KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN TEACHING PORTFOLIO R E F L E C T I O N
O N
P E D A G O G Y
My basic pedagogical outlook has been carefully developed and adjusted during my nearly 20 years of experience as a teacher. I maintain three qualities which I feel contribute to successful pedagogy: 1) extensive knowledge of the subject, 2) passion for sharing this knowledge, and 3) cultivation of mutual respect. Being knowledgeable about a particular subject does not necessarily entail talented teaching. According to Kreber (2002), however, extensive knowledge can be considered the most important factor in effective teaching. Often extensive knowledge of a subject contributes to increased self-confidence, which in turn leads to a better ability to teach. It is thus my constant goal, in line with Saroyan et al. (2004), to be well-prepared, well read, and up-to-date about my subject, from course development to teaching individual lessons. In this way, I can cultivate and renew my own interest for the subject, and be encouraged to share my knowledge. During my lessons, I am eager to connect the theme either to my own research as an example of theoretical application, or, on a more practical level, to the students’ interests and activities. In this way, I can demonstrate my own passion for and active involvement in the subject, or point out the connection between the subject and phenomena that are more familiar to the students. Such active application and connection both develop mutual interest and a taste for more; interest and enthusiasm are contagious. I feel that demonstrated interest and genuine enthusiasm for my subject contributes to an enjoyable, dynamic, and effective teaching environment. This observation is similar to the conclusions drawn by Hativa et al. (2001), who confirm that the teacher’s involvement sparks interest among the students, which in turn leads to increased motivation and a positive pedagogical environment. Relating the subject to students’ interests and activities allows for an aspect of individualized teaching. I make sure that each student is seen and feels encouraged to contribute to meaningful participation. It is important to me that each student is treated with respect and fairness, without exception. This perspective is named by Kember and McNaught (2007) as one of the ten most important principles for effective teaching, and in line with this perspective I make an effort to create an open, pleasant, and inquisitive learning environment. At the same time I make clear demands and articulate the consequences if these demands or requirements are not met. By being clear about my expectations I infuse self-confidence in my students; by being accessible and attentive, I encourage achievement. The result of this mixture of empathy and expectation is a mutual respect that appeals to the students and facilitates cooperation and productivity in the classroom.
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO As a teacher I experience time and again the feeling of solidarity with my students. Together we exchange knowledge, share ideas and opinions, laugh and get to know each other. At the same time, I am able to maintain authority, appear competent, and confidently direct the lesson and teaching. I am very satisfied with the results of my lesson designs, my teaching methods, and my pedagogical philosophy. I believe that my efforts are appreciated: many of my students continue to study linguistics or even seek out my courses, which I interpret as a sign of success. In the future, I would like to take advantage of my skills in net-based teaching and my interests in information technology to complement my classroom teaching with web-based activities. In light of the few contact hours that are awarded each course, it would be advantageous to find other forums for less structured interaction, discussion, or exchange of ideas.
References: Hativa, N., Barak, R., & Simhi, E. 2001. Exemplary university teachers: Knowledge and beliefs regarding effective teaching dimensions and strategies. Journal of Higher Education, 72(6), 699-729. Kember, D. & McNaught, C. 2007. Enhancing university teaching. London and New York: Routledge. Kreber, C. 2002. Teaching excellence, teaching expertise and the scholarship of teaching. Innovative Higher Education, 27(1), 5-23. Saroyan, A., Amundsen, C., McAlpine, L., Weston, C. Winder, L., & Gandell, T. 2004. Assumptions underlying workshop activities. In A. Saroyan and C. Amundsen (Eds.), Rethinking teaching in higher education (pp. 15-29). Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Example of a lesson: One of the courses for students following Södertörn University’s English program on the B (sophomore) level is Survey of English Linguistics, 7.5 ECTS points. In this course, students are introduced to entirely new concepts and terminology in the subject of linguistics. As the general study of language, including language systems, structures, usage acquisition, etc., linguistics includes subject matter that in many ways is familiar to anyone who talks, listens, writes, reads or otherwise uses language as a tool for communication. Nevertheless, linguistics can be experienced as a complicated subject and a source of frustration when one is expected to scientifically and systematically analyze something as commonplace and self-evident as language. Since most students who take the Survey course have most likely not deliberately considered language as a subject of scientific study, it is, for me, an exciting and welcome challenge to train my students to approach language in a new way, and to become aware of the many aspects of their own use of language as well as the various functions of language in society. Survey of English Linguistics has without a doubt grown to be the preferred course in my teaching repertoire. The design and planning of the Survey course reflects the fact that under a short period of time, students are required to learn a large amount of linguistic concepts and terminology. Due to the unfortunate proportion of little time and abundance of material, the course assumes an intensive pace, 2 of 19
