Sample records for language teacher development

  1. From Teacher Professional Development to the Classroom: How NLP Technology Can Enhance Teachers' Linguistic Awareness to Support Curriculum Development for English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burstein, Jill; Shore, Jane; Sabatini, John; Moulder, Brad; Lentini, Jennifer; Biggers, Kietha; Holtzman, Steven

    2014-01-01

    This article reports on two studies using "Language Muse[superscript SM]" (LM), a web-based, teacher professional development (TPD) application designed to enhance teachers' linguistic awareness and to support teachers in the development of language-based instructional scaffolding for English language learners (ELL). In Study 1,…

  2. Preschool Teachers' Language Use in Sociodramatic Play

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meacham, Sohyun

    2013-01-01

    Preschool teachers' language use has been described in recent research, as preschoolers' language development is found to be an important preparation for later reading development. Based on existing research on teachers' language use in sociodramatic play, however, it is still unclear how teachers use their language specifically in sociodramatic…

  3. Language Teachers' Target Language Project: Language for Specific Purposes of Language Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Korenev, Alexey; Westbrook, Carolyn; Merry, Yvonne; Ershova, Tatiana

    2016-01-01

    The Language Teachers' Target Language project (LTTL) aims to describe language teachers' target language use domain (Bachman & Palmer 2010) and to develop a language test for future teachers of English. The team comprises four researchers from Moscow State University (MSU) and Southampton Solent University.

  4. High School Teacher Perspectives and Practices: Second Language Writing and Language Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilliland, Betsy

    2015-01-01

    Teachers' understandings of second language learning influence their practices in the classroom. This paper analyzes interview and classroom data collected during a year-long ethnographic study of two high school English language development classes to identify (1) what the teachers understood about second language (L2) development and L2 academic…

  5. Creating a Culture of Language Awareness in Content-Based Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindahl, Kristen; Watkins, Naomi M.

    2015-01-01

    A "toolkit" approach to professional development is frequently used to assist teachers of English language learners (ELLs), wherein teachers are provided a grab bag of activities and strategies to implement in their classrooms. However, today's heightened language demands call for teachers to develop teacher language awareness (TLA), a…

  6. The Development of Early Childhood Teachers' Language Knowledge in Different Educational Tracks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strohmer, Janina; Mischo, Christoph

    2015-01-01

    Early childhood teachers should have extensive knowledge about language and language development, because these facets of professional knowledge are considered as important requirements for fostering language development in early childhood education settings. It is assumed that early childhood teachers acquire this knowledge during pre-service…

  7. Professional Development Needs of English Language Teachers in Malaysia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khandehroo, Koroush; Mukundan, Jayakaran; Alavi, Zhinoos Kamal

    2011-01-01

    This study surveyed the professional development (PD) needs of school English language teachers at Melaka State in Malaysia. With close cooperation with the Department of Language at the Ministry of Education, the whole population of English language teachers had been studied on their types of professional development needs in instructional…

  8. Factors Related to Professional Development of English Language University Teachers in Thailand

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wichadee, Saovapa

    2012-01-01

    Professional development is deemed necessary for university teachers at all levels, as it helps to enhance teaching quality. However, the extent of English language university teachers' professional development might depend on a number of factors. This paper reports on a study investigating English language university teachers' professional…

  9. An Explanatory Mixed Method Study on Pre-Service Language Teachers' Communication Apprehension towards Their Instructors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kavanoz, Suzan

    2017-01-01

    Promoting higher communication efficiency among teacher candidates and acting as models are among the main professional responsibilities of teacher educators. This makes the task of teachers even more important in language education classes where students are prospective language teachers and their development as language teachers highly depend on…

  10. A Case Study of Developing Student-Teachers' Language Awareness through Online Discussion Forums

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mok, Jane

    2013-01-01

    A major challenge for language teacher educators working in the area of teacher language awareness (TLA) is to develop pedagogical approaches that will go beyond merely enhancing L2 teachers' knowledge about language by enabling them to make the bridge between the declarative and procedural dimensions of TLA. This paper sets out to investigate the…

  11. Teachers Fostering the Co-Development of Science Literacy and Language Literacy with English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carrejo, David J.; Reinhartz, Judy

    2014-01-01

    Thirty-five elementary teachers participated in a yearlong professional development (PD) program that was designed to foster a culture of on-going teacher learning to promote the co-development of science and language literacy for English language learners (ELL). An explanatory design methodology was used to determine the degree to which science…

  12. Effective Oral Language Development Strategies for Elementary Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kohler, Karen L.

    2016-01-01

    This action research study explored first and second grade classroom teachers' knowledge of oral language development and interventions for students at-risk of an oral language delay. This was accomplished through collaboration between a speech-language pathologist and classroom teachers. The data was aligned with assessments, the Response to…

  13. Language Assessment Literacy as Self-Awareness: "Understanding" the Role of Interpretation in Assessment and in Teacher Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scarino, Angela

    2013-01-01

    The increasing influence of sociocultural theories of learning on assessment practices in second language education necessitates an expansion of the knowledge base that teacher-assessors need to develop (what teachers need to know) and related changes in the processes of language teacher education (how they learn and develop it). Teacher assessors…

  14. Understanding the Development of a Hybrid Practice of Inquiry-Based Science Instruction and Language Development: A Case Study of One Teacher's Journey Through Reflections on Classroom Practice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Capitelli, Sarah; Hooper, Paula; Rankin, Lynn; Austin, Marilyn; Caven, Gennifer

    2016-04-01

    This qualitative case study looks closely at an elementary teacher who participated in professional development experiences that helped her develop a hybrid practice of using inquiry-based science to teach both science content and English language development (ELD) to her students, many of whom are English language learners (ELLs). This case study examines the teacher's reflections on her teaching and her students' learning as she engaged her students in science learning and supported their developing language skills. It explicates the professional learning experiences that supported the development of this hybrid practice. Closely examining the pedagogical practice and reflections of a teacher who is developing an inquiry-based approach to both science learning and language development can provide insights into how teachers come to integrate their professional development experiences with their classroom expertise in order to create a hybrid inquiry-based science ELD practice. This qualitative case study contributes to the emerging scholarship on the development of teacher practice of inquiry-based science instruction as a vehicle for both science instruction and ELD for ELLs. This study demonstrates how an effective teaching practice that supports both the science and language learning of students can develop from ongoing professional learning experiences that are grounded in current perspectives about language development and that immerse teachers in an inquiry-based approach to learning and instruction. Additionally, this case study also underscores the important role that professional learning opportunities can play in supporting teachers in developing a deeper understanding of the affordances that inquiry-based science can provide for language development.

  15. Exploring English-Language Teachers' Professional Development in Developing Countries: Cases from Syria and Pakistan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dayoub, Ruba; Bashiruddin, Ayesha

    2012-01-01

    This paper attempts to present the findings of a study carried out in Pakistan that explored English-language teachers' professional development in developing countries. The main guiding question for the study was: How do English-language teachers at secondary schools learn to teach and develop professionally in Syria and Pakistan? Two cases were…

  16. Preschool Teachers' Language and Literacy Practices with Dual Language Learners.

    PubMed

    Sawyer, Brook E; Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Cycyk, Lauren M; López, Lisa; Blair, Clancy; Sandilos, Lia; Komaroff, Eugene

    The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the degree to which teachers used linguistically responsive practices to support the language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking Dual Language Learners (DLL) and (b) to investigate the associations between these practices and select teacher-level factors. The sample consisted of 72 preschool teachers. Observational data were collected on practices. Teachers self-reported on language and culture beliefs, Spanish speaking ability, and classroom composition. Results indicated that teachers, including those who spoke Spanish, used few linguistically responsive practices to support preschool DLLs. Only Spanish-speaking ability was related to practices. Implications for targeted professional development are discussed.

  17. Teachers' Perceptions of Language Teaching for English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schulz, Yoshiko

    2017-01-01

    Under the No Child Left Behind's educational accountability requirements, the U.S.'s mainstream classroom teachers were responsible for all students' academic language and content knowledge development regardless of students' academic or linguistic backgrounds. A lack of teachers' language awareness appeared to be responsible for teachers'…

  18. Language Teacher Cognition: Tracing the Conceptualizations of Second Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Childs, Sharon S.

    2011-01-01

    Long before deciding to become second language (L2) teachers, novice teachers have subconsciously developed conceptions of teaching cultivated by their experiences as learners in both general and language education classrooms. This "apprenticeship of observation" (Lortie, 1975) can foster deeply held beliefs about teaching that are carried with…

  19. The Overwhelmed Generation and Foreign Language Teacher Preparation: Developing Strategies to Work with the Mental Health Challenges of Preservice Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schrier, Leslie L.

    2008-01-01

    For the last two decades the foreign language education profession has spent considerable energy establishing professional guidelines for foreign language teacher preparation. This article discusses research that suggests that the profession should now direct its energies toward developing protocols to assist preservice teachers whose mental…

  20. Teacher-Student Interaction and Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Joan Kelly; Walsh, Meghan

    2002-01-01

    Reviews literature on recent developments in teacher-student interaction and language learning. Based on a sociocultural perspective of language and learning, draws from three types of classrooms: first language, second language, and foreign language. Attention is given to studies that investigate the specific means used in teacher-student…

  1. English Language Teacher Development with and without a Teacher Trainer: ELT Instructors' Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turhan, Ide Evre; Arikan, Arda

    2009-01-01

    Research on opinions and beliefs of English language teachers in relation to their professional development is seriously needed to improve professional development practices situated at Turkish universities. The purpose of this study is to analyze, compare and contrast the opinions of university level English language instructors (n=30) before and…

  2. Developing Oral Language Skills in Middle School English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fisher, Douglas; Frey, Nancy

    2018-01-01

    Oral language development can help English learners develop academic proficiency with the English language. In this investigation, at one middle school, teachers focused on improving oral language skills. Using a formative experiment process, the teachers developed an intervention to accomplish their pedagogical goal and then tracked data to see…

  3. EFL Teachers' Perceptions of Continuing Professional Development: A Case of Iranian High School Teachers (La percepción de docentes de inglés como lengua extranjera acerca del desarrollo profesional continuado: el caso de profesores iraníes de bachillerato)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alibakhshi, Goudarz; Dehvari, Najibeh

    2015-01-01

    English, particularly regarding a foreign language teachers' professional development, has been studied in depth. However, it is not known how Iranian English as a foreign language teachers perceive continuing professional development. This study explored the perceptions of Iranian English as a foreign language teachers of continuing professional…

  4. Measuring Teachers' Knowledge about Early Language and Literacy: Practical Implications and Considerations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hindman, Annemarie H.; Wasik, Barbara A.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined 1 tool for evaluating Head Start teachers' knowledge about early language and literacy. Results indicated that teachers varied in their knowledge. Teachers with more knowledge had more education, as did teachers who received language and literacy professional development. Teachers with greater knowledge also demonstrated higher…

  5. Exploratory Comparisons from the Field: Study of Students from Two Teacher Credentialing Programs of Cross-Cultural, Language, and Academic Development (Professional Development Schools and Regular Teacher Education Programs).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torrez, Nena

    This paper discusses development of the Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development (CLAD) credential in California's preservice teacher education. CLAD focuses on first and second language development, educational equity, linguistic and cultural diversity, equal access to core curriculum, respect for cultural and linguistic issues,…

  6. The Connotations of Language Teacher Autonomy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Han, Ligang

    2017-01-01

    With the research on the development of learner autonomy in foreign language education, teacher autonomy has become a hot topic in the research of foreign language teacher education. However, it is the most difficult question to define language teacher autonomy and any answer to it is likely to be subjective. On the basis of expounding upon the…

  7. Preschool Teachers’ Language and Literacy Practices with Dual Language Learners

    PubMed Central

    Sawyer, Brook E.; Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Cycyk, Lauren M.; López, Lisa; Blair, Clancy; Sandilos, Lia; Komaroff, Eugene

    2016-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the degree to which teachers used linguistically responsive practices to support the language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking Dual Language Learners (DLL) and (b) to investigate the associations between these practices and select teacher-level factors. The sample consisted of 72 preschool teachers. Observational data were collected on practices. Teachers self-reported on language and culture beliefs, Spanish speaking ability, and classroom composition. Results indicated that teachers, including those who spoke Spanish, used few linguistically responsive practices to support preschool DLLs. Only Spanish-speaking ability was related to practices. Implications for targeted professional development are discussed. PMID:27667968

  8. "That Didn't Work, Did It? I Need to Know How to Do that!" Delivering Classroom Activities to Maximise Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conway, Clare; Richards, Heather; Harvey, Sharon; Roskvist, Annelies

    2011-01-01

    Many novice language teachers have difficulty putting into practice their developing knowledge of language teaching. This article focuses on one of seven case study teachers as an exemplar of those involved in a New Zealand in-service professional development program for teachers of languages (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Spanish) in…

  9. A Whole Language Flight Plan: An Interview with Three Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Griffith, Priscilla L.; Klesius, Janell

    1990-01-01

    Provides suggestions to teachers planning to implement a whole language program, based on interviews with three whole language teachers. Focuses on support for the whole language program; decisions about curriculum and evaluation; development of vocabulary and comprehension; strengths and weaknesses of the whole language approach; and preparation…

  10. Analysis of the Problems in Language Teachers' Action Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Han, Ligang

    2017-01-01

    In-service language teachers' professional development is a crucial factor that influences the teaching and learning effectiveness. Educational action research is considered by many researchers and scholars as an effective way or approach for language teachers' professional development. This article reports a case study of in-service English…

  11. Exploring an Invisible Medium: Teacher Language Awareness among Preservice K12 Educators of English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindahl, Kristen Marie

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the construct of Teacher Language Awareness (TLA) in a group of preservice mainstream K-12 teachers who are developing skills to work with English Language Learners (ELLs) in United States (US) public school contexts. Specifically, the study seeks to explore how preservice teachers' participation in directed university…

  12. Teachers' Support in Using Computers for Developing Students' Listening and Speaking Skills in Pre-Sessional English Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zou, Bin

    2013-01-01

    Many computer-assisted language learning (CALL) studies have found that teacher direction can help learners develop language skills at their own pace on computers. However, many teachers still do not know how to provide support for students to use computers to reinforce the development of their language skills. Hence, more examples of CALL…

  13. Short-Term International Experiences and Teacher Language Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harbon, Lesley

    2007-01-01

    This research study had as its focus the impact of a short-term international experience on teacher language awareness (TLA). In-country intensive immersion experiences were considered beneficial for language teacher professional development. This project examined the Australian teachers' perceptions of their teaching and home-stay experiences…

  14. Modern Trends in Continuous Professional Development of Foreign Language Teachers (On the Basis of the British Council Research)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadovets, Olesia

    2017-01-01

    Research conducted by the British Council concerning modern continuous professional development of teachers has been analyzed. The issue concerning foreign language teachers' professional development has been considered. Productive approach to this process that gives a teacher the opportunities to define aspects of their professional activities…

  15. Teachers' Perceptions of the Use of Computer Assisted Language Learning to Develop Children's Reading Skills in English as a Second Language in the United Arab Emirates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Awidi, Hamed Mubarak; Ismail, Sadiq Abdulwahed

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated ESL teachers' perceptions regarding the use of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in teaching reading to children. A random sample of 145 teachers participated in the study by completing a survey developed by the researchers. To explore the situation in depth, 16 teachers were later interviewed. Results indicated…

  16. Developing and Validating a Survey of Korean Early Childhood English Teachers' Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Jung In

    2015-01-01

    The main purpose of this study is to develop and validate a valid measure of the early childhood (EC) English teacher knowledge. Through extensive literature review on second/foreign language (L2/FL) teacher knowledge, early childhood teacher knowledge and early childhood language teacher knowledge, and semi-structured interviews from current…

  17. Supporting Academic Language Development in Elementary Science: A Classroom Teaching Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jung, Karl Gerhard

    Academic language is the language that students must engage in while participating in the teaching and learning that takes place in school (Schleppegrell, 2012) and science as a content area presents specific challenges and opportunities for students to engage with language (Buxton & Lee, 2014; Gee, 2005). In order for students to engage authentically and fully in the science learning that will take place in their classrooms, it is important that they develop their abilities to use science academic language (National Research Council, 2012). For this to occur, teachers must provide support to their students in developing the science academic language they will encounter in their classrooms. Unfortunately, this type of support remains a challenge for many teachers (Baecher, Farnsworth, & Ediger, 2014; Bigelow, 2010; Fisher & Frey, 2010) and teachers must receive professional development that supports their abilities to provide instruction that supports and scaffolds students' science academic language use and development. This study investigates an elementary science teacher's engagement in an instructional coaching partnership to explore how that teacher planned and implemented scaffolds for science academic language. Using a theoretical framework that combines the literature on scaffolding (Bunch, Walqui, & Kibler, 2015; Gibbons, 2015; Sharpe, 2001/2006) and instructional coaching (Knight, 2007/2009), this study sought to understand how an elementary science teacher plans and implements scaffolds for science academic language, and the resources that assisted the teacher in planning those scaffolds. The overarching goal of this work is to understand how elementary science teachers can scaffold language in their classroom, and how they can be supported in that work. Using a classroom teaching experiment methodology (Cobb, 2000) and constructivist grounded theory methods (Charmaz, 2014) for analysis, this study examined coaching conversations and classroom instruction to identify and understand what scaffolds are planned and implemented, and how that planning and implementation occurred through an instructional coaching partnership. Findings from this study showed the elementary science teacher planned and implemented a number of scaffolds for science academic language, focusing primarily on the use of sentence starters as a scaffolding strategy. The findings also indicated that the instructional coaching partnership played a vital role as the main resource that assisted the planning of scaffolds. These findings provide insights into the types of scaffolds that elementary science teachers can implement to scaffold science academic language, and the role that instructional coaching can play in supporting teachers as they work to provide instruction that scaffolds their students' language use and development.

  18. Contributions of a Social Justice Language Teacher Education Perspective to Professional Development Programs in Colombia (Contribuciones de una perspectiva de justicia social para la formación de docentes de lenguas a los programas de desarrollo profesional en Colombia)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sierra Piedrahita, Ana María

    2016-01-01

    In this article, the author discusses the social justice language teacher education perspective and how it can help language teachers to develop a political view of their work and effect change inside and outside their particular school contexts. To do this, she briefly analyzes various professional development programs for teachers of English in…

  19. The Impact of Teacher Responsivity Education on Preschoolers' Language and Literacy Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cabell, Sonia Q.; Justice, Laura M.; Piasta, Shayne B.; Curenton, Stephanie M.; Wiggins, Alice; Turnbull, Khara Pence; Petscher, Yaacov

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: This study examined the extent to which teacher responsivity education affected preschoolers' language and literacy development over an academic year. Additional aims were to determine whether children's initial language abilities and teachers' use of responsivity strategies were associated with language outcomes, in particular. Method:…

  20. Investigating the Impact of Professional Development on Teachers' Instructional Time and English Learners' Language Development: A Multilevel Cross-Classified Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tong, Fuhui; Luo, Wen; Irby, Beverly J.; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Rivera, Hector

    2017-01-01

    We examined the direct impact of an ongoing, intensive, and structured professional development (PD) within an English-as-second-language (ESL) instructional intervention on (a) teachers' time allocation in cognitive--academic language proficiency (CALP) and (b) Spanish-speaking English language learners' (ELLs) CALP development from the second to…

  1. Enhancing Literacy Practices in Science Classrooms through a Professional Development Program for Canadian Minority-Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rivard, Léonard P.; Gueye, Ndeye R.

    2016-01-01

    'Literacy in the Science Classroom Project" was a three-year professional development (PD) program supporting minority-language secondary teachers' use of effective language-based instructional strategies for teaching science. Our primary objective was to determine how teacher beliefs and practices changed over time and how these were enacted…

  2. French Second Language Teacher Education and Continuing Professional Development in Canada: The Roles of Smaller Universities and Related Institutions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heffernan, Peter J.

