Volunteer Teaching Experiences in a Foreign Country: From Native Speaker to English Teacher

• In Event: 60.085 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: 60.085-1 - Division K Section 3 Poster Session 1

Abstract

Each year a group of English speakers go to Chile and teach in public schools. The purpose of this case study is to examine how a group of volunteer teachers describe their experiences and how these experiences shape their understanding of teaching. This study is sustained in the literature by the field of volunteerism and English language teaching and by a socio-constructivist and experiential lens. Data was collected before (open-ended survey) and after (one-on-one interviews) teaching. The findings show that teachers experience four types of experiences: language teaching, language learning, challenges, and general learning experiences. Volunteers stated what teaching means to them after working in public schools, they described language teaching and language learning, and made recommendations to future volunteers.

Author

• Gloria Romero, University of Ottawa