Ten Characteristics of a Successful LPA ~ L. Mercado FINAL

Ten
Characteristics
of a Successful
LPA
Leonardo A. Mercado, M.Ed.,
M.B.A.

Overview
• Where do LPA’s come from?
• The importance of our work
• Making the right choice
• 10 Challenges
• Macrostrategies for L2Teacher
Observation & Feedback
• Self-Assessment
• Conclusion
14th Macmillan Coordinators'Convention - LeonardoA.
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Goals
By the end of the session, you will….
• be able to enumerate the major challenges LPA’s often face.
• have a broader repertoire of strategies and solution alternatives for
these challenges
• be able to ascertain to what extent you possess 10 positive traits of
a successful LPA
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Typical Situation: LPA Promotions
Case Study: A professor in the language department is in charge of
supervising teaching assistants in the U.S. But then….
Bailey, 2006, p.2
Mercado, MEd, MBA

New LPA’s: Promotion Practices
Where do LPA’s come from?
– Experienced (and not-so-
experienced) teachers
– General public
Problems:
- Unclear criteria for systematic
selection
- Little or no pre-service training for
the position
Ideally:
- Choice reflects institutional
profile
- Chosen from mentor or stand-
in pool
- Provided with clear job
descriptions and manuals
Mercado, MEd, MBA

The Important RolesWe Play
Quality Assurance PD &Training “Buy-In” “One-Man Band”
• Choosing the right
teachers
• Evaluating and
verifying efficacy of
academic study
program
• Evaluating and
verifying quality of
language instruction
and learning process
• Showing others how
they can learn from
themselves
• Teaching teachers
how to build up their
repertoire of
strategies,
techniques and
procedures
• Building up teacher
strengths,
identifying and
working on areas for
improvement
• Communicating
initiatives and
decisions effectively
• Empowering
teachers in the
decision-making
process
• Motivating teachers
and staff
• Talking to parents
• Talking to students
• Doing substitutions
and placement
• Checking on
classroom issues
• Etc.
Mercado, MEd, MBA

However,
Alfonso, Firth, and Neville (as cited by Bailey, 2006, p.3)
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Choosing theWrong Person
• Poor program quality
• High student turnover
• High teacher turnover
• Limited capacity to attract
new students
• High investment / low
return / $ wasted
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Challenges
How the Successful LPA can OvercomeThem
Mercado, MEd, MBA

1. FromTeacher to Supervisor
• Becoming “one of
them”
• Leaving comfort
zone, reaching into
the unknown
• Meeting resistance,
questioning
Characteristic:
INTEGRITY
Mercado, MEd, MBA

1. FromTeacher to Supervisor
• Lay the
groundwork before
• Talk to teachers
• Remind yourself of
duty and
responsibilities
• Formative to
summative over
time
• Be professional,
prepare yourself
Mercado, MEd, MBA

2. Lacking Knowledge & Skill Set
• No previous training in supervision
– Communication skills and strategies
– Conducting class observations
– Providing feedback to teachers
– Handling student / parent complaints
• Lack of formal, declarative knowledge in…
– SLATheory
– Methodology
– Language Praxis
Characteristic:
KNOWLEDGE SEEKER
Mercado, MEd, MBA

2. Lacking Knowledge & Skill Set
• Engage in permanent professional reading
about theTESOL field
• Find literature related to language
program administration / supervision
• Identify common teaching situations and
link to professional reading
• Engage in professional development for
supervisors
– Provided by the institution
– Seek out opportunities on your own
• Create a journal / your own manual
Mercado, MEd, MBA

3. Lack of a Sense of Direction &Time
• Disconnect from vision & mission
• No clear goals or objectives / No follow-up
• Difficulties managing tasks and time each day
• Get a lot of pressure from colleagues for «not doing my part»
Characteristic: PLANNER /TASK MANAGER
Mercado, MEd, MBA

3. Lack of a Sense of Direction &Time
• Ask yourself, “What do we need to achieve at
the class level and program level”
• Set clear, relevant goals or objectives
– Teacher input
– Make sure they’re achievable
– Check for outcomes
• Strategic Planning is not necessarily
Strategic Action
• Make a checklist of what you have to get
done
– Each day and week
– Prioritize
– What is actually doable? Can we get help?
• What is your real raison d’etre?
Mercado, MEd, MBA