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO where the main focus is on the relationship between theory and practice. Course content thus ideally reflects connection between concepts and examples of actual language use which are familiar to the students, enabling them more easily to absorb the information by drawing from their own backgrounds or common experiences. This guiding principle is associated with another goal, namely to render learning as effective as possible, which requires teaching to be interesting, comprehensible, and meaningful. In illustration of how I achieve these goals, I describe below an example of part of a lesson on morphology, the study of word forms and word formation. Generally, each lesson begins with a short summary of the previous lesson, an explanation of how previous and current topics of discussion are related, and time for questions. I review the most important concepts from the literature assigned for the day’s topic, and I, in this case, I provide a number of further examples to illustrate morphological processes. After this introductory phase of approximately 30 minutes in length (each lesson is a 3-hour block), I transition to the practical application and group activity: analysis. The material provided for analysis comprises dialog from an episode of an American situation comedy that is broadcast in Sweden and that has a large viewing audience. I present the series and explain the plot of the episode, which the students view together in class. The viewing lasts approximately 20 minutes, followed by a break. When the students reassemble, the analysis phase begins. Each student receives a copy of the episode transcript, edited to include only dialog that will be subjected to morphological analysis. Depending on the number of students, the transcript is divided into between 3-5 sections, and the students are assigned one section to focus on, working in groups. The assignment is to identify in the dialog examples of morphological and word formation processes. Each process should be named, and word structure should be analyzed according to the linguistic terminology and methodology presented in the literature. Each group has approximately 30 minutes to complete the assignment. When the groups are finished, they present their examples and analyses for the class. Remaining time is devoted to a discussion about morphological processes as a source of linguistic creativity. We consider which word formation processes might occur most frequently in English based on the material presented for analysis, and we attend to the systematic aspects of word formation processes, such as the role of order. As an application of the newly acquired concepts, we discuss how knowledge of morphology and word structure can, for example, facilitate language learning. Teacher candidates are particularly challenged to find practical applications of theory. Finally, I revisit a theme that is essential to the course and the study of linguistics, namely, the fact that language surrounds us and everywhere there are opportunities to witness linguistics in action. I make a point in each lesson to make the students aware of the application of knowledge acquired in class to the many situations they encounter outside of class. ”By the end of this course,” I playfully warn the students, ”you will not even be able to watch television with being tempted to analyze the many examples of linguistic processes at work, and how they influence and are influenced by the social context!” Thanks to the exercise in morphological analysis, the warning is usually understood more as an exciting promise than 3 of 19
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO a silly threat. Course evaluations confirm the general enthusiasm: students appreciate the activity and the source material, and they are made aware of a concrete application of linguistic principles and methods.
T E A C H I N G
E X P E R I E N C E
Södertörn University, School of Culture and Communication Assistant Professor of English Linguistics, January 2010 – Rhetoric (A-level; 15 ECTS points; offered by the Department of Swedish and Rhetoric) Invited guest lecturer for 3, 3-hour seminars VT11, HT11. Oral and Written Communication (A-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for teaching; shared responsibility for course planning and examination. Course examination is in the form of written assignments and a final exam. Writing in English (A-level; 4.5 ECTS points; 2-3 groups/term) Sole responsibility for teaching; shared responsibility for course planning and examination. Course examination is in the form of written assignments and a peer-review seminar. Language Variation (A-level; 3 ECTS points; 3 groups) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. Course examination in both cases is in the form of written assignments and oral presentations. Teaching internship: Teaching in English (teacher candidates only; A-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Teaching internship: EFL Grammar (teacher candidates only; B-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. Liaison with school supervisors. Course examination in both cases is in the form of written assignments and oral presentations; course grade is set in consultation with school supervisors. Language Structure (course for certified teachers seeking additional certification in teaching English at primary school; B-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. Course examination is in the form of a written final exam. Survey of English Linguistics (including teacher candidates; B-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. Course examination is in the form of an essay of approximately 2500 words and a final exam. Language and Power (teacher candidates only; C-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. Course examination is in the form of written assignments and oral presentations of a sample teaching lesson. C-essay / Bachelor’s thesis (C-level; 15 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for supervision; shared responsibility for examination. Academic English (Advanced/MA level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for teaching, course planning and examination. Course examination is in the form of written assignments and a peer-review seminar.
