Language Teacher Education Courses Research Articles

When big ideas meet critical thinking in lesson study: Insights from a pre-service language teacher education course

This article reports a classroom-based inquiry in which a group of pre-service language teachers were guided to engage in a lesson study project focusing on the incorporation of the framework of big ideas into language teaching. Specifically, the study zooms in on the student teachers’ exercise and development of critical thinking (CT) through the lesson study process. Relying on data from semi-structured interviews and classroom artifacts, the findings reveal that the introduction of big ideas in lesson study served as a crucial knowledge base for the participants’ pedagogical sense-making, thus contributing to their CT. The process of lesson study, characterized by a progressive structure, tailored scaffolding, and constructive feedback, also facilitated their development of CT skills and dispositions, which in turn contributed to their understanding and application of the big idea framework within the lesson study process. While the participants encountered some negative feelings in the process (e.g. due to the competitive atmosphere brought by the ‘same topic and different design’ arrangement), they tried to turn such emotions into a stimulating source for their CT growth and professional learning. In light of the research results, pedagogical implications for teaching and teacher education were put forward in the end.

Probing pre-service language teachers’ emotional experiences through lesson study: a Macau study

ABSTRACT The present study investigates the emotional experiences of seven student teachers through the process of lesson study in a pre-service language teacher education course at a university in Macau. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews, individual reflections, and observational notes, the study reveals a variety of emotions experienced by the participants at different stages of the lesson study, including group lesson planning, micro-teaching, and collaborative and individual reflections. These different emotions served as a rich source of agency and activism for the student teachers, who developed both cognitively and emotionally in this process. In light of these findings, the paper calls for teacher educators to incorporate lesson study as a cognitively and emotionally contested site for pre-service teachers‘ professional learning. Different emotions and their regulation strategies should be considered for open discussion and explicit instruction in second language teacher education programmes. Research attention should be especially directed towards emotional dissonance among different participants (e.g., student teachers and teacher educators) in teacher education programmes.

Teacher learners theorizing from practice: A case of the concept of learner engagement in interactive second language learning tasks

This study investigated second language (L2) teacher learners' abilities to theorize from practice and their perceptions of this theorizing experience. Fifty-four L2 teacher learners completed a theorizing task probing for their conceptualization of ‘learner engagement’. Focus-group interviews were later conducted with 17 participants. Findings show that the teacher learners were able to generate their theories of learner engagement, which strongly aligned with expert conceptualizations. Notably, their personal theory was formed by their personal practical knowledge (PPK), including knowledge of the subject matter, instruction, and contexts. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of guiding L2 teacher learners to theorize from practice and suggest a framework for L2 teacher educators to promote theorizing within language teacher education courses.

Developing language teacher identity through photo‐elicitation in TESOL teacher education

AbstractThis feature article introduces the use of photo elicitation as a reflection technique for TESOL teacher education to explore the connection between emotions and language teacher identity (LTI). In current TESOL teacher education, there is limited knowledge about how to integrate the discussion of emotions and LTI into language teacher education courses and how to engage students in this discussion intentionally and effectively. To address this gap, the authors advocate for the use of an alternative approach—photo‐elicitation—to further enrich the reflection techniques that can be used to encourage teacher candidates to discuss and construct LTI through their emotional experiences. The article includes a series of tasks that can be used in TESOL teacher education courses to engage teacher candidates in reflecting upon their emotional experiences and making the connection to their LTI construction.

Dialogical experiences in, for, and from technologically mediated contexts in teacher education

This work proposes an analysis of pedagogical experiences developed in the context of university teacher education in dialogue with two different chronotopes: habitual face-to-face teaching modality and exceptional non-face-to-face teaching modality due to the COVID lockdown. We consider here two cases of Language and Literature teacher education courses in two universities in Argentina. Both experiences share the search for an equitable, dialogical interaction, in which there is a recovery of the students’ opinions and criteria for the progressive and collaborative elaboration of knowledge. From a qualitative perspective, we resorted to autoethnographic narratives elaborated by the responsible teaching teams of the courses. In the approach we propose, there is a dialogue among different elements of our inquiry: a dialogue between the conceptions that we assume as teachers and researchers about teaching in face-to-face and virtual environments; a dialogue between the conceptualizations and concrete teaching-decisions; between the contexts of performance and the possibilities offered by virtuality; between the pedagogical experiences and the narratives; between the records and other materials that allow us to reconstitute these experiences; and between our voices and the voices of students and graduates who give us back evaluations and sustain the continuity of the dialogue. The analysis accounts for the definition of different chronotopes in the experiences and moments addressed. In both cases, the differences observed respond to contextual factors, particularities of the courses and the previous experiences that the teaching teams have had with ICT. Beyond the above-mentioned differences, for the exceptional non-face-to-face proposals, a greater stability in the proposed sequences and in the dynamics involved is observed in the two experiences, which seeks to generate greater predictability.

