STUDY GROUP OUTLINE

1. Praxis is the Greek word for action with reflection. (pg 87) One reading skill taught to ESOL students is RTRW: Read, Think, Read, Write. This skill is particularly helpful when students are reading test questions or preparing to write an essay. First, Read the question. Second, Think about what the question means and how many separate items of information are involved in the wording of the question. Third, carefully Read the question again. Finally, Write the answer. How does praxis apply to this reading strategy?
2. One of the primary development issues in the Maldives project (pg 89) was that the field staff who would be attending Ms. Vella's training program were focused on doing things for villagers (construction ethic of development) rather than on teaching the villagers to do things for themselves (empowering communities). When you work with other people in a group ... teachers, friends, church committees, etc ... are you a constructionist or an empowerer? How does that affect your relationship with your students?
3. According to Ms. Vella, it is the teacher's responsibility to set objectives at the beginning of a course. It is the students' - her word is “participants" - responsibility to discuss freely with the teacher about how the entire group (teacher + students) will achieve those objectives. (pg 90) Is this how you decide what topics to cover in your classes each semester? If yes, do you revise your plans later if needed? (pgs 90-91) If no, do you think you would be a more effective teacher if you made semester planning a more collaborative process?
4. "Dependency, whether on foreign specialists or on national experts from the capital town of Male, eats at the heart of a development process." (pg 91) What does this statement mean to you?
5. Two ways to get groups reactivated are to ask someone for help and to increase the physical activity level of the group. (pg 92) Have you used either or both of these methods? If so, what results did you get? If not, do you have another idea that works for you?
6. Ms. Vella describes a funny, but sad, event that occurred near the end of the training program. The topic for that day was leadership; the application of the topic was moving a small boat from one location to another location. Suddenly everyone was rushing to move the boat, and the natural result was chaos. (pgs 93-94) Have your students ... or you ... ever been guilty of jumping in without planning? What happened? What did you learn from the experience?
7. Consider this contrast in definitions of a development specialist. (pg 94)
   1. A development specialist is "a person who does the job."
   2. A development specialist is "a person who leads others, organizes them, inspires them, helps them to determine what they want to do, and shows them how to do it most effectively."

   Which definition fits your idea of the word "teacher?"

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