Incorporating a Practicum in TESOL Methodology Courses to Promote Service Learning

This study examined student attitudes toward teaching from their practicum experience and how their experiences met the requirements of service learning, which is defined as a curriculum-based community service that integrates classroom instruction with community service activities. Service learning also provides opportunities for students to interact directly with the local community. In this study, 27 students who enrolled in an English Teaching Methodology course participated in a 12-week project in which they taught beginning and intermediate English to elementary school students as part of an afterschool program. A survey was conducted at the end of the semester and student teaching reflections were collected for quantitative and qualitative analysis. The results of the study indicated that the students had a favorable experience regarding the practicum requirement in the English Teaching Methodology course. Among the students, 85% (n=23) expressed that a practical teaching experience should be part of the curriculum and that a requirement of 3–4 hr of teaching is appropriate for a hands-on teaching experience. The paper ends with a discussion of methods for including a practicum requirement in the syllabus and what instructors should focus on when establishing service learning projects

Facing the Mirror: Dilemmas and Issues Encountered on a TESOL programme in an International University Environment

Abstract: This paper investigates the experiences of three postgraduate students studying on an MA TESOL and Applied Linguistics course in a British university context. It demonstrates how subtle discourses of „ownership‟ of English (Holliday, 2014; Pennycook, 1994, 2001; Kumaravadevelu, 2003) persist in such training contexts, despite the general shift towards internationalizing higher education environments in the UK. The paper will discuss how the participants negotiated the teaching practice components of the course, and the issues they faced through being „non-native‟ speakers of English. It further examines the impact this had on their professional development and self-perceptions of „legitimacy‟ as teachers of English. The different constructs of a TESOL teacher are discussed and the need for a heightened awareness of training needs for teachers across diverse contexts

La formación de docentes en el círculo expansivo: el curso de metodología en la enseñanza de inglés como lengua extranjera en Chile

With the growth of EFL instruction worldwide, there has been increasing interest in how English teachers are prepared, yet little research has addressed these programs in foreign contexts. As part of pedagogical formation, methodology courses are considered key in developing both ‘received’ and ‘experiential’ teacher knowledge. Inspired by previous research, the current descriptive study analyzes the pedagogical content of methodology courses in EFL teacher programs in 16 Chilean universities and addresses the perceptions of methodology instructors by means of a questionnaire and an interview. Results highlight similarities and differences among programs, some considerations in designing methodology courses, and the challenges in articulating the connection between theory and practice.Con el aumento en la enseñanza del inglés a nivel mundial, también se ha visto un aumento en el interés en la formación docente de los profesores de inglés. Sin embargo, ha habido escasa investigación en contextos lejos de los centros de habla inglesa. Como parte de la formación docente, los cursos de metodología se consideran claves para desarrollar los conocimientos pedagógicos ‘recibidos’ y ‘experienciales.’ Inspirado en investigaciones previas, el presente estudio descriptivo analiza el contenido pedagógico de los cursos de metodología en 16 programas de formación docente inicial para profesores de inglés en Chile e incluye las percepciones de los profesores de metodología de la especialidad a través de una encuesta y una entrevista. Los resultados abordan similitudes y diferencias entre programas, algunas consideraciones en diseñar estos cursos, y el desafío de la articulación entre teoría y práctica

Teacher identity construction in a TESOL Graduate Certificate of Education in Western Australia

This research project explored the potential of a second language teacher education course for fostering teacher identity negotiation. It was found that classroom conversations provided a rich space for teacher identity negotiation; however, no substantial changes were observed in most aspects of their identities during the course, except for a growth in a few teachers’ selfconfidence. The implications are that conducting teacher education in an interactive manner is highly beneficial, but deeper engagement with practice of teaching is recommended. These insights should facilitate positive outcomes for teacher education programs

Developing Intercultural Competence Through Online English Language Teaching

With an increasing number of refugees and immigrants in European and American classrooms, teachers need to be prepared to meet their varied and complex needs. In particular, to help these diverse students succeed, teachers need to be interculturally competent, which is a combination of many skills including attitude, linguistic and cultural awareness, empathy, and flexibility. However, developing these skills not only takes theoretical knowledge but also hands-on training and practice. While many programs in school of education provide experiential practicum projects and online collaborations with diverse students, they have not expanded to the population in war zones. Moreover, a review of literature revealed a gap in research on how online tutoring might impact the intercultural competence development of pre-service ESL teachers. This study attempted to fill that gap by exploring how teaching English online to students in Afghanistan for six weeks impacted the intercultural competence of pre-service ESL teachers. Ten pre-service ESL teachers participated in this study. Pre-interviews, post interviews, and five reflection journals during the six weeks comprised the qualitative data. The data were analyzed through the lens of the process model of intercultural competence framework by Deardorff (2006a). The data, which was analyzed, categorized, verified, and interpreted, revealed that the preservice ESL teachers developed intercultural competence within a six-week period. While some pre-service ESL teachers expressed their initial discomfort about the unknowns of teaching online face to face, the dynamics of interacting with student of a different culture, fear of miscommunication, and grappling with their own assumptions, this discomfort diminished after a few sessions. In fact, some participants described this experience as “eye-opening.” Therefore, this study concluded that becoming familiar with the people and practices of a diverse culture, in an online environment and for even a short duration, helped preservice teachers develop self-awareness, empathy, and linguistic knowledge, all factors that helped developed their intercultural competence. So it is recommended to integrate online teaching into practicum and international field projects to help build a new generation of interculturally competent and globally minded teachers

A Quest to Prepare All English Language Teachers for Diverse Teaching Settings: If Not Us, Who? If Not Now, When?