Integrating Short Stories into English Language Teaching: What English Teacher Educators Say about It?

Although prior studies have shown the pedagogical potential of short stories in language learning, only a few studies have investigated English teacher educators' perceptions and experiences with short stories in initial language teacher education courses. This narrative study aims to investigate how short stories are integrated into English language teaching in a teaching education institution. Empirical data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with three English teacher educators. This study used member-checking to ensure the validity of the data. Four steps were used to analyze the data in this study: 1) compiling, 2) disassembling, 3) reassembling, and 4) interpreting. Findings showed that the integration of short stories was carried out in two ways. First, short stories were used as teaching materials in extensive reading courses in the second semester. Second, short stories were used as the basis for creating learning activities. Eight classroom activities were identified from English teacher educators’ stories. Three challenges were encountered by English teacher educators in integrating short stories into English language learning, such as finding the “right” short stories, students' low interest in reading the short stories, and limited facilities and time to execute the planned activity. Generally, the findings imply that the selection of short stories appears to be an essential element, and if English teacher educators can successfully overcome the challenges they encounter, the integration process can be smoothly conducted. Hopefully, future studies will provide ways for teachers to select the right stories and develop learning activities based on the stories chosen.

Nurturing Teachers’ Research Mindset in an Inquiry‐Based Language Teacher Education Course

AbstractThis study investigates the impact of an inquiry‐based teacher education course in nurturing second language (L2) teachers’ research mindset, defined herein as their cognition and action toward research. One hundred and thirty pre‐ and in‐service L2 teachers of various nationalities participated in a teacher education course on instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) at an Australian university. The course was designed following an inquiry‐based approach, with course activities focused on promoting teacher learners’ curiosity about ISLA issues and their engagement both with and in research. Data were collected before, during, and after course participation, using a precourse survey, written reflections, and focus group interviews. Findings revealed that the inquiry‐based course activities enabled the teacher learners to adopt a stronger research mindset. They were able to articulate the importance of research for teaching practice and gained firsthand experience as well as increased confidence in conducting research. They also showed inclination toward research‐informed teaching and were keen to maintain their newly established favorable relationship with research, despite acknowledging concerns about their future actual research engagement, mostly due to time constraint and lack of institutional support. These findings suggest implications for nurturing language teachers’ research mindset within L2 teacher education courses.

Pedagogija stranog jezika struke - razvijanje najvažnijih stručnih kompetencija putem masovnog otvorenog internet kursa za nastavnike stranih jezika

Although MOOCs dedicated to the teaching and learning of languages - Language MOOCs known as LMOOCs in the published literature - have gained popularity since 2008, this is not the case for language teacher education courses which are still rarely delivered in the form of MOOCs. Unsurprisingly, very little is therefore known about the effectiveness of such courses for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and initial language teacher education. To fill this gap, a study was carried out based on a MOOC addressing the needs of current and prospective teachers of languages for specific purposes, which was designed by the consortium of the Erasmus+-funded CATAPULT project in 2019, and which has been run three times since its launch. The present study aims to probe the reactions of participants on the MOOC in terms of its usefulness and how it matched their reasons for joining. It is based on post-course surveys administered to course participants (n=50) as well as on feedback provided by instructors and on focus-group interviews with Teaching Assistants (n=4), whose role was to support instructors in providing feedback and comments in the third iteration of the course. Data analysis shows that if course participants' overall satisfaction has grown steadily between season 1 and season 3 of the course, it is partly because their initial objectives have been revised along the way. We also show that, from a MOOC designer's perspective, a combination of the xMOOC and cMOOC models seems to be relevant for any language teacher education MOOC and that creative solutions exist to address the issue of sufficient instructor presence in such online courses, however open and massive they may be.