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KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO Dalarna University, School of Arts and Media Assistant Professor of English Linguistics, October 2006 – March 2010 Advanced Language Structure (B-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Theoretical Linguistics (B-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Linguistic Concepts, Linguistic Awareness (C-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for teaching; shared responsibility for course planning and examination. All courses were run as both campus and distance (net-based) courses. Course examination in all cases is in the form of written assignments and final exam. The Language of Electronic Communication (C-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Issues in Sociolinguistics (D-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. Each course was run as both campus and distance (net-based) courses. Course examination in both cases is in the form of written assignments and final essay of 3000 words. Master’s Thesis (D-level; 15 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for supervision; shared responsibility for examination. Supervision was also provided by distance (net-based). Mälardalen University, English Department Lecturer in English Linguistics, August 2006 – December 2006 Global English (C-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. Course examination is in the form of written assignments and final exam. Saarland University, Department of English, American and Anglophone Cultures Senior Lecturer in English Linguistics, April 2004 - April 2006 NB: SWS (Semester Woche Stunden) = number of weekly lesson hours in a 16-week term Introduction to Linguistics (General) (A-level; 3 SWS; 2 groups/term) Introduction to Linguistics (Syntax) (A-level; 3 SWS; 2 groups/term) Sole responsibility for teaching; shared responsibility for course planning and examination. Course examination is in the form of written assignments and final exam. Composition for exam candidates (C-level; 3 SWS) Sole responsibility for teaching; shared responsibility for course planning and examination. Course examination is in the form of written assignments. Grammar (A-level; 1 SWS; 2 groups/term) Oral Expression (A-level; 1 SWS; 2 groups/term) Culture studies-USA (B-level; 3 SWS) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. Course examination is in the form of final exam and/or oral presentations. Issues in Pragmatics (C-level; 3 SWS) Corpus linguistics I (C-level; 3 SWS) Corpus linguistics II (with Applied Linguistics and Translation/ Interpreting) (C-level; 3 SWS) Linguistics for EFL teachers (C-level; 3 SWS) Silence! An exercise in Discourse Analysis (C-level; 3 SWS) Slang, swearing and sarcasm: The formalities of informal language (C-level; 3 SWS) English on the Internet (C-level; 3 SWS) 5 of 19
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO Film and television dialogue (C-level; 3 SWS) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. All course examination is in the form of written assignments. Örebro University, English Department Lecturer in English Linguistics, February 2004 - April 2004 Survey of Linguistics (B-level, 7.5 ECTS points) History of the English Language (C-level, 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. All course examination is in the form of written assignments and final exam. Stockholm University, English Institution Lecturer in English Linguistics, August 2002 - December 2003 Linguistic Analysis (A-level; 7.5 ECTS points; 4 groups/term) Effective Communication (A-level, 7.5 ECTS points) Survey of Linguistics (B-level; 7.5 ECTS points; 2 groups/term) Sole responsibility for teaching; shared responsibility for course planning and examination. Pragmatics (C-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Second Language Acquisition (C-level; 7.5 ECTS points) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. All course examination is in the form of written assignments and final exam. Folkuniversitetet, Stockholm Instructor of English as a foreign language (EFL), February 1998 - November 1999 Cambridge First Certificate Gold Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English TOEFL Preparation Business English Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. All course examination is in the form of written assignments, oral presentations, and final exam. University of Florida, Program in Linguistics Graduate teaching assistant of Linguistics, August 1996 - December 1997 Language and People (A-level; 3 credit hours; 48 hours/term) Introduction to Linguistics (B-level; 3 credit hours; 48 hours/term) Second Language Acquisition (C-level; 3 credit hours; 48 hours/term) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. All course examination is in the form of written assignments and final exam. University of Florida, English Language Institute Graduate teaching assistant of English as a Second Language (ESL), August 1995 - August 1997 Reading and writing (A-level; 5 credit hours; 80 hours/term) Grammar (A-level; 3 credit hours; 48 hours/term) Oral skills (A-level; 3 credit hours; 48 hours/term) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination. All course examination is in the form of written assignments, oral presentations, and final exam.
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KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO University of Florida, Department of Romance Languages and Literature Graduate teaching assistant of French, August 1992-June 1994 Beginning French I (A-level; 5 credit hours; 80 hours/term) Beginning French II (B-level; 5 credit hours; 80 hours/term) Sole responsibility for course planning, teaching, and examination; shared responsibility for examination. All course examination is in the form of written assignments, oral presentations, and final exam.
B A
A N D
M A
T H E S I S
S U P E R V I S I O N
BA theses: Södertörn University, School of Culture and Communication
Mikael Altemark, A corpus analysis of self-proclaimed, 2011.
Agata Nogawalski, The linguistic development of character in Nathan Barley, 2011.
Eje Nordensvärd, A didactic analysis of textbook multimodality, 2011.
Daniel Claps, The discursive construction of a male hip-hop identity, 2011.
Christine Fraser, Investigating the relationship between Language and Thought: A case study of color terms, 2011.
Suvad Nokto, Cohesive devices in English-language fiction, 2011.
Zacharias Östman, A critical discourse analysis of terrace chants, 2011.
Erika Krook, A gender analysis of emoticon use and interpretation in computer-mediated communication, 2010.
Sofia Nyberg, Linguistic features and gendered language in Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2010.
Dalarna University, School of Arts and Media
Anna Ström, English language teaching and the Internet, 2007.
Muhammad Banaras, Non-correspondence between form and meaning, 2007.
Syed Nadeem Hussain Shah, How the form of language contributes to determining pragmatic meaning in the electronic medium, 2007.
Malgorzata Skolimowska, The role of conceptual metaphor in conversation, 2007.
Katrien Vanwetswinkel, A gender-based analysis of online chat language, 2009.
Stockholm University, English Institution
Tanja Friend, The Use of Religious Euphemisms as a Function of Sociolinguistic Variables. 2003
Dejan Momcilovic, An Investigation of the Correlation between Comprehension of Idiomatic Expressions and Second Language Proficiency. 2003
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KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO MA theses: Dalarna University, School of Arts and Media
Alka Gupta, English as a dominant business language, 2007.
Konstantin Andreev, A survey of age-related attitudes towards English in Russia, 2007.
