional organizations, and recommends prospective candidates for the election slate.

The Newsletter/Blog Editor:

1. produces two or more electronic newsletters per year;

2. produces six blog posts per year;

3. solicits topics, articles from TEIS members;

4. identifies column editors;

5. coordinates newsletters/blogs with social media;

6. assumes responsibilities for coordinating activities across the different social media venues;

7. liaises with the Community Manager, and

8. assists with social media networking activities and other duties assigned by the Chair and/or Steering Committee.

The Community Manager:

1. manages the TEIS Community on my.tesol.org;

2. maintains membership lists and track membership annually for reporting at the annual convention TEIS business meeting;

3. conducts annual membership drive;

4. assists Newsletter/Blog Editor with coordinating activities across the different social media venues;

5. attends TESOL Convention training sessions, as necessary, and

6. assists with social media networking activities and other duties assigned by the Chair and/or Steering Committee.

Membership Recruitment and Retention

Strategies for recruitment:

1. Conduct an annual membership drive.

2. Conduct outreach to faculty who teach in graduate TESOL programs as well as to doctoral candidates in PhD/EdD programs in TESOL and related fields (i.e. Applied Linguistics, Curriculum and Teaching, Language, Literacy, and Cultural Studies).

3. Plan activities that are of practical use and personal benefit to prospective and new members.

4. Make regular connection to members via social media.

5. Plan face-to-face networking event at the annual Convention.

6. Mentor doctoral students with interest in teacher education.

Strategies for member retention:

1. Keep a record of membership. Track change in membership annually.

2. Survey members about activities they wish to be involved in.

3. Provide opportunities for membership involvement.

4. Monitor visits, responses, and activities on the various social media platforms.

5. Refresh social media pages and sites frequently.

6. Offer networking events that are for members only.

7. Engage members in convention proposal reviews and collaborative proposal writing.

8. Inform and remind members of benefits available to them.

9. Explicitly state when an accomplishment or project is the product of member networking and collaboration.

10. Acknowledge member accomplishments via social media.

Leadership Development

Strategies for leadership succession:

1. Keep the Chair position as a four-year term with progressive responsibilities (Chair-Elect-Elect, Chair-Elect, Chair, Past Chair).

2. Hold election for the Chair-Elect-Elect position annually.

3. Disseminate opportunities for leadership widely.

4. Develop a strong election slate each year with qualified and diverse nominees.

5. Require that Steering Committee members attend the annual Business Meeting in person during their entire term. (If attendance is not possible, encourage virtual participation via video conferencing.)

6. Expect every Steering Committee member to participate in regular phone or video conferences.

7. Inform the membership of the plans and activities of the Steering Committee.

8. Invite and welcome suggestions from TEIS members for improving leadership.

9. Strive to maintain productive and collegial working relationships within the Steering Committee, with TEIS members, and with TESOL staff and leadership.

10. Respect the time commitments of Steering Committee members; keep assignments reasonable, and balance responsibilities fairly.

Strategies for leadership development:

1. Maintain a record of decisions, activities, and projects.

2. Create an orientation manual.

3. Review and update bylaws and mission on even calendar years (2020, 2022, etc.).

4. Plan strategically for annual activities at TESOL Conventions.

5. Maintain two-way communication with TESOL staff and leadership.

6. Support Steering Committee members in their efforts to represent TEIS projects and initiatives at the conferences of affiliates and other professional organizations.

Please complete a survey to share your feedback and suggestions.

Andrea B. Hellman, Ed.D.

Missouri State University

https://goo.gl/forms/sEoobkXHsSyCJL0h1

TEIS Steering Committee Members

Andrea Hellman - Chair (2017-2018)
Kate Mastruserio Reynolds - Incoming-Chair (2018-2019)
Kristen Lindahl - Chair-Elect (2019-2020)
Faridah Pawan - Chair-Elect-Elect (2020-2021)
Fatma Ghailan - Newsletter Editor
Nikki Ashcraft - Community Manager