Engaging pre-service EFL teachers in reflection through video-mediated team micro-teaching and guided discussions

ABSTRACT This study investigates pre-service teachers’ engagement in reflection and reflective practice through video-recorded microteaching sessions. Using multiple qualitative tools (i.e. field notes, peer feedback, focus group discussions), we conducted a case study with 34 EFL pre-service teachers performing microteaching as part of a compulsory language teacher education course at a state university in southwestern Turkey, i.e. Burdur province. Analysed through thematic analysis, the data showed that watching their own video-recorded sessions with guided focus group discussions proved itself useful to involve them in reflection on their practices and notice several issues, which they did not perceive beforehand. Furthermore, developing critical insights into their practices, most participants were observed to make changes in their future practices, e.g. classroom language, time management, choice, and conduct of activities. Building on the theoretical research into the use of videos in microteaching for purposes of reflection and reflective practice, this study shows that using video-recorded sessions with follow-up group discussions is useful for helping pre-service teachers to engage in reflection and critical thinking.

‘We teach, we record, we edit, and we reflect’: Engaging pre-service language teachers in video-based reflective practice

The significance of reflective practice (RP) has been widely recognized in both general education and language education. The past years have witnessed an exponential growth of studies in examining how technology can be utilized to promote teachers’ RP and video-based RP has been extensively reported as a powerful tool for teacher learning in many educational contexts. While existing literature has documented the potential benefits that student teachers may reap from video-based RP, there is a lack of attention to the complex interplay between the process of their RP and the contextual factors in their situated learning environment. This article reports on a study which aims to promote video-based RP among student teachers in a pre-service language teacher education course in Hong Kong. Drawing on data from post-course interviews with and the videoed reflection of six student teachers, the study uncovered the complex and dynamic process of the student teachers’ video-based RP. This article offers practical implications for language teachers, teacher educators and school leaders on how to promote RP in second language teacher education.

The Teacher’s Role in Telecollaborative Language Learning: The Case of Institutional Integrated Teletandem

ABSTRACT Teletandeem is a model of telecollaboration in which pairs of speakers of different languages meet virtually and regularly in order to learn each other’s language. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pedagogical implications of integrating teletandem into the foreign language syllabus, focusing on the professor’s dual role: teaching English in regular face-to-face lessons and mediating virtual autonomous and collaborative learning in teletandem. Learning diaries, produced by EFL students from a Language Teacher Education course, were collected during eight weeks of an institutional integrated teletandem project between a Brazilian and a British university. Our analysis focused on the teacher’s role in mediating foreign language learning both in the classroom and through the learning diaries. We present evidence on what the professor does so that teletandem practice can contribute to language learning in the classroom and, by the same token, how EFL lessons can aid in autonomous telecollaborative learning.

Inclusive practices and policies in language teacher education courses

ABSTRACT The current legislation regulating basic education in Brazil (Brasil, 2013) and the inclusion of students with specific educational needs in regular schools (Brasil, 2015) warrant some reflections on the discourses and actions in the field of language teacher education. We have observed that the implementation of inclusive practices in Brazilian schools has been a time-consuming process as it implies not only changes in public policies, but also - and maybe primarily - several kinds of transformation in educational contexts. Considering the broad spectrum of students’ specific educational needs, given the innumerable types of pathologies and their nuances, as well as keeping in mind the assumption that teachers can only create some space for inclusive practices in the classroom if their education is based on critical, autonomous, and informed thinking (Celani, 2010), we consider it to be essential to explore the language teacher education landscape. It seems important to highlight that our understanding of inclusive practices is related to the process of identifying and reflecting on what social-affective, ethical, and pedagogical changes are needed, not only providing accessibility and architectural changes as is usually done. However, this perspective still requires some debate on the language teacher education courses in our country. In this paper, we discuss the inclusive practices, programs, and studies carried out at three Brazilian universities: Federal University of Paraíba, State University of Londrina, and Federal University of Uberlândia. Our aim is to analyze the way inclusive matters have been or can be incorporated into the pedagogical project, the teacher practicum, and/or the individual projects of teacher educators in the institutions mentioned in this paper.