Anna Nylund, Language Policy Development in a South African University from the Late 1980s until 2007, 2008.
Stockholm University, English Institution
Tanja Friend, Sociolinguistic Patterns in the Use of Euphemisms and Swear Words in The Simpsons. 2004.
Beata Kuźmicka, Ways to expand learners’ mental lexicon and techniques for autonomous vocabulary learning, 2007
Dissertations: Saarland University, Department of English, American and Anglophone Cultures
Claudia Bubel, The linguistic construction of character relations in TV drama: Doing friendship in Sex and the City, 2005. (as Mitglied in der Promotionskommission als Vertreter der Gruppe Akademischer Mitarbeiter)
P E D A G O G I C A L
T R A I N I N G
My pedagogical training began in conjunction with my Master’s studies in French at the University of Florida. The course ”Internship in College Teaching” (5 credit hours; 80 term hours) corresponds to the Swedish university pedagogical training (högskolepedagogisk utbildning), and was obligatory for graduate teaching assistants. In addition to this course, I also received theoretical and practical training at the University’s Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. This intensive education focused on methods of teaching foreign languages at the university level, and was complemented by one term of supervised teaching (“Supervised Teaching”, 5 credit hours; 80 term hours). Further qualifications were acquired in two pedagogy courses at the University of Florida’s Program in Linguistics: “Materials and Techniques of Teaching English as a Second Language” (courses I & II), 3 credit hours; 96 total term hours. In these courses, different learning styles and teaching techniques were presented and practiced. At Stockholm University, I taught teacher candidates in the courses Survey of English Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition. In preparation for these courses, I participated in a workshop for faculty from the English Institution and from the Teacher’s College, for a review of the teacher candidates’ curriculum and for training in applied teaching methods.
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KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO At Södertörn University, I have thus far participated in four courses in university pedagogy. ”Teaching at Södertörn University” (Att vara lärare på Södertörns högskola) is a basic course in pedagogical philosophy and the liberal arts curriculum. The point of departure is the University’s multicultural, crossdisciplinary and civic profile. The participants of this course familiarized themselves with the University’s profile and how they ideally can be reflected in one’s own teaching practices and philosophy. The university pedagogy course, “Vygotsky”, focused on discussing Thought and Language, written by Lev Vygotsky (Daidalos 2001, 477 sidor) in 1934. In this work, which is generally considered to be Vygotsky’s most significant publication, the development of ideas is in large part shown to be a function of critique of Jean Piaget; part of Piaget’s texts were thus read during the course for the purpose of comparison. Many of Vygotsky’s –and to a certain extent, Piaget’s– ideas and their relevance today comprise the foundation of the study of sociocultural theory (cf. Säljö 2010). During the Spring term 2011, I participated in the courses, ”Supervision of doctoral students” and “ICT, information search, and teaching” (Handledning av doktorander ; IKT, informationssökning och lärande). In the former course, I was initiated into the practical, theoretical and ethical issues involved in doctoral supervision. The coursework included analyses of case studies, group discussions of theoretical readings, and development of individual philosophies. The course on integrating information and communication technology included a survey of the literature on the role of multimodality in socio-cultural educational settings (particularly the works of Kress, Jewitt, van Leeuwen, Sallander and Säljö), and was examined in the form of individual multimodal projects using the Camtasia studio software.
C O U R S E
D E V E L O P M E N T
Dalarna University, School of Arts and Media
Language of electronic communication: This course featured language in the electronic environment, specifically how English is used in electronic communication. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination.
Issues in sociolinguistics: This course was developed specifically for Vietnamese teachers pursuing the Master of Arts in English Linguistics at Dalarna University. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination. The main focus of this course was a comparison of Western and Eastern traditions in methods of sociolinguistic analysis.
Saarland University, Department of English, American and Anglophone Cultures As a Senior Lecturer in English Linguistics at Saarland University, I was responsible for developing two advanced courses (Proseminare) per term (C-level, 3 SWS). During four terms, I developed the following courses:
Issues in pragmatics: Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination. 9 of 19
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO
Corpus linguistics I & Corpus linguistics II: These courses were completely new additions to the English Linguistics curriculum. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination. Corpus linguistics II was co-developed and taught with the Department of Applied Linguistics and Interpretation / Translation.
Linguistics for EFL teachers: This course was developed particularly for teacher candidates. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination.
Silence! An exercise in discourse analysis: In this course, students were exposed to experimental methods of data collection. The students and I designed experiments to investigate various manifestations of silence in conversation. I presented our results at the Disfluencies in Spontaneous Speech Workshop, Aix-en-Provence, 2005. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination.
Slang, swearing and sarcasm: The formalities of informal language: A total of 68 students registered for this course – more students than had ever registered for a single course in English at Saarland University. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination.
English on the Internet: In this course, students researched the use of English as a lingua franca on the Internet. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination.
Film and television dialogue: The focus of this course was on the possibility of applying theories of talk in interaction to film and television dialog. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination. At Saarland University I supervised two doctoral students who were to get experience in teaching.
