Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL

1. Intro

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to help teachers familiarize themselves with the 8 TESOL principles from Brown and
Lee’s fundamental textbook Teaching by Principles (2015).

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials:

• The attached handout of the principles and their definitions

Objectives

• Introduce the 8 principles of TESOL

• Apply them to self-evaluation of teaching

Directions to Instructor

• (2 minutes) Explain that today will be the first of a series of trainings on 8 principles of TESOL outlined
by two leading TESOL professionals who have written numerous foundational texts such as Teaching by
Principles, which serves as the basis for these workshops. The first step is to define the principles and
see how they affect and guide our teaching, so today will be focused on defining the terms individually
and then discussing the outcome in small groups. As the worksheets are being passed out, explain that
these are just one set of principles that can guide teaching, and they are only to get us thinking about
how and why we teach. They will be explored further in upcoming weeks.
• (8 min) Have teachers fill out worksheets individually and think about the question at the bottom of the
first page.
• (10 min) Divide teachers into small groups of 3-4 and have them discuss the results of their reflection
time.
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
definitions //

How would you define…? Brown and Lee define it as…

Self-Regulation // to make deliberate, goal-directed efforts to succeed, and to
achieve a degree of autonomy that will enable them to
continue their journey to success beyond the classroom and
the teacher
Transfer // making meaningful associations between a learner’s existing
knowledge, skills, and emotions and the new material to be
learned

Agency // the ability of learners to make choices, take control, self-

regulate, and thereby pursue their goals as individuals within
a sociocultural context

Languaculture // whenever you teach a language, you also teach a complex

system of cultural customs, values, and ways of thinking,
feeling, and acting. As learners redefine their identities as
they learn an L2, they can be aided by a direct approach to
acknowledging cultural differences, an open affirmation of
learners’ struggles, of the value of their “home” culture, and
of their self-worth in potential feelings of powerlessness
Interaction // the basis of L2 learning, through which learners are engaged
both in enhancing their own communicative abilities and in
socially constructing their identities through collaboration
and negotiation; the primary role of the teacher is to
optimally scaffold the learner’s development within a
community of practice
Identity and Investment // learning to think, feel, act, and communicate in an L2 is a
complex socio-affective process of perceiving yourself as an
integral part of a social community; the process involves self-
awareness, investment, agency, and a determination, amidst
a host of power issues, to frame your own identity within the
social relationships of a community
Automaticity // development of fluency—usually through extensive long-
term practice—is aided by a primary focus on meaning,
purpose, and interaction, and a secondary but optimal
amount of attention to language forms

Reward // the most powerful rewards are those that are intrinsically
motivated: the behavior stems from needs, wants, or desires
within oneself and is self-rewarding

How do your definitions vary from Brown and Lee’s?

discussion //

Which of these are easiest for you to include in your teaching? Why?

Which are the most difficult? Why?

Do you disagree with any of these principles? Would you add any to this list?

to reflect on at home //

How do you decide how and what to teach? What influences your teaching choices?
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
2. Interaction

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to help teachers create test review activities that maximize the TESOL principle of
Interaction or “the basis of L2 learning, through which learners are engaged both in enhancing their own
communicative abilities and in socially constructing their identities through collaboration and negotiation; the
primary role of the teacher is to optimally scaffold the learner’s development within a community of practice”
(Teaching by Principles).

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials:

• Copies of the attached handout

Objectives

• Brainstorm ways to resolve hypothetical problematic scenarios relating to interaction

Directions to Instructor

• (2 minutes) Explain the objectives of today’s workshop and pass out handouts. Read the definition of
interaction and ask participants to divide themselves into groups of 3-4.
• (12 minutes) Give participants 12 minutes to discuss as many of the scenarios as they can get to, using
the questions on the handout as a guide.
• (6 minutes) Reconvene as one large group and have each group share one main takeaway or effective
solution that came up during discussion.

Note: for more info, these sites are helpful:

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-problems/
https://owlcation.com/academia/Teaching-ESL-10-Common-Classroom-Problems-and-Solutions
https://www.eslinsider.com/blog/solutions-to-10-common-classroom-problems
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
Interaction
Choose a few of these scenarios to discuss in small groups. Use these questions as a guide:

Has this ever happened to you?

If so, what did you do?
Was your response effective and appropriate?
What could you have done better?
If not, what would you do? Why?

A. Problem: A student refuses to work in groups or partners because he/she doesn’t like the other students or thinks
they are less intelligent. He/she may even cause conflict by being vocal about these opinions, making other students
feel ashamed.

Potential solutions:

B. Problem: A student only accepts feedback from the teacher because he/she thinks that only the teacher knows the
answers and can give them the correct information to learn.

