STATUS OF THE NONNATIVE-ENGLISH-SPEAKING TEACHER

ERIC Identifier: ED470982
Publication Date: 2002-12-00
Author: Maum, Rosie
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics Washington DC



NNESTS is nonactive English Teacher

STRENGTHS OF NNESTS

Phillipson (1996) considers NNESTs to be potentially the ideal ESL teachers because
they have gone through the process of acquiring English as an additional language.
They have first-hand experience in learning and using a second language, and their
personal experience has sensitized them to the linguistic and cultural needs of their
students. Many NNESTs, especially those who have the same first language as their
students, have developed a keen awareness of the differences between English and
their students' mother tongue. This sensitivity gives them the ability to anticipate their
students' linguistic problems.

CHALLENGES FOR NNESTS

Accent
Credibility in the Workplace

SOLUTION

speakers of other languages, approved the formation of the NNEST Caucus. (In this
context, NNEST stands for nonnative English speakers in TESOL.) This recognition has
given nonnative teachers more visibility in the profession and has helped create a
professional environment for all TESOL members, regardless of native language and
place of birth (NNEST Caucus Web site, n.d.).
In the last few years, universities in the United States have seen a large influx of
NNESTs into their masters-level TESOL programs (Matsuda, 1999). In order to meet
the needs of these students, some programs have begun to include issues of concern
and interest to NNESTs in the curriculum. A major advantage to this approach is that it
gives NNESTs a voice in their program and provides opportunities for native and
nonnative English speakers to learn from each other (Kamhi-Stein, Lee, & Lee, 1999).
At some universities, native- and nonnative-English-speaking teachers collaborate with
each other, focusing on and sharing their particular strengths. Matsuda and Matsuda
(2001) describe a study conducted with two native- and two nonnative-English-speaking
graduate teaching assistants who were teaching a composition course for first-year ESL
students while taking a practicum course on teaching ESL writing. They shared online
journal entries to address various teaching issues--discussing problems in second
language writing, reflecting on their own development and teaching practices, sharing
teaching ideas and information, and providing moral support for each other. By sharing
their strengths and insights from their various linguistic, cultural, and educational
backgrounds, the graduate students found that they benefited and grew professionally
both as individuals and as a group.