Together with a doctoral student in English Linguistics, I taught Linguistics for EFL teachers. With a student from Applied Linguistics and Interpretation/Translation, I taught Corpus Linguistics II. I held main responsibility for course planning and student evaluation, but the lessons were team-taught, such that each doctoral student led part of the lessons. Stockholm University, English Institution
Second language acquisition: This course was developed specifically for teacher candidates. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination.
Pragmatics: At Stockholm University I was able to develop a C-level course in pragmatics. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination. I also organized the English Institution’s first ever student conference, “What is that supposed to mean? Issues in Pragmatics 2003.” Students of the course presented their own research on pragmatic theory as well as original data in the form of oral presentation or as a poster. The
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KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO students and I organized the entire conference which included parallel sessions and chairing, and welcomed a large audience. University of Florida, Program in Linguistics
Second language acquisition: As a doctoral student I was awarded the opportunity to develop a course for the Program in Linguistics. Course responsibility included choice of course literature, lesson design, assignments, and examination.
P E D A G O G I C A L
P U B L I C A T I O N S
A N D
M A T E R I A L S
During the Fall 2010 term at Södertörn University, I was awarded funding for research on subject didactics in the form of a 30% reduction in teaching load. I used the time to attend the university pedagogy course “Vygotsky”, and to visit Swedish elementary schools so as to observe English as a foreign language classes. A number of observations were field-note recorded, and the data were analyzed in a chapter I contributed to a text on the teacher’s role in sociocultural education:
Beers Fägersten, K. 2011. Teacher discourse and code choice in a Swedish EFL classroom. In B. Yoon & H. Kim (Eds.) Teachers' Roles in Second Language Learning: Classroom Applications of Sociocultural Theory. Information Age Publishing: Charlotte, NC.
As Assistant Professor in English Linguistics at Dalarna University, I taught many distance (net-based) courses. This represented a new teaching context for me, which naturally led to an increased interest in researching linguistic strategies specific to net-based classroom discourse. My research resulted in three conference presentations:
Discourse strategies and power roles in student-led distance learning (with J. White). Identity and Power in the Language Classroom. Umeå, 11-12 June 2007.
So you think you can type: Performance in net-based learning (with C. Cox Eriksson). National Forum for English Studies. Malmö, 16-18 April 2009.
Competence and performance in net-based Learning. Designs for Learning, Stockholm, 17-19 March 2010.
and publication of the following articles:
Beers Fägersten, K. 2008. Discourse strategies and power roles in student-led distance learning. Tidskrift för lärarutbildning och forskning: Proceedings of Identity and Power in the Language Classroom 15(2): 11-24.
Beers Fägersten, K. 2009. A case study of a distance degree program in Vietnam: Examples from a learner-centered approach to distance education. In K. Sullivan, P. Czigler, & J. Sullivan Hellgren (Eds.), Cases on Professional Distance Education Degree Programs and Practices: Successes, Challenges and Issues. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. 11 of 19
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO
Cunningham, U., Beers Fägersten, K., & Holmsten, E. 2010. “Can you hear me, Hanoi?” Compensatory mechanisms employed in synchronous net-based English language learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 11(1). http://www.irrodl.org/index.pECTS points/irrodl/article/view/774/1488. At Saarland University I particpated in a project to transform traditional classroom-based courses to
into virtual courses. The first course, ”Introduction to Linguistics: Syntax”, would primarily include online lessons or practice activities for analysis. My role in the project was to devise solutions for transforming course content into online assignments. At Dalarna University I wrote extensive guidelines for course essays and for undergraduate and graduate theses. These documents have not only benefitted students in their essay writing process, but have also contributed to simplifying supervision and establishing ground rules and standards. During my first term of employment at Södertörn University, I was asked to develop new guidelines for the bachelor’s thesis in English Linguistics. The resulting document, Guidelines for the C-essay in English Linguistics, is a thorough set of instructions for writing the bachelor’s thesis that is now distributed to all students writing the thesis within English linguistics.