Potential solutions:

C. Problem: A student refuses to speak English in the classroom, relying only on his/her L1. Therefore, they only
communicate with students who also speak their L1, not attempting to interact with the rest of the class.

Potential solutions:

D. Problem: A student participates too much, always offering answers without giving anyone else a chance to express
their ideas and opinions. He/she may even talk over the teacher and attempt to dominate the classroom.

Potential solutions:

E. Problem: A student frequently arrives to class unprepared and/or late. This makes it very difficult for the student to
catch up and actively participate in activities.

Potential solutions:

F. Problem: A student is fearful of speaking up in partner or group activities, which proves to be detrimental to their
progress in speaking skills.

Potential solutions:

G. Problem: Think of an example from your own teaching experience and share with the group.

Potential solutions:
to reflect on at home //

What is the balance between teacher-centered and learner-centered activities in your classroom? Why? Try to mix up
the ratio this week and see how it goes. Journal about your observations.
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
3. Transfer

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to help teachers maximize the TESOL principle of Transfer or “making meaningful
associations between a learner’s existing knowledge, skills, and emotions and the new material to be learned”
(Teaching by Principles p. 71).

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Objectives

• Help teachers think about how to best begin a class period

Directions to Instructor

• (3 minutes) Explain how important classroom/lesson planning flow is in relation to Transfer. Students
need to be able to connect the ideas within lessons and across lessons in order to gain meaningful
knowledge and improve cognitive strategies and awareness. Read the definition of Transfer.
• (5 minutes) Give participants 5 minutes to reflect/journal on their own about how they choose to begin
lessons in the classroom. Put these questions on a board as prompts:
o Why is the start of a lesson so important?
o How much do you think about how to begin a lesson?
o What are some activities/strategies you have done/used that have been successful?
o Unsuccessful?
• (10 minutes) Have participants partner up to discuss the successful ways they have started lessons.
Invite them to write their answers on the white/chalkboard for everyone to see and make note of.
• (2 minutes) Wrap up by pointing out one or two of the unique things written on the board and inviting
participants to take a photo of the board so that they can refer back to the ideas.

to reflect on at home //

Try some new ways of starting class this week. Journal about how each day goes, and ask students what they
think if its’ not clear.
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
4. Automaticity

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to help teachers maximize the TESOL principle of Automaticity or “development of
fluency—usually through extensive long-term practice—is aided by a primary focus on meaning, purpose, and
interaction, and a secondary but optimal amount of attention to language forms” (Teaching by Principles).

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials:

• textbooks that the teachers currently use

• the attached handout

Objectives

• To practice evaluating a portion of a textbook

• To create an activity to address a weakness of a textbook

Directions to Instructor

• (2 minutes) Break participants up into partners. Pass out handouts. Explain that they should choose one
unit from each of their textbooks to discuss together, using the handout as a guide.
• (15 minutes) Walk around room answering any questions while partners discuss.
• (3 minutes) Bring the whole group back together and ask one partner group to share what activities
they came up with for a new activity. Invite participants to continue studying topics like Focus on Forms
by reading articles like “Comparing Focus on Form and Focus on FormS in Second-Language Vocabulary
Learning” by Batia Laufer and others on Google Scholar.
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
Automaticity

Use these questions to guide your evaluation of one unit of each textbook that you normally teach out
of, keeping in mind the definition of Automaticity: “development of fluency—usually through extensive
long-term practice—is aided by a primary focus on meaning, purpose, and interaction, and a
secondary but optimal amount of attention to language forms”.

• What textbook did you choose? Which unit?

• What is the topic of the Unit? What are the objectives?

• What skills and/or grammar points do the activities promote?

• Is there a focus on meaning? How?

• Is there a focus on purpose? How?

• Is there a focus on interaction? How?

• Is there a focus on language forms? How?

 • Is there a focus on long-term practice? How?

• What main gap do you see in this unit?

• What is an activity you could address to fill it? Briefly explain or make an outline.

to reflect on at home //

Have you ever thought about evaluating a textbook? How do you personally decide whether a material is good
or bad? Try evaluating your material this week and see how you can improve it.
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
5. Agency

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to help teachers brainstorm take-home or out of class activities that maximize the
TESOL principle of Agency or “the ability of learners to make choices, take control, self-regulate, and thereby
pursue their goals as individuals within a sociocultural context” (Teaching by Principles p. 84).

