An Interview with an ESL Methodologist

A career in ESL isn’t limited to teaching.  Here, I interview ESL methodologist Aleksandra Głowacka-Ziajka.  ESL methodology is largely rooted in an understanding of how the human mind works to learn languages, and the subsequent development of teaching methods to maximize language learning. Ola is a methodologist at a private foreign language school in Poland, where her responsibilities center on organizing teacher trainings and helping teachers to develop useful teaching strategies in the classroom.

Can you talk a bit about your educational background as a methodologist and as a teacher?

As a teacher, I graduated from a teachers’ training college. Here in Poland, there are two ways to get a Bachelors degree in ESL. You can go to a teachers’ training college, where there are a lot of both practical methodology and theory classes. Or you can go to a university, where there are more general studies, and where you can also train in translating, literature, etc. But I chose a teachers’ training college. Afterwards, I did a Masters degree in Second Language Acquisition. It took two years. And after that, I decided to do a PhD. I started teaching during my Masters studies. I taught at a secondary school. During my PhD studies I had to lead some practical English classes for the university students. And after that, I decided to take a job at a private language school as the methodologist.

What kinds of courses did you take during your studies?

The most general courses during my Bachelors degree were about first language acquisition, second language acquisition, theories of language acquisition, teaching methods and how to use them in context, and a bit of behavioral and cognitive psychology. But it depends on your interests. During my Masters degree, I took courses in the theories of learning and educational psychology, some cognitive psychology, and practical teaching methods.

And what was the focus of those courses?

The goal is basically to discover how the brain learns and to develop teaching methods from that. But there is no single method. It depends on people and their experiences. Learners have to be open to development. There is a danger when it comes to labeling people with learning styles. When you put a label like visual learner onto someone, it means that that learning style is most dominant at that moment. But good language learners use a variety of styles and techniques and memory tricks. Methodologists work to discover as many different ways of learning as possible, and make teachers aware of how to use them in their teaching.

What kinds of jobs are available to ESL methodologists?

You can be a teacher trainer and advisor in a private language school. This can be a challenging post, because you have to be in touch with the teachers, observing their classrooms and working with them. Sometimes you have to criticize people. But you also make them want to develop, and want them to see the criticism as something to build on. Most teachers are open and willing to develop and listen to advice, and they often motivate me as well.

You can also be a lecturer at a university, but those are often limited posts, especially here in Poland. You would be expected to continue researching and publish as well. Or, as a methodologist, you can work with publishers as an advisor, as they publish new teaching materials. You would review course books and organize training sessions for writers who prepare ESL teaching materials. And sometimes, methodologists can also be hired as Directors of Study (DOS) in language schools or summer schools.

What are the connections between being a teacher and a methodologist?

I can’t imagine being a methodologist but not being a teacher. I choose to keep teaching as well, because otherwise I would lose touch.

What does it take to be a successful methodologist?

I think to be a successful methodologist, you’re passionate about linking the theories of language learning to practice. You see that they are interdependent, and it’s not just about theory, it’s insight into how people learn. At the beginning of my studies in teachers’ training college, whatever I read and whatever theory I learned, I immediately saw how it was linked to practice. And I was eager to try it out and see how it would work in the classroom. And doing research during my PhD, I was always connected to practice. I read a lot, for example, about how memory works, and memory strategies. And then I observed it in context, during my research. For me, it was something natural. The key to success is that practical experience. I can’t imagine being a methodologist, where I teach teachers how to teach, and where I give advice to teachers, while not being a teacher myself.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in methodology?

I would encourage them to develop, and not to give up. The most dangerous thing is to be set in your ways when it comes to teaching. Teachers should always be open to development.

Jenna Makowski is the ESL Editor for Wandering Educators.