O T H E R
P E D A G O G I C A L
Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S
I began my academic career in the US, where I as a graduate teaching assistant instructed classes in French, English as a second language, and linguistics. My student groups consisted of both American and international students. This initial exposure to teaching and pedagogy was consequently extensive, and I learned the art of tailoring my methods to different target groups of students. Shortly after graduating, I came to Sweden, where I since have been a faculty member at Stockholm University, Dalarna University, Södertörn University, as well as taught individual classes at Örebro and Mälardalen universities. I was awarded the Swedish version of tenure at Dalarna and Södertörn universities, but my intervals of freelance teaching represented a useful exposure to and experience of different Swedish institutions, academic departments, administrative practices, and not in the least, a variety of pedagogical methods and classroom routines. For two years, 2004-2006, I worked as a Senior Lecturer in English Linguistics at Saarland University in Germany. It was during these years that the international effort to convert to the BA/MA system began, which was an educational experience that was made even more interesting to me by virtue of my unfamiliarity with the German educational system. However, my two-year contract was most meaningful in terms of development of pedagogical and organizational skills. With a teaching load of ten different courses each 16-week term, this teaching assignment contributed to my development of organization skills, effectiveness, and competence. 12 of 19
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO At Dalarna University I was mainly involved in teaching within the Master of Arts in English Linguistics program, which in part was developed as a two-year distance education for Vietnamese teachers of English. These students were enrolled at Vietnam National University’s Faculty of Education, which cooperated with Dalarna University. Almost all teaching was conducted by distance (net-based), which entailed the use of different communication platforms such as Marratech, Fronter, Adobe Connect, Adobe Presenter, and Skype. However, on two separate occasions between 2007-2009, I traveled to the university campus in Hanoi to teach, administer new enrollment, and preside over thesis defenses. Both the net-based and faceto-face meetings with the Vietnamese students as new professional and personal experiences that have contributed significantly to my development as a linguist and a teacher. I am grateful for the international and intercultural experiences, which have made me a more competent and adjusted teacher and scholar. During the Spring term 2011 I was awarded an Erasmus stipend to spend a week at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen in Germany. During my time there, I presented my research at Prof. Dr. Antje Wischmann’s research colloquium, I acted as a participant-observer in Swedish language and culture classes, and I observed a class in English linguistics. Upon completion of the Erasmus visit, Prof. Dr. Wischmann accompanied a group of students from the Department of Scandinavian Studies to Stockholm, where I met them for a day to offer them a guided tour of the city, hear their prepared presentations of cultural and architectural landmarks, and invite them to tea in my home. The Teacher’s Program at Södertörn University awarded me a 100,000 SEK project planning grant for the Spring term 2012. This grant will be used to complete an application to the Swedish Research Council for my project, “Communicative competence in the Swedish EFL classroom.” In this project, I propose to analyze the development, distribution and realization of grammatical, sociolinguistic and strategic competence in primary and secondary school classes in English as a foreign language.
E V A L U A T I O N
O F
P E D A G O G I C A L
E F F O R T S
The example lesson presented in previously reflects the three aspects of my pedagogical philosophy by serving as a forum for me to show 1) my knowledge of uniting theory and practice, 2) my enthusiasm for activities based on real language use, and 3) awareness of and respect for students‘ interests. There is also a connection to a well-known, fundamental principle of pedagogy, namely the importance of social aspects of learning (Thought and Language, Vygotsky, 1934). The shared activity of watching television creates a social context and allows the students to bond in a familiar and pleasant way. That this activity is scheduled to occur as early as the second lesson contributes to a timely creation of a sense of solidarity which endures throughout the length oft he course. In the course evaluations, it is clear that this particular lesson and teaching method is appreciated. This particular activity is a relatively new addition to the course design, and for that reason, it was a pleasant surprise to see that students chose to evaluate it specifically. I am keen to use the evaluations to 13 of 19
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO determine how my teaching methods and course materials (both old and new) are experienced by the students, which activities elicit most response (both positive and negative), and which topics make the most significant impressions from term to term. The course evaluations thus serve a formative function, as I may choose to adjust my courses according to student input. The questions for course evaluations are deliberately posed as open questions, and they refer to course materials, content, my efforts as the teacher, and which aspects of the course worked well or poorly. The idea is to remind students of precisely these aspects, so as to enable them to identify or comment on what they experienced as contributing most or least to achieving the learning outcomes. Below are the questions included on the evaluation form, and a compilation of student responses, specifically regarding my efforts as the teacher, and the most and least appreciated aspects of the course, questions 3-5: (Survey of English Linguistics, Spring term 2010, 23 responding students) 1.What is your opinion of the course material (literature, handouts, presentations, study notes, etc.?) 2.What is your opinion about the course content (Language acquisition, Word formation, Semantics, History of English, Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, Discourse analysis, Language and culture)? 3. What is your opinion of the teacher’s efforts? (translations of Swedish are in italics)
excellent Good! A pity only with so few seminars. There’s so much that has to be covered in a short time. Very good teacher. Good at explaining, clarifying the texts. Good activities. An enjoyable teacher who did a good job considering the little time we had together. Thought it was absolutely excellent. I am satisfied with the teacher’s efforts. She is good at explaining things. You are a modern teacher. You know your subject and your lessons are not boring. You are a knowledgeable teacher and I am glad that I will meet you again when you teach us Grammar B. Fantastic! Very good, informative, pedagogical Very good! Good Interesting. Kristy was open for discussion (very positive), listens to students and asks seminar-type questions. Clearly approved. The teacher’s efforts were very good, well prepared and involved! On the other hand I thought it was sometimes repetitive when the lectures were about the reading. Very good! Incredibly good and inspiring. Clear, flexible, and listens to students. Very good tone and comprehensive. Very good and inspiring. Easy to listen to and understand. Kristy is involved and very knowledgeable in the subject. Like the connections to our reality I think the teacher’s efforts were really good. Very good. Very pedagogical. Extremely good. Design and execution Good! Kristy is involved and happy and talented and inspires interest! I’m super satisfied! One of the best teachers I’ve had.
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KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO 4. What do you think worked best, was most interesting, should be maintained in the future?
