Advocacy for students and teachers is an important aspect of English language teaching. How can teachers advance their leadership skills through advocacy? Workshop presentation to the University of Alabama Birmingham School of Education ESL program.

1. John Segota, CAE
Assoc. Exec. Dir. for Public Policy & Professional Relations
TESOL International Association

2. David Mamet
2
“Do not internalize the industrial
model. You are not one of the myriad
interchangeable pieces, but a unique
human being, and if you’ve got
something to say, say it, and think
well of yourself while your learning to
say it better.”

3. What is advocacy?
3
According to Merriam-Webster:
• An active verbal support for a cause
or position.
• The act of advocating, or speaking
or writing, in support (of
something).

4. Why advocacy?
4
• TESOL P-12 Professional Teaching
Standards
– Domain
5:
Professionalism
• 5.a
–
ESL
Research
&
History
• 5.b
–
Professional
Development,
Partnerships,
and
Advocacy
• NBPTS ENL Standards
– IX
–
Professional
Leadership
&
Advocacy

5. Types of advocacy
5
• Self advocacy
• Case/personal advocacy
• Cause/public/issue advocacy
UNICEF
Unite
for
Children

6. Framework of advocacy
6
• Educate
• Organize
• Activate

7. Framework of advocacy for ELLs
7
• Currency
• Defensibility
• Futurity
Herrera & Murry (1999)

8. Knowledge is credibility
8
• Facts – focus - issues
• Policies & procedures
• Options
• Document

9. Issues
9
• What are the issues at your school?
• What are the issues in your
community?
• What is happening at the state level
that might affect your students?
• What is happening nationally that may
affect your students?

10. Rights
10
• Laws – Local, State, Federal
• Contracts
• Rules & Policies
• Preferences & Social Expectations

11. Understanding the wider context
11
ELL
EducaDon
Nega4ve
forces
Posi4ve
forces

12. Understanding the root causes
12
No
ESL
instrucDon

13. Networks
13
• Who do I know?
– Personal
networks
– Professional
networks
• What resources do
they have?
• Who do they know?

14. Networks
14
Self

15. Stakeholders
15
• Group 1 – Directly impacted
• Group 2 – Decision makers
• Group 3 – Local groups
• Group 4 – National /
International groups

16. How many Fs?
16
Americans of all ages, all stations in life, and all types
of dispositions are forever forming associations. They
are not only commercial and industrial associations in
which all take part, but others of a thousand different
types – religious, moral, serious, futile, very general and
very limited, immensely large and immensely minute.
Americans combine to give fetes, found seminaries,
build churches, distribute books, and send missionaries
to the antipodes. Hospitals, prisons, and schools take
shape in that way. Finally, if they want to proclaim a
truth or propagate some feeling by the encouragement
of a great example, they form an association.

17. How many Fs?
17
Americans of all ages, all stations in life, and all types
of dispositions are forever forming associations. They
are not only commercial and industrial associations in
which all take part, but others of a thousand different
types – religious, moral, serious, futile, very general and
very limited, immensely large and immensely minute.
Americans combine to give fetes, found seminaries,
build churches, distribute books, and send missionaries
to the antipodes. Hospitals, prisons, and schools take
shape in that way. Finally, if they want to proclaim a
truth or propagate some feeling by the encouragement
of a great example, they form an association.

18. Advocacy Road Map
18
1. Current Challenge – Section A
– What
is
your
reality?
– What
is
your
problem?
– What
is
happening?
2. Ideal Solution – Section E
– What
does
the
future
look
like?
– What
is
your
vision?
– Where
do
you
want
to
go?

19. Advocacy Road Map
19
3. Root of the problem – Section B
– What
creates
your
problems?
– Who
is
responsible?
– Why
is
it
happening?
4. Enablers of the future – Section D
– What
will
help
you
reach
your
goals?
– What
needs
to
happen?
– What
tools
or
strategies
will
help?

20. Advocacy Road Map
20
6. How to achieve it – Section C
– How
will
you
bridge
the
two
sides?
– What
needs
to
be
done
to
get
from
one
point
to
the
other?

21. Dr. Haim Ginott
21
"I've come to a frightening conclusion that I am
the decisive element in the classroom. It's my
personal approach that creates the climate. It's
my daily mood that makes the weather. As a
teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make
a child's life miserable or joyous. … In all
situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis will be escalated or de-
escalated and a child is humanized or
dehumanized.”

22. More information
22
http://www.slideshare.net
@JohnSegota
jsegota@tesol.org