Professional Wisdom:
Just What Is It?
How Do I Access It and How Do I Judge It?
I am sure that, as an experienced English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor, at one time or another you have made a decision about what to teach to a group of ESL students based on your experience, your sense of what works and does not in your class, or simply because you “know” your students better than the administrators, the state, or the federal government. You benefit from the wisdom you have gained through experience. You may have explained that decision to your colleagues or administrators saying something along the lines of: “I based my decision on my professional wisdom.” A colleague in another community, with just as many years of experience as you have and facing a similar situation, may have made a different decision and also claimed that it was based on their professional wisdom.
Now, I am a third teacher; I am new to adult education, inexperienced, and in desperate need of some wisdom. Whom do I believe? Do I listen to you? Do I trust our colleague elsewhere who would have taught a very different lesson based on her own experience and comfort level? How come both of you claim your actions in the classroom are based on professional wisdom if your wisdom is different? Just what is professional wisdom? How do I judge which “wisdom” to apply to my circumstances?
The definition most commonly used today is G. Whitehurst’s (See Ken Appelt’s article.) and it has been adopted by the U.S. Education Department. According to this definition, Professional Wisdom is:
- The judgment that individuals acquire through experience
- Consensus views
- Increased professional wisdom is reflected in numerous ways, including the effective identification and incorporation of local circumstances into instruction
www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/whatworks/eb/edlite-slide004.html
Each of us acquires different experiences throughout the course of our professional lives. In addition, each professional will have a different perspective or understanding even of the same experience based on our own personal views, philosophy, and knowledge. That is why our personal judgment alone cannot constitute professional wisdom. We must arrive at a consensus upon the careful consideration of the views of many professionals and respected colleagues. This consensus view takes into account local circumstances to adapt instruction to specific contexts.
Dr. John Comings, former director of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, in a 2007 online discussion of professional wisdom (wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Professional_Wisdom), talks about consensus and suggests that professional wisdom should be judged by a peer review process in much the same way as research is reviewed. He maintains that a jury of peers evaluating professional wisdom should include practitioners and researchers. He suggests that the best way to share professional wisdom among colleagues is through online resources that not only allow access to the wisdom shared but also include a review by peers and a synthesis of the research and wisdom.
What follows is a brief list of such electronic resources for sharing and accessing professional wisdom. The list is extremely limited but it contains some very useful sites that should be a good start for any teacher, new or experienced.
ALE Wiki
The ALE Wiki is probably the first resource adult educators should familiarize themselves with. Created by Dr. David Rosen and maintained by a number of professionals who actively contribute content and expertise, the Literacy Wiki is a significant source of Professional Wisdom. Anyone can access the wiki but in order to add your own content or edit topics, you have to create an account, log in and introduce yourself to the community. These steps keep people who are not professionals in the field from adding irrelevant material. If you are not familiar with the ALE Wiki, take some time to familiarize yourself. The resources are extremely helpful. Evidence-Based Education and Professional Wisdom are two of the many topics.
If you are an ESL teacher, you will want to visit the ESOL page at wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/English_for_Speakers_of_Other_Languages
Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA)
The CAELA Network is a project of the Center for Applied Linguistics, funded by the U.S. Education Department. This center’s website includes resources for ESL practitioners and researchers including bibliographies, books, briefs, reports, and a searchable database of ESL resources. The research section includes a wealth of statistical information on ESL measures that should be very helpful to anyone doing research.
California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO)
One of the premier professional development projects in the nation, CALPRO offers an immense wealth of resources to teachers and other professionals including publications, research digests, and resource guides. A New ESL Teacher Resource Guide helps teachers, new and experienced, to navigate the ESL classroom. It includes tips to integrate workplace basics into your ESL class.
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL)
Arguably, NCSALL is not a source of Professional Wisdom but rather the depository of the most serious research conducted in our field in the last ten years. The funding for this research center ended in 2007 but the resources are still available at
Visit this site to access some of the most influential research done in our field in the recent past, including the Equipped for the Future Study. Download articles from the quarterly publication Focus on Basics or from the Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. There are teaching resource guides and a section on connecting practice, policy and research.
National Research and Development Center (NRDC) for Adult Literacy and Numeracy
Another wonderful resource, this one from the United Kingdom, the NRDC lists as one of its objectives to ‘build research capacity, reflective practice and career development through the systematic engagement of teachers and other practitioners in the centre.’
Visit the page of Practitioner Resources where you will find a wealth of reports and practitioner resources such as guides and handbooks.
Downloading full reports is free to teachers courtesy of the NRDC in London. If you press the tab for the Practitioner-Led Research Initiative you will be able to download a short report on the impact of teacher led research.
Sisters Push Each Other to Do the Extra Lap by Dora Espericueta The most rewarding teaching experience that I have had was the opportunity to teach two sisters that enrolled at the Pharr Adult Learning Center. While both sisters started at the pre-lit level, I did not start working with them until they were at the Pre-GED level. I started working with Elia first. She came to the Center with a very low self-esteem. She could barely make eye contact with me or anyone else. She was very soft spoken and shy. As her GED instructor, I was able to work with her on a one to one basis. Elia was able to express herself through her essays providing me the opportunity to feel her pain and depression. As time went by, it was obvious to everyone around her that she was gaining inner confidence. Her way of dressing, communicating, and physical appearance was so visible that you could see the metamorphosis from a cocoon to a beautiful butterfly. Her written thoughts and ideas helped me understand her more and allowed me to interact with her more freely. Working with her individually, allowed her to feel more comfortable in speaking or asking questions. Once she overcame her shyness, she became very determined to get her GED and set a goal to further her education. Eventually, Elia encountered transportation problems. Her only ride to class was her sister. Elia motivated Veronica to enroll so that she wouldn’t waste gas needlessly. By both of them attending, they could benefit from the program and better themselves at the same time. When her sister was promoted from the Pre-GED class to my GED class, I felt like this gave Elia more of an initiative or more self confidence. When her sister, Veronica, came into my writing class, it was like lighting a flame under both of them. I could see that they would work together and encourage and motivate each other. It was apparent to me that Veronica was different from Elia in many ways. She was more interactive, more sociable, and more approachable. This allowed me to use Veronica’s attributes to make Elia a stronger person. It was exciting to see that no matter what obstacles came their way, they both showed determination and dedication. Veronica was Elia’s only means of transportation and it was wonderful to see the family unity when it came to them having each other for support. I can honestly say that these two young ladies had to make many sacrifices and overcome many obstacles to achieve what they had set as their goal, to obtain their GED and enroll at South Texas College. Through perseverance they were able to achieve what they had both set out to do. They are both currently in their third semester at South Texas College and are well on their way to successful careers in Nursing and Education. About the Author Dora Espericueta is a native of Monte Alto, Texas. She is married to Robert and has three children. She has taught all areas of the adult education program. She holds a certification in Interdisciplinary Studies and Generic Special Education and has taught adult education for thirteen years. She is currently the Lead Instructor for the Pharr Adult Learning Center. Her passion is working with adults and motivating them to succeed.
