Page 25 - ELG2005 Jul Issue 471

THOUGHT LEADER . FEATURES & COMMENT

Taking a holistic SIT experience.
SIT’s response to the global
Covid-19 pandemic
“School for International Training has
approach to teacher education faced perhaps the greatest challenge in
its nearly 90-year history as a result of
the pandemic. In March, with graduate
and undergraduate programs across all
Dr Sophia Howlett of the School for International seven continents, we found ourselves
racing to repatriate 920 students as
Training, Vermont, in conversation with Ron Ragsdale
SIT graduates countries began sealing their borders
and grounding commercial flights —
Your university education was in the I resigned my permanency and took over Second, I am fascinated by the movement future – particularly focusing on study from the four-year degree, whereas a sometimes with less than 24 hours’
UK and focussed on English Literature. Civic Education Project Ukraine, spent an from bilingual education to plurilingualism. plurilingualism – makes us the most exciting student from another country may have a notice — stranding hundreds of our
How did you get involved in Education amazing second year there and then was in I’ve seen this as a conversation in the institution to study with now. real depth of study from their BA. students abroad.
Management, particularly in an Russia. Whilst in Russia, I saw the European Union. SIT is at the forefront of Finally, let’s talk about the present day. Many graduate degrees also lack a global “SIT and World Learning faculty
international context? opportunity to have an even bigger impact this conversation in the United States and The SIT approach fosters each of our dimension – there are few or no places for a stepped up in an unprecedented show
t’s surprising how many English Lit across the entire post-communist region I’m so excited to see how it will play out here. students holistically. It takes them from non-native speaker to interject different of support for this effort, working far
outside their job descriptions and
graduates you find in higher education through work with Central European where they are when they join us to where knowledge or understandings. SIT Graduate around the clock to make sure our
management! I like to think it’s because University, which was then an entirely new they want to be – rather than trying to Institute is intentionally global in substance
Iwe are great at analysing a situation university set up by George Soros in SIT Graduate mechanise the learning process by providing and nature and welcomes diversity of input students were safe, housed and fed in-
country, and booked on outbound
(everything is a text to be “read”) and Budapest, Hungary. a one-size-fits-all educational approach. We and experience. And if it’s not there, we flights as soon as they became
providing a structured critique. We also tend Institute is are incredibly proud of our attention and welcome students getting involved to ensure available.
to be good at understanding the motives and You are relatively new to working for intentionally global in commitment to each student’s personal it is a genuinely global cultural learning “Since bringing our students safely
thinking of those around us. Both strengths an institution that plays a significant learning trajectory. experience. home, we have turned our full attention
are vital in managing a campus. role within the ELT industry. What has substance and nature to the new set of challenges at hand,
But I got involved in management when I surprised you, in terms of ELT training How easy is it for non-native speakers How important is research on what transitioning students from immersive,
realised that I was not comfortable with compared to other educational and welcomes to succeed in the US graduate school happens in the classroom, in terms of field-based experiences to an online
remaining in my classroom or in the library disciplines? diversity of input and environment? how teachers are trained at SIT? learning platform.
when our department or faculty, or even First, I think the way ELT encompasses such We have always placed language studies Research is an important source of new ideas, “SIT is pursuing creative ways to
university, was not being managed well. If I a wide audience, with very different interests experience. together with culture because inevitably this is but it is one source only. Cultivating an maintain our signature programming at
could see a problem I wanted to solve it. and needs that somehow come together a two-fold problem. Yes, of course you need a attitude of inquiry and reflection is critical to this very challenging moment. Our SIT
I spent the first 15 years of my career trying around a passion for teaching English certain level of English to succeed, though this ongoing personal and professional Graduate Institute semester began on 1
to balance my love of scholarship with my Language. ELT trainees can be teachers in Why would you encourage English can also depend on the nature of the subject. development. It is important also to tap into June, but because we are unable to
desire to improve my working environment – US schools; they can work for refugee centers language teachers looking to study for SIT Graduate Institute specialises in more people’s lived experiences. It is critical to offer our usual face-to-face seminars for
trying to decide which one I really wanted to in the US; they can work all over the world a master’s degree to consider SIT? applied disciplines, which are inevitably more consider both emic and etic perspectives. low-residency students on the Vermont
do. In the end, I realised I was only going to through the federal government, with We are the history of the field and we are the supportive for non-native speakers. But the campus, summer courses are fully
be happy doing both. So, now I spend my individual national governments, for future of our field. Our history brings us an US educational experience – the higher What is the most important message online and extended for two weeks, to
time off from management activities doing universities or just as independent lovers of alumni network and a depth of experience education culture – is also very important. you would give to teachers working end on 28 August. Decisions are still
research in my field. I have a book coming international education. second to none, and our commitment to the For instance, US students have a breadth of with English language learners? pending about fall starts for our global
out this year, in fact. Be advocates. Be patient. Learning another master’s degree programs, which take
The international element came later. I language takes time. Don't do for learners
was looking for a sabbatical opportunity. I what they can do for themselves – in the place in SIT centers around the world.
“Finally, we have enhanced two of
had been made a permanent faculty member words of Gattegno. At the same time, it is our graduate-level scholarship
in the UK very early in my career (I was 27) important to be in a position to offer opportunities for Peace Corps
and so decided to take a year out and do JARED C. BENEDICT/WIKICOMMONS cognitive shortcuts and approaches to the volunteers forced to repatriate this year
some giving back before looking for the next learning task in a brain-friendly manner. due to the coronavirus. These
opportunity to move my academic career scholarships reflect SIT’s foundational
forward. How important do you think partnership with the Peace Corps
I found an organisation called Civic neuroscience will be in further
Education Project, set up by Yale and Oxford language acquisition research? dating back to 1964.”

with funding from George Soros, which was Learning about how the brain functions can Kate Casa, Director of
sending professors to post-communist be helpful, but learning another language is Communications, SIT
countries to help universities and students far from a purely cognitive process.
through a very complicated transition process. Complexity and Dynamic Systems Theory
For example, imagine being in a Russian offers a much richer research agenda. For Dr Sophia Howlett
university teaching economics, which quite a few years now, researchers have been is President of the
necessarily was primarily Marxist-Leninist pushing for a social and multilingual School for
economics, and suddenly every single class approach in second language acquisition. International
you’ve been teaching, every single book in the Training in
library, is either irrelevant or belongs to a What is your message to practicing Brattleboro,
History of Economic Thought program! teachers thinking of furthering their Vermont, USA. She
I signed up and was sent to Ukraine. There professional development with a holds a PhD in
was so much interest from Ukrainian master’s degree? European Renaissance Philosophy and
colleagues and students to engage globally, A master's degree is important for teachers Literature from York University, UK, and a
and for new approaches to learning who want to improve and deepen their BA in English Literature from Cambridge
(introducing student-centred learning, for practice, serve their students more effectively University. She has extensive international
example) that at the end of my year I was just and avoid their own burnout. It is a experience in more than 40 countries.
not ready to go home. The International Building at SIT, Vermont wonderfully stimulating intellectual

24 July 2020 editorial@elgazette.com 25