    1991-01-01

    Discusses teacher shortages in French language instruction areas in Canada, both core and immersion; the rationalization of programs; staffing and financial support among Alberta's tertiary education; language teacher preparation; and continuing professional development. Suggestions are made as to how a smaller university can better fulfill its…

  3. Foreign Language Teachers' Professional Development in Information Age

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Xiying; Wu, Gang

    Cultivation of students' learning autonomy has raised new challenges to teachers' professional development, dynamic, continuous, lifelong full-scale development, with emphasis on the creativity and constancy of the teachers' quality development. The teachers' professional development can take the following approaches: studying theories about foreign language teaching with the aid of modern information technology; organizing online teaching research activities supported by information technology and carrying peer observation and dialogue -teaching reflection in internet environment and fostering scholarly teachers.

  4. Developing a New Course for Adult Learners. TESOL Language Curriculum Development Series

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snow, Marguerite Ann, Ed.; Kamhi-Stein, Lia, Ed.

    2006-01-01

    Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), introduces "Developing a New Course for Adult Learners," edited by Marguerite Ann Snow and Lia Kamhi-Stein. This volume in TESOL's Language Curriculum Development Series presents the stories of teachers, curriculum developers, and administrators from all over the world who…

  5. Teacher to Teacher: Model Lessons for K-8 Foreign Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Redmond, Mary Lynn, Ed.; Lorenz, Eileen, Ed.

    This book provides resources for foreign language teachers, supervisors, and others involved in developing and implementing a curriculum. It is the outcome of a 1997 institute, "National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Curriculum Reform for K-8 Foreign Language Education." The model shows how the national standards can be used…

  6. Preschool Teachers' Language and Literacy Practices with Dual Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sawyer, Brook E.; Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Cycyk, Lauren M.; Lopez, Lisa; Blair, Clancy; Sandilos, Lia; Komaroff, Eugene

    2016-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the degree to which teachers used linguistically responsive practices to support the language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking Dual Language Learners (DLL) and (b) to investigate the associations between these practices and select teacher-level factors. The sample consisted of 72 preschool…

  7. Preschool Teachers' Language and Literacy Practices with Dual Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sawyer, Brook E.; Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Cycyk, Lauren M.; López, Lisa; Blair, Clancy; Sandilos, Lia; Komaroff, Eugene

    2016-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the degree to which teachers used linguistically responsive practices to support the language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking Dual Language Learners (DLL) and (b) to investigate the associations between these practices and select teacher-level factors. The sample consisted of 72 preschool…

  8. Developing Language Awareness for Teachers of Emergent Bilingual Learners Using Dialogic Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallen, Matthew; Kelly-Holmes, Helen

    2017-01-01

    This study endeavoured to awaken mainstream teachers' awareness of language, specifically related to teaching emergent bilingual children who are learning English as an additional language (EAL) in the Republic of Ireland. Because EAL learners spend the majority of the day in the mainstream classroom, mainstream teachers' language awareness may…

  9. Pathways of Language Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorn.

    Prepared by teachers for teachers, this practical classroom guide offers a process of monitoring language development and planning for development within a whole language framework, supported by a compendium of appropriate practice to be drawn on when needed. The guide (1) emphasizes the interdependence of reading, writing, talking, and listening;…

  10. Integrating Academic Language into Content Methodology: Supporting Math and Science Teacher Candidates to Meet Students' Language Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freking, Frederick; Park, Jaime; Francois, Annamarie

    2015-01-01

    This article describes how a teacher-education program (TEP), whose mission is to improve schooling for linguistically diverse students, develops its' teacher candidate's critical dispositions and pedagogy related to academic-language (AL) development and how candidate performance on PACT can help TEPs better assess and improve how AL…

  11. Developing a Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Assessment for Preservice Teachers Learning to Teach English as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baser, Derya; Kopcha, Theodore J.; Ozden, M. Yasar

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports the development and validation process of a self-assessment survey that examines technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) among preservice teachers learning to teach English as a foreign language (EFL). The survey, called TPACK-EFL, aims to provide an assessment tool for preservice foreign language teachers that…

  12. English Language Teachers' Professional Development and Identities (Identidad y desarrollo profesional de docentes de inglés)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mora, Alberto; Trejo, Paulina; Roux, Ruth

    2014-01-01

    This article analyzes the professional development of two English language teachers in a Mexican language center. In particular, it explores the interplay between professional development, identity and agency, and the part played by English language teaching certificates in all of these. Drawing on a case study methodology, which included the use…

  13. Supporting Preschool Dual Language Learners: Parents' and Teachers' Beliefs about Language Development and Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sawyer, Brook E.; Manz, Patricia H.; Martin, Kristin A.

    2017-01-01

    Guided by Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological theory of human development and Moll's theory of funds of knowledge, the aim of this qualitative study was to examine the beliefs of parents and early childhood teachers on (a) the language development of Spanish-speaking preschool dual language learners (DLLs) and (b) how they can collaborate to support…

  14. Teacher Educators' Conceptualization of Ongoing Language Development in Professional Learning and Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swart, Fenna; de Graaff, Rick; Onstenk, Jeroen; Knèzic, Dubravka

    2018-01-01

    Sociocultural and dialogic theories of education have identified the need to integrate both pedagogical content and language knowledge into teachers' professional development to promote effective interaction with students about subject content. In this intervention study, a meta-perspective on language was developed to understand how experienced…

  15. Supporting Children's Oral Language Development in the Preschool Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whorrall, Jennifer; Cabell, Sonia Q.

    2016-01-01

    Supporting children's oral language development during the preschool years is critical for later reading success. Research shows that preschool teachers may be missing opportunities to engage children in the kinds of conversations that foster the development of rich oral language skills. Teachers hoping to support these skills can provide children…

  16. Dual Language Teachers' Use of Conventional, Environmental, and Personal Resources to Support Academic Language Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lucero, Audrey

    2015-01-01

    This article reports findings from a study that investigated the ways in which first-grade dual language teachers drew on various resources to instructionally support academic language development among Spanish-English emergent bilingual students. Classroom observations, semistructured interviews, and document collection were conducted over a…

  17. Analysis of an Instructional Coach's Role as Elementary School Language Teachers' Professional Developer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chien, Chin-Wen

    2013-01-01

    Coaches can provide teachers with quality professional development experiences by mentoring, providing workshops, modeling, or encouraging professional growth (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). This study focuses on the instructional coach's role in the professional development of teachers of English language learners (ELLs). The study has the following…

  18. Addressing the Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Dimension '97. Selected Proceedings of the Joint Conference of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching and the South Carolina Foreign Language Teachers' Association (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Terry, Robert M., Ed.

    Seven papers from the annual conference are presented. "Developing Tomorrow's Technology-Using Foreign Language Teachers: Where We Are, Where We Are Going" (Marjorie H. DeWert, Audrey Heining-Boynton) looks at whether language teachers are being trained to take full advantage of educational technology. "Foreign Language Placement in…

  19. English Second Language, General, Special Education, and Speech/Language Personal Teacher Efficacy, English Language Arts Scientifically-Validated Intervention Practice, and Working Memory Development of English Language Learners in High and Low Performing Elementary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Barbara J.

    2013-01-01

    The researcher investigated teacher factors contributing to English language arts (ELA) achievement of English language learners (ELLs) over 2 consecutive years, in high and low performing elementary schools with a Hispanic/Latino student population greater than or equal to 30 percent. These factors included personal teacher efficacy, teacher…

  20. Second Language Teachers' Identity Development through Online Collaboration with L2 Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kitade, Keiko

    2014-01-01

    The sociocultural perspective of second language teacher education (L2TE) (e.g., Johnson, 2009), unlike the traditional one, values the importance of teacher development through actual teaching practice. Student teachers' (STs) initial beliefs should be challenged and reconstructed by taking into account particular teaching contexts. This…

  1. The Use of the Internet for English Language Teachers' Professional Development in Arab Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alhabahba, Mohammad Madallh; Mahfoodh, Omer Hassan Ali

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the relationship between English language teachers' motives to use online teaching resources and three types of Internet practices: teachers' practices in using the Internet to collaborate with others, teachers' practices for classroom teaching, and the Internet's contribution to the overall professional development of…

  2. Language, Language Development and Teaching English to Emergent Bilingual Users: Challenging the Common Knowledge Theory in Teacher Education & K-12 School Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Faltis, Christian

    2013-01-01

    Popular views about language and how children and youth learn language are based mainly in cognitive approaches in support of a common knowledge theory of language development. This common theory feeds into the efforts to increase teacher and learner accountability as measured on narrow assessments of what it means to use language well and in…

  3. The Integration of English Language Development and Science Instruction in Elementary Classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zwiep, Susan Gomez; Straits, William J.; Stone, Kristin R.; Beltran, Dolores D.; Furtado, Leena

    2011-12-01

    This paper explores one district's attempt to implement a blended science and English Language Development (ELD) elementary program, designed to provide English language learners opportunities to develop proficiency in English through participation in inquiry-based science. This process resulted in blended program that utilized a combined science/ELD lesson plan format to structure and guide teachers' efforts to use science as the context for language development. Data, collected throughout the first 2 years of the program, include teacher-generated lesson plans, observation notes, and interviews with teachers and principals. The process by which the blended program was developed, the initial implementation of the program, the resulting science/ELD lesson plan format, and teachers' perceptions about the program and its impact on their students are described.

  4. Second Language Assessment for Classroom Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tran, Thu H.

    2012-01-01

    The vast majority of second language teachers feels confident about their instructional performance and does not usually have much difficulty with their teaching thanks to their professional training and accumulated classroom experience. Nonetheless, many second language teachers may not have received sufficient training in test development to…

  5. Urban Elementary Teachers' Perspectives on Teaching Science to English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Okhee; Maerten-Rivera, Jaime; Buxton, Cory; Penfield, Randall; Secada, Walter G.

    2009-01-01

    This descriptive study examined urban elementary school teachers' perceptions of their science content knowledge, science teaching practices, and support for language development of English language learners. Also examined were teachers' perceptions of organizational supports and barriers associated with teaching science to nonmainstream students.…

  6. Professional Development for Language Teachers: Preparing Educators for the 21st Century. 1998 State Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lucke, Melinda Rae, Comp.

    The survey, using data gathered from state foreign language association presidents and state foreign language supervisors and a number of other sources, investigated issues in professional development for language teachers. Forty-six out of 50 states responded to the survey, but not all of the states responded to each quotation. The survey…

  7. Learners' and Teachers' Voices in Developing Digital Language Learning Environments: Insights from a Survey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niinivaara, Janne; Vaattovaara, Johanna

    2018-01-01

    This article deals with a learning environment survey conducted among University of Helsinki students and language teachers in the university's Language Centre (LC). The survey was designed to acquire information for the development of a practical strategy for the digitalization of language learning and teaching by the local LC. The article…

  8. Teachers' Use of Linguistic Scaffolding to Support the Academic Language Development of First-Grade Emergent Bilingual Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lucero, Audrey

    2014-01-01

    Research suggests that teachers need to scaffold emergent bilingual students as they develop the complex language associated with school success. This may especially be true in dual language settings, where children are learning two languages simultaneously. In this study, therefore, I investigate the linguistic scaffolding practices of…

  9. Validation of an instrument for assessing teacher knowledge of basic language constructs of literacy.

    PubMed

    Binks-Cantrell, Emily; Joshi, R Malatesha; Washburn, Erin K

    2012-10-01

    Recent national reports have stressed the importance of teacher knowledge in teaching reading. However, in the past, teachers' knowledge of language and literacy constructs has typically been assessed with instruments that are not fully tested for validity. In the present study, an instrument was developed; and its reliability, item difficulty, and item discrimination were computed and examined to identify model fit by applying exploratory factor analysis. Such analyses showed that the instrument demonstrated adequate estimates of reliability in assessing teachers' knowledge of language constructs. The implications for professional development of in-service teachers as well as preservice teacher education are also discussed.

  10. Spanish Native Language Arts Staff Development Turnkey Training Program, Spring 1989. OREA Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berney, Tomi D.

    The Spanish Native Language Arts Development Turnkey Training Program attempted to create a network of secondary school administrators and teachers of Spanish acquainted with current research and methodology and able to provide staff development in native language arts for teachers of native Spanish speakers of limited English proficiency. Nine…

  11. Development and Validation of the Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs about English Language Learners Survey (MTBELL)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gann, Linda; Bonner, Emily P.; Moseley, Christine

    2016-01-01

    Given the increasing number of English Language Learners (ELLs) in secondary mathematics classrooms, it is imperative that mathematics teacher educators develop measures for determining how and why secondary mathematics teachers (SMTs) understand and respond instructionally to these students. This paper reports on the initial development and…

  12. Critically Examining the Agency and Professional Identity Development of Novice Dual Language Teachers through Figured Worlds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Varghese, Manka M.; Snyder, Rachel

    2018-01-01

    Drawing on the concept of figured worlds, we examined how four preservice teachers in a monoglossically oriented teacher preparation program developed their professional identities and sense of agency as dual language teachers. Figured worlds are socially constructed and culturally recognized realms with a story line and actors who also actively…

  13. The Role of Teachers' Future Self Guides in Creating L2 Development Opportunities in Teacher-Led Classroom Discourse: Reclaiming the Relevance of Language Teacher Cognition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubanyiova, Magdalena

    2015-01-01

    Understanding the relationship between teachers' use of language in teacher-led discourse (TLD; Toth, 2008) and opportunities for L2 development is a well-established area of SLA research. This study examines one teacher's role in creating such opportunities in TLD in her EFL classes in a state secondary school by examining the inner resources…

  14. Teacher Development in Slovenia for Teaching Foreign Languages at the Primary Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brumen, Mihaela; Fojkar, Mateja Dagarin

    2012-01-01

    The introduction of foreign languages into the first three-year cycle of primary school has spurred the need for qualified teachers, and is one of the main discussion points among experts in foreign language teaching. Most of the contemporary studies report that there is a global gap between the supply of qualified teachers of foreign languages to…

  15. Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of a Short-Term International Experience Programme

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barkhuizen, Gary; Feryok, Anne

    2006-01-01

    Short-term international experiences (STIE) are becoming a regular, sometimes required, feature of pre-service language teacher education programmes. Often inappropriately termed "immersion programmes", they aim to give teachers the opportunity to improve their language proficiency in the language they will teach, to develop their…

  16. Multilevel ESL Curriculum Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berry, Eve; Williams, Molly S.

    The guide was developed as a resource for the adult English-as-a-Second-Language teacher with classes of mixed language proficiency, and to accompany a teacher workshop. It consists of a brief introductory section to orient teachers to the approach and materials suggested, and a series of separate classroom activities for language skill…

  17. Teacher Identity in Language Teaching: Integrating Personal, Contextual, and Professional Factors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pennington, Martha C.; Richards, Jack C.

    2016-01-01

    This article reviews notions of identity and teacher identity, how these relate to the specific characteristics of language teaching, and how teacher identity can evolve or be developed through experience and teacher education. The notion of teacher identity highlights the individual characteristics of the teacher and how these are integrated with…

  18. Bridging the language gap: Exploring science teachers' dual role as teachers of content and English literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arnold, Suzanne C.

    Responsibility for educating English language learners is increasingly falling on the shoulders of content specialists at the secondary level, as students are mainstreamed into classes. Therefore, providing these students an opportunity to achieve academic success depends largely on the quality of mainstream instruction (Cornell, 1995). Most teachers receive little or no preparation in how to work with English language learners. In my study, I address the instructional issues confronting three white, monolingual English-speaking middle school science teachers who must meet the demands of an increasing English language learner population. Specifically, this study explores teacher beliefs and enactment of reform-oriented science and sheltered instructional approaches to develop English language learners scientific and English literacy skills. I also explore the relationships that exist between these two dynamics in an effort to determine the extent to which teachers take on a dual role as teachers promoting English language and science proficiency. Using a participant observation case study method and my adaptation of Schwab's commonplaces heuristic, I analyzed the relationship between teacher beliefs, milieu, subject matter, and enactment in bridging the language gap in the science classroom for English language learners. The most noteworthy finding of this study was the significant role of milieu in enacting lessons that bridge the language gap and foster the development of English language learners science and English literacy skills. The findings suggest that greater attention be given to helping teachers establish a relationship-driven classroom milieu. You can provide all kinds of courses or professional learning experiences to improve teachers' instructional practices, but they must also recognize the importance of establishing relationships with their students; the coursework they take will not supplant the need to foster a warm and safe environment for all students. Practicing teachers need professional development experiences where they explore their own cultural identity, investigate their misconceptions of "others," and embrace the role of empowering students who have been marginalized culturally, economically, and/or linguistically to achieve a status as fully participating members of the classroom community.

  19. The Teacher Trainer: A Practical Journal Mainly for Modern Language Teacher Trainers, 1992.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodward, Tessa, Ed.

    1992-01-01

    This document consists of the three issues of the serial "The Teacher Trainer" issued during 1992. Articles include: "Resistance to Change in Teacher Training Courses"; "Teacher Training Games Series: Game 6: Language Bridge"; "How Trainees Can Provide a Resource for Staff Development"; "Do Unto Them As…

  20. Effects of Web-Mediated Teacher Professional Development on the Language and Literacy Skills of Children Enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten Programs

    PubMed Central

    Downer, Jason; Pianta, Robert; Fan, Xitao; Hamre, Bridget; Mashburn, Andrew; Justice, Laura

    2012-01-01

    As early education grows in the United States, in-service professional development in key instructional and interaction skills is a core component of capacity-building in early childhood education. In this paper, we describe results from an evaluation of the effects of MyTeachingPartner, a web-based system of professional development, on language and literacy development during pre-kindergarten for 1338 children in 161 teachers’ classrooms. High levels of support for teachers’ implementation of language/literacy activities showed modest but significant effects for improving early language and literacy for children in classrooms in which English was the dominant language spoken by the students and teachers. The combination of web-based supports, including video-based consultation and web-based video teaching exemplars, was more effective at improving children’s literacy and language skills than was only making available to teachers a set of instructional materials and detailed lesson guides. These results suggest the importance of targeted, practice-focused supports for teachers in designing professional development systems for effective teaching in early childhood programs. PMID:23144591

  1. Implementation of Flipped Instruction in Language Classrooms: An Alternative Way to Develop Speaking Skills of Pre-Service English Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Köroglu, Zeynep Çetin; Çakir, Abdulvahit

    2017-01-01

    Flipped Instruction is overemphasized in recent years that has a significant impact in language education. In this context, the current research investigates the effects of Flipped Instruction on pre-service English language teachers' speaking skills development. The research covers subskills of speaking skills. In this study quantitative data…

  2. A Study on ESL Teachers' Intercultural Communication Competence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Yechun

    2017-01-01

    Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) is the absolute necessity for talents in the 21st century. Meanwhile, the development of ICC competence has already become a new teaching concept, which will penetrate in all aspects of language teaching activities. Indeed, to facilitate language learners to develop ICC, language teachers, especially…

  3. A Program for Reading and Language Development. An Adopter's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Nancy Hay

    "Project SAILS" (Symbolic and Innovative Language Systems) is a special program developed by the Portland, Oregon, public schools for training teachers to work with children who have learning and reading difficulties. Teachers are instructed in the use of the Monterey Reading and Language Programs, highly structured and highly…

  4. Formative Assessment in Teacher Education: The Development of a Diagnostic Language Test for Trainee Teachers of German

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richards, Brian J.

    2008-01-01

    This article describes the development and validation of a diagnostic test of German and its integration in a programme of formative assessment during a one-year initial teacher-training course. The test focuses on linguistic aspects that cause difficulty for trainee teachers of German as a foreign language and assesses implicit and explicit…

  5. ICT and Language Teacher Development in the Global South: A New Materialist Discourse Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anwaruddin, Sardar M.

