The Curriculum for English Language Teacher Education in Australian and Vietnamese Universities

This paper examines the curricula for English language teacher education in two universities, one in Australia and the other in Vietnam. Specifically, it analyses the structures of the two curricula, compares and contrasts them, and examines how the development of the curricula was shaped by distinctive contextual factors. Sources of data include relevant literature, policy and curriculum documents, and interviews with curriculum developers from the two universities. Analysis of data revealed great variation across and within the two curricula in terms of structure and content. Findings also reveal specific contextual factors that influenced the development of the curricula. Although the findings are specific to the two teacher education institutions under research, the study suggests that curriculum development for second language teacher education needs to account for the context of teacher learning and offer substantial opportunity for preservice teachers to develop key domains of knowledge

Preservice EAL teaching as emotional experiences: Practicum experience in an Australian secondary school

Drawing on activity theory, this qualitative case study examines the emotional experiences of Maria, a preservice teacher of English as an additional language (EAL) during the practicum in an Australian secondary school setting and the factors shaping these emotions. Data included interviews with the preservice teacher before and after the practicum, a stimulated recall session, and her reflections after lessons. Furthermore, an interview was also conducted with Maria’s school mentor teacher. The study found that during the practicum, the preservice teacher experienced strong positive and negative emotions as a result of the influence of personal factors and the sociocultural context of preservice teaching, especially the contradictions inherent within the teacher learning context. The findings provide insights that can be useful for developing learning experiences that foster student teachers’ growth

Influences on preservice writing instruction during the secondary English as an Additional Language practicum in Australia

Informed by a sociocultural perspective on second language teacher education, the present qualitative study investigates three preservice teachers’ (PSTs) writing instruction during the English as an Additional Language (EAL) practicum in Australian secondary schools in relation to the multidimensional context of the practicum and the PSTs’ personal backgrounds. Sources of data included individual interviews with the PSTs and their school mentors, lesson plans and recordings, teaching materials, the PSTs’ self-reflections, and analysis of the schools’ EAL programs. Data analysis revealed that the main factors shaping PSTs’ writing instruction included the EAL programs at the schools, school teachers and the mentors support, EAL students’ background, proficiency levels and responses to tasks, and the PSTs’ knowledge, prior education and work experiences. Based on the findings, the paper discusses implications for enhancing the quality of EAL teacher education, especially for promoting productive coursework and placement experiences for PSTs

A preservice teacher’s learning of instructional scaffolding in the EAL practicum

This qualitative case study examines how a preservice English as an Additional Language (EAL) teacher from the Faculty of Education at a large Melbourne-based university learned to scaffold EAL learning during a two-week practicum in a secondary school and the factors shaping his cognition. The data sources include individual interviews, oral reflections on lessons and recordings of those same lessons. The study was underpinned by a sociocultural perspective on scaffolding and van de Pol, Volman, and Beishuizen's (2010) framework for analysing scaffolding, which is based on a synthesis of previous models and findings. The findings indicate that the preservice teacher implemented a number of scaffolding strategies during the EAL practicum. The use of these strategies was shaped by the preservice teacher’s theoretical knowledge of scaffolding and belief about its importance, which he gained from the teacher education coursework and his prior practicum experience. Learning within practice was also found to be important in his cognition of scaffolding as through the practicum he developed knowledge about his students’ abilities and their difficulties in learning EAL, which are the basis for his contingent scaffolding strategies. Based on the findings, the paper suggests that instructional scaffolding is an important area of professional learning, especially for teachers working with EAL students, and needs to be explicitly built into teacher education in both coursework and the teaching practicum.N/

Science and EAL teachers’ perspectives and practices in building word knowledge in implementing the new Victorian EAL curriculum

The recent implementation of The Victorian Curriculum F-10: EAL requires content teachers who teach EAL students to be familiar with the revised EAL curriculum for the purposes of planning and developing approaches to assist learners’ development in English. In the literature and in curriculum frameworks, word knowledge is considered an important aspect of EAL students’ learning. However, little is known about what pedagogical practices teachers across the curriculum perceive as being important, and use, in developing EAL students’ vocabulary. In this study, we investigated linguistically responsive vocabulary teaching in a Year 7 science class. Our aim was to elucidate teachers’ perceptions and practices in teaching vocabulary in science. The qualitative case study drew on principles of linguistically responsive instruction (LRI), which refers to practices for meeting the needs of students in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. Analysis of interview and classroom data from an EAL teacher and a science teacher revealed a range of LRI practices for developing word knowledge based on understanding the distinction between conversational and academic language, language learning principles, responsive teacher talk, plurilingual awareness, and the importance of social interaction for learners. We offer recommendations for a whole school approach to LRI, adaptation to online LRI, and curriculum development

THEORETICAL STUDY ON THE REACTION MECHANISM OF CO2 FORMATION FROM ACYLOXY RADICALS

The decomposition mechanism of acyloxy radicals has been studied by the Density Functional Theory (DFT) using B3LYP functional in conjunction with the 6-311++G(d,p) and 6-311++G(3df,2p) basis sets. The potential energy profiles for reaction systems were generally established. Calculated results indicate that the formation of products including hydrocarbon radicals and CO2 molecule is energetically favored. The rate of decomposition increases with the number of carbon in non-cyclic saturated acyloxy radicals. Calculated enthalpies and Gibbs free energies of reactions well agree with experimental values. This study is a contribution to the understanding of the reaction mechanism of decomposition of acyloxy radicals in atmosphere and combustion chemistry.

Synthesis of antiulcer drug esomeprazole.

Esomeprazole (Nexium®), the (S)-isomer of Omeprazole, is the first proton-pump inhibitor developed as a single isomer for the treatment of acid-related diseases. It is used for the treatment of peptic ulcers, gastroesophagal reflux disease, and erosive esophagitis. Herein, we report our synthetic study of esomeprazole sodium salt from the starting    2-mercapto-5-methoxybenzimidazole and 2-(chloromethyl)-4-methoxy-3,5-dimethylpyridine hydrochloride reagents. The Esomeprazole sodium salt was obtained from enantioselectivesulfoxidation reaction in moderate yield with high enantioselectivity

PERSISTENT ORGANOCHLORINE RESIDUES AND THEIR BIOACCUMULATION PROFILES IN RESIDENT AND MIGRATORY BIRDS FROM NORTH VIETNAM

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart