This presentation outlines a framework for motivating language teachers developed by Dörnyei and Kubanyiova (2014) which highlights the concept of vision as a powerful motivational force for change and development. Vision-based strategies in the form of specific activities that can be used by teachers and teacher educators will be featured.

1. Ideal Teacher Selves:
Motivating Language Teachers
through the Power of Vision
Glen Poupore
Minnesota State University, Mankato

2. ‘Man on Wire’ Trailer
Be ready to explain the following:
Describe the details of the event that is the
focus of the documentary.
Explain what you think are some of the
underlying messages of the documentary.

4. Philippe Petit

5. What is vision?
Personal Vision
Future State
Ideal Self
Desire for Change
Not just a goal
Imagery
Emotions
Conditions

6. Language Teacher Development
and the Need for Vision
Teacher
Education
Programs
Transformed
Teaching
Practices
High Stress
Levels
Enforced
Curricula
Fear
of Failure

7. A Framework for Motivating
Language Teachers through Vision
Maintaining
and Guarding
the Vision
Creating or
re-creating
the Vision
Dornyei & Kubanyiova, 2014

8. Creating
the
Vision
Who am I
currently?
Why am I a
teacher?
What is the
vision?
How can I be
aware of
the gap?
“When the soul wishes to experience something, she throws an image
of the experience out before her and enters into her own image.”
Eckhart von Hochheim (1260-1327)

9. Guarding
the
Vision
External
Pressures
Adversity
Visualization
Techniques
Support
Groups
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

10. Creating
the
Vision
Who am I
currently?
Why am I a
teacher?
What is the
Vision?
How can I be
aware of
the gap?
Activity:
Finding your Bliss
Activity:
What’s important
to you about
language teaching?
Peer Observation
Self-Observation
Student Feedback
Guided Imagery
Exercises

11. Finding Your Bliss
• What are you good at?
• What kind of achievements in the past have earned
you positive feedback?
• What would family, colleagues, and friends say are
your best strengths?
• If you were allowed to highlight three of your
strengths, what would these be?
• What are your passions?
• What do you really enjoy?
• What can you get really enthusiastic about?
Quickly write down answers to the 3 questions in bold.
Then reflect on how these are reflected in your own teaching.
Then share your answers with a partner. Prepare to share your partner’s answers.

12. What’s important to you
about language teaching?
• Make a list of 10 things.
• Relate each item on your list to one or more of the
following: teaching, learning, language, learners,
yourself, or something else.
• Share the list and your connections with a partner. What
are the commonalities between you and your partner?
Prepare to share these commonalities.
• Journal Writing Reflection Prompts

13. References & Recommendations
• Dörnyei, Z., & Kubanyiova, M. (2014). Motivating
learners, motivating teachers: Building vision in the
language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
• Kubanyiova, M. (2012). Teacher development in
action: Understanding language teachers' conceptual
change. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Hadfield, J., & Dornyei, Z. (2013). Motivating
learning. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Where there is a vision, there is a way!

14. Creating
the
Vision
Who am I
currently?
Why am I a
teacher?
What is the
Vision?
How can I be
aware of
the gap?

15. Guarding
the
Vision
External
Pressures
Adversity
Visualization
Techniques
Support
Groups