Give and take discussions Practical activities Blending presentations with exercises. The Wire, Seinfeld, videos from Youtube. Videos but maybe not she who discussed Old English. That was the worst. Everything else was very good. Word formation, Seinfeld, 1st and 2nd language acquisition All of this. Exercises Everything Everything! Sociolinguistics History absolutely and gender because it’s a sensitive subject that raises questions and such. Very positive to address. Exercises were good, it makes everything less theoretical. But generally I have no comments on anything that didn’t work well. Everything! Good teacher, good book, interesting stuff = awesome! Definitely the lessons with video. Wakes you up. The movie clips and work sheets after. How I met your mother, word formation were the most fun. Everything was AWESOME The presentations, the structure is really good and interesting. A good feature is the examples from Youtube and other sources. Everything, but more time. Most everything was good. The review of material we had read (during the seminars). To read about stuff one can relate to. That’s interesting. Ex: men’s and women’s ways of communicating with language – gender… Nothing specific, thought everything was good.
5. What do you think worked less well, wasn’t enriching, could be improved, should not be maintained in the future? (NB: four students did not answer this question)
Some people needed to be silenced while the teacher was speaking More encouragement to talk during the time that’s given. Maybe more group work? Somewhat longer seminars, maybe divided into 2 times a week. History of English-video with the turquoise woman – NEVER AGAIN! She who presented Old English. That was the worst. Animal communication. The origins of English (I learned that in the English A course) Maybe omit unnecessary terms that are maybe not so essential for understanding the subject. Animal communication. Worth mentioning, but more than that feels unnecessary. Maybe too few hours for the course. Animal and human language There should have been more time for the course. I think it’s a difficult question to answer, on the one hand I have no concrete criticism of the course, but on the other hand I think it feels like the level is very simple. Too simple for the B-level but at the same time I don’t know if it should be like this. The number of hours for the course also feels like too few. I also think that if you have so few hours, you can do a lot more reading (than we have…) More school hours. Too few to follow. More meetings than once a week and more exercises so we can prepare for the exam. More slang! Animal communication. 15 of 19
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO The exercises (the practical ones) should have been made homework since they give us the opportunity to put the concepts we learn in a practical context. We should have had one more meeting per week to discuss the activities. I would have liked to have seen the movie about the history of English. Everything has worked well. Maybe a bit too much text for such a short course. Nothing so far. But I haven’t seen the exam yet. I usually explain to the students the importance of the evaluations to course planning and the further development of the English program, and not in the least to me, as I readily try out new methods and materials. I would like to claim that I am extremely attentive to constructive criticism, but of course I like to focus on the positive comments. From these evaluation comments I have the impression that my efforts are appreciated, as is my way of relating to the students. I understand that the inclusion of media and popular culture is appreciated, and I will try to continue in this way. On the other hand, it is clear that new material I tested for the History of English was not as well liked; the original material has since been reinstated. The inclusion of Animal Communication was also criticized, and a department decision was made to omit is from the syllabus. This decision entails more time for other work or review, which was also expressed as desirable. Furthermore, the department decided to include an additional seminar to the syllabus, in direct response to student preferences. That the Word formation-lesson was appreciated due to the inclusion of the viewing of a television show is perhaps not surprising; students rarely complain about watching TV. On the other hand, I would like to claim that during the lesson I succeeded in teaching essential principles of linguistics while the students simultaneously experienced a fun and unifying activity together. It is normally a tedious part of the course to learn the many and various ways of creating words, the different morphological processes, and the accompanying terminology (another subject of criticism). The television activity helps students by providing them with an abundance of activities while challenging them to use appropriate terminology in their analyses. The results on the final exam confirm the effectiveness: 23 out of 25 students received at least 13 of 15 possible points on the Word Formation/Morphology final exam questions.
A D M I N I S T R A T I V E
E X P E R I E N C E
2010 Linguistic Society of America, Committee on Membership Services and Information Technology (COMSIT): voluntary service. My role in COMSIT is to help develop the LSA-website to better welcome and serve visitors and members. 2007 Development of the Master’s program, Master’s of English Linguistics, at Dalarna University. As a member of the administrative team, I made decisions about which courses should be part of program to reflect an applied linguistics profile.
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KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO P A R T I C I P A T I O N
I N
C O N F E R E N C E
P L A N N I N G
In April 2007 the English Department at Dalarna University was host of the annual National Forum for English Studies. I was the web administrator for the conference website, and I was responsible for all publication and updating of conference information. In September 2010 I was lead organizer of the research panel “Swear word usage among native and non-native speakers“ at Sociolinguistics Symposium 18, Southampton, England.
R E S E A R C H
C O M M U N I T Y
S E R V I C E
2010 External reviewer Journal of Pragmatics 2006 AAAL Graduate Student Travel Awards Committee 2005 AAAL Graduate Student Travel Awards Committee 2005 External review for Discourse Analysis, AAAL/CAAL 2005
C O O P E R A T I O N
W I T H
N O N - A C A D E M I C
I N D U S T R Y
The research project funded by the Swedish Knowledge Foundation, Electronic communication and The Need for Speed, was a collaboration between Dalarna University‘s English Department and Electronic Arts – Europe and Conny Ericsson Försäljning AB (CEFAB). The aim of the project was to conduct analyses of language use in digital environments in order to determine how language is influenced by such environments. My role in the project was to investigate the interaction between language and program tools in virtual meetings that were conducted via the Marratech video conference platform. My conclusions were directly relevant to CEFAB, as a distributor of Maratech software. Electronic Arts – Europe contributed to the project with transcripts from their popular video game The Need for Speed. I was responsible for all analysis of the transcripts (from a total of four different games). My research focused on the limited number of linguistic strategies which are employed to encourage the player to act or react. My conclusions were of direct relevance to the localization team of EA – Europe, which provides translations of the English-original transcripts.
