A teacher also uses an understanding of student learning gained from the classroom and the profession to inform and change a community. It is a reciprocal process. Such activities as peer coaching, publishing, conducting research, professional association activity, and collegiality are part of this Standard. ESL teachers take the initiative to develop relationships with the community to inform the community about ESL learners and learning. Such relationships can be both informal and formal.
Informal relationships can include attending ethnic community events and meeting with parents.
Formal relationships can include such things as committee service and writing articles for the newspaper. As a result of these informal and formal relationships, ESL teachers learn about learner communities and use this knowledge to guide their practice. At the same time, they seek to inform the community about the nature of second language learners and their learning. Teachers need to interact in the community of ESL teaching professionals to develop their own understandings and to share their teaching experiences. Through such activity, teachers continually develop their own knowledge and skills to improve their work in their classroom.