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials:

• The attached handout

Objectives

• Learn how to teach agency through take-home and out of class activities

Directions to Instructor

• (5 minutes) Ask teachers if they assign or encourage at home language practice in their classrooms. If
they say yes, ask how they determine what to assign/suggest. If they say no, ask why not. Discuss as a
large group.
• (8 minutes) Break teachers up into groups of 4-5, varying teaching levels and perspectives on at home
language practice if possible. Ask them to share their practice assignments and justify why they are (or
aren’t) a good fit for their specific context based on their personal teaching philosophies.
• (5 minutes) As a large group, discuss if anyone’s perspective has changed after the small group
discussions about if/why at home language practice is important and how/why it should be
assigned/suggested. Ask them to share any salient points that came out of discussions.
• (2 minutes) Project the list of ideas/resources, attached. Explain that it is just a list of resources that will
need to be filtered through their specific needs and framed into activities, but the idea is to get students
to practice independently and authentically in the real world and raise their awareness of many ways to
do so. This can be described as the principle of Agency, or independence, which helps students set their
own goals and make their own choices about learning.
 At Home Language Practice Activity Ideas

• Duolingo, Babbel, BBC Learning English, British Council, FluentU, other interactive apps
• Websites like Live Mocha, English Central, Phrasemix
• Dictionary apps
• Kahoot
• Quizlet
• Watching movies/TV shows
• Reading the news
• Switching phone/computer to English
• Journaling/Free writing
• Joining a conversation group at a community center/community college
• Write to a pen pal
• Listening to music
• English podcasts (lessons or otherwise about random topics)
• Reading books
• Listen to the radio
• Think in English
• Write notes in English for other classes
• Vlog
• Blog
• Watch YouTube lessons or random English YouTube videos
• Play video games in English
• Put labels on items in your house in English
• Talk to yourself

Are there any you would add to the list?

to reflect on at home //

How do you practice languages or things you want to learn? How could these strategies apply to your
classroom? How can you incentivize students to practice outside of the classroom?
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
6. Self-Regulation

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to help teachers create test review activities and exercises that maximize the TESOL
principle of Self-Regulation or “to make deliberate, goal-directed efforts to succeed, and to achieve a degree of
autonomy that will enable them to continue their journey to success beyond the classroom and the teacher”
(Teaching by Principles p. 75).

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials:

• Teachers must bring an example of an activity they usually use with their students to prep for tests
• A white board or chalkboard or projector at the front of the room
• A pen for each participant

Objectives

• Revise test-review activities to leverage self-regulation

Directions to Instructor

• (4 minutes) Explain that today’s training will focus on the principle of Self-Regulation. Ask a few
participants to offer their ideas of its definition and write key words on the board. After a few students
have shared, add Brown’s definition (found above) and have one participant read it aloud.
• (12 minutes) Ask participants to take out their samples of test-review activities and explain that they will
be peer-reviewing each other’s activities based on Brown’s definition of Self-Regulation. Allow
participants to divide themselves into groups of 3, and cluster desks/chairs together. Make sure each
participant has a pen so they can take notes. Explain that each group will have 10 minutes to review
each other’s’ work, so 3 minutes per person. Each person should give a brief overview of their activity
and the other two should give feedback, rotating so that each person has time to share. Facilitator will
keep time so groups rotate effectively and walk around the room to make sure everyone is making
notes and offering constructive feedback.
• (4 minutes) Bring the whole group back together and allow groups to share how they viewed self-
regulation as helpful for test prep and the classroom in general.

to reflect on at home //
Have you ever thought about having other teachers review your work? What would that look like? What would
the benefits be?
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
7. Languaculture

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to help teachers learn to maximize the TESOL principle of Languaculture, described as
“whenever you teach a language, you also teach a complex system of cultural customs, values, and ways of
thinking, feeling, and acting. As learners redefine their identities as they learn an L2, they can be aided by a
direct approach to acknowledging cultural differences, an open affirmation of learners’ struggles, of the value of
their “home” culture, and of their self-worth in potential feelings of powerlessness” (Teaching by Principles p.
82).

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials:

• Copies of the following printout or a way to project it onto a screen for all to see

Objectives

• Emphasize the importance of students’ home cultures in the English classroom

Directions to Instructor

• (3 min) Explain that culture and language are very closely connected, and ask teachers, “What are some
conflicts you see regarding students linguistic and cultural identities in the classroom?” (Anticipate
answers such as “They feel as though they have to suppress their L1 or Culture1; they feel insecure and
unwelcome in the culture of their L2; they don’t know how to live in a new culture while still keeping
their L1 identity; etc.). Explain that in order to combat some of those difficulties, we will be
brainstorming some activities in groups.
• (12 min) Divide teachers into groups by the levels they teach and have them discuss how to adapt one
of these ideas for their classrooms (ideally 3-4 people per group).
• (5 min) Come back together as a group and ask for volunteers to share some ideas that came out of the
discussion that weren’t already listed on the handout.
 How to incorporate Languaculture into the classroom //

Choose one of the following activities and brainstorm how you would adapt it for your classroom:

How would you incorporate it into a language lesson?