4. Objectivity & Fairness
• Viewed as “tough”, “unfair”, and
even “biased”
• Hard to substantiate feedback
and appraisals.
• Treats teachers differently,
especially «friends»
• Has own criteria for observation /
evaluation
Characteristic::
OBJECTIVE
Mercado, MEd, MBA

4. Objectivity & Fairness
• Use quantifiable data
• Be consistent
• Rely on standardized, tried-and-
proven instruments
• Dispel predispositions
• Use observation – inference –
opinion taxonomy
• Record yourself
• Compare criteria with others
• “Strict, firm but fair”
Mercado, MEd, MBA

5. Connection to reality
• She/he “talks without knowing what really
goes on in the classroom”
• Can lack an understanding of the dynamic
nature of a class
• People think you don’t “walk the talk”
• Seems to lack teaching experience, at least
“the kind of experience I have”
Mercado, MEd, MBA

5. Contact with Reality
• Teach, teach and teach (periodically)!
• Rely on your successful experiences, recall
them whenever you can
• Video record your classes and share them or
use them in teacher training sessions.
• Ask teachers about how helpful your feedback
and training sessions are.
• Characteristic:
INSIGHTFUL
Mercado, MEd, MBA

6. Having an “Open Mind”
• Doesn’t listen
• Has her / his “own ways”
• Negative predisposition; “extraneous
variables”
• “Stuck to the book”
• Unapproachable, does not take
suggestions well. Never consults.
Authoritarian
• Your views versus “theirs”; “my way
or the highway”
Characteristic: FLEXIBLE
Mercado, MEd, MBA

6. Having an “Open Mind”
• Clean slate
• Principle: “Every class has
something good about it” (Salas
& Mercado, 2010)
• Let the teacher talk AND listen
carefully
• Principle: “The book is not the
curriculum, just a powerful tool
that contributes to its
implementation”.
• Support – do not suppress –
teacher creativity and
experimentation.
Mercado, MEd, MBA

7. “Public Relations”
• Hidden in a “shell”
• Unsociable, does not
talk to teachers
• Has a hard time
communicating at
meetings
• “We never see her /
him.”
Characteristic:
COMMUNICATOR
Mercado, MEd, MBA

7. “Public Relations”
• Reach out to
teachers, go to the
Teacher’s Lounge
• Prepare your
presentations and
overall interactions
well
• Lose the “high and
mighty” mentality
• Promote teacher
empowerment
Mercado, MEd, MBA

8.Working with General Management
• Little or no cooperation /
understanding from
general management and
other departments
• No support for academic
initiatives
• Tough meetings
Characteristic:
NEGOTIATOR
Mercado, MEd, MBA

8.Working with General Management
• A lot of
communication
• Use solid arguments
in your proposals and
presentations
• Focus on benefits for
“everyone” and
opportunities for
“shared glory”
• Highlight negative
consequences for
program or institution
if things are not done
Mercado, MEd, MBA

9. Quality Assurance
• Lack of quality assurance systems leads to
poor teaching and eventually low
enrollment.
• Books are often chosen haphazardly, not as
a result of rigorous study.
• Student expectations are not taken into
account.
• Professional development and training are
seen as an expense, not investment.
• “Learning and competitiveness don’t mix”
Characteristic:
METICULOUS EVALUATOR
Mercado, MEd, MBA

9. Quality Assurance
• Rely on both qualitative and quantitative data
systematically and permanently.
• Check data at the individual, group and
institutional level (e.g. teachers, branches,
whole institution) AND follow up on it.
• Quality must be well defined from stakeholders’
perspective
• Promote professional development and teacher
training. Don’t just offer, FOLLOW UP!
• Measure student achievement against
international standards (ACTFL, CEFR,TOEFL
ITP,TOEFL Junior). Apply “curricular vetting”
(Mercado, 2012)
Mercado, MEd, MBA

10.Teamwork
• Makes all of the decisions on
her / his own
• Doesn’t listen to suggestions
• Doesn’t delegate, all “glory” for
her/himself
• “I’m the boss here”
Characteristic: TEAM PLAYER
Mercado, MEd, MBA