Voicing beliefs and dilemmas from WE- and ELF-aware reflective teacher education contexts

Abstract – The social fragmentation processes due to the recent tidal migration flows, together with the diffusion of technologies and social networks, have created new sociolinguistic environments where languages are undergoing a transformative process. As a result of increasing global mobility, the sociolinguistic reality of English, and its different realisations have become much more complex and controversial than those of other languages in the world. Issues of identity, standards, proficiency levels, intercultural communication and language relevance for English language learners and teachers, demand for a paradigmatic orientation and a reconsideration of the English curriculum, teacher education, research and classroom practice. Language teacher education is a field where, according to local contexts and to pedagogical traditions, different theoretical frameworks are being used, specific approaches adopted, course components differently combined, and teachers’ and trainers’ espoused theories and beliefs about English are often challenged. The purpose of this presentation is to describe and discuss a World English (WE) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)-aware approach embedded in English language teacher education courses in Italy. The adoption of such an approach elicited teachers’ awareness of changes occurring in the current status of English and induced a reflective perspective on the implications of teaching it within a moveable scenario where English teaching traditions are often challenged. The relevance of this approach will be discussed and teachers’ voices from three teacher education courses will be reported as representative of emerging dilemmas and a shift in perspective.

The Predictability of Iranian EFL Teachers’ Emotional Quotient (EQ) with Their Job Satisfaction

As teacher education and teacher related issues are under the attention in the past decade in second language (L2) teaching /learning; this research investigated the predictability of Iranian EFL teachers’ emotional quotient (EQ) with their job satisfaction. To this end, 90 EFL teachers at English language institutes in Tehran province were selected as the participants. The needed data was gathered by the use of two standardized questionnaires (filled by the participants): EQ and teacher job satisfaction questionnaires. First of all, the normality of the gathered data was checked through using SPSS version 23. Then, the Spearman coefficient of correlation was used to find whether there is any relationship between the participants’ EQ and job satisfaction. The results proved the two variables had a statistically significant and positive correlation with each other. In the next step, the researchers opted for the multiple regression analysis to achieve the research objective. The present study was a quasi-Experimental including a cause and effect design. The predictor was the independent variable (EQ) and the predicted one was the dependent variable (job satisfaction). The findings illustrated a statistically significant and positive predictability of Iranian EFL teachers’ EQ with their job satisfaction. The results of the present research would be useful for second language teacher education courses. It was proven that, since teachers’ EQ can control their job satisfaction, the findings of the present paper could be beneficial in teacher training issues and teacher education.

Developing multilingual pedagogies and research through language study and reflection

ABSTRACTGlobalisation and increased transnational migration underscore the need for educational responses to multilingualism and multilingual discourses. One way to heighten awareness of multilingual pedagogies (while simultaneously providing data for multilingual research) is the use of reflective language study and journaling by language educators/researchers. The purpose of this collaborative autoethnography, which focuses on the United States, is to demonstrate how this can be accomplished in language teacher education courses to help raise awareness and interest of how to capitalise on students’ linguistic and cultural resources. Data for this study included three participant/researcher journals and observational notes from collaborative discussions among researcher/participants about the lived experiences of multilingual language educators as they studied a new language and wrote about their experiences. Findings reveal possibilities for future research in cross-linguistic transfer as well as the teaching of multilingual pedagogies and issues of social justice as it relates to multilingual education.

Gêneros em práticas escolares de linguagens: currículo e formação do professor

Resumo:O trabalho didático de recontextualização dos gêneros textuais para aulas de Língua Portuguesa, realizado por professores em formação inicial, em disciplinas de estágio supervisionado obrigatório da Licenciatura em Letras, é tomado como objeto de investigação. Focalizamos algumas tentativas de inovação de práticas de escrita propostas para alunos do Ensino Fundamental. Esta pesquisa está situada nos estudos indisciplinares da Linguística Aplicada e configura-se como um estudo de caso. Considerando a expressiva escolarização dos gêneros na escola, apresentamos uma unidade didática como instrumento orientador do planejamento pedagógico, o que foi realizado a partir de uma proposta sistêmico-funcional do circuito curricular baseado em gênero.