    2016-01-01

    In this article, I present insights from a discourse analytic study in which I examined publications that emerged from a teacher development program in Bangladesh. The program, known as English in Action, utilizes information and communication technologies to deliver professional development activities to English-language teachers. Now in its 8th…

  6. Improving Young English Learners' Language and Literacy Skills through Teacher Professional Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Babinski, Leslie M.; Amendum, Steven J.; Knotek, Steven E.; Sánchez, Marta; Malone, Patrick

    2018-01-01

    Using a randomized controlled trial, we tested a new teacher professional development program for increasing the language and literacy skills of young Latino English learners with 45 teachers and 105 students in 12 elementary schools. School-based teams randomly assigned to the intervention received professional development focused on cultural…

  7. Professional Development for Teachers of English Language Learners: Discursive Norms, Learning Processes, and Professional Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Molle, Daniella

    2010-01-01

    The lack of empirical scholarship on professional development initiatives for teachers of English language learners (ELLs) in US schools has been repeatedly documented in educational research. The present dissertation project examines a professional development course specifically designed for K-12 teachers of ELLs. The course aims to foster the…

  8. The Language Teacher, 2001.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swanson, Malcolm, Ed.; Long, Robert, Ed.

    These issues of "The Language Teacher" examine second language learning issues in Japan, focusing on such topics as the following: language educators and labor law; using videofeedback to nurture self-monitoring skills; learning diaries in learner training; English for special learners; developing listening subskills with trivia;…

  9. Language Teacher Education in a Fast-Changing World. Anthology Series 29. Selected Papers from a Seminar on Language Teacher Education in a Fast-Changing World (April 1992).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadtono, Eugenius, Ed.

    Selected papers from a 1992 seminar on innovations in language teacher education include: "Collaboration in Assessment: Empowering the Individual Course Member" (Leslie Dickinson); "An Approach to the Evaluation of ELT Preparation Programs" (Stephen J. Gaies); "Human Resources Development in the Management of English Language Programs: An…

  10. Constructing Practical Knowledge of Teaching: Eleven Newly Qualified Language Teachers' Discursive Agency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruohotie-Lyhty, Maria

    2011-01-01

    This paper explores the professional development of 11 newly qualified foreign language teachers. It draws on a qualitative longitudinal study conducted at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland between 2002 and 2009. The paper concentrates on the personal side of teacher development by analysing participants' discourses concerning language…

  11. Adult Learners of English Interacting with Native Speaker Teachers and Non-Native Speaker Teachers: Exploring Differences in Students' Language Use

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nadeau, Melody Hallenbeck

    2014-01-01

    This mixed-methods study examined the lived experience of adult English Language Learners (ELLs) in classrooms led by native speaking teachers, compared with their experience in classrooms led by non-native teachers. The socio-cognitive approach to language and emergent common ground framed the development of the English classroom as a Community…

  12. The Effects of a Professional Development Program on English as a Foreign Language Teachers' Efficacy and Classroom Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ortaçtepe, DenIz; Akyel, Ayse S.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of the present study is twofold: (1) to investigate the relationship between the efficacy of teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) and their self-reported practice of communicative language teaching (CLT) and (2) to examine the impact of an in-service teacher education program on teachers' efficacy and self-reported and…

  13. Addition in Kindergarten: The Role of Mothers' and Teachers' Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hudson, Kesha N.; Coffman, Jennifer L.; Ornstein, Peter A.

    2018-01-01

    Data from a longitudinal investigation were used to examine the effects of mothers' and teachers' language on children's developing mathematical competencies during the kindergarten year. Specifically, 1) mothers' use of metamemory talk, or references to the process of remembering, and 2) teachers' use of "cognitive processing language"…

  14. Transcending Tradition: Situated Activity, Discourse, and Identity in Language Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mantero, Miguel

    2004-01-01

    This article explores the concept of tradition within language teacher education (LTE) and extends our understanding of the elements involved in the formation of identity in preservice, second language teachers. After reviewing various perspectives of identity formation, a discursive model is offered as an approach to individual development within…

  15. Asking the Right Questions: Teachers' Questions Can Build Students' English Language Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Jane D.; Flynn, Kathleen

    2008-01-01

    This article presents an instructional strategy that helps teachers engage English language learners (ELLs) in learning, thus increasing their own belief that they can effectively teach English language learners, and proposes a professional development activity that will cement this strategy in teachers' minds. By using an action research…

  16. Chinese Language Teachers' Orientation to Reading Instruction and Their Instructional Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lau, Kit-ling

    2007-01-01

    This study aimed to develop a set of quantitative instruments to investigate Hong Kong Chinese language teachers' orientation to reading instruction, their instructional practices and the relation between these two constructs under the implementation of the new curriculum. A total of 493 Chinese language teachers from 170 secondary schools in Hong…

  17. And Who Assesses the Bilingual Teacher's Language Proficiency?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carlisle-Zepeda, Veronica; Saldate, Macario, IV

    1978-01-01

    Describes the rationale and design of the Zepeda/Saldate Spanish Language Proficiency Exam developed at the University of Arizona for use in evaluating the language proficiency of applicants for bilingual/bicultural teacher education programs. (JG)

  18. Talk Like a Scientist! Simple "Frames" to Scaffold the Language of Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoffman, Lisa

    2013-01-01

    This article shares a teaching strategy for science teachers to use when supporting language development among English language learners. Students from other language backgrounds who are learning English need to learn both grade-level academic content and the language necessary to express scientific concepts. However, most science teachers are not…

  19. Understanding the Development of a Hybrid Practice of Inquiry-Based Science Instruction and Language Development: A Case Study of One Teacher's Journey through Reflections on Classroom Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Capitelli, Sarah; Hooper, Paula; Rankin, Lynn; Austin, Marilyn; Caven, Gennifer

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative case study looks closely at an elementary teacher who participated in professional development experiences that helped her develop a hybrid practice of using inquiry-based science to teach both science content and English language development (ELD) to her students, many of whom are English language learners (ELLs). This case study…

  20. Novice Teachers' Perspectives on Learning in Lesson Rehearsals in Second Language Teacher Preparation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Troyan, Francis John; Peercy, Megan Madigan

    2016-01-01

    Although scholars working in core practices have put forth lesson rehearsals as central to novice teachers' learning and development, there is little work on how novice teachers experience rehearsals. This qualitative research investigated learning opportunities for novice teachers of language learners during rehearsals. The analysis examines two…

  1. The Evolution of Teachers' Language Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andrews, Stephen

    2006-01-01

    The paper focuses on the development of teacher thinking, specifically L2 teachers' subject-matter cognitions, i.e. their Teacher Language Awareness (TLA) (see e.g. Andrews 2001, 2003). The study examines the evolving TLA, as it relates to grammar, of three teachers, each a graduate with more than 10 years' experience of teaching English in Hong…

  2. Leveraging Cultural Resources through Teacher Pedagogical Reasoning: Elementary Grade Teachers Analyze Second Language Learners' Science Problem Solving

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buxton, Cory A.; Salinas, Alejandra; Mahotiere, Margarette; Lee, Okhee; Secada, Walter G.

    2013-01-01

    Grounded in teacher professional development addressing the intersection of student diversity and content area instruction, this study examined school teachers' pedagogical reasoning complexity as they reflected on their second language learners' science problem solving abilities using both home and school contexts. Teachers responded to interview…

  3. Enhancing literacy practices in science classrooms through a professional development program for Canadian minority-language teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rivard, Léonard P.; Gueye, Ndeye R.

    2016-05-01

    Literacy in the Science Classroom Project was a three-year professional development (PD) program supporting minority-language secondary teachers' use of effective language-based instructional strategies for teaching science. Our primary objective was to determine how teacher beliefs and practices changed over time and how these were enacted in different classrooms. We also wanted to identify the challenges and enablers to implementing these literacy strategies and practices at the classroom, school, and district levels. Data collection involved both qualitative and quantitative methodologies: student questionnaires; interviews with teachers, principals, and mentor; and focus groups with students. The findings suggest that the program had an impact on beliefs and practices commensurate with the workshop participation of individual teachers. These language-enhanced teacher practices also had a positive impact on the use of talking, reading and writing by students in the science classroom. Finally, continuing PD support may be needed in certain jurisdictions for strengthening minority-language programs given the high teacher mobility in content-area classrooms evident in this study.

  4. Using Educative Assessments to Support Science Teaching for Middle School English-language Learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buxton, Cory A.; Allexsaht-Snider, Martha; Suriel, Regina; Kayumova, Shakhnoza; Choi, Youn-jeng; Bouton, Bobette; Baker, Melissa

    2013-03-01

    Grounded in Hallidayan perspectives on academic language, we report on our development of an educative science assessment as one component of the language-rich inquiry science for English-language learners teacher professional learning project for middle school science teachers. The project emphasizes the role of content-area writing to support teachers in diagnosing their students' emergent understandings of science inquiry practices, science content knowledge, and the academic language of science, with a particular focus on the needs of English-language learners. In our current school policy context, writing for meaningful purposes has received decreased attention as teachers struggle to cover large numbers of discrete content standards. Additionally, high-stakes assessments presented in multiple-choice format have become the definitive measure of student science learning, further de-emphasizing the value of academic writing for developing and expressing understanding. To counter these trends, we examine the implementation of educative assessment materials—writing-rich assessments designed to support teachers' instructional decision making. We report on the qualities of our educative assessment that supported teachers in diagnosing their students' emergent understandings, and how teacher-researcher collaborative scoring sessions and interpretation of assessment results led to changes in teachers' instructional decision making to better support students in expressing their scientific understandings. We conclude with implications of this work for theory, research, and practice.

  5. Preparing Early Childhood Teachers to Work With Young Dual Language Learners

    PubMed Central

    Zepeda, Marlene; Castro, Dina C.; Cronin, Sharon

    2015-01-01

    Teacher preparation is clearly linked to the quality of early childhood programs. In order for young dual language learners (DLLs) to be academically successful, teacher preparation should focus on those skills and abilities relevant to students’ particular needs. This article reviews the content of professional preparation for early educators working with young DLLs and briefly discusses the importance of developing the cultural and linguistic diversity of the early childhood workforce. It identifies 6 content areas: (a) understanding language development, (b) understanding the relationship between language and culture, (c) developing skills and abilities to effectively teach DLLs, (d) developing abilities to use assessment in meaningful ways for DLLs, (e) developing a sense of professionalism, and (f) understanding how to work with families. PMID:26500692

  6. Preparing Early Childhood Teachers to Work With Young Dual Language Learners.

    PubMed

    Zepeda, Marlene; Castro, Dina C; Cronin, Sharon

    2011-03-01

    Teacher preparation is clearly linked to the quality of early childhood programs. In order for young dual language learners (DLLs) to be academically successful, teacher preparation should focus on those skills and abilities relevant to students' particular needs. This article reviews the content of professional preparation for early educators working with young DLLs and briefly discusses the importance of developing the cultural and linguistic diversity of the early childhood workforce. It identifies 6 content areas: (a) understanding language development, (b) understanding the relationship between language and culture, (c) developing skills and abilities to effectively teach DLLs, (d) developing abilities to use assessment in meaningful ways for DLLs, (e) developing a sense of professionalism, and (f) understanding how to work with families.

  7. In Our Learners' Shoes. A Language Teacher's Reflections on Language Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cervi, David A.

    1989-01-01

    A language teacher's Japanese-language learning experiences in educational and immersion environments lead to assertions about the ineffectiveness of exclusive use of traditional instructional methodologies; exclusive dependence on osmosis for developing fluency; instructional materials that students perceive as beneath them; and assumptions that…

  8. Language Teacher Action Research: Achieving Sustainability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Emily; Burns, Anne

    2016-01-01

    Action research (AR) is becoming increasingly popular in ELT contexts as a means of continuous professional development. The positive impacts of AR on language teacher development are well documented, but the important question of how those impacts can be sustained over time is virtually unexplored. Drawing on findings from a study of teachers in…

  9. Authoring Teacher Development in a Graduate Seminar in Vietnam

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baurain, Bradley

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to explore stories of teacher development experienced by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in a graduate seminar in Vietnam. The author was the instructor for the course, entitled "Literature and Language Teaching." Three types of data were collected: course documents, a professional…

  10. Theory and Practice in EFL Teacher Education: Bridging the Gap. New Perspectives on Language and Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huttner, Julia; Mehlmauer-Larcher, Barbara; Reichl, Susanne; Schiftner, Barbara

    2011-01-01

    This volume addresses the complex issues surrounding language teacher education, especially in EFL, and the development of professionalism in this field. By applying such concepts as Shulman's "pedagogical content knowledge", the development of teachers' knowledge base is investigated in a variety of settings, thus underpinning the contextual…

  11. Language development in the early school years: the importance of close relationships with teachers.

    PubMed

    Spilt, Jantine L; Koomen, Helma M Y; Harrison, Linda J

    2015-02-01

    This longitudinal study examined developmental links between closeness in teacher-child relationships and children's receptive language ability from the end of the preschool years into the early elementary years, while controlling for changes in peer interaction quality and child behavioral functioning. The sample included children and their parents and teachers (N = 4,983) participating in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) at ages 4-5, 6-7, and 8-9 years (3 waves). Teachers reported on levels of closeness in relationships with individual children. Independent assessments of receptive language were employed. Parents and teachers reported on peer interaction problems and child conduct problems. Results indicated reciprocal associations between close teacher-child relationships and receptive language development above and beyond associations with peer interaction quality and child behavioral functioning. However, the effects were only modest. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  12. Language experience narratives and the role of autobiographical reasoning in becoming an urban science teacher

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rivera Maulucci, Maria S.

    2011-06-01

    One of the central challenges globalization and immigration present to education is how to construct school language policies, procedures, and curricula to support academic success of immigrant youth. This case-study compares and contrasts language experience narratives along Elena's developmental trajectory of becoming an urban science teacher. Elena reflects upon her early language experiences and her more recent experiences as a preservice science teacher in elementary dual language classrooms. The findings from Elena's early schooling experiences provide an analysis of the linkages between Elena's developing English proficiency, her Spanish proficiency, and her autobiographical reasoning. Elena's experiences as a preservice teacher in two elementary dual language classrooms indicates ways in which those experiences helped to reframe her views about the intersections between language learning and science learning. I propose the language experience narrative, as a subset of the life story, as a way to understand how preservice teachers reconstruct past language experiences, connect to the present, and anticipate future language practices.

  13. English Language Teachers and Technology Education = Ingilizce Ögretmenleri ve Teknoloji

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basal, Ahmet

    2015-01-01

    Today, the rapid advances in technology have been drastically changing and shaping the way humans live.In line with these developments, the use of technology in education has been on the increase and language education is no exception. Therefore, the expectations from language teachers have been changing. As expected from all teachers of other…

  14. Empowering Non-Licensed-in-English Language Teachers to Construct Professional Knowledge in Their Actual and Imagined Communities of Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aguirre-Garzón, Edgar Augusto; Castañeda-Peña, Harold Andrés

    2017-01-01

    Research has accumulated important knowledge over recent decades on how licensed language teachers develop and learn from cognitive and socio-cultural stances. Yet, relatively little evidence exists on how non-licensed-in-English language teachers (NLELTs) grow professionally in their communities. Similarly, few studies have yet investigated the…

  15. Classroom Conversation Analysis and Critical Reflective Practice: Self-Evaluation of Teacher Talk Framework in Focus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ghafarpour, Hajar

    2017-01-01

    The uniqueness of the Language Classroom and its complexity raises a need for foreign language teachers to develop necessary skills and knowledge to observe, analyse and evaluate their classroom discourse. Hence, interactional awareness of language teachers is an integral part of pedagogical and practical knowledge. In this article, the…

  16. Turkish EFL Teachers' Perceptions and Practices of Foreign Language Assessment in Primary Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirkgoz, Yasemin; Babanoglu, Muzaffer Pinar; Agçam, Reyhan

    2017-01-01

    The present study aimed to investigate perceptions of EFL teachers working at state primary schools on core language skills, assessment types and question types used in assessing student's foreign language development and proficiency during an academic year. Data were gathered from 56 EFL teachers working at 42 primary state schools in Turkey…

  17. Video as a Professional Development Tool to Support Novice Teachers as They Learn to Teach English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Estapa, Anne; Pinnow, Rachel J.; Chval, Kathryn B.

    2016-01-01

    This two-year study investigated how an innovative video tool enhanced novice-teacher noticing abilities and instructional practice in relation to teaching mathematics to English language learners in third grade classrooms. Specifically, teachers viewed videos of their mathematics lessons that were filmed by Latino English language learners who…

  18. Teaching a Foreign Language: One Teacher's Practical Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mangubhai, Francis; Marland, Perce; Dashwood, Ann; Son, Jeong-Bae

    2004-01-01

    In recent decades, teachers of second languages in many countries, including Australia, have been encouraged to use an approach known as communicative language teaching (CLT). This approach advocates the development of communicative competence as a primary goal through the extensive use of the second language as a means of communication during…

  19. Innovations in Foreign Language Educator Assessment in California.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silvestro, John R.; And Others

    California has developed a new series of credential examinations for foreign language teachers to make it possible to test the competence of teachers in six languages less frequently taught than Spanish and French. These languages are German, Japanese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Russian, and Vietnamese. Each assessment is based on the specifications…

  20. Balancing Content & Language in the English Language Development Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reynolds-Young, Danielle; Hood, Sally

    2014-01-01

    Although course assignments require English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher candidates to design activities, performance assessments, and lessons that balance the teaching of the English language and academic content, the ESL teacher candidates remain perplexed as to how to teach without a prescribed curriculum. The answer is challenging, given…

  1. Assessing the Language Proficiency of Second Language Teachers: An LSP Approach to Test Design.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elder, Catherine

    This paper describes a language-for-specific-purposes test development project designed to assess both general language proficiency and classroom communicative competence for the purpose of accrediting teachers of Italian as a second/foreign language. A rationale for test design is presented that draws in a review of the second language…

  2. Inservice Teacher Training: Experiencing German Culture Down Under

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jansen, Louise; Stracke, Elke

    2005-01-01

    In collaboration with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Department of Education and Training, the Australian National University has been offering a professional development program for language teachers (called LIFT, or Language Inservice for Teachers) for more than ten years. As the program is specially tailored to meet teachers' current…

  3. Crossing borders: High school science teachers learning to teach the specialized language of science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Patrick, Jennifer Drake

    The highly specialized language of science is both challenging and alienating to adolescent readers. This study investigated how secondary science teachers learn to teach the specialized language of science in their classrooms. Three research questions guided this study: (a) what do science teachers know about teaching reading in science? (b) what understanding about the unique language demands of science reading do they construct through professional development? and (c) how do they integrate what they have learned about these specialized features of science language into their teaching practices? This study investigated the experience of seven secondary science teachers as they participated in a professional development program designed to teach them about the specialized language of science. Data sources included participant interviews, audio-taped professional development sessions, field notes from classroom observations, and a prior knowledge survey. Results from this study suggest that science teachers (a) were excited to learn about disciplinary reading practices, (b) developed an emergent awareness of the specialized features of science language and the various genres of science writing, and (c) recognized that the challenges of science reading goes beyond vocabulary. These teachers' efforts to understand and address the language of science in their teaching practices were undermined by their lack of basic knowledge of grammar, availability of time and resources, their prior knowledge and experiences, existing curriculum, and school structure. This study contributes to our understanding of how secondary science teachers learn about disciplinary literacy and apply that knowledge in their classroom instruction. It has important implications for literacy educators and science educators who are interested in using language and literacy practices in the service of science teaching and learning. (Full text of this dissertation may be available via the University of Florida Libraries web site. Please check http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/etd.html)

  4. Initiating an Action Research Programme for University EFL Teachers: Early Experiences and Responses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burns, Anne; Westmacott, Anne; Ferrer, Antonieta Hidalgo

    2016-01-01

    Accounts of how teacher educators begin to plan, develop, and support action research programmes for language teachers are rare, as are descriptions of the responses of the teachers who participate. This article documents and analyses the initial processes of introducing and supporting a new programme of action research for language teachers at…

  5. Teacher Identity Development: A Collective Case Study of English as a Foreign Language Pre-Service Teachers Learning to Teach in an Indonesian University Teacher Education Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riyanti, Dwi

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine how English as a foreign language pre-service teachers develop their identities through the process of learning to teach in a university microteaching class and a student teaching practicum within a multilingual Indonesian context. A sociocultural theoretical lens incorporating activity theory as well as a…

  6. Peer Observation: A Professional Learning Tool for English Language Teachers in an EFL Institute

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahmed, Ejaz; Nordin, Zaimuariffudin Shukri; Shah, Sayyed Rashid; Channa, Mansoor Ahmed

    2018-01-01

    The key aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of English as foreign language (EFL) teachers about peer observation as a tool for professional development that is implemented in an English Language Institute of a Saudi Arabian university. This paper reviews literature on peer observation to develop a conceptual and theoretical…

  7. "I Don't Know Why I'm Learning This": Preservice English Teachers' Engagement in a Language Development Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramanayake, Selena; Williams, Cheri

    2017-01-01

    Despite the increase of English learners in the U.S. and of standards for linguistically responsive teaching practices, teacher education programs often fall short of preparing preservice teachers to teach diverse learners. In this case study, specifically designed to improve a pedagogical course on English language development, the researchers…

  8. Learning to Do Concept-Based Pragmatics Instruction: Teacher Development and L2 Pedagogical Content Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van Compernolle, Rémi A.; Henery, Ashlie

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the development of pedagogical content knowledge in relation to one teacher's experience in learning to engage in a Vygotskian approach to teaching second language (L2) pragmatics known as "concept-based pragmatics instruction" (CBPI). The teacher, Mrs. Hanks, was a PhD candidate in second language acquisition at…

  9. Foreign Language Teachers' Professional Development through Peer Observation Programme

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dos Santos, Luis Miguel

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of the research is to explore the development of peer-observation programme for the use of an extension language school in Hong Kong. The research objectives were to explore teachers' perceptions on a peer observation programme as a means to improve teaching practice, examine how teachers make sense of the peer observation programme…

  10. Talking to Learn: A Mixed-Methods Study of a Professional Development Program for Teachers of English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shea, Lauren M.