10.Teamwork
• Empower teachers
• Delegate to team members
• Get as much input as possible
before making a decision
• They win, you win
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Other Considerations
General lessons about being an LPA and what you can do
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Macrostrategies for L2Teacher Observation & Feedback
Macrostrategy Description
1. Examining subjectivities Becoming aware of one’s own assumptions and biases and how they may affect
our work with teachers.
1. Articulating institutional values Articulating and discussing openly views on teaching and learning so that
everyone speaks “one language” and can provide more helpful feedback and
guidance to teachers.
1. Understanding teachers as
individuals
Recognizing that not all the teachers are the same, it refers to the need to
understand and promote each person’s strengths in a more personalized manner.
1. Looking at the Big Picture Recognizing larger patterns across observations as teacher and supervisor engage
in collaborative efforts toward the achievement of current and long-term goals.
1. Talking Across the Data Supporting dialogic interaction with objective data.
1. Providing Alternatives and
Resources
Demonstrating knowledge and having credibility in our role as supervisors so that
we may guide teachers effectively towards effective professional development
alternatives.
Salas & Mercado 2010
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Managerial Skills & Professional Development
• Take courses in administration
– Local
– International
• Adopt a two-tier approach to
language program administration
• Do professional reading
– SLA &TESOL
– Language program administration
– Business administration
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Language Program Quality: CurricularVetting
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Knowledge Comprehension Analysis Application Evaluation Synthesis
#ofActivities/Tasks
Levels of Cognition
Curricular Vetting: Bloom
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Language Program Quality: CurricularVetting
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Classroom Observation
• Short list
• Reconstruct accurately
• Talk to teacher before
• Formative and summative
• Quantitative and qualitative
feedback
• GOOD and areas for
improvement, if any
• Check for impact,
significance
• Action plan
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Assessment, Evaluation &Training
• Presentation
– Concepts
– Principles
• Demo
• Discussion
• Practice
• Assessment of
comprehension
• Follow-up
• Verification of
application
• Maintenance
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Yet to Be Famous Quotes
• We cannot expect teachers to do
something unless we have taught
them how first.
• We may not agree with a decision
of a superior. But once it has been
made, we need to support it.
• We need to make a distinction
between being friendly and being a
friend.
• Our first and utmost duty is to
serve and preserve. All else is
secondary.
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Self - Assessment
How Close Am I?
Mercado, MEd, MBA

SELF-ASSESSMENT
1. I must put my professional responsibilities over friendship. I
would not hesitate to give a teacher friend a memo if necessary.
2. For me, learning is a never-ending process. I go to conferences
and engage in professional reading all the time.
3. I complete most if not all of my daily tasks, especially the high
priority ones.
4. I rely mostly on standardized procedures and criteria.
5. An LPA must teach, at least on occasion.
Mercado, MEd, MBA

SELF- ASSESSMENT
6. Other people can very well have better ideas than mine.
7. I like to talk to people. I have no problem making time for
teachers whenever they need me.
8. I know how to negotiate when need be and get the other party to
agree with me.
9. Students are like customers. We have to work hard to win them
over all of the time.
10. I think people need to work together to accomplish great things.
Mercado, MEd, MBA

RESULTS
• 9 – 10YES’s = Solid LPA
• 7 – 8YES’s = Almost there!
• 5 – 6YES’s =Working on it
• 3 – 4YES´s = Rookie
• 0 – 2YES’s =Think about it!
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Conclusion
What do we want to be?
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Credibility
“The quality or power of
inspiring belief “
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Respect
People may not like you, but
they may still respect you.
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Conclusion
• Being an LPA is not easy.
• It takes determination and commitment
• Our most important work consists of:
– promoting the professional development of teachers
– quality assurance for the academic study program.
• Our work has an exponential effect on a study program.
• It is our duty to serve, deliver, and grow.
• This is not a popularity contest. Professionalism is Priority 1.
• Finally, we must always prepare for new expectations and needs.
Mercado, MEd, MBA

Ten Characteristics of a Successful LPA ~ L. Mercado FINAL

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