Reflective Teacher Supervision Through Videos of Classroom Teaching

<p>The main objective of this paper is to briefly present roles of different teacher supervisors according to distinct models, highlighting the importance of collaborative dialogues supported by video recordings. This paper will present results from a qualitative study of an English as a foreign language teacher education course in Brazil. The results indicated that collaborative supervision was an efficient tool to address adversities within educational contexts and that student teachers who observed their pedagogical actions through videos became more reflective and self-evaluative, as they provided a deeper analysis regarding their practice. With collaborative supervision, teacher candidates can be encouraged to recognize and understand the complexities of language learning and teaching both locally and globally.</p><p>El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar diferentes roles de profesor supervisor según modelos distintos y destacar la importancia de diálogos colaborativos con apoyo de grabaciones de video. Para lograrlo, se muestran resultados de un estudio cualitativo desarrollado en un curso de formación de profesores de inglés como lengua extranjera en Brasil. Los resultados indicaron que la supervisión colaborativa fue eficiente frente a la adversidad de contextos educativos. Se concluyó que los estudiantes-profesores que observaron sus acciones pedagógicas a través de videos se volvieron más reflexivos y lograron autoevaluarse, ya que hacían un profundo análisis de su práctica. Con supervisión colaborativa, se alienta a futuros profesores a reconocer y comprender las complejidades de la enseñanza y aprendizaje local y globalmente.</p>

“교사인가 도우미인가?”: 영어 비정규직 교사의 정체성 연구*

This study delves into the temporary English teachers’ identities through at their reflective journals and interviews, grounded on Norton’s (2000, 2013) and Wenger’s (1998) conceptions of identity. In taking second/foreign language teacher education course at a TESOL MA program, 16 teachers’ reflective journals and interviews were analyzed qualitatively for emergent themes, in terms of the three modes of belonging in identity formation (Wenger, 1998). The analysis revealed that the participants represented the identities of the controller, the diverse teaching program participant. the teaching activity sharer, the negative future dreamer, and the language expert. Moreover, most of the participants, as non-regular teachers, concerned themselves about their future career as part-timer. To empower non-regular teachers’ voices, this study discussed and suggested how to strengthen temporary teachers’ identity for their professional development.

Exploring Iranian EFL Teachers’ Perceptions on Supervision

Observation is a powerful tool for assessing and monitoring a teacher's progress. Used well, it can also be a way to support teachers, because observation gives such a detailed picture and enables very specific objectives to be set. Observation and giving feedback are very complex skills, which need training and practice. It seems important no research devoted on Iranian EFL teachers’ perception of being observed during their teaching. The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of EFL teachers concerning being observed during teaching by a supervisor. A reliable and validated questionnaire for teachers (N= 34) and semi structured interview was used to collect data on perceptions of EFL teachers concerning observations during teaching by a supervisor. The collected data were carefully recorded in SPSS files and analyzed using frequencies, descriptive statistics, and inferential tests. The overall finding of the survey showed that teachers in those observations tried to please their supervisors and ensure supervisors that they adhere to the program policy because they were worried about the consequences of getting the ‘unsatisfactory’ rating by supervisors and even being fired. Further analyses and interview findings indicate that teachers sometimes feel that they are not being sufficiently challenged, and that the observation and feedback is only superficial. Moreover, they believe many observers almost automatically look for things to criticize and also bad practices in observing cause them great problems and damage their confidence. This study's findings contribute to a better understanding of the role of supervision in EFL classes and teachers’ attitude towards it. Additionally, some useful implications are proposed based on research findings for the conduct of teaching practice on pre-service language teacher education courses in Iran and more generally; suggestions for future research are also discussed.

A Study of Online English Language Teacher Education Programmes in Distance Education Context in Pakistan

Technology-based initiatives have transformed the process of teaching and learning activities at formal institutions generally and distance education institutions particularly. Distance education is at the heart of the digital age making maximum use of the emerging technologies. Researchers have favoured computer mediated communications (CMC) for improving the quality of teacher education in developing countries by providing access to more and better educational resources. The researchers designed a CMC-ELT blended model and offered online English language teacher education courses at post-graduate level. A group of students enrolled in MA TEFL programme of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Islamabad Pakistan, was selected randomly and was guided through CMC-ELT blended model. The results of the study showed that the online support in distance education enhanced students’ performance in terms of access, interaction and cost. The effective use of online support in distance education can improve the quality of English language teaching programmes in Pakistan.