    2012-01-01

    Most teachers of English language learners (ELLs) have had virtually no specialized, in-service training in adapting instruction for their students. Prior research fails to investigate the impact of professional development (PD) specifically designed for teachers of ELLs. This dissertation examines a PD program that attempted to prepare teachers…

  11. Measuring Preschool Teachers' Perceived Competency and Knowledge of Oral Language Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prestwich, Dian Teer

    2012-01-01

    Research has demonstrated the impact of early oral language development on a child's later reading comprehension. Additionally, research has suggested that teachers' knowledge of effective practices in literacy plays an important role in students' ability to learn to read. The problem is that preschool teachers' knowledge of…

  12. Analysis of Design and Delivery of Critical Incident Workshops for Elementary School English as a Foreign Language Teachers in Community of Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chien, Chin-Wen

    2018-01-01

    Language teachers can uncover new understanding of the teaching and learning process through reflecting on critical incidents [Richard, J.C., and T.S.C. Farrell. 2005. "Professional Development for Language Teachers." New York, NY: Cambridge University Press]. Based on the data analysis of workshop handouts, observation notes, and…

  13. You Just Want to Be Like that Teacher: Modelling and Intercultural Competence in Young Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moloney, Robyn

    2008-01-01

    Language teachers are called upon to understand both the nature of students' intercultural competence and their own role in its development. Limited research attention has been paid to the relationship between the types of behaviour that language teachers model and the intercultural competence their students acquire. This article reports on a case…

  14. Exploring Taiwanese Preservice Teachers' Identity Construction in the Context of Service-Learning: Conflict and Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tseng, Ming-i Lydia

    2017-01-01

    Language teacher identity (LTI) has gained prominence in second language education in the recent two decades, particularly the complexity of identity construction in the changing context shaped by local and global forces. This study adds to recent work on LTI by exploring how Asian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) constructed their…

  15. Measuring the Variables and Testing the Outcomes. The ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series, Vol. 10.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valette, Rebecca M.; Linder, Cathy

    Current developments in the field of language testing are synthesized with emphasis on their practical application in the classroom. The main areas of concern are: (1) the role of testing in the schools; (2) identifying and measuring teacher and student variables, such as, language proficiency of teachers; teacher effectiveness in the classroom;…

  16. Acquiring the Language of Learning: The Performance of Hawaiian Preschool Children on the Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (PLAI).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martini, Mary

    The Preschool Language Assessment Instrument (PLAI) was designed as a diagnostic tool for 3- to 6-year-old children to assess children's abilities to use language to solve thinking problems typically posed by teachers. The PLAI was developed after observing middle-class teachers in preschool classrooms encourage children to use language in…

  17. Examining the Effectiveness of an Academic Language Planning Organizer as a Tool for Planning Science Academic Language Instruction and Supports

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jung, Karl G.; Brown, Julie C.

    2016-01-01

    To engage in the practices of science, students must have a strong command of science academic language. However, content area teachers often make academic language an incidental part of their lesson planning, which leads to missed opportunities to enhance students' language development. To support pre-service elementary science teachers (PSTs) in…

  18. Professional Development Programmes for Teachers Moving from Majority to Minoritised Language Medium Education: Lessons from a Comparative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McPake, Joanna; McLeod, Wilson; O'Hanlon, Fiona; Fassetta, Giovanna; Wilson, Mona

    2017-01-01

    Education through the medium of a minoritised language is widely regarded as a critical component of language revitalisation initiatives. Given the demographic and social position of many minoritised languages, however, it may not be easy to find teachers who are fluent and literate in the language, confident about using and teaching it, and…

  19. The Knowledge and Perceptions of Prospective Teachers and Speech Language Therapists in Collaborative Language and Literacy Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Leanne; McNeill, Brigid; Gillon, Gail T.

    2015-01-01

    Successful collaboration among speech and language therapists (SLTs) and teachers fosters the creation of communication friendly classrooms that maximize children's spoken and written language learning. However, these groups of professionals may have insufficient opportunity in their professional study to develop the shared knowledge, perceptions…

  20. Using Educative Assessments to Support Science Teaching for Middle School English-Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buxton, Cory A.; Allexsaht-Snider, Martha; Suriel, Regina; Kayumova, Shakhnoza; Choi, Youn-jeng; Bouton, Bobette; Baker, Melissa

    2013-01-01

    Grounded in Hallidayan perspectives on academic language, we report on our development of an educative science assessment as one component of the language-rich inquiry science for English-language learners teacher professional learning project for middle school science teachers. The project emphasizes the role of content-area writing to support…

  1. The Effective English Language Teacher from the Perspectives of Turkish Preparatory School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arikan, Arda; Taser, Duygu; Sarac-Suzer, H. Sezgi

    2008-01-01

    In this study, Turkish EFL students' conceptualization of an effective English language teacher is studied. A survey formerly developed by Yu-Hsin (1999) was adapted and administered to 100 foreign language learners studying at two state universities' English language preparatory schools. Also, participants' written responses were collected to…

  2. Teacher Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1997

    Eight conference papers on language teacher development are presented, including: "Mosaics of Teacher Development and Socialization" (Andrew Barfield, Paul A. Beaufait, Sean Conley, Tim Murphey, Katsura Haruko), a panel presentation on aspects of and experiments in teacher development; "Questions About Teaching? Answers from…

  3. Exploring Intercultural Awareness in the Primary Modern Language Classroom: The Potential of the New Model of European Language Portfolio Developed by the Irish Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative (MLPSI)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rantz, Frederique; Horan, Pascaline

    2005-01-01

    This paper reflects a key concern for teacher trainers: how can primary language teachers promote the development of intercultural awareness among their pupils? It addresses the concept of intercultural awareness as it applies to young learners and refers more specifically to the context of the Irish primary classroom and its curriculum. It argues…

  4. Revitalizing a Curriculum for School-Age Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hayes, David, Ed.; Sharkey, Judy, Ed.

    2008-01-01

    At its core, a curriculum is what happens among learners and teachers in the classroom. TESOL's Language Curriculum Development Series describes how teachers, curriculum developers, and administrators have developed, adapted, or renewed a language curriculum. In doing so, they have responded creatively and realistically to learners' needs. The…

  5. CALL Teacher Professional Growth through Lesson Study Practice: An Investigation into EFL Teachers' Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nami, Fatemeh; Marandi, S. Susan; Sotoudehnama, Elaheh

    2016-01-01

    Despite the abundance of research on the potential of lesson study for promoting teachers' professional growth through practice and collaboration, little is known on how language teachers perceive this strategy for their computer assisted language learning (CALL) professional development. In an attempt to contribute to this research base, this…

  6. Preservice Teachers' Developing Conceptions of Teaching English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelly, Laura Beth

    2018-01-01

    In this study, 12 preservice teachers in a community college English as a second language (ESL) K-12 teacher education program drew pictures and wrote descriptions of teachers teaching English language learners (ELLs) at the beginning and end of an ESL methods course. Using content analysis, the researcher analyzed the drawings and descriptions…

  7. Second Language Teacher Development through CALL Practice: The Emergence of Teachers' Agency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kitade, Keiko

    2015-01-01

    A growing number of studies examining second language (L2) teacher education from the perspective of sociocultural theory, in particular the activity theory framework (Engeström, 1999), show that transformations in teachers' cognition and practice can be fostered through negotiation of sociocultural and cognitive dissonance in their teaching…

  8. Teacher-Child Relationships in Preschool Period: The Roles of Child Temperament and Language Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoleri, Sibel

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine how children's temperament and language skills predict the effects of teacher-child relationships in preschool. Parents and preschool teachers completed three questionnaires: The Student-Teacher Relationship Scale, the Marmara Development Scale and the Short Temperament Scale for Children. The relational…

  9. Exploring Language Teacher Identity Work as Ethical Self-Formation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Elizabeth R.; Morgan, Brian; Medina, Adriana L.

    2017-01-01

    In this article, we treat language teacher identity as foundational to educational practice and see Foucault's (1983, 1997) notion of ethical self-formation, and its adoption in teacher education research by Clarke (2008, 2009, 2010), as providing a potential vehicle for understanding the development of teacher agency and critical identity work.…

  10. Improving Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) of Pre-Service English Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ersanli, Ceylan Yangin

    2016-01-01

    Developing as teachers and optimizing learning experiences for future students is the ultimate goal in technology use in teacher education programs. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of a five-week workshop and training sessions on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) of pre-service English language teachers. The…

  11. "Chairperson" or "Chairman"?--A Study of Chinese EFL Teachers' Gender Inclusivity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jackie F. K.

    2015-01-01

    Given the potential influence of teachers' linguistic practice on children's language use and gender role development, the present study seeks to examine the extent of linguistic discrimination present in teachers' language. A total of 215 Chinese EFL teachers were invited to participate in the survey, which included a series of elicitation tests…

  12. Knowledge foundations for beginning reading teachers in EFL.

    PubMed

    Goldfus, Carol

    2012-10-01

    This study examined the knowledge that teachers need in order to become successful early reading teachers in English as a foreign language. The findings showed that in-service teachers had better content knowledge than pre-service teachers, although the results indicated overall low performance and insufficiently developed concepts about the structure of language, spelling rules, and academic terminology in both groups.

  13. An Examination of the Special Education Teacher Training Programs in Turkey and European Union Member Countries in Terms of Language Development and Communication Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akmese, Pelin Pistav; Kayhan, Nilay

    2016-01-01

    The academic terms and the periods of the courses related to the language development and communication differs considerably in the programs of the countries which train teachers for the special education department. The aim of this study is to examine the contents and credits of the communication and the language development courses in Teacher…

  14. Characteristics of Children Who Struggle with Reading: Teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists Collaborate to Support Young Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Squires, Katie E.; Gillam, Sandra L.; Reutzel, D. Ray

    2013-01-01

    Speech language pathologists (SLPs) have developed specialized knowledge about oral language and its relationship to early literacy development that can be particularly useful to early childhood educators. The purpose of this article is to highlight ways in which an SLP can support early childhood teachers in a Response to Intervention role by…

  15. Development and Validation of Early Childhood Language Teacher Knowledge: A Survey Study of Korean Teachers of English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Jung In

    2013-01-01

    As English becomes an international language in the world, there is a growing interest in developing English skills from early childhood. In Korea, the demand for English as a foreign language education for young children has increased considerably in the past decade. However, little is still known about the professional knowledge of an early…

  16. Professional Development for Promoting 21st Century Skills and Common Core State Standards in Foreign Language and Social Studies Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beriswill, Joanne Elizabeth; Bracey, Pamela Scott; Sherman-Morris, Kathleen; Huang, Kun; Lee, Sang Joon

    2016-01-01

    To help satisfy the pressing need for technology-related professional development for in-service teachers, the Global Academic Essentials Teacher Institute (GAETI) was implemented to provide in-service foreign language and social studies teachers with content, pedagogy, and technology explorations centered on the teaching of the Common Core State…

  17. On JALT96: Crossing Borders. Proceedings of the Annual JALT International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning (23rd, Hiroshima, Japan, November 1996).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cornwell, Steve, Ed.; Rule, Peggy, Ed.; Sugino, Toshiko, Ed.

    Papers from an international conference on language teaching/learning are presented by topic and grouped under seven sections. An introductory section contains two papers on cultural diversity and world English. The second section, on teacher development, contains papers on these topics: teacher development and socialization; teachers' responses…

  18. Developing Intercultural Competence of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language through an International Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strugielska, Ariadna; Piatkowska, Katarzyna

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports an international project which took place at Nicolaus Copernicus University, where students and teachers from four European universities met for a two-week summer school. The main objective was to develop intercultural competence of teachers of English as a foreign language and their ability to demonstrate this skill during an…

  19. Sustaining Expertise through Collaborative/Peer-Mediated and Individual Reflections: The Experiences of Chinese English Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pawan, Faridah; Fan, Wenfang

    2014-01-01

    This exploratory investigation of the professional development of Chinese English Language teachers (ELTs) was part of a collaboration between two teacher educators, one from the U.S. and the other from China, during the 2011-2012 academic year. We were involved in the professional development in three schools (elementary, middle and high schools)…

  20. Transforming Language Ideologies through Action Research: A Case Study of Bilingual Science Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Eunah

    This qualitative case study explored a third grade bilingual teacher's transformative language ideologies through participating in a collaborative action research project. By merging language ideologies theory, Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), and action research, I was able to identify the analytic focus of this study. I analyzed how one teacher and I, the researcher, collaboratively reflected on classroom language practices during the video analysis meetings and focus groups. Further, I analyzed twelve videos that we coded together to see the changes in the teacher's language practices over time. My unit of analysis was the discourse practice mediated by additive language ideologies. Throughout the collaborative action research process, we both critically reflected on the classroom language use. We also developed a critical consciousness about the participatory shifts and learning of focal English Learner (EL) students. Finally, the teacher made changes to her classroom language practices. The results of this study will contribute to the literacy education research field for theoretical, methodological, and practical insights. The integration of language ideologies, CHAT, and action research can help educational practitioners, researchers, and policy makers understand the importance of transforming teachers' language ideologies in designing additive learning contexts for ELs. From a methodological perspective, the transformative language ideologies through researcher and teacher collaborated video analysis process provide a unique contribution to the language ideologies in education literature, with analytic triangulation. As a practical implication, this study suggests action research can be one of the teacher education tools to help the teachers transform language ideologies for EL education.

  1. Chinese Tertiary English Educators' Perceptions of Foreign Teacher Involvement in Their Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bleistein, Tasha Maria

    2013-01-01

    China continues to invite expatriate tertiary-level English language educators to teach. Foreign English language teachers and local Chinese English educators who wish to develop professionally have an ever-increasing body of research regarding Chinese culture, education, professional development, and intercultural communication; however, research…

  2. Facilitating Professional Development for Teachers of English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Molle, Daniella

    2013-01-01

    The study explores the process of facilitation in professional development for educators. The study relies on discourse analysis of interaction among K-12 teachers and administrators in a Midwestern U.S. state during a semester-long professional development program especially designed for educators working with English language learners (ELLs).…

  3. Relation between language experiences in preschool classrooms and children's kindergarten and fourth-grade language and reading abilities.

    PubMed

    Dickinson, David K; Porche, Michelle V

    2011-01-01

    Indirect effects of preschool classroom indexes of teacher talk were tested on fourth-grade outcomes for 57 students from low-income families in a longitudinal study of classroom and home influences on reading. Detailed observations and audiotaped teacher and child language data were coded to measure content and quantity of verbal interactions in preschool classrooms. Preschool teachers' use of sophisticated vocabulary during free play predicted fourth-grade reading comprehension and word recognition (mean age=9; 7), with effects mediated by kindergarten child language measures (mean age=5; 6). In large group preschool settings, teachers' attention-getting utterances were directly related to later comprehension. Preschool teachers' correcting utterances and analytic talk about books, and early support in the home for literacy predicted fourth-grade vocabulary, as mediated by kindergarten receptive vocabulary. © 2011 The Authors. Child Development © 2011 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  4. Points of Departure: Developing the Knowledge Base of ESL and FSL Teachers for K-12 Programs in Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Faez, Farahnaz

    2011-01-01

    In this paper I examine similarities and differences between the required knowledge base of teachers of English as a second language (ESL) and French as a second language (FSL) for teaching in Kindergarten through Grade 12 programs in Canada. Drawing on knowledge base frameworks in language teacher education (Freeman and Johnson, 1998; Richards,…

  5. Capacity Building for Primary Languages through Initial Teacher Education: Could Specialist and Non-Specialist Student Teachers' Complementary Skills Provide a Winning Combination?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rowe, Jan; Herrera, Maria; Hughes, Bernie; Cawley, Michael

    2012-01-01

    There has been much debate about the development of a suitably qualified workforce to deliver the objectives of the Key Stage 2 language learning entitlement in England. The model of a skilled primary languages subject leader, working in collaboration with enthusiastic generalist class teachers is emerging as a consistent preference. Relatively…

  6. Parent oriented teacher selection causes language diversity.

    PubMed

    Cimentepe, Ibrahim; Bingol, Haluk O

    2017-09-21

    An evolutionary model for emergence of diversity in language is developed. We investigated the effects of two real life observations, namely, people prefer people that they communicate with well, and people interact with people that are physically close to each other. Clearly these groups are relatively small compared to the entire population. We restrict selection of the teachers from such small groups, called imitation sets, around parents. Then the child learns language from a teacher selected within the imitation set of her parent. As a result, there are subcommunities with their own languages developed. Within subcommunity comprehension is found to be high. The number of languages is related to the relative size of imitation set by a power law. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Supporting Immersion Teachers: An Autoethnography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Speece, Lauren

    2017-01-01

    Immersion programs face a variety of challenges that are common to the field, such as lack of materials appropriate for students' language abilities, assessment, teacher recruitment and retention, balancing content and language, and relevant, high quality professional development for teachers. However, within specific micro-contexts, other issues…

  8. Collaborative Research Projects in the Technology-Enhanced Language Classroom: Preservice and In-Service Teachers Exchange Knowledge about Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schmid, Euline Cutrim; Hegelheimer, Volker

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents research findings of a longitudinal empirical case study that investigated an innovative Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) professional development program for pre-service English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. The conceptualization of the program was based on the assumption that pre-service language teachers…

  9. Drama Integration: Training Teachers to Use Process Drama in English Language Arts, Social Studies, and World Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Jonathan P.

    2014-01-01

    This research study documents and analyzes the experience of teachers who participated in a professional development program to integrate process drama into the teaching of English language arts, social studies, and world languages and cultures. The study addresses and builds upon extant literature in process drama, arts integration, drama…

  10. Improving Science and Literacy Learning for English Language Learners: Evidence from a Pre-service Teacher Preparation Intervention

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shaw, Jerome M.; Lyon, Edward G.; Stoddart, Trish; Mosqueda, Eduardo; Menon, Preetha

    2014-08-01

    This paper present findings from a pre-service teacher development project that prepared novice teachers to promote English language and literacy development with inquiry-based science through a modified elementary science methods course and professional development for cooperating teachers. To study the project's impact on student learning, we administered a pre and post assessment to students (N = 191) of nine first year elementary teachers (grades 3 through 6) who experienced the intervention and who taught a common science unit. Preliminary results indicate that (1) student learning improved across all categories (science concepts, writing, and vocabulary)—although the effect varied by category, and (2) English Language Learner (ELL) learning gains were on par with non-ELLs, with differences across proficiency levels for vocabulary gain scores. These results warrant further analyses to understand the extent to which the intervention improved teacher practice and student learning. This study confirms the findings of previous research that the integration of science language and literacy practices can improve ELL achievement in science concepts, writing and vocabulary. In addition, the study indicates that it is possible to begin to link the practices taught in pre-service teacher preparation to novice teacher practice and student learning outcomes.

