I attended the UPTC 2010 (Campus Aguascalientes) this weekend where teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Mexico and the need for change were addressed. To improve EFL teaching and learning through higher-order thinking skills, a paradigm shift is needed, for example. Some comments that struck a chord with me during the conference include the following:
- Intrapersonal Revolution (Reilly, 2010)
- What can I do to be a better teacher? (Reilly, 2010)
- Most middle school students in Mexico (a) are bored in class, (b) have no homework or homework involving the web, and (c) want more feedback. (Reilly, 2010)
- Students find it difficult to work with others. (Weir, 2010)
- Four pillars of education: learning to… (a) know, (b) do, (c) live together (i.e., interact), and (d) be (Weir, 2010)
- Technological, information, creative, and social competencies (Weir, 2010) My take on this is that it’s basically anything that promotes creative (the arts), critical (the sciences), and caring (the humanities) knowledge and skill development.
- Teacher observation as a way to promote professional development. (Bauer, 2010)
I’d be interested in knowing how others feel about these comments as well as other ideas and comments you have about the conference. What did you find interesting?