How would you have students prepare or present it?
How would you be sensitive to cultural differences?
How would you initiate dialogue about the importance of understanding different cultures?

-show and tell // have students bring in an object from their culture and talk about it in English

-linguistic show and tell // have students choose one word from their L1 and share its
significance/meaning to the class, bringing an object or photo if possible

-guest speaker // bring in an outside source to discuss American culture (or whatever English context
students will most likely become familiar with)

-culturally specific videos // highlight one country per week, whether English speaking or of the
students’ origins

-culturally relevant readings // do reading activities about festivals, news, or traditions in other cultures

-music from different languages or cultures // have students bring in their favorite songs from their L1
and describe it in English

-photos of different parts of the world // have students prepare a small collage of their “home”

-all about me // have students make a website or poster of some facts about them in relation to their
home

-students’ definition of culture or home // have students define culture or home individually and discuss
in groups to find a common definition

Are there any you would add to the list?

to reflect on at home //

What do you know about your students’ cultures? How could you find out? How would that benefit your
teaching?
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
8. Identity

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to help teachers create activities/tasks that maximize the TESOL principle of Identity or
“learning to think, feel, act, and communicate in an L2 is a complex socio-affective process of perceiving yourself
as an integral part of a social community; the process involves self-awareness, investment, agency, and a
determination, amidst a host of power issues, to frame your own identity within the social relationships of a
community” (Teaching by Principles).

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Objectives

• Create tasks that use technology to maximize identity in language learning

Directions to Instructor

• (5 minutes) Explain the purpose of today’s workshop. Project or write the definition of identity on the
chalk/white board. Explain that language does not exist in a vacuum; it is rather a part of forming
identity and becoming part of a community. This is a concept that is often not explicitly addressed in the
classroom, so today will be centered around creating tasks or activities that do address it through the
use of some sort of technology or social media. The goal is to create a short 15-20 minute task to be
used in your classroom that helps students practice a language skill and become aware of this concept
of identity.
• (10 minutes) Break participants into groups of 3-4 and explain that they have 10 minutes to come up
with a task. They should write an outline of it on the board when they finish.
• (5 minutes) Give groups 5 minutes to discuss and/or record other groups’ ideas as seen on the board.

to reflect on at home //

How do you express your identity as a teacher? What kind of teacher do you want to be? Are you that way?
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
9. Reward

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to help teachers brainstorm classroom wrap-up activities that maximize the TESOL
principle of Reward or “the most powerful rewards are those that are intrinsically motivated: the behavior
stems from needs, wants, or desires within oneself and is self-rewarding” (Teaching by Principles).

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Objectives

• To get teachers to think about how reward and lesson planning are connected

Directions to Instructor

• (10 minutes) Write the definition of reward on the white/chalkboard/project. Ask participants 2
questions: “How do you determine whether a lesson is successful or not?” and “How do you think
students determine whether a lesson is successful or not?”
• (5 minutes) Explain that the end of each lesson/class period is a critical time to help students feel
rewarded for their work/progress that day. Break teachers into groups of 3-4 to discuss how they can
better wrap up classes to better address the principle of reward.
• (5 minutes) Bring the group back together and ask: “How else does the principle of reward show up
during a lesson?”

to reflect on at home //

Beyond each lesson, how do you decide how to wrap up a unit or topic of study? Why?
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
10. Wrap up

Purpose/Overview

This activity is designed to wrap up this 10 session course on the 8 principles of TESOL by revisiting the activity in
Lesson 1 to self-reflect on what has been learned.

Audience: TESOL professionals, up to about 50 at once

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials:

• the attached handout

Objectives

• To actively process what has been gained from this training

Directions to Instructor

• (10 minutes) Give participants 10 minutes to fill in the chart, comparing their previous answers with
current.
• (10 minutes) Allow participants to arrange themselves into small groups to discuss the questions.
 Teacher Training Activity // 8 Principles of TESOL
definitions //

How would you define…? How did you define it before?

Self-Regulation //

Transfer //

Agency //

Languaculture //

Interaction //

Identity and Investment //

Automaticity //

Reward //
discussion //

Which of these principles do you still not have a clear concept of?

Which principles have you incorporated into your teaching?

What have you learned from these workshops?

What is your next step in ongoing professional development?