  11. Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Reported Perceptions of Their Development through SETT Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asik, Asuman; Kuru Gönen, S. Ipek

    2016-01-01

    Recent years have witnessed increasing attention to the role of interaction in the classroom. Regarding the dynamic nature of language classrooms, teacher talk is assumed to promote interaction. Based on this assumption, this paper aims at investigating EFL teachers' perceptions of their use of teacher talk and how analysis of language use…

  12. Iranian English Language Teachers' Views of Research: Implications for Policy and Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadeghi, Karim; Abutorabi, Parviz

    2017-01-01

    Understanding teachers' conceptions of research is fundamental to creating opportunities for teachers to be research-engaged and to take a more leading role in policy and curriculum development. This study investigated the views of Iranian English language teachers towards research by examining their conceptions of what research is, how often they…

  13. How Elementary Pre-Service Teachers Acquire Pedagogical Language Knowledge for Supporting English Learners' Academic Language Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harmon, Lois

    2017-01-01

    Increasingly large populations of English Learners (ELs) attend public schools within the US and teachers are held accountable for the academic performance of these students. Unfortunately, multiple studies have concluded that teachers graduating from teacher education programs are not equipped with the competencies to clearly identify the…

  14. English Language Learner Representation in Teacher Education Textbooks: A Null Curriculum?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watson, Sandy; Miller, Ted L.; Driver, Jennifer; Rutledge, Valerie; McAllister, Deborah

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to explore the issue of the English Language Learner as it is presented in teacher education textbooks developed for pre-service teachers. Rather than identify "typical" teacher education texts, the authors elect to review a selection of the most influential and widely used texts. Monument Information Resource (MIR)…

  15. Classroom-Level Teacher Professional Development and Satisfaction: Teachers Learn in the Context of Classroom-Level Curriculum Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shawer, Saad

    2010-01-01

    This qualitative study examined the impact of classroom-level teacher professional development (CTPD) and curriculum transmission on teacher professional development and satisfaction. Based on work with English-as-a-foreign-language college teachers and students, data analysis showed that CTPD significantly improved student-teacher subject,…

  16. Language Development: Understanding Language Diversity in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levey, Sandra; Polirstok, Susan

    2010-01-01

    Language Development: Understanding Language Diversity in the Classroom offers comprehensive coverage of the language development process for pre- and in-service teachers while emphasizing the factors that further academic success in the classroom, including literacy skills, phonological awareness, and narrative. With chapters written by respected…

  17. Starting a New Language Education Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Kathy

    2015-01-01

    Early years and primary teachers have a unique opportunity to apply their strong teaching practices, classroom management and understanding of childhood literacy development to teaching a language. This paper reports on a project from Independent Schools Queensland to increase language programs in schools by retraining classroom teachers.…

  18. Training and Sustaining Effective Teachers of Sheltered Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Short, Deborah

    2013-01-01

    This article provides guidelines for programs to deliver and sustain effective professional development on sheltered instruction to teachers who teach content to English learners. Many content area teachers have not had university coursework on second-language acquisition or the integration of language and content instruction in teacher…

  19. Aiming for Equity: Preparing Mainstream Teachers for Inclusion or Inclusive Classrooms?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coady, Maria R.; Harper, Candace; de Jong, Ester J.

    2016-01-01

    Mainstream teachers throughout the world are increasingly expected to differentiate instruction for primary-grade students with diverse learning needs, including second or English language learners (ELLs). Does teacher preparation translate into instructional practices for English language development? What do graduates of those programs do…

  20. "Experiential" Professional Development: Improving World Language Pedagogy inside Spanish Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burke, Brigid Moira

    2012-01-01

    "Experiential" professional development (EPD), influenced by Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound design, was integrated in the classrooms of secondary Spanish teachers to create opportunities for them to learn to use communicative language teaching (CLT) through experience. Teachers collaborated with colleagues, students, and a…

  1. Psychological reality and the role of the teacher in early-education sharing time

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alsafi, Abdullah T.

    1994-01-01

    The study of children's language development has been strongly influenced since the 1950s by linguistic research. How well, however, has the education of young children incorporated the concept of psychological reality, which interrelates the child's perceptual and cognitive development with linguistic and non-linguistic events in his/her environment? In reply to this question, the paper concentrates on"sharing time", known also as"show and tell", which has both affective and cognitive value. Although sharing time is a student-centered activity, the teacher plays a pivotal role in establishing its context, structure and norms. Feedback from the teacher and peers promotes language development, and the growth of curiosity and inquisitiveness. The article is derived from experience in teaching kindergarten teachers to conduct sharing time periods in Saudi Arabia. Practical suggestions are made for the implementation of the activity, in the interests of encouraging spontaneous and personalized language rather than focusing on evaluation of students' competence in the formal aspects of language development.

  2. Exploring Authorship Development among Mexican EFL Teacher-Researchers (Exploración sobre el desarrollo de la autoría en los profesores-investigadores de inglés como lengua extranjera)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trujeque Moreno, Eva Estefania; Encinas Prudencio, Fátima; Thomas-Ruzic, Maria

    2015-01-01

    This article presents a multi-theoretical model to address processes of "authorship development" in the English as a foreign language teaching profession. Working within a sociocultural perspective of second-language teacher education, the authors examined six experienced nonnative English-speaking teacher-researchers. Perceptions of…

  3. Teachers as "Reform-Doers": Developing a Participatory Curriculum to Teach English as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banegas, Dario Luis

    2011-01-01

    In this article I investigate the process of an in-service programme for English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers in Argentina started in 2007. Teachers began to feel uneasy about the EFL curriculum for secondary education at the time, feeling that something should be done to develop a participatory curriculum to be implemented in the future.…

  4. Teacher Development: A Real Need for English Departments in Vietnam.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hiep, Pham Hoa

    2001-01-01

    Examines English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) teacher training and teacher development in Vietnam. Suggests ways to promote professional development among EFL teachers in Vietnam, which may be applicable to similar situations in other countries. (Author/VWL)

  5. A Home-Language Free Adult Pre-Vocational Audio-Visual Course in English-as-a-Second Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Philip D., Jr.

    A pre-vocational English-as-a-second language course for adults was developed for the non-native speaker based upon the following assumptions: the teacher does not have to speak the language of the student; students in a class do not have to speak each others' language; the teacher need not be professionally trained in the field of teaching ESL;…

  6. Respecifying Display Questions: Interactional Resources for Language Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Yo-An

    2006-01-01

    Previous research into teachers' questions has focused on what types of questions are more conducive for developing students' communicative language use. In this regard, "display questions," whose answers the teacher already knows, are considered less effective because they limit opportunities for students to use genuine language use (Long & Sato,…

  7. Task-Based Language Learning and Teaching: An Action-Research Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Calvert, Megan; Sheen, Younghee

    2015-01-01

    The creation, implementation, and evaluation of language learning tasks remain a challenge for many teachers, especially those with limited experience with using tasks in their teaching. This action-research study reports on one teacher's experience of developing, implementing, critically reflecting on, and modifying a language learning task…

  8. Teachers and Research: Language Learning in the Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinnell, Gay Su, Ed.; Matlin, Myna L., Ed.

    This book provides information culled from classroom research, including some from teacher researchers, for those engaged in creating educational settings that support children's development of language and literacy. The book contains the following chapters: (1) "Observing Carlos: One Day of Language Use in School" (Mary M. Kitagawa); (2) "What…

  9. Assessing Toddler Language Competence: Agreement of Parents' and Preschool Teachers' Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marjanovic-Umek, Ljubica; Fekonja, Urska; Podlesek, Anja; Kranjc, Simona

    2011-01-01

    According to the findings of several studies, parents' assessments of their toddler's language are valid and reliable evaluations of children's language competence, especially at early development stages. This study examined whether preschool teachers, who spend a relatively great deal of time with toddlers in various preschool activities and…

  10. Mediating Language Learning: Teacher Interactions with ESL Students in a Content-Based Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gibbons, Pauline

    2003-01-01

    Draws on constructs of "mediation" from sociocultural theory and "mode continuum" from systemic functional linguistics to investigate how student-teacher talk in a content-based classroom contributes to learners' language development. Shows how teachers mediate between students' linguistic levels in English and their…

  11. EFL Teachers' Perceptions of Strategy Deficiency Syndrome: A Grounded Theory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ostovar-Namaghi, Seyyed Ali; Ahmadabadi-Tak, Bahareh

    2017-01-01

    Strategy-deficient language learners struggle to develop their language proficiency through limiting and inappropriate strategies. This study aims at exploring experienced teachers' perceptions of strategy deficiency syndrome among EFL learners. To this end, the perspectives of a purposive sample of experienced teachers teaching in private…

  12. Classroom Teachers and Classroom Research. JALT Applied Materials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Griffee, Dale T., Ed.; Nunan, David, Ed.

    This collection of papers leads classroom language teachers through the process of developing and completing a classroom research project. Arranged in four sections, they include: "Language Teaching and Research" (David Nunan); "Where Are We Now? Trends, Teachers, and Classroom Research" (Dale T. Griffee); "First Things First: Writing the Research…

  13. Teachers' Beliefs about the Role of Prior Language Knowledge in Learning and How These Influence Teaching Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De Angelis, Gessica

    2011-01-01

    The present study was developed to assess teachers' beliefs on (1) the role of prior language knowledge in language learning; (2) the perceived usefulness of language knowledge in modern society; and (3) the teaching practices to be used with multilingual students. Subjects were 176 secondary schoolteachers working in Italy (N = 103), Austria (N =…

  14. Exploring Models of Team Teaching in Initial Foreign/Second Language Teacher Education: A Study in Situated Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barahona, Malba

    2017-01-01

    The demonstrable potential of team teaching as a productive mechanism for developing collaborative teacher learning is now broadly understood in the field of teacher education. However, there is less evidence of the use of such collaborative teaching as a means of strengthening initial foreign/second language teacher education. This paper reports…

  15. Listening to the Voices of Education Professionals Involved in Implementing an Oral Language and Early Literacy Program in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lennox, Maria; Garvis, Susanne; Westerveld, Marleen

    2017-01-01

    This paper explores teachers' and teacher assistants' self-efficacy of delivering PrepSTART, a classroom based, oral language and early literacy program for five-year-old students. In the current study, speech pathologists developed, provided training and monitored program implementation. Teachers and teacher assistants (n = 17) shared their…

  16. From Pre-Service to In-Service Teachers: A Longitudinal Investigation of the Professional Development of English Language Teachers in Secondary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gu, Mingyue Michelle

    2013-01-01

    This study reports on a longitudinal inquiry into professional identity construction among six novice cross-border English language teachers from mainland China, who completed their pre-service teacher education in Hong Kong (HK) and began their teaching practice in local HK schools. The findings indicate that the participants navigated obstacles…

  17. Teaching of science and language by elementary teachers who emphasize the integrated language approach: A descriptive study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blouch, Kathleen Kennedy

    This research involved investigating the nature of science and language instruction in 13 elementary classrooms where teachers have restructured their language programs to reflect an integrated or holistic view of language instruction. The teachers were identified by school administrators and other professionals as teachers who have implemented instructional reforms described in the Pennsylvania Framework for Reading, Writing and Speaking Across the Curriculum (PCRPII), (Lytle & Botel, 1900). The instruction utilized by these teachers was described as atypical when compared to that of teachers utilizing the more traditional didactic skills oriented approach to language literacy. The research involved observing, recording and categorizing teaching behaviors during both science and language instruction. Videotaped observations were followed by analyses and descriptions of these behaviors. Interviews were also conducted to ascertain the basis for selection of the various instructional approaches. The instruction was compared on four dimensions: participation patterns, time the behaviors were practiced, type of tasks and levels of questioning. The instruction was then described in light of constructivist teaching practices: student collaboration, student autonomy, integration and higher order thinking. Constructivist practices differed among teachers for science and language instruction. During science instruction teachers spent more time involved in teacher-whole group participation patterns with more direct questioning as compared to language instruction in which children participated alone or in groups and had opportunity to initiate conversations and questions. Student inquiry was evidenced during language instruction more so than during science. The 13 teachers asked a variety of levels and types of questions both in science and language instruction. More hands-on science experiences were observed when science was taught separately compared to when integrated with the language instruction. Teachers also described professional changes that caused them to implement new practices. Each cited the importance of a significant person, who encouraged them to attempt new approaches. The research reveals that to produce significant reform in instruction (more so in science than in language) at the elementary school level, proactive support and encouragement by administrators is required. Involving practicing teachers in extensive - modeled - mentored professional development experiences is also required.

  18. Primary teachers notice the impact of language on children's mathematical reasoning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bragg, Leicha A.; Herbert, Sandra; Loong, Esther Yoon-Kin; Vale, Colleen; Widjaja, Wanty

    2016-12-01

    Mathematical reasoning is now featured in the mathematics curriculum documents of many nations, but this necessitates changes to teaching practice and hence a need for professional learning. The development of children's mathematical reasoning requires appropriate encouragement and feedback from their teacher who can only do this if they recognise mathematical reasoning in children's actions and words. As part of a larger study, we explored whether observation of educators conducting mathematics lessons can develop teachers' sensitivity in noticing children's reasoning and consideration of how to support reasoning. In the Mathematical Reasoning Professional Learning Research Program, demonstration lessons were conducted in Australian and Canadian primary classrooms. Data sources included post-lesson group discussions. Observation of demonstration lessons and engagement in post-lesson discussions proved to be effective vehicles for developing a professional eye for noticing children's individual and whole-class reasoning. In particular, the teachers noticed that children struggled to employ mathematical language to communicate their reasoning and viewed limitations in language as a major barrier to increasing the use of mathematical reasoning in their classrooms. Given the focus of teachers' noticing of the limitations in some types of mathematical language, it seems that targeted support is required for teachers to facilitate classroom discourse for reasoning.

  19. Effects of Curriculum and Teacher Professional Development on the Language Proficiency of Elementary English Language Learner Students in the Central Region. Final Report. NCEE 2012-4013

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arens, Sheila A.; Stoker, Ginger; Barker, Jane; Shebby, Susan; Wang, Xin; Cicchinelli, Lou F.; Williams, Jean M.

    2012-01-01

    This study responds to regional and national needs by examining the impact on students' English language proficiency of a particular set of ELL-specific classroom materials in combination with a specific teacher professional development program. The classroom materials used in this study, entitled On Our Way to English (OWE), were authored by…

  20. How English Language Head of Departments Perceive Their Roles in Teacher Development and Teacher Efficacy: A Study of Eight Jamaican Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilmot, Ann-Marie

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative study sought to gain deeper insights into how English Language Heads of Department (H.O.D.) perceive their roles in teacher development and efficacy, what leadership styles inform their role enactment and the different skill sets and beliefs they take to their H.O.D. roles. The population was limited to selected schools in central…

  1. Developing Critical Thinking Skills and Improving Expressive Language through Creative Writing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodman, Harriet E.

    A practicum was conducted to develop critical thinking and improve expression through creative written language utilizing precision teaching as an evaluation of student performance. Six students (grades second through sixth) with low idea generation and few organization skills were trained by three teachers and a teacher advisor using…

  2. Developing Literacy and Literacy Competence: Challenges for Foreign Language Departments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Byrnes, Heidi; Kord, Susanne

    This chapter provides a dialogue between two teachers that challenges philosophical and practical divisions both inside and outside the academy regarding the development of literacy and literary competence in foreign language departments. It also describes curricular revisions at their institution that address those divisions. One teacher crafts…

  3. Teachers' perceptions of promoting sign language phonological awareness in an ASL/English bilingual program.

    PubMed

    Crume, Peter K

    2013-10-01

    The National Reading Panel emphasizes that spoken language phonological awareness (PA) developed at home and school can lead to improvements in reading performance in young children. However, research indicates that many deaf children are good readers even though they have limited spoken language PA. Is it possible that some deaf students benefit from teachers who promote sign language PA instead? The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine teachers' beliefs and instructional practices related to sign language PA. A thematic analysis is conducted on 10 participant interviews at an ASL/English bilingual school for the deaf to understand their views and instructional practices. The findings reveal that the participants had strong beliefs in developing students' structural knowledge of signs and used a variety of instructional strategies to build students' knowledge of sign structures in order to promote their language and literacy skills.

  4. Les competences langagieres des etudiants-maitres en francais langue seconde au Canada (Linguistic Competence of Student Teachers of French as a Second Language in Canada).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boutin, France; Chinien, Christian; Boutin, Jean-Luc

    A survey of 23 Canadian schools of education investigated the French language competence of student enrolled in core and immersion French language teacher programs. The questionnaire developed for the study inquired about the native language of the students, methods used to sensitize non-francophone students to francophone culture, and strategies…

  5. Multifaceted Dimensions of Telecollaboration through English as a Lingua Franca (ELF): Paris-Valladolid Intercultural Telecollaboration Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Castro, Paloma; Derivry-Plard, Martine

    2016-01-01

    Intercultural telecollaboration allows for a radical change in language education. New technologies enable learners of different languages and cultures to practice their intercultural skills. Teachers no longer need to design "fake" role-plays to develop interaction in the target language. Above all, teachers have the possibility to…

  6. Grappling with Language Barriers: Implications for the Professional Development of Immigrant Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abramova, Inna

    2013-01-01

    In this narrative inquiry, I explored the role of language in the lives of six Russian-speaking immigrant teachers. Theoretical perspectives emphasized experience, context, and culture in understanding their beliefs, and language served as an interpretive lens through which the experiences were explored. The inquiry revealed the following…

  7. Elementary Teachers' Science Knowledge and Instructional Practices: Impact of an Intervention Focused on English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Okhee; Llosa, Lorena; Jiang, Feng; Haas, Alison; O'Connor, Corey; Van Booven, Christopher D.

    2016-01-01

    As part of a three-year curricular and professional development intervention focused on English language learners (ELLs), this study examined the intervention's effect on teachers' science knowledge and instructional practices after one year of implementation. The P-SELL (Promoting Science Among English Language Learners) intervention comprised…

  8. Educational Language Practices Described by Preschool Teachers in Norwegian Kindergartens

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hansen, Joakim Evensen; Alvestad, Marit

    2018-01-01

    This article focuses on educational language practices as described by preschool teachers in Norwegian kindergartens in groups consisting of one- to three-year-old children. Research indicates a relationship between high-quality childcare and language development, yet there is a need for more research on educational practices in high-quality…

  9. Developing Pre-Service English Teachers' Competencies for Integration of Technology in Language Classrooms in Kazakhstan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Egorov, Victor V.; Jantassova, Damira D.; Churchill, Natalia

    2007-01-01

    This article discusses the implementation of the "Information and Communication Technologies in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning" course conducted as a component of the pre-service English language teacher training program in the Buketov Karaganda State University, Kazakhstan. The course was introduced in 2003. The central…

  10. Online Collaboration of English Language Teachers for Meaningful Professional Development Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kabilan, Muhammad Kamarul; Adlina, Wan Fara Wan; Embi, Mohamed Amin

    2011-01-01

    This article reports on an online collaborative project between English language teachers pursuing a degree in TESL/TESOL from three universities in Malaysia--Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). A total of 142 teachers were involved in the study and about three to eight…

  11. Helping Young Children Gain in Literacy: Implementing a Whole Language Approach in Prekindergarten.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Marjorie S.

