Competencies in Professional Development (Texas)

Professional Development for Language Teachers:
Implementing the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Languages Other Than English

Project ExCELL
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Austin, Texas
Texas Education Agency
1997

Attached to this page is the full document (long, perhaps boring?) and just the forms. Below is a simple listing of competencies - the attachments include "sample practices" that demonstrate the competencies.

Retrieved April 30 2013 from http://www.sedl.org/loteced/products/profdev.pdf

 

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THE COMPETENCIES:

Generic Competencies

• Addressing the Needs of All Students
• Establishing a Meaningful Context
• Using Technology
• Applying Assessment and Evaluation

 

Teacher Competencies for Professional Development:

COMMUNICATION STRAND

• The teacher knows the language
• The teacher understands language pedagogy as it relates to the teaching of the student standards the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Languages Other Than English.

 

CULTURES STRAND

• The teacher has a thorough understanding of the culture(s) associated with the language and knows about the connections among the practices, products, and perspectives of the culture(s).
• The teacher understands the The teacherrelationship between the practices and the perspectives of the culture(s) being studied as it concerns, for example:
     - family life
     - social interactions
     - leisure pursuits
     - involvement with work
     - religion/beliefs
     - societal hierarchies
• The teacher understands the relationship between the products and the perspectives of the culture(s) as it concerns, for example:
     - products used in daily life (e.g., culinary items, religious artifacts, clothing)
     - works of art (e.g., literature, the visual arts and architecture, drama, music, film)
     - non-artistic institutions (e.g., government, systems of transportation, use of technology, of education, legal practices)
• The teacher understands the pedagogy of teaching culture as it relates to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Languages Other Than English.

 

CONNECTIONS STRAND

• The teacher understands the The teacher connections between languages and other disciplines.
• The teacher is able to link the study of languages to other disciplines or subject areas.
• The teacher understands formal interdisciplinary programs.
• The teacher knows strategies for teaching content through the medium of the language (e.g., in immersion programs and content-based courses).

 

COMPARISONS STRAND

• The teacher knows how to compare and contrast the features of languages (e.g., syntax, lexicon, phonology, non-verbal communication, etc.)
• The teacher understands the similarities and differences between the target culture(s) and that of the United States.
• The teacher understands how the language and the target culture(s) have affected and have been affected by other languages and cultures.
• The teacher understands the universality of stereotyping and is familiar with the stereotypes associated with the culture(s) being studied.

 

COMMUNITIES STRAND

• The teacher knows ways to access and use the language and its cultural resources beyond the school setting.
• The teacher knows how to use the language for lifelong learning, personal enrichment, and career development.