Fueled by present-day globalization and influx of migration, the unprecedented global demand for English language necessitates the provision of high-quality education for English language learners across the world. This picture places English language teaching at the top of the educational agenda in both English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries. As a result of this critical prominence of the global English language teaching enterprise, the need for preparing all language teachers (teacher-learners coming from a range of ethnolinguistic, cultural, racial age, backgrounds with various past teaching, learning and educational experience) for diverse teaching settings in the U.S. and international contexts is more pivotal than ever. The current dissertation research sheds an important light on this need by adopting a TESOL teacher education department and its three MATESOL programs as a research context, and by providing a multifaceted exploration of how program components provide affordances and constraints in developing a knowledge base for ethnolinguistically diverse teacher-learners to work effectively with English language learners in diverse teaching contexts. The current research project is a holistic descriptive case study utilizing quantitative and qualitative analyses to explore the perceptions of (a) an ethnolinguistically diverse group of teacher-learners who were enrolled in, (b) an ethnolinguistically diverse alumni who graduated from, and (c) instructional faculty teaching in three MATESOL teacher education programs housed in a large, research-intensive university located in a bustling metropolitan area in the mid-Atlantic United States. The data collection sources included questionnaires, a series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and programmatic documents. The current study primarily draws upon sociocultural perspectives and more specifically utilizes Activity Theory as an analytical organizing framework to examine the complex interrelations among the participants, and to identify existing institutionalized tensions and contradictions among systemic components in the activity system under scrutiny. Activity Theory has proven to be a useful tool to capture the complexity of this teacher-learning context, and gain insights into the personal, pedagogical, and institutional affordances and constraints embedded in the activity system. Activity theoretical analysis of individual and programmatic efforts towards preparing teachers for diverse teaching settings in the U.S. and international contexts brought together three interrelated results that highlight an increased need for (1) diversification and dynamic re-orchestration of programmatic efforts, (2) reimagining distributed agency, and (3) developing practicum alternatives. The study concludes with the urgency of embracing the critical need, role and importance of English language teacher education, re-examining the current efforts in our quest to prepare all teachers for diverse teaching settings. The study closes by providing a series of recommendations for diversifying teacher education practices and developing a shared accountability in teacher preparation for diverse teaching settings and contexts

Language Teacher Development: A Study of ESOL Preservice Teachers’ Identities, Efficacy and Conceptions of Literacy

This qualitative case study explores ways in which English as a Second Language (ESOL) preservice teachers’ conceptions of literacy are initially developed and how these understandings impact their emerging identities as ESOL teachers. Diaz-Rico (2008) posits that teaching of English Learners (ELs) is one of the fastest-growing professions which increases the need to prepare preservice teachers to serve the growing immigrant population. Similar to other teacher education programs, pre service teachers in ESOL focused programs often experience tensions as they embark on student teaching. There appears to be limited research-studies of ESOL preservice teachers· perceptions of their preparation and efficacy in teaching literacy to ELs in the U.S. Trier (2006) underscores that preservice teachers· understanding of literacy will be the most crucial aspect of their learning. The research questions informing this study are: (1) How are ESOL pre-service teachers· beliefs and understandings of literacy development in language teaching shaped and revised as a result of participation in an ESOL teacher certification program? and (2) How do ESOL preservice teachers\u27 identities shift as they experience course work and practicum? The theoretical lenses guiding this study are Vygotsky’s (1986) sociocultural perspective, situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991), identity theory (Danielewicz, 2001), and Bandura\u27 s (1982) efficacy theory. Three preservice teachers in a master s level teacher certification program at a local university in the southeastern region of the U.S. participated in the study. Data sources include interviews, observations, reflections, and lesson plans. Constant comparison method (Srauss & Corbin, 1990) was used to analyze the data. Findings indicate that these pre service teachers adopted a multifaceted view of literacy that included both critical and socio-cultural perspectives. The importance of meaning-making, family, and culture in literacy instruction was reinforced for these teachers. Additionally, preservice teachers continuously theorize as they navigate teacher education. They are not only concerned about knowing what to teach, but how to effectively teach students. A significant implication from the study is that teacher educators need to consider the individuality of preservice teachers and provide differentiated instruction within their teacher education programs

ESP For Ecotourism: Discourse Skills,Technology,And Collaboration For Job Contexts

This capstone’s primary aim was to design a companion instructional guide for teachers of English for Specific Purposes for ecotourism professionals in Mexico. It identified gaps left by traditional EFL courses that tend to lack strong connections between language instruction and real-world job requirements for English usage. It looked at curricular reform efforts in other world regions with the intention to innovate ESP instruction in Mexico. Findings include recommendations for student-centered curricula that incorporate multimodal learning activities and authentic contexts for tourism jobs. Multiliteracies pedagogy drove the creation of the instructional guide’s components, which provide support in conducting small-group projects to develop interactive discourse, online research, and digital design skills within communities of practice. The guide includes resources, materials, and instructions to conduct needs analysis, foster mutual support, build collaboration among stakeholders, facilitate situated practice with applied technology, and increase knowledge for cross-cultural communication