    A practicum was developed to assist prekindergarten teachers present a whole language approach in their already developmentally appropriate classes. Six teachers from three classrooms serving 63 four- and five-year-old children participated in on-site training and weekly consultations. The teachers were all experienced paraprofessionals with Child…

  12. Elementary and Secondary Teachers' Attitudes and Efficacy for Teaching English Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mathis, Dawn L.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate Elementary and Secondary teachers' attitudes, efficacy, and cultural proficiency with mainstream ELL students. This study further explored teachers' beliefs toward professional development, differentiating curriculum and instruction, and understanding language acquisition with mainstream ELL students. The…

  13. Basic Training and Resource Connections for Novice ESL Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henrichsen, Lynn

    2010-01-01

    A large number of teachers and tutors of English as a Second Language (ESL) lack professional-level preparation. The Basic Training and Resources for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (BTRTESOL) program is being developed to prepare untrained, novice, volunteer ESL teachers to be more successful. In contrast with previous programs…

  14. Intercomprehension: A Portal to Teachers' Intercultural Sensitivity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinho, Ana Sofia

    2015-01-01

    The development of opportunities for teachers' professional development in plurilingual and intercultural education is a key issue in language teacher education and "intercomprehension" (IC) can provide a potential portal for the development of teachers' intercultural sensitivity. Particularly relevant to this is the creation of powerful…

  15. Developing Competencies for Using the Interactive Whiteboard to Implement Communicative Language Teaching in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cutrin Schmid, Euline

    2010-01-01

    This paper discusses the findings of a case study conducted with an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher at a German secondary school. This case study is part of a research project that investigates the new competencies that EFL teachers need to acquire in order to be able to use the interactive whiteboard (IWB) to develop their practice,…

  16. Career Development and Professional Attrition of Novice ESL Teachers of Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valeo, Antonella; Faez. Farahnaz

    2013-01-01

    Research and development in language teacher education and, more recently, teacher accreditation has had enormous impact on the professional lives of ESL teachers in Canada. There has been less interest, however, in examining the career development and employment experiences of accredited ESL teachers as they transition from TESL programs to ESL…

  17. Improving Vocabulary of English Language Learners through Direct Vocabulary Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunt, Meghan; Feng, Jay

    2016-01-01

    This is a report of a professional development project. The purpose of the project was to provide professional development to teachers in vocabulary instructional strategies and to examine vocabulary acquisition of English language learners. The participants were 8 second grade ELL students and 6 second grade teachers. The eight second grade…

  18. Impact of an English-as-a-Second-Language Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eun, Barohny; Heining-Boynton, Audrey L.

    2007-01-01

    The authors investigated the impact of professional development programs for English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers on their classroom practice and on the way that teacher efficacy and organizational support at the school level relate by interacting with years of teaching experience. The authors collected data by using questionnaires…

  19. Social Competence and Oral Language Development for Young Children of Latino Immigrants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jensen, Bryant; Reese, Leslie; Hall-Kenyon, Kendra; Bennett, Courtney

    2015-01-01

    Research Findings: In this study we analyze how parent and teacher ratings of young Latino children's social competencies in rural California are associated with children's oral language development. We find (a) that there is considerable incongruence between parent and teacher ratings of child social competence, (b) that both parent and teacher…

  20. Development of a CD-ROM on written language for the continuing education of elementary school teachers.

    PubMed

    Gonçalves, Thaís Dos Santos; Crenitte, Patrícia Abreu Pinheiro

    2011-01-01

    Distance education has emerged to minimize the anxiety of many professionals who need to update their knowledge, but do not have the time and opportunity to travel to educational centers. To describe the development of a CD-ROM to provide distance continuing education to basic school teachers that addresses issues related to written language. Previously, a script was developed with themes related to the acquisition and development of written language. Subsequently, a technical team transformed the texts in multimedia language. The titles of each content area addressed are available on buttons and links. The files can be viewed in a linear sequence, allowing the teacher to start learning at the desired moment and go straight to the file that he or she wants to access. Videos that show practical applications of the concepts available in text are included. Brazil is a developing country. The use of technologies for education reduces cultural isolation among education professionals. It is necessary to focus on making teaching materials for distance education. In order to provide an effective learning environment, the learners reality should be considered. A multidisciplinary team should prepare the materials. The development of educational material for distance education on the acquisition and development of written language seems not only appropriate, but also warranted to provide professional growth opportunity for teachers who need time flexibility and/or live far away from academic centers.

  1. The Role and Experiences of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in the Elementary General Education Classroom: Perceptions of ESOL Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Platt, Heidi Halligan

    2017-01-01

    This study examined how ESOL teachers working with grades K-6 th provide ESOL services in the general education classroom. ESOL teachers were asked to describe and define their roles and provide examples of different language development activities. In addition, the perceptions and overall experiences of the ESOL teachers were analyzed. A basic…

  2. Developing Interactional Awareness in the Second Language Classroom through Teacher Self-Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walsh, Steve

    2003-01-01

    This paper proposes a process model of reflective practice for second language teachers, designed to facilitate a closer understanding of language use and interactive decision-making. The L2 classroom is portrayed as a dynamic and complex series of inter-related contexts, in which interaction is central to teaching and learning. An understanding…

  3. From Language Learners to Language Teachers to Language Teacher Trainers: Narrative Stories of Four Instructional Coaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chien, Chin-Wen

    2014-01-01

    This study discusses how four instructional coaches' roles and identities, as well as the school district context, have influenced their development as instructional coaches. This study thematically analyzes the narrative stories of four elementary school English instructional coaches in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The study concludes that the way…

  4. Native Language Reading Approach Program, 1982-1983. O.E.E. Final Evaluation Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keyes, Jose Luis; And Others

    The Native Language Reading Approach Program in New York City was designed as an exemplary approach to on-site training of classroom teachers and their assistants in how to help students transfer reading skills from their native language to English. Program components included support services, teacher training, material/curriculum development,…

  5. Building Oral Language and Vocabulary through the Use of Literature

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCorquodale, Gwenyth J.; Kirkland, Lynn

    2006-01-01

    Children are coming to classrooms across the United States with a need to develop their oral language. With the increased promotion of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, commercialized programs are being provided for teachers to use to build oral language in their students. The authors believe that schools and teachers can best enhance…

  6. Forms of Cooperative Learning in Language Teaching in Slovenian Language Classes at the Primary School Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vrhovec, Alenka Rot

    2015-01-01

    In the Slovenian language syllabus, teachers are recommended to provide a greater share of group work during class. During types of learning such as cooperative learning in smaller groups or pairs, students actively develop communicative competence. The present article presents a survey that attempted to determine whether teachers from the first…

  7. Second Language Pre-Service Teachers as Learners: The Language Portfolio Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christiansen, Helen; Laplante, Bernard

    2004-01-01

    This article reports on a study of pre-service French immersion teachers who were required to compile second language (L2) portfolios as part of their professional development. Documents included a brief biography of the students' lives as speakers and learners of French; an action plan in which students assessed their L2 proficiency and set…

  8. Academic Language in Shared Book Reading: Parent and Teacher Input to Mono- and Bilingual Preschoolers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aarts, Rian; Demir-Vegter, Serpil; Kurvers, Jeanne; Henrichs, Lotte

    2016-01-01

    The current study examined academic language (AL) input of mothers and teachers to 15 monolingual Dutch and 15 bilingual Turkish-Dutch 4- to 6-year-old children and its relationships with the children's language development. At two times, shared book reading was videotaped and analyzed for academic features: lexical diversity, syntactic…

  9. Creating and Nurturing a Community of Practice for Language Teachers in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacKinnon, Teresa

    2013-01-01

    This case study investigates the implementation of a virtual learning environment designed for language teachers for an institution-wide language programme in a UK higher education institution. This development has taken place over a 3 year period and included a pilot virtual learning environment for 300, followed by a full implementation to more…

  10. Teacher Professional Development through Collaborative Action Research: Impact on Foreign English-Language Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banegas, Dario; Pavese, Anahi; Velazquez, Aurelia; Velez, Sandra Maria

    2013-01-01

    In 2011 we, a group of English-as-a-foreign-language teachers at a secondary school in Argentina, decided to investigate our teaching practices through collaborative action research so as to improve our students' learning opportunities and thus revitalise English-language teaching in our context. We implemented and evaluated the integration of…

  11. "L2 Assessment and Testing" Teacher Education: An Exploration of Alternative Assessment Approaches Using New Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Papadima-Sophocleous, Salomi

    2017-01-01

    Most Second Language (L2) Teacher Training Assessment and Testing courses focus on testing. Through the development of a Master of Arts (MA) in a computer assisted language learning module (based on a constructivist and "practise what you preach" approach, entailing that the teachers experience firsthand the assessment types they were…

  12. Binational Teacher Development: Teacher Ambassador Exchange Program, New Mexico, USA and Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Habermann, Mary Jean

    The report describes the rationale for and history of an exchange program for Nuevo Leon (Mexico) and New Mexico bilingual education teachers. The program evolved from the need to help Spanish-speaking students maintain their own language and culture while in the United States. New Mexico's state policy concerning language-minority children and…

  13. Oral Academic Language by Design: Bilingual Pre-Service Teachers' Purposeful Infusion of Paired Strategies during Science Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arreguín-Anderson, María G.; Alanis, Iliana

    2017-01-01

    This study explores ways in which university science courses can be infused with opportunities for pre-service teachers to design student student interactions that promote language development and content mastery. Participants included bilingual pre-service teachers enrolled in an elementary science approaches course and its school-based fieldwork…

  14. ESL Mentoring for Secondary Rural Educators: Math and Science Teachers Become Second Language Specialists through Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hansen-Thomas, Holly; Grosso Richins, Liliana

    2015-01-01

    This article draws on data from the capstone graduate course in a specially designed professional development program for rural math and science teachers that describes how participant teachers translated their newly acquired knowledge about English as a second language (ESL) into a mentoring experience for their rural content specialist peers.…

  15. Exploring Intercultural Competence in Teacher Education: A Comparative Study between Science and Foreign Language Teacher Trainers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akpinar, Kadriye Dilek; Ünaldi, Ihsan

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the intercultural outcomes of short-term study visit programs for Foreign Language and Science teacher trainers. A mixed method including quantitative and qualitative data was used to compare the differences between the two groups' intercultural development in terms of their study field. Fantini's questionnaire was used for…

  16. Short-Term Study Abroad for Texas Preservice Teachers: On the Road from Empathy to Critical Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Palmer, Deborah K.; Menard-Warwick, Julia

    2012-01-01

    Among the coursework offered to preservice teachers at the first author's institution in 2007 was the course "Second Language Acquisition" (SLA). This course was designed to develop multicultural awareness by introducing the theory and practice of second language acquisition and helping future teachers become familiar with the struggles…

  17. Social and Cognitive Factors in Making Teacher-Led Classroom Discourse Relevant for Second Language Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toth, Paul D.

    2011-01-01

    This study compares descriptive quantitative and qualitative data from 2 beginning, university-level second-language (L2) Spanish classes to demonstrate the benefits of teacher-led discourse organized as collaborative, whole-class tasks. In class, the teacher solicited target L2 forms through conversational questions to individuals with recasted…

  18. Well Facilitated Shoptalk as Democratic Professional Development for Teachers of English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cunningham, Thomas H.; Parnell, Gary L.

    2007-01-01

    Democratic professional development is of the teachers, by the teachers, for the teachers. It differs from managerial models, which often have preset agendas and provide what "experts" think teachers need. Managerial models tend to be leader-centered, making some teachers feel treated like "tall children" rather than…

  19. Measuring Teachers' Knowledge of Vocabulary Development and Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duguay, Annie; Kenyon, Dorry; Haynes, Erin; August, Diane; Yanosky, Tiffany

    2016-01-01

    This article describes the development of an instrument to measure teachers' knowledge of vocabulary development and instruction, the Teacher Knowledge of Vocabulary Survey (TKVS). This type of knowledge has become increasingly important as all classroom teachers are expected to help students meet language and literacy standards that include…

  20. Development and Validation of an English Language Teacher Learning Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aliakbari, Mohammad; Malmir, Bahareh

    2017-01-01

    Teacher learning is of significant importance in mainstream education and a number of attempts have been made to measure the quality of teacher learning across different contexts. The available instruments, however, have been originally developed to assess teachers' perceptions of a single contributive element of teacher learning; therefore,…

  1. Language Teaching for European Citizenship: Insights for Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hennebry, Mairin

    2014-01-01

    A drive for the development of European citizenship (EC) through Modern Foreign Language (MFL) teaching has existed for some time within the academic literature as well as policy institutions. Nevertheless, the views of MFL teachers on the role of MFL in developing EC have rarely been given a voice. This article presents the findings of a study…

  2. A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Reading Improvement in Middle School Language Arts. Revised Edition. Resource Monograph No. 18.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guttinger, Hellen I., Ed.

    The reading improvement activities in this handbook are intended for use by middle school language arts teachers. Focusing on study skills, vocabulary development, and comprehension development, the activities include (1) surveying literary materials, (2) outlining, (3) spelling, (4) syllabication, (5) word recognition, (6) using synonyms, (7)…

  3. Examining Changes in Beliefs and Practices: English Language Teachers' Participation in the School-Based Support Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chaaban, Youmen

    2017-01-01

    This article examines changes in teachers' beliefs and practices over the course of a professional development (PD) program concerned with the implementation of a constructivist-oriented pedagogy in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. Grounded in situative theories of learning and development, the School-based Support Program places…

  4. The Skype-Buddy Model in an Online Environment: Patterns and Perceptions of Language Teachers in a Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macharaschwili, Carmen E.

    2013-01-01

    Patterns and perceptions of language teachers in a professional development program were examined through various forms of classroom discourse & multimodal products. Research questions include: What kinds of learning patterns emerge with the use of Skype in an online environment? What phases of cognitive engagement are evident in Skype…

  5. Bringing a Reading Passage to Life: A Creative Comprehension Activity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Montone, Christopher L.; Short, Deborah J.

    A creative reading comprehension activity developed for multi-grade (6-8) English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) social studies classes is described. The activity was developed as part of a project integrating language and culture in social studies instruction. Researchers worked with an ESL teacher and a social studies teacher to create a series of…

  6. Initial English Language Teacher Education: Processes and Tensions towards a Unifying Curriculum in an Argentinian Province

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banegas, Dario Luis

    2014-01-01

    In this reflective piece I discuss the process of developing a new unifying initial English language teacher education curriculum in the province of Chubut (Argentina). Trainers and trainees from different institutions were called to work on it with the aim of democratising curriculum development and enhancing involvement among agents. In the…

  7. Promoting Language and Literacy Development for Early Childhood Educators: A Mixed-Methods Study of Coursework and Coaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neuman, Susan B.; Wright, Tanya S.

    2010-01-01

    This study examines the impact of 2 forms of professional development on prekindergarten teachers' early language and literacy practice: coursework and coaching. Participating teachers (N = 148) from 6 urban cities were randomly assigned to Group 1 (coursework), Group 2 (on-site coaching), or Group 3 (control group). Pre- and postassessments…

  8. The Anxiety Factors among Saudi EFL Learners: A Study from English Language Teachers' Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asif, Fariha

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that trigger language anxiety among Saudi learners in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. The factor of anxiety is especially found among learners while developing proficiency in over all communication and speaking skills as felt by the EFL teachers. The study also seeks to answer…

  9. Leveraging Literacies through Collaborative, Source-Based Planning and Teaching in Social Studies and Language Arts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patterson, Nancy; Weaver, Joanna; Fletcher, Jamie; Connor, Bryce; Thomas, Angela; Ross, Cindy

    2018-01-01

    The value of preparing students for college, careers, and civic life is a shared outcome of social studies and language arts teachers. This study explores how developing content and civic literacy to these ends can be fortified through language arts and social studies teacher collaboration in source-based planning and teaching. Although numerous…

  10. Listening to Teachers of English Language Learners: A Survey of California Teachers' Challenges, Experiences, and Professional Development Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gandara, Patricia; Maxwell-Jolly, Julie; Driscoll, Anne

    2005-01-01

    As long as students with limited English language skills have attended California schools a debate has raged among educators and policy-makers regarding how best to educate these children. A major focal point of this debate is bilingual education. That is, the viability, advisability, and effectiveness of using students' primary language in…

  11. Becoming an L2 Learner (Again): How a Brief Language Learning Experience Sparked Connections with SLA Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forman, Ross

    2015-01-01

    A brief "language learning experience" (LLE) in Thai was integrated into a second language development course as part of postgraduate TESOL study at an Australian university. Sixty primary and secondary teachers from a range of schools evaluated the impact of the LLE by means of a questionnaire; the teachers proved highly affirming of…

  12. Student-Teachers' Perceptions of Second Language Teaching in the CBL Program: Identity Construction and Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeh, Shu-Fen

    2017-01-01

    In recent times, researchers of second language learning have suggested that second language learning is not simply a cognitive or linguistic issue, but is also a social, political, and cultural one (e.g., Atkinson, 2002; Firth & Wagner, 1997; Larsen-Freeman, 2007). Research on student teachers' identity (e.g., Atkinson, 2004; Day &…

  13. An Investigation into Chinese College English Teachers' Beliefs of Students' Web-Based Informal Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jiang, Jiahong

    2016-01-01

    With the rapid development of information and technology, language learners have more ways to acquire the target language. Recently, WILL has gained popularity, for informal web-based learning of English has been depicted as a process driven by the purpose of communication. Thus, teachers have many challenges when teaching learners who have…

  14. Novice-Service Language Teacher Development: Bridging the Gap between Preservice and In-Service Education and Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farrell, Thomas S. C.

    2012-01-01

    One reason for teacher attrition is that a gap exists between pre-service teacher preparation and in-service teacher development, in that most novice teachers suddenly have no further contact with their teacher educators, and from the very first day on the job, must face the same challenges as their more experienced colleagues, often without much…

  15. Innovation in Higher Education in China: Are Teachers Ready to Integrate ICT in English Language Teaching?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hu, Zhiwen; McGrath, Ian

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes a study of ICT-related teacher development in the context of a national reform of College English teaching in China. The reform, in which emphasis was placed on use of information and communications technology (ICT) in classroom teaching and self-access learning, had challenged teachers of English as a foreign language to…

  16. Using a Teacher Support Group to Develop Teacher Knowledge of Mandarin Teaching via Web Conferencing Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tseng, Jun-Jie; Lien, Yu-Jen; Chen, Hao-Jan

    2016-01-01

    Due to its continuous advancement, web conferencing technology is increasingly being integrated into foreign language education; thus, teachers are able to carve out a niche by providing learners with an opportunity to learn a foreign language at a distance without time and space constraints. However, little is known about the relationship between…

  17. Toward Validation of Tests for Teachers in Spanish/English Bilingual Education Programs. Research and Development Memorandum No. 151.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merino, Barbara J.; Politzer, Robert L.

    This memorandum reports the validation of the SCRDT Tests for Teachers in Spanish/English Bilingual Education Programs. The tests, which are designed for elementary and secondary teachers and aides, measure knowledge of methods used in teaching English as a second language (ESL), teaching Spanish as a second language (SSL), and teaching reading in…

  18. Letting Go and Letting the Angels Grow: Using Etienne Wenger's Community of Practice Theory to Facilitate Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Breen, Paul

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes a small-scale qualitative research study conducted within a community of English Language teachers, and explores how teacher development workshops can be used to foster or cultivate Communities of Practice. The study was situated in a Language Centre within the domain of UK Higher Education where there was an institutional…

  19. Modern Languages and Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD): Implications of Teaching Adult Learners with Dyslexia in Distance Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gallardo, Matilde; Heiser, Sarah; Arias McLaughlin, Ximena

    2015-01-01

    In modern language (ML) distance learning programmes, teachers and students use online tools to facilitate, reinforce and support independent learning. This makes it essential for teachers to develop pedagogical expertise in using online communication tools to perform their role. Teachers frequently raise questions of how best to support the needs…

  20. Cradling Literacy: Building Teachers' Skills to Nurture Early Language and Literacy from Birth to Five. A ZERO TO THREE Training Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Im, Janice H.; Osborn, Carol A.; Sanchez, Sylvia Y.; Thorp, Eva K.

    2007-01-01

    "Cradling Literacy" provides field-tested instructional materials for instructors to help early childhood teachers develop knowledge and skills in nurturing early language and literacy in young children from birth to 5 years. The research and strategies presented in the instructional manual center on how child, parent, and teacher can work…

  1. Language Arts & Science Sample Career Education Activities, Grades 7-12. Career Choices.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marion County Educational Service District, Salem, OR.

