TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

First and foremost, teaching is about human things, that is, those attitudes, behaviors and understandings we really want students to go into the world with: tolerance of others and of ambiguity; a willingness to take risks; awareness of others' perspectives and a willingness to co-construct knowledge (even with those whose views may be antithetical to our own); trust in collaborative endeavor as well as in our unique ways of learning; a thirst for research and the confidence in being able to explore well any topic of interest; seeing and being in awe of the interconnectedness of everything. The greatest hopes for humans and our planet require pushing beyond what we already know in order to create, as Piaget said, people "capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done."

Excellent teachers must allow for such behavior and attitudes in the connections they enable their students to discover or create. Even more important that the content they have students work with, though, is the manner in which they model how the world can be. They must model these qualities in what they themselves do in the world and in the way they comport themselves at school and in the larger society. They do this by providing optimal learner space that allows students to reflect on and interact with the content and each other in meaningful dialogue. In addition, they provide a space where understanding takes precedence over showmanship and where communication is horizontal, two-way and co-constructed among everyone in class rather than a vertical, one-way transmission of knowledge from teacher to students. 

RESEACH INTERESTS

• Teacher Development
• Classroom Observation
• Listening and Language Learning
• Humanistic Approaches to Language Learning

• EDUC 100: Introduction to Language
• EDUC 157/257: TESOL Theories & Practices 
• EDUC 164/264: Introduction to Bilingual Education: Global Perspectives 
• EDUC 212: Instructional Strategies & Classroom Processes 
• EDUC 214: Supervision of Instruction

Honors and Awards

• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace and Social Justice Award, University of the Pacific,  2011
• U.S. Dept. of State (English Language Specialist Program) Fulbright Hays Act grant to be plenary speaker at TESOL Greece Convention,  Athens, 2000
• Excellence in Teaching Award, Monterey Institute of International Studies, 1999
• Joseph & Sheila Mark Faculty Professional Development Award, MIIS, 1999
• Teachers College, Columbia Univ. General Scholarship, 1985
• Phi Delta Kappa Educational Fraternity
• New Jersey State Golf Association Scholarship, 1965-1969
  
  

Professional Publications

Books and Chapters

• Oprandy, R. with Addington, R., Brown, C., & Rutter, M. (2013). Fostering Collaborative Conversations Between Pre-Service Trainees and Serving Teachers Through Supervisory Role Plays. In J. Edge & S. Mann (Editors), Innovations in Pre-Service Education and Training for English Language Teachers. London: British Council.
• Oprandy, R. (2002). A Counseling-learning perspective. In J. Edge, Continuing Cooperative Development: A discourse framework for individuals as colleagues (pp. 252-261). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Mighigan Press.
• Gebhard, J. G., & Oprandy, R. (1999). Language teaching awareness: A guide to exploring and developing beliefs and practices. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 
• Oprandy, R. (1999). Jane Jacobs: Eyes on the city. In D. Mendelsohn (Ed.), Expanding our vision: Insights for language teachers (pp. 41-59). Toronto: Oxford University Press.
• Gebhard, J. G., Gaitan, S., & Oprandy, R. (1990). Beyond prescription: The student teacher as investigator. In J. C. Richards and D. Nunan (Eds.), Second language teacher education (pp. 16-25). New York: Cambridge University Press. 
• Oprandy, R. (1994). Enriching input from a variety of sources." In J. D. Macero & V. Chesser (Eds.). Student-centered perspectives and practices (pp. 49-57). New York: New York State TESOL.
  
  

Publications in Refereed Journals

• Oprandy, R. (2015). Refashioning the Practicum by Emphasizing Attending and Reflective Skills. The CATESOL Journal, 27 (2), 101-128.
• Oprandy, R. (1994). Listening/speaking in second and foreign language teaching. System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, 22(2), 153-175.  
• Oprandy, R. (1993-94). By wheelchair to Birmingham Jail. In D. Larson (Ed.). All the rest is peanuts: An IDIOM supplement on peace education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, IDIOM, 23(4), 20-23.  
• Oprandy, R. (1987). Providing professional development activities for a part-time teaching staff. ESL in Higher Education Newsletter, 6 (2).  
• Rardin, J., & Oprandy, R. (1985). Teacher-as-listener: Listening skills through an understanding relationship. TESOL Newsletter, 19(6), 19-21. 

National & International Conference Presentations 

• "Observation, Coaching, and Supervision for Teacher Growth," TESOL Convention, Toronto, Canada, March 25, 2015.
• "Video-Based Observation of Teaching: Opportunity for Teacher Empowerment," TESOL Convention, Dallas, TX, March 20-23, 2013.  
• "Colloquium on Issues in Student Teacher Supervision," Panelist, TESOL Conventions, 1999-2010. [This colloquium ran for 12 consecutive years.]  
• "Professional Growth Through Collegial Development," Invited workshops co-taught with Dr. Julian Edge, University of Manchester, Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano (ICPNA), Lima, Peru, May 27 & 28, 2011.   "Promoting Reflective Practice Through Classroom Observation," Featured Presentation to supervisors/coordinators of language programs, Language Center, Universidad EAFIT, Medellin, Colombia, May 10, 2011.  
• "Continuing Cooperative Development-A Community of Learning Teachers," Invited workshop leader (with Julian Edge), ABLA Conference, Cali, Colombia, July 31, 2010.
• "Desiderata for Teachers as Learners," Plenary presentation, ABLA Conference, Cali, Colombia, July 30, 2010.  
• "TESOLers for Social Responsibility: Socially Responsible Immigration Policy," Panelist, TESOL Convention, Seattle, 2007.    
• "A Principled Approach to English Language Teaching," Plenary presentation, English Language Teaching Conference, Instituto Guatemalteco Americano, Xela, Guatemala, July 7, 2007.  
• "Seven Practical Paths for Expanding the ELT Repertoire," Plenary presentation, 1^st ELT Horizons Conference, Lima, Peru, July 1, 2006.  
• "Evaluating Learning Outcomes," Teacher development meeting, Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano, Lima, Peru, May 27, 2005.  
• "Connecting Our Personal and Professional Lives," Presentation, TESOL Convention, Salt Lake City, 2002.  
• "An Exploratory Approach to Language Teaching and Teacher Education," Presentation, TESOL Convention, Salt Lake City, 2002.  
• "Some Things Don't Change: Pedagogic Considerations for Any Millennium," Plenary presentation, TESOL Greece, May 21, 2000.  
• "Lingering 20^th Century Questions for the Millennial Turn," Plenary presentation, Panama TESOL, Sept. 17, 1999.  
• "Pedagogic/Personal Connections in Language Teaching," Plenary presentation, 6^th HUPE-IATEFL-TESOL Conference, Opatija, Croatia, April 25, 1998.