story by Claire Miller
Rolien Thomas wasn’t expecting to observe any English as a Second Language (ESL) classes during her time in the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program at Georgia State University.
But the experience was an insightful one for Thomas, who teaches English language arts, English literature and communication studies to secondary students at Combermere School in Barbados.
“Ms. Walker at Cross Keys High School modeled some invaluable practices,” said Thomas, who is also a part-time instructor who teaches fundamentals of written English at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill. “She taught me how to break topics down to student language level, how to teach language components while teaching content applicable to student life and context, how to use a staggered approach to teaching and assessing student learning at their pace and learning level, and so much more.”
The Fulbright program is a six-week, U.S. Department of State-sponsored, highly selective initiative that brings teachers from other countries to a host university for professional development. Participating teachers attend classes with university faculty, visit local cultural sites and teach classes in local schools.
Thomas appreciated the classroom management strategies she learned from Sharon Santmyer, a lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as College of Education & Human Development Professor Sue Kasun’s lessons on backward design, a curriculum development method where educators identify the objectives they want students to learn and then build their teaching methods around those objectives.
“I am a much better teacher because of this experience,” she said. “The lessons for each lecturer at Georgia State have been invaluable, and I am excited to share these lessons with my Barbadian and Caribbean community.”
She also appreciated what she learned from the other participants in the Fulbright program, who represented 19 countries around the world.
“It is my first time being in such proximity to people from so many different countries and cultures. I enjoyed seeking camaraderie and commonalities among ourselves while sharing our varying teaching experiences every day,” Thomas said. “My worldview has expanded even more now, and I have a greater appreciation for each participant and the countries they represent.”