    Designed to infuse career education with language arts and science, these teacher-developed activities for grades 7-12 are based on one of seven teacher competencies identified by an Oregon task force (see CE 019 665 for the project description). The activities in this document are based on teacher competency number 7: assist students to reject…

  2. Language Flowering, Language Empowering for Young Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Honig, Alice Sterling

    Based upon the view that parents, home visitors, and teachers in early childhood settings need tools for empowering young children to develop language, this paper examines what adults need to know to guide young children's language development and presents 20 suggestions for enhancing language growth. The paper maintains that adults need to know…

  3. Rhetorical meta-language to promote the development of students' writing skills and subject matter understanding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pelger, Susanne; Sigrell, Anders

    2016-01-01

    Background: Feedback is one of the most significant factors for students' development of writing skills. For feedback to be successful, however, students and teachers need a common language - a meta-language - for discussing texts. Not least because in science education such a meta-language might contribute to improve writing training and feedback-giving. Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore students' perception of teachers' feedback given on their texts in two genres, and to suggest how writing training and feedback-giving could become more efficient. Sample: In this study were included 44 degree project students in biology and molecular biology, and 21 supervising teachers at a Swedish university. Design and methods: The study concerned students' writing about their degree projects in two genres: scientific writing and popular science writing. The data consisted of documented teacher feedback on the students' popular science texts. It also included students' and teachers' answers to questionnaires about writing and feedback. All data were collected during the spring of 2012. Teachers' feedback, actual and recalled - by students and teachers, respectively - was analysed and compared using the so-called Canons of rhetoric. Results: While the teachers recalled the given feedback as mainly positive, most students recalled only negative feedback. According to the teachers, suggested improvements concerned firstly the content, and secondly the structure of the text. In contrast, the students mentioned language style first, followed by content. Conclusions: The disagreement between students and teachers regarding how and what feedback was given on the students texts confirm the need of improved strategies for writing training and feedback-giving in science education. We suggest that the rhetorical meta-language might play a crucial role in overcoming the difficulties observed in this study. We also discuss how training of writing skills may contribute to students' understanding of their subject matter.

  4. Observation Tools for Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malu, Kathleen F.

    2015-01-01

    Professional development of teachers, including English language teachers, empowers them to change in ways that improve teaching and learning (Gall and Acheson 2011; Murray 2010). In their seminal research on staff development--professional development in today's terms--Joyce and Showers (2002) identify key factors that promote teacher change.…

  5. Development of a CD-ROM on written language for the continuing education of elementary school teachers

    PubMed Central

    GONÇALVES, Thaís dos Santos; CRENITTE, Patrícia Abreu Pinheiro

    2011-01-01

    Distance education has emerged to minimize the anxiety of many professionals who need to update their knowledge, but do not have the time and opportunity to travel to educational centers. Objectives To describe the development of a CD-ROM to provide distance continuing education to basic school teachers that addresses issues related to written language. Material and Methods Previously, a script was developed with themes related to the acquisition and development of written language. Subsequently, a technical team transformed the texts in multimedia language. Results The titles of each content area addressed are available on buttons and links. The files can be viewed in a linear sequence, allowing the teacher to start learning at the desired moment and go straight to the file that he or she wants to access. Videos that show practical applications of the concepts available in text are included. Conclusions Brazil is a developing country. The use of technologies for education reduces cultural isolation among education professionals. It is necessary to focus on making teaching materials for distance education. In order to provide an effective learning environment, the learners reality should be considered. A multidisciplinary team should prepare the materials. The development of educational material for distance education on the acquisition and development of written language seems not only appropriate, but also warranted to provide professional growth opportunity for teachers who need time flexibility and/or live far away from academic centers. PMID:22230988

  6. BAAL/CUP Seminars 2009

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cutting, Joan; Murphy, Brona

    2010-01-01

    The seminar, organised by Joan Cutting and Brona Murphy, aimed: (1) to bring together researchers involved in both emergent and established academic corpora (written and spoken) as well as linguists, lecturers and teachers researching in education, be it language teaching, language-teacher training or continuing professional development in…

  7. Unlocking Academic Vocabulary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeLuca, Eileen

    2010-01-01

    How can we teach science to English language learners (ELLs) when even our native English speakers have trouble reading the textbook? To help science teachers meet this challenge, this article presents six text-comprehension strategies used by English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) teachers: metalinguistic awareness development,…

  8. Specific language impairment and executive functioning: parent and teacher ratings of behavior.

    PubMed

    Wittke, Kacie; Spaulding, Tammie J; Schechtman, Calli J

    2013-05-01

    The current study used the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P; Gioia, Espy, & Isquith, 2003), a rating scale designed to investigate executive behaviors in everyday activities, to examine the executive functioning of preschool children with specific language impairment (SLI) relative to their typically developing (TD) peers. Nineteen preschool children with SLI were age- and gender-matched to 19 TD peers. Both parents and teachers of the participants completed the BRIEF-P. The executive functioning of children with SLI were rated significantly worse than those of controls by both parents and teachers. Adults' perceptions of the children's executive functioning significantly correlated with the children's language abilities. Parent and teacher perceptions of executive functioning in children with SLI align with prior findings of executive deficits that have been documented on neuropsychological assessments and experimental tasks. Furthermore, the results provide additional supporting evidence of the relationship between language abilities and executive functioning in early child development.

  9. Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Conceptions of English Language Learners and Strategies to Support Them: An Examination of Two Professional Development Communities of Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberts, Sarah Ann

    2009-01-01

    This study examined teachers' positioning of English language learners (ELLs) and instructional strategies to support them within the Problem Solving Cycle professional development program. Using a communities of practice lens (Wenger, 2000) and building on literature related to supporting ELLs in mathematics, Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching…

  10. Blending the CoI Model with Jigsaw Technique for Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers' Continuing Professional Development Using Open Sim and Sloodle

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pellas, Nikolaos; Boumpa, Anna

    2017-01-01

    This study seeks to investigate the effect of pre-service foreign language teachers' interactions on their continuing professional development (CPD), using a theoretical instructional design framework consisted of the three presence indicators of a Community of Inquiry (CoI) model and the Jigsaw teaching technique. The investigation was performed…

  11. Language Teachers: Research and Studies in Language(s) Education, Teaching, and Learning in "Teaching and Teacher Education," 1985-2012

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleinsasser, Robert C.

    2013-01-01

    The article reviews twelve of 79 articles focusing on language teachers, language(s) teacher education, teaching, and learning published in "Teaching and Teacher Education" since 1985. The twelve articles, divided into three sections, include narrative inquiry and identity, teacher education topics, and contexts. The articles provide local and…

  12. Re-Envisioning the Roles, Tasks, and Contributions of Language Teachers in the Multilingual Era of Language Education Research and Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubanyiova, Magdalena; Crookes, Graham

    2016-01-01

    This article lays out the proposition that the rapid changes in 21st-century society, in which multilingualism is the norm, have presented new challenges, questions, and resources with regard to the roles, tasks, and contributions of language teachers. In line with recent research developments and in keeping with tradition, we believe it helpful…

  13. From "Bored Witless" to "Rhetorical Nous": Teacher Orientation to Knowledge about Language and Strengthening Student Persuasive Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Love, Kristina; Sandiford, Carmel; Macken-Horarik, Mary; Unsworth, Len

    2014-01-01

    We report in this paper on one aspect of a project designed to support teachers with the demands of the Language strand of the Australian Curriculum for English as this guides their development of a coherent account of knowledge about language and their implementation of this in building their students' literacy repertoires. We map the changing…

  14. The Certification of Teachers' Language Competence in Quebec in French and English: Two Different Perspectives?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Laurier, Michel; Baker, Beverly

    2015-01-01

    Language tools are reflections of the academic traditions of assessment developers, as well as the perceptions of language quality as held by a society. The certification of Quebec's teachers offers an interesting case in point: the Québec Government's "ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport" (MELS) requires that all students in…

  15. The roles of teachers' science talk in revealing language demands within diverse elementary school classrooms: a study of teaching heat and temperature in Singapore

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seah, Lay Hoon; Yore, Larry D.

    2017-01-01

    This study of three science teachers' lessons on heat and temperature seeks to characterise classroom talk that highlighted the ways language is used and to examine the nature of the language demands revealed in constructing, negotiating, arguing and communicating science ideas. The transcripts from the entire instructional units for these teachers' four culturally and linguistically diverse Grade 4 classes (10 years old) with English as the language of instruction constitute the data for this investigation. Analysis of these transcripts focused on teachers' talk that made explicit reference to the form or function of the language of science and led to the inductive development of the 'Attending to Language Demands in Science' analytical framework. This framework in turn revealed that the major foregrounding purposes of teachers' talk include labelling, explaining, differentiating, selecting and constructing. Further classification of the instances within these categories revealed the extensive and contextualised nature of the language demands. The results challenge the conventional assumption that basic literacy skills dominate over disciplinary literacy skills in primary school science. Potential uses of the analytical framework that could further expand our understanding of the forms, functions and demands of language used in elementary school science are also discussed.

  16. Social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of secondary school students with low academic and language performance: perspectives from students, teachers, and parents.

    PubMed

    Joffe, Victoria L; Black, Emma

    2012-10-01

    Adolescence is a time of transition when young people with language difficulties are at increased risk of experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD). Most studies of social, emotional, and behavioral functioning (SEBF) in individuals with language difficulties focus on children with a clinical diagnosis of language impairment. This study explores SEBF in a nonclinical group of 12-year-old students with low educational and language performance from their own perspectives and those of their parents and teachers. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire ( Goodman, 1997) was given to 352 mainstream secondary school students who were underperforming academically and had poor language performance. Two hundred and twenty-five of their parents and 230 of their teachers also completed the questionnaire. Students with low educational attainment and poor language showed significantly greater SEBD than a normative sample as reported by themselves, their parents, and their teachers. Significant differences were found across informants, with students identifying more overall difficulties than parents or teachers. Secondary school students with low academic and language performance are more vulnerable to experiencing SEBD compared to typically developing peers. The extent of their difficulties varied depending on the informant, emphasizing the importance of gaining views from multiple perspectives.

  17. US Urban Elementary Teachers' Knowledge and Practices in Teaching Science to English Language Learners: Results from the First Year of a Professional Development Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santau, Alexandra O.; Secada, Walter; Maerten-Rivera, Jaime; Cone, Neporcha; Lee, Okhee

    2010-01-01

    The study examined US elementary teachers' knowledge and practices in four key domains of science instruction with English language learning (ELL) students. The four domains included: (1) teachers' knowledge of science content, (2) teaching practices to promote scientific understanding, (3) teaching practices to promote scientific inquiry, and (4)…

  18. The Intersection of Inquiry-Based Science and Language: Preparing Teachers for ELL Classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weinburgh, Molly; Silva, Cecilia; Smith, Kathy Horak; Groulx, Judy; Nettles, Jenesta

    2014-08-01

    As teacher educators, we are tasked with preparing prospective teachers to enter a field that has undergone significant changes in student population and policy since we were K-12 teachers. With the emphasis placed on connections, mathematics integration, and communication by the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (Achieve in Next generation science standards, 2012), more research is needed on how teachers can accomplish this integration (Bunch in Rev Res Educ 37:298-341, 2013; Lee et al. in Educ Res 42(4):223-233, 2013). Science teacher educators, in response to the NGSS, recognize that it is necessary for pre-service and in-service teachers to know more about how instructional strategies in language and science can complement one another. Our purpose in this study was to explore a model of integration that can be used in classrooms. To do this, we examined the change in science content knowledge and academic vocabulary for English language learners (ELLs) as they engaged in inquiry-based science experience utilizing the 5R Instructional Model. Two units, erosion and wind turbines, were developed using the 5R Instructional Model and taught during two different years in a summer school program for ELLs. We analyzed data from interviews to assess change in conceptual understanding and science academic vocabulary over the 60 h of instruction. The statistics show a clear trend of growth supporting our claim that ELLs did construct more sophisticated understanding of the topics and use more language to communicate their knowledge. As science teacher educators seek ways to prepare elementary teachers to help preK-12 students to learn science and develop the language of science, the 5R Instructional Model is one pathway.

  19. In "Sociocultural In-Betweenness": Exploring Teachers' Translingual Identity Development through Narratives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ishihara, Noriko; Menard-Warwick, Julia

    2018-01-01

    In this article, we investigate second/foreign language teachers' translingual identity development through a narrative approach to their life histories. While several studies have investigated how teachers' intercultural experiences shape their identity formation and pedagogies, we explore not only the impact of teachers' identity on their…

  20. The Student Teacher Portfolio as Autobiography: Developing a Professional Identity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Antonek, Janis L.; And Others

    1997-01-01

    Argues that student teacher portfolios are a viable, effective, appropriate tool for documenting teacher growth and development and for promoting reflective practice. Traces the unique paths of two pre-service foreign language teachers who constructed a professional identity from the historical and cultural conditions of their classroom…

  1. Exploring the Synergy between Science Literacy and Language Literacy with English Language Learners: Lessons Learned within a Sustained Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carrejo, David J.; Reinhartz, Judy

    2012-01-01

    Thirty-five elementary teachers participated in a yearlong professional development (PD) program whose goal was to foster science content learning while promoting language literacy for English Language Learners (ELL). The researchers utilized an explanatory design methodology to determine the degree to which science and language literacy…

  2. "Inspiration, Ideas, Encouragement": Teacher Development and Improved Use of Technology in Language Teaching through Open Educational Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borthwick, Kate; Gallagher-Brett, Angela

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes a study undertaken with language tutors who were engaged in a project to publish and create open educational resources. We sought to investigate how far working with open content could offer language tutors opportunities to develop professionally and acquire new technical knowledge for language teaching. Language educators…

  3. Language-Based Reasoning in Primary Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hackling, Mark; Sherriff, Barbara

    2015-01-01

    Language is critical in the mediation of scientific reasoning, higher-order thinking and the development of scientific literacy. This study investigated how an exemplary primary science teacher scaffolds and supports students' reasoning during a Year 4 materials unit. Lessons captured on video, teacher and student interviews and micro-ethnographic…

  4. Learning through Collaboration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fisher, Mary Henri, Ed.; And Others

    Presented are summaries of 11 selected projects in the areas of language arts, instructional media, simulation, and the valuing process developed during the 1974 summer session of the Teacher Training Institute of the Governor's School (North Carolina) by institute teachers and gifted students. Outlined are language arts projects on the history of…

  5. The State of Professional Development for Teachers of Beginning Readers in Florida's Rural Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Helvenston, Susan S.

    2013-01-01

    This study reviews the state of professional development (PD) for teachers of beginning readers in Florida's rural schools. Teachers of beginning readers need to have a deep understanding of language, of how the reading process develops, and of effective pedagogy in early literacy. Few teachers begin their careers with sufficient knowledge and…

  6. Professional Development Needs of Primary EFL Teachers: Perspectives of Teachers and Teacher Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zein, Mochamad Subhan

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates the professional development (PD) needs of primary English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers whose professional field has received significant interest at the global level in the past two decades. The study takes a different stance from previous research that exclusively generated data from teachers because it sought the…

  7. Relationship of Online Teacher Professional Development to Seventh-Grade Teachers' and Students' Knowledge and Practices in English Language Arts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Kramer, Raquel Magidin; Masters, Jessica; O'Dwyer, Laura M.; Dash, Sheralyn; Russell, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Online professional development (OPD) has potential to improve teacher quality by improving teachers' knowledge and instructional practices. These changes, in turn, have potential to improve student achievement. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of scientific research on the effects of OPD on teachers and, more importantly, on students. This…

  8. Even Teachers Get the Blues: Recognizing and Alleviating Language Teachers' Feelings of Foreign Language Anxiety.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horwitz, Elaine K.

    1996-01-01

    Argues that many nonnative foreign-language teachers experience foreign-language anxiety and that this anxiety can have negative consequences for language teaching. The article discusses how anxiety affects teachers' feelings of self-confidence, use of the target language, and instructional choices and offers suggestions for increasing teachers'…

  9. Paul Bunyan Takes A Wife--Developing Language, Reading, and Thinking Abilities through Creative Arts: An Alternative to Performance Centered Instruction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ward, Pat; And Others

    This guide, designed for the elementary level, contains written and oral language activities involving the five senses which are intended to help teachers develop enthusiastic readers. The guide's five sections are as follows: (1) My Very Own Paul Bunyan Songbook; (2) A Logger's Log; (3) Teacher's Instructions for the Magic Wall and Parachute…

  10. Investigating the Building of a WeChat-Based Community of Practice for Language Teachers' Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Qi, Grace Yue; Wang, Yuping

    2018-01-01

    This study explores the process of Community of Practice (CoP) building for language teachers' professional development through the support of a WeChat group. WeChat is an instant messenger app that provides a multimodal platform for one-on-one and group interactions through text, audio and video. In order to support the implementation of flipped…

  11. Language Teacher Research in Australia and New Zealand

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burns, Anne, Ed.; Burton, Jill, Ed.

    2008-01-01

    Over the last 30 years, inquiry-based teaching has become a highly valued component of professional development and practitioner research in Australia and New Zealand. This volume of the Language Teacher Research Series focuses on teaching and learning experiences in those two countries, which encompass a large geographical area with diverse…

  12. Teachers' Ambivalence in Integrating Culture with EFL Teaching in Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luk, Jasmine

    2012-01-01

    An increasingly important curricular aim of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is to develop learners' intercultural competence for communication with people from different cultures through English. English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' perceptions and practices in relation to integrating culture with English learning have been…

  13. Teacher-Child Relationships, Behavior Regulation, and Language Gain among At-Risk Preschoolers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schmitt, Mary Beth; Pentimonti, Jill M.; Justice, Laura M.

