How long have you been a teacher?

1. On the sheets provided PLEASE write YOUR answers /thoughts in response to the following questions / statements. How long have you been a teacher? What subjects have you taught? How long have you been an ESL teacher? What has been your best experience in ESL Teaching? What first interested you in ESL teaching? List things you love about your job? What things make your job easier? List some things that make your job harder? As an ESL teacher, what is frustrating for you?

2. What role does being flexible play in supporting students as an ESL teacher? How / why is it important to provide support for your students, teachers and parents? What resources do you need to do your job more effectively? How does the ESL student’s status effect your ability to work with newcomer students (status meaning: landed immigrant, refuge, perm res., etc. How do you imagine your job as an ESL teacher changing if all supports and resources were in place?

3. Identify the deficiencies that that make it difficult to do your best work? As an ESL teacher, what specific resources do you feel are needed for teachers to support ESL students in the classroom? As an ESL teacher, what specific resources do you feel are needed for teachers to support ESL parents of your students? Are there communication issues between you and the classroom teacher? How could this communication be improved to empower both teachers to do their jobs better?

4. Asking Appreciative Questions Ap-pre’ci-ate (verb):valuing; the act of recognizing the best in people or the world around us; affirming past and present strengths, successes, In-quire’ (kwir) (verb): the act of exploration and discovery to ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities. • Understand What Is! • Imagine What Could Be! • Create What Will Be!

5. Just on the Open Space Tip

6. Open Space Technology Four key principles: 1) Whoever attends are the right people. 2) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have. 3) Whenever it starts is the right time. 4) When it is over it is over.

7. The Law of Two Feet: The principle of The Law of Two Feet: Simply states "If you find yourself in a situation/conversation where you aren't learning or contributing, go somewhere else." This includes the possibility of moving to another level of awareness and participation, as well as the more obvious condition of moving to another location. This law causes some participants to flit from activity to activity. Owen rejoices in such people, calling them bumblebees because they cross-pollinate all the workshops. He also celebrates participants who use The Law of Two Feet to go off and sit by themselves. He dubs them butterflies, because they create quiet centers of non-action for stillness, beauty, novelty or random conversations to be born.

8. Open Space TechnologyHas No … No keynote speakers… No pre-announced workshop schedules… No panel discussions… No organizational booths...

9. Open Space Structure • Anyone can initiate a conference discussion or activity. • That person simply writes it down on a large sheet of paper in big letters. • Stands up and announces it to the group. • Select a pre-established times & places and post their proposed conversation question on a ‘wall of conversation’. • Whoever wants to, announces and posts their initial offering. This is what Owen calls "the village marketplace.” • Participants mill around the wall of posting conversation pieces putting together their personal schedules for the remainder of the conference. • The first meetings begin immediately or upon facilitators go.

10. Founder Of Open Space Technology Harrison Owen – Multimillionaire Texas Businessman Owen Speaks About How Open Space Happened

11. Open Space Structure So lets, get in a circle, fill the bulletin board and go to work!