Report on Academic
Specialist Visit to the
June 6 - 13, 1999
By H. Douglas Brown, San Francisco State University
About the Specialist
H. Douglas Brown is Professor of
English at San Francisco State University (SFSU) where he is Director
of the American Language Institute. Previously, he taught at the
University of Michigan and the University of Illinois. He was
the President of TESOL in 1980-81. From 1970-79 he was the Editor
of Language Learning. He has lectured across the USA and internationally.
Professor Brown has published many
articles and books on second language acquisition and pedagogy.
Some of his publications include:
- Principles of Language Learning
and Teaching (Third Edition, 1994)
- Teaching by Principles: An
Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (1994)
- Readings on Second Language
Acquisition (co-edited with Susan Gonzo, 1994)
- Breaking the Language Barrier
- A Practical Guide to Language
- Strategies for Success: A Practical
Guide -- a strategies guide for ES/FL learners (in press,
- Vistas -- a multiple level
ESL basal series (1992)
- Voyages -- an extensively
modified and adapted new version of the above series (1998)
- Challenges -- a book on
academic reading and writing (co-authored with Deboarah Cohen
and Jennifer O'Day, 1991).
Professor Brown's current research
interests center on strategies-based instruction, classroom language
assessment, and relating second language acquisition research
findings to classroom methodology.
Areas of Specialization
Teaching English to Speakers of
Second Language Acquisition
Classroom Language Assessment
One of the benefits I always reap
in a set of seminars and workshops like these is an opportunity
to understand the local concerns and issues of teachers in their
specific location. In the Dominican Republic (DR), I was again
impressed by the demand for English as witnessed by the thousands
of students attending classes at the two centers I visited. I
appreciated being able to further comprehend some of the needs
for teachers to be offered thorough grounding in their methodology,
and to be able to reflect on their own teaching practices. The
DR is an ideal country in which to teach English communicatively.
There are many opportunities available to students right outside
their classroom doors for using English meaningfully. The broadcast
and print media offer some opportunities, but there is a cultural
awareness of English speaking culture that fosters the use of
English conversationally "on the street," and students can avail
themselves of those contexts.
I believe the two conferences at
the Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano in Santiago (CCDA) and
Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano in Santo Domingo (ICDA)
were extremely beneficial to teachers. They were able to learn
about some current practices in the profession, and to put those
practices into immediate action in their classrooms. The audiences
were very receptive to the sessions I gave. In particular, the
concepts of strategies-based instruction, teacher collaboration,
and developing a broad set of principles for classroom practice
were useful additions to their repertoires.
I was particularly pleased with
the emotional response of teachers to my call for teachers to
be socially responsible, to take seriously their responsibility
to help students to have a vision of better and more humane world,
and through language, to promote international communication for
peaceful resolution of conflict.
I am grateful for the professionalism
shown especially by the CCDA in Santiago, namely through Don McLean
and Augustin Francisco, both of whom are to be congratulated on
their fine work. Jesus Cabrera and others at the ICDA in Santo
Domingo were warmly welcoming of the specialists. I was particularly
grateful to the US Embassy staff, especially Laura Barrera, who
was most kind and diligent in seeing to my needs while in the
Further conferences of this kind
are well worth the US dollar allocations in order to bring teachers
in the DR the opportunity to work with experts from the USA and
to enrich their classroom methodology.
H. Douglas Brown. 1994. Teaching
by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy.
Prentice Hall Regents.
H. Douglas Brown. 1994. Principles
of Language Learning and Teaching. Third Edition. Prentice
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