    2012-01-01

    Many preschoolers from low socioeconomic-status (SES) backgrounds demonstrate lags in their language development, and preschool participation is viewed as an important means for mitigating these lags. In this study, we investigated how teacher-child relationship quality and children's behavior regulation within preschool classrooms were associated…

  14. Chilean English Teacher Identity and Popular Culture: Three Generations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Menard-Warwick, Julia

    2011-01-01

    Recent discussions on English as an International Language have highlighted the important role played by English language popular culture for the identities and bilingual development of diverse global citizens who learn and use English. However, there has been little attention to connections between popular culture and "teacher"…

  15. Anastasia Is a Normal Developer because She Is Unique.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Margaret

    1989-01-01

    Based on interviews with 40 Austrian primary school teachers, contends that equitable classroom practices result from beliefs and practices that are part of natural child discourse and are promoted by language learning. Recommends a new discourse of equity for teachers. Describes a project on language teaching based on the psycholinguistic…

  16. Developing Critical Reading Skills through Whole Language Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Combs, Robin

    A teacher used classics of children's literature to teach critical reading skills. Although scoring above the national average on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), the teacher's fourth-grade gifted students exhibited problems with critical reading skills. A literature unit involving whole language strategies and using Beverly Cleary's…

  17. ''Transformative Pedagogy'' in the Context of Language Teaching: Being and Becoming

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farren, Patrick

    2016-01-01

    This paper examines, ''transformative pedagogy'' in post-primary, language teacher education in Ireland from philosophical, psychological and social perspectives. Links are made, where appropriate, to findings from a study at the National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. The construct supports teacher and pupils in developing their identity…

  18. English-Language Teachers' Engagement with Research: Findings from Bangladesh

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anwaruddin, Sardar M.; Pervin, Nasrin

    2015-01-01

    In this article, we report on a small-scale study in which we investigated English-language teachers' engagement with educational research. We conceptualized engagement with research as reading and systematically using research for professional development. Using questionnaires and in-depth interviews, we gathered empirical materials from 40…

  19. "Educational Landscaping": A Method for Raising Awareness about Language and Communication

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scarvaglieri, Claudio

    2017-01-01

    The article introduces "Educational Landscaping" (EL) as a measure of qualification in educational institutions to support the development of teachers' language awareness (LA). In EL, participating teachers are invited to investigate, analyse and, if necessary, adapt the linguistic landscape of their educational institution. The article…

  20. Legitimate Peripheral Participation and Teacher Identity Formation among Preservice Teachers in TESOL Practicums

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsiao, Cheng-hua

    2018-01-01

    Teacher identity has been an important issue in teacher education because teacher identity influences teachers' professional development. However, little has been explored in preservice teachers' identity formation within the EFL context of language teaching. In this study, the early influence on EFL student teachers' identity formation in…

  1. Implications for Language Diversity in Instruction in the Context of Target Language Classrooms: Development of a Preliminary Model of the Effectiveness of Teacher Code-Switching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jang Ho

    2012-01-01

    This paper concerns the conceptual and pedagogical issues that revolve around target language (TL) only instruction and teacher code-switching in the context of TL classrooms. To this end, I first examine four intertwined ideas (that is, monolingualism, naturalism, native-speakerism, and absolutism) that run through the monolingual approach to TL…

  2. Reverting to English to Teach Mathematics: How Are Malaysian Teachers and Students Changing in Response to a New Language Context for Learning?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clarkson, Philip C.; Idris, Noraini

    2006-01-01

    In 2002 the language policy for teaching mathematics in Malaysia was changed from the national language Malay, to English, to be implemented from the beginning of 2003. This gave the curriculum developers and importantly the teachers just six months to prepare for this change. This small study investigated how after 18 months, 22 secondary…

  3. Investigating the Quality of Teacher-Produced Tests for EFL Students and the Effects of Training in Test Development Principles and Practices on Improving Test Quality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coniam, David

    2009-01-01

    This paper examines the quality of tests that Hong Kong teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) produce for their own EFL students. The paper examines the effects on graduate teachers of a language testing programme where participants produced objective tests, proceeding through the stages of test specification, moderation, and item…

  4. Language and Literacy Development in Prelingually-Deaf Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salmani Nodoushan, Mohammad Ali

    2008-01-01

    This paper attempts to address the issue of language development in hearing impaired children. It argues that interpreters, teachers or peers can provide deaf children with language exposure so that they can acquire their native languages more easily. It also argues that the provision of a developmentally appropriate print-rich environments is the…

  5. Action Research to Support Teachers' Classroom Materials Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Emily; Burns, Anne

    2016-01-01

    Language teachers constantly create, adapt and evaluate classroom materials to develop new curricula and meet their learners' needs. It has long been argued (e.g. by Stenhouse, L. [1975]. "An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development." London: Heinemann) that teachers themselves, as opposed to managers or course book writers,…

  6. [Language observation protocol for teachers in pre-school education. Effectiveness in the detection of semantic and morphosyntactic difficulties].

    PubMed

    Ygual-Fernández, Amparo; Cervera-Merida, José F; Baixauli-Fortea, Inmaculada; Meliá-De Alba, Amanda

    2011-03-01

    A number of studies have shown that teachers are capable of recognising pupils with language difficulties if they have suitable guidelines or guidance. To determine the effectiveness of an observation-based protocol for pre-school education teachers in the detection of phonetic-phonological, semantic and morphosyntactic difficulties. The sample consisted of 175 children from public and state-subsidised schools in Valencia and its surrounding province, together with their teachers. The children were aged between 3 years and 6 months and 5 years and 11 months. The protocol that was used asks for information about pronunciation skills (intelligibility, articulation), conversational skills (with adults, with peers), literal understanding of sentences, grammatical precision, expression through discourse, lexical knowledge and semantics. There was a significant correlation between the teachers' observations and the criterion scores on intelligibility, literal understanding of sentences, grammatical expression and lexical richness, but not in the observations concerning articulation and verbal reasoning, which were more difficult for the teachers to judge. In general, the observation protocol proved to be effective, it guided the teachers in their observations and it asked them suitable questions about linguistic data that were relevant to the determination of difficulties in language development. The use of this protocol can be an effective strategy for collecting information for use by speech therapists and school psychologists in the early detection of children with language development problems.

  7. The sign language skills classroom observation: a process for describing sign language proficiency in classroom settings.

    PubMed

    Reeves, J B; Newell, W; Holcomb, B R; Stinson, M

    2000-10-01

    In collaboration with teachers and students at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), the Sign Language Skills Classroom Observation (SLSCO) was designed to provide feedback to teachers on their sign language communication skills in the classroom. In the present article, the impetus and rationale for development of the SLSCO is discussed. Previous studies related to classroom signing and observation methodology are reviewed. The procedure for developing the SLSCO is then described. This procedure included (a) interviews with faculty and students at NTID, (b) identification of linguistic features of sign language important for conveying content to deaf students, (c) development of forms for recording observations of classroom signing, (d) analysis of use of the forms, (e) development of a protocol for conducting the SLSCO, and (f) piloting of the SLSCO in classrooms. The results of use of the SLSCO with NTID faculty during a trial year are summarized.

  8. Using Academic Language to Level the Playing Field for English Language Learners in Physical Education: Part 2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Constantinou, Phoebe; Wuest, Deborah A.

    2015-01-01

    The common core, with its emphasis on the development of English language art and mathematics skills and literacy, presents challenges for teachers of all subjects. Academic language is expected to be developed within each disciplinary area. In other words, educators are expected to identify the language demands of their discipline and prepare…

  9. English Language Teacher Development through Teacher Associations: The Case of NELTA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gnawali, Laxman

    2016-01-01

    ELT teacher associations, a common phenomenon in most countries around the world, employ different strategies in order to support the professional development of their membership. These associations usually spell out member support policies and strategies in documents such as statutes and websites, and put them into action allowing teachers to…

  10. Female Teachers' Professional Development through Action Research Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hassen, Rukya

    2016-01-01

    This is a study on teachers' professional development through action research practice. The participants of the study were 23 English Language Teachers (ELT) who teach in high schools, preparatory schools and colleges in Debre Markos, in Dessie and around in 2014. The methods of data collection were teacher reflection, and in-depth interview. The…

  11. Between Continuity and Change: Identities and Narratives within Teacher Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curwood, Jen Scott

    2014-01-01

    This year-long ethnographic case study examined high school teachers' participation in technology-focused professional development. By pairing a dialogical perspective on teacher identity with a micro-level analysis of narratives, findings indicate that teachers use language and other semiotic resources to express their own identity as well as to…

  12. Improving Professional Development by Examining Teachers' Identities, Beliefs, and Practices in Writing Feedback

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reyes, Lisa Darlene

    2017-01-01

    The unpreparedness of some regular classroom teachers of English Language Learners (ELLS) to provide appropriate writing feedback and receive improved professional development to combat low student progress have resulted in researcher debate about how and why teachers provide feedback. Some teachers have become frustrated with writing feedback as…

  13. Teachers Teaching Teachers (T3). Volume 6, Number 3

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armstrong, Anthony, Ed.

    2010-01-01

    "Teachers Teaching Teachers" ("T3") focuses on coaches' roles in the professional development of teachers. Each issue also explores the challenges and rewards that teacher leaders encounter. This issue includes: (1) Teaching English Language Learners: Mainstream Teachers Make a Stellar Journey as a Team to Transform Classroom Practices (Elsa M.…

  14. Language and Learning under the Microscope

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Sarah

    2012-01-01

    In any content area, teachers have opportunities to help their students develop more robust vocabularies; however, many content area teachers "know relatively little about effective instructional practices for vocabulary development" (Fisher & Frey, 2008). This article offers content area teachers three examples of rich opportunities for word…

  15. The Effect of Teachers' Professional Development in Video Technology on Mathematics and the English Language Learning of Preschoolers in a Rural Primary School in Pakistan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ikram, Hamid

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the effect of teachers' professional development in video technology (PBS & Sesame Street videos) on mathematics and the English language learning among nursery students in the rural area of Pakistan where it was impossible for students to experience watching videos for learning purposes.…

  16. Teachers' and Students' Amount and Purpose of L1 Use: English as Foreign Language (EFL) Classrooms in Iran

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bozorgian, Hossein; Fallahpour, Sediqe

    2015-01-01

    A surge of interest in using First Language (L1) in English as Second/Foreign Language (L2/EFL) learning has recently been developed. Despite this upsurge, the concern about using L1 by teachers and students in L2/EFL classrooms is still important for researchers to consider in the field. The focus of this study is to investigate the amount and…

  17. Flipped Approach to Mobile Assisted Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yamamoto, Junko

    2013-01-01

    There are abundant possibilities for using smart phones and tablet computers for foreign language learning. However, if there is an emphasis on memorization or on technology, language learners may not develop proficiency in their target language. Therefore, language teachers should be familiar with strategies for facilitating creative…

  18. An Exploration of Oral Language Development in Spanish-Speaking Preschool Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neu, Renee A.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative, multi-case study was to explore the oral language of Spanish-speaking preschool students and their responses to questions, comments and requests made by an English-speaking teacher. Research questions focused on students' responses to questions; comments and requests by the teacher; and whether the response was…

  19. The Interplay of Possible Language Teacher Selves in Professional Development Choices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hiver, Philip

    2013-01-01

    Empirical research on possible selves proliferates in the literature on psychology, yet it is only in the latter half of the 2000s that possible selves were exploited in applied linguistics fields. Kubanyiova's (2007, 2009) recent mixed-methods study introduced the concept of "possible language teacher selves" as a construct through…

  20. A Sourcebook for Integrating ESL and Content Instruction Using the Foresee Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kidd, Richard; Marquardson, Brenda

    This sourcebook presents an approach to teaching students of English as a Second Language (ESL) that integrates communicative competence, cognitive and academic language development, and content instruction. It is intended for use by elementary school teachers of ESL and regular classroom teachers whose classes contain ESL students. An…

  1. The Relationship between Teacher's Written Feedback and Student's' Writing Performance: Sociocultural Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bijami, Maryam; Pandian, Ambigapathy; Singh, Manjet Kaur Mehar

    2016-01-01

    Feedback plays a fundamental role in writing development. The present study seeks to investigate the impact of teacher's written feedback on the writing performance of Iranian undergraduates. The subjects were 400 students majoring in the fields of English language translation and English language literature in four universities, namely Shahaid…

  2. Language Development in the Early School Years: The Importance of Close Relationships with Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spilt, Jantine L.; Koomen, Helma M. Y.; Harrison, Linda J.

    2015-01-01

    This longitudinal study examined developmental links between closeness in teacher-child relationships and children's receptive language ability from the end of the preschool years into the early elementary years, while controlling for changes in peer interaction quality and child behavioral functioning. The sample included children and their…

  3. From Spectator to Composer: The Roses and Rocks in the Life of a Language Teacher

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parsaiyan, Seyyedeh Fahimeh; Ghajar, Sue-San Ghahremani; Salahimoghaddam, Soheila; Janahmadi, Fatemeh

    2016-01-01

    The growing need for professional development requires the language teachers not to be mere consumers of commercial instructional materials or implementers of sets of mandated or recommended techniques, but to attempt to generate their own classroom materials, seek innovative pedagogical approaches, explore the contexts in which their designed…

  4. There's Trouble in Paradise: Problems with Educational Metadata Encountered during the MALTED Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Monthienvichienchai, Rachada; Sasse, M. Angela; Wheeldon, Richard

    This paper investigates the usability of educational metadata schemas with respect to the case of the MALTED (Multimedia Authoring Language Teachers and Educational Developers) project at University College London (UCL). The project aims to facilitate authoring of multimedia materials for language learning by allowing teachers to share multimedia…

  5. An Analysis of Prospective Science Teachers' Understanding of the Nature of Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ogunniyi, M. B.

    1982-01-01

    An instrument was developed to measure conceptions of the language of science held by prospective Nigerian science teachers (N=106) relative to conceptions held by seven selected science philosophers (Carnap, Frank, Hempel, Kemeny, Nagel, Nash, and Popper). Subjects did not endorse the language of science associated with a particular philosopher.…

  6. Dialogs for Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Sissy S.; Ortega, Irasema

    2015-01-01

    Teachers often start their careers in schools with large populations of English language learners (ELLs), whose enrollment in U.S. public schools reached some 4.4 million in 2012 (Kena et al. 2014). To serve these ELLs, new science teachers must develop skills to not only teach the content and language of science but also academic English. Proper…

  7. A Case of Generativity in a Culturally and Linguistically Complex English Language Arts Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skerrett, Allison

    2011-01-01

    This article examines an ESL English language arts teacher's conceptions of linguistic diversity, literacy learning and her role as teacher in a culturally and linguistically complex classroom. It further examines her processes of learning about, and developing curricular and pedagogical innovations to meet, her students' learning needs. The…

  8. Whole Language, Computers and CD-ROM Technology: A Kindergarten Unit on "Benjamin Bunny."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balajthy, Ernest

    A kindergarten teacher, two preservice teachers, and a college consultant on educational computer technology designed and developed a 10-day whole-language integrated unit on the theme of Beatrix Potter's "Benjamin Bunny." The project was designed as a demonstration of the potential of integrating the CD-ROM-based version of…

  9. Malaysian ESL Teachers' Use of ICT in Their Classrooms: Expectations and Realities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yunus, Melor Md

    2007-01-01

    English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in Malaysia, as in many other countries, are anxious to exploit the potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to enhance the teaching and learning process. Given the increasing pressure exerted by technological developments on language education, it is important to understand the…

  10. Creating Spaces for Constructing Practice and Identity: Innovations of Teachers of English Language to Young Learners in Vietnam

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nguyen, Chinh Duc

    2017-01-01

    The discourse on construction of practice and identity in language teaching has been situated in transnational contexts. However, not all teachers are provided with access to transnational spaces for professional development. Drawing on the concept of "multimembership" in "multicommunities", this study explores how Vietnamese…

  11. The Working Experience. Teacher's Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Jeanne H.; Ringel, Harry

    A teacher's manual is presented for "The Working Experience," a series of three texts for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. The series builds on oral skills to develop reading and writing ability while still expanding oral English-language proficiency. Because one of the basic principles underlying the series is the idea that students…

  12. Tacit Rejection of Policy and Teacher Ambivalence: Insights into English Language Teaching in Bahrain through Actors' Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hayes, Aneta

    2018-01-01

    This article develops Phillips and Ochs's (2003) framework for policy borrowing, particularly their theorisations about indigenisation of international programmes. It uses the example of communicative language teaching (CLT) in Bahrain, exploring teacher perspectives regarding the effects of CLT on the preexisting arrangements in the national…

  13. A Proposal for a CA-Integrated English Language Teacher Education Program in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sert, Olcay

    2010-01-01

    This study proposes a comprehensive framework for a Conversation Analysis (CA) informed English language teacher education program in Turkey. By reviewing recent studies in CA, Critical Reflective Practice, Teacher Language Awareness and language teacher education in general; the author calls for a more effective language teacher education program…

  14. Vocabulary Development and Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strickland, Ruth G.

    1972-01-01

    Teachers, through raising their eyes from textbooks and looking at living language as it influences the lives of individual people and the course of human events, can help children preserve their early zest for language. (Author)

  15. Lessons from the Other Side of the Teacher's Desk: Discovering Insights to Help Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Westbrook, Frances

    2011-01-01

    Most language teachers become teachers because they are fascinated by language. They like the way languages work, they are intrigued by differences between their native tongues and other languages, and they enjoy the process of helping their students learn. Most language teachers have had positive experiences as language students themselves…

  16. Early Field Experiences in Language Teacher Education: An Ecological Analysis of a Program Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodriguez Arroyo, Sandra

    2009-01-01

    Language teacher education (LTE) has received increased attention over the last several decades. Language teacher educators, university researchers, classroom teachers, and future teachers have contributed immensely to existing knowledge on how language teachers learn to teach. Researchers and practitioners have finally acknowledged that future…

  17. Rhetorical Meta-Language to Promote the Development of Students' Writing Skills and Subject Matter Understanding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pelger, Susanne; Sigrell, Anders

    2016-01-01

    Background: Feedback is one of the most significant factors for students' development of writing skills. For feedback to be successful, however, students and teachers need a common language--a meta-language--for discussing texts. Not least because in science education such a meta-language might contribute to improve writing training and…

  18. Learning Theories and Skills in Online Second Language Teaching and Learning: Dilemmas and Challenges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Petersen, Karen Bjerg

    2014-01-01

    For decades foreign and second language teachers have taken advantage of the technology development and ensuing possibilities to use e-learning facilities for language training. Since the 1980s, the use of computer assisted language learning (CALL), Internet, web 2.0, and various kinds of e-learning technology has been developed and researched…

  19. Effects of Academic and Non-Academic Instructional Approaches on Preschool English Language Learners' Classroom Engagement and English Language Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Markova, Ivana

    2017-01-01

    This research compared the relative impact of different preschool activities on the development of bilingual students' English-language skills. The study investigated whether bilingual preschool children would engage more, and use more of their second language (English), during free-play (non-academic) versus teacher-structured (academic)…

  20. Criticality as Ideological Becoming: Developing English Teachers for Critical Pedagogy in Nepal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sharma, Bal Krishna; Phyak, Prem

    2017-01-01

    This article presents a discussion of how criticality is constructed and implemented for English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher development in Nepal. The authors draw on Freire's (1970) notion of conscientization to discuss how Nepali EFL teachers develop critical awareness in incorporating local sociopolitical issues in their lessons.…

  1. Indigenous language use and primary science teaching in a post-colonial society: The case of Shona in Zimbabwe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horcajo, Susan Lori

    The historical legacy of colonialism in Zimbabwe is revealed in the continued use of the colonial language, English, in education. However, many teachers use the local language along with particular techniques to address this language gap so that children learn the content of the lessons, especially in the rural areas where access to modern conveniences and the school language outside of class is limited. This research examines the use of an indigenous language in an educational system in which content area curricula are administered in a second language. Three third grade classes in a rural Zimbabwean village were video recorded for three weeks each during the teaching of science. Lessons were transcribed and questions devised for the teachers and a small number of students in order to explore issues related to language use and scientific concept development. The lessons and interviews were reviewed in order to determine particular language usage in the indigenous Shona language and its local dialect, Ndau. The questions addressed were: (1) When and how does the teacher use Shona to explain scientific concepts? (2) When and how do children use Shona to discuss these concepts? (3) What is the relationship among cognition, the use of Shona in the classroom and the learning of science? Analysis of Shona language use in these lessons revealed that while Shona was most commonly used in single words for affection, to facilitate instruction, and to support the lesson, large segments of four sentences or more allowed for more culturally relevant teaching and the development of concepts which served the purpose of science learning through identification, description, explanation and the reaching of conclusions. Metalinguistic awareness and literacy were seen to be salient elements in the lessons, especially given the fact that only English is allowed to be written; that is, while the teacher often explained elements of the lessons orally, all writing on the board, in exercises and other tasks was done in English. Given the correlation between cognitive and linguistic development, the implications for education for national socio-economic development are great.

  2. Professional Development and IELTS Training Course: A Case of EFL Teachers in Iran

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ashraf, Hamid; Kafi, Zeinab

    2016-01-01

    The current study aimed at investigating the status of Professional Development (PD) through examining teachers' perspectives over how effective they consider exam specific teacher training courses (IELTS in this case) which aim at increasing their PD. To this end, a group of EFL teachers, from different language schools in Mashhad, Iran took part…

  3. Systematic Professional Development Training and Its Impact on Teachers' Attitudes toward ELLs: SIOP and Guided Coaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Song, Kim Hyunsook

    2016-01-01

    This study examined systematic professional development (PD) training and its impact on teachers' roles for and attitudes toward English language learners (ELLs). Systematic PD should compensate for theories and pedagogies not obtained during teacher education programs yet needed for content teachers with ELLs. A study was conducted to examine…

  4. Motivating Teachers in the Developing World: Insights from Research with English Language Teachers in Oman

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wyatt, Mark

    2013-01-01

    According to some commentators, targets set by the international community for bringing education to all children in developing countries are threatened by a teacher motivation crisis. For this crisis to be addressed, challenges to the motivation of teachers in such contexts need to be understood from perspectives both theoretical and comparative.…

  5. The Effects of Online