L O C A L
R E S E A R C H
D I S S E M I N A T I O N
Since graduate school, I have made a concerted effort to present my research to colleagues at internal seminar or lecture series: 2011
Comic strip Swedish. Södertörn University. Higher seminar series in Swedish.
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KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO 2010
English swear words in Swedish-language comics. Dalarna University, Higher seminar series in Language and Culture.
2007
Discourse strategies and power roles in student-led distance learning. Dalarna University, Higher seminar in linguistics.
2007
Swearing in American English: A Sociolinguistic Perspective. Dalarna University, Higher seminar in linguistics.
2004
Swearing in American English: A Sociolinguistic Perspective. Saarland University, Higher seminar in linguistics.
2003
Swearing in American English: A Sociolinguistic Perspective. Stockholm University, English Department seminar series.
2003
Swearing in American English: A Sociolinguistic Perspective. Örebro University, Humanities Department seminar series.
1997
Comparing Swearing Among Native and Non-Native Speakers of English. University of Florida Program in Linguistics seminar series.
1996
Examining Swearing. University of Florida Graduate Student Forum.
My research on swearing has received much attention from the media. After participating in a graduate student conference at University of Florida 1998, I was interviewed for an article that was published in the university newspaper. A press release was then sent to the Associated Press, which published a summary of my research. Soon after I was invited to participate in a number of interviews on American, Canadian and Australian radio. In 2002 I was contacted by Johan Berggren, a journalist at Dagens Nyheter, to comment on the use of swear words for the article, “The N-word – the most forbidden” (“N-ordet - det mest förbjudna”; DN, 2002.02.23; page B1). In 2003, the Stockholm University newspaper SU Nytt wrote about my lecture series on swearing for Stockholm City’s University and Industry Week (Stockholms Stads Högskole- och Näringslivsvecka; SU Nytt 3/2003): “Appreciated project presents research in school” (“Uppskattat projekt visar upp forskning i skolan.”) In 2009 I was invited to be a guest on the Swedish public service (Utbildnings Radio) television program “I love språk” (I love language), where I discussed English-language swear words and slang. In 2011 I was invited to participate as an expert on international English for the Swedish public service program “Världens språk” (The world’s languages), to discuss the influence of English on Swedish, and the development of a Swedish variety of English. In 2011, I was a member of a panel discussion about the human aspect of academic research (“Oss människor emellan) for Researchers’ Night (ForskarFredag), and I also volunteered to host a dialog with a high school class to discuss my research on comic strip Swedish. 2011
Panel member: Researchers’ Night
2011
Host of a classroom dialog: Researchers’ Night
2011
Guest expert on Världens språk 18 of 19
KRISTY BEERS FÄGERSTEN – TEACHING PORTFOLIO
2010
Lecture: Södertörns högskolas high school lecture series
2009
Guest: I love språk, Utbildnings Radio
2003
Interview: SU-Nytt, “Uppskattat projekt visar forskning i skolan” http://www.su.se/content/1/c4/09/92/2003_nummer_3.pdf
2003
Lecture: Stockholms Stads Högskole- och Näringslivsvecka
2002
Interview: DN: “N-ordet: Det mest förbjudna” (sida B1)
1996
Interview: University of Florida/Associated Press: http://news.ufl.edu/1996/09/17/swear/
P E R S O N A L
Q U A L I T I E S
As the thousands of evaluations I have amassed over the years can attest to, I am characterized as a teacher by my enthusiasm, energy and attentiveness. I always embark on each class in a good mood, I am excited about my subject, I am attentive to the students. Each of these aspects makes for a welcoming, unpretentious and productive environment. I take the time to learn and use my students’ names, I make eyecontact with them and I listen to them. I engage my students in discussion, I instruct them, I encourage them and I lead them confidently. I am nevertheless naturally playful and prone to performing in order to illustrate, exaggerate, or dramatize an issue. I can honestly state that I have never taught a class without sharing a laugh with my students, and I credit this to the jovial, social atmosphere that characterizes my classes. During the past nearly 20 years, I have worked and lived in different countries, experienced many terms and places of employment, built a family, and formed new professional relationships. These activities are testimony to my energy and ambition, but they also indicate other qualities that characterize me: I am curious, fearless, and interested. My experiences have also formed me into a positive, open and social person with a twinkle in my eye. I am proud of my ability to make an impression, and I would like to believe that I have a charm that is frank and funny, friendly and fierce, playful but attentive. I am easy to work with, which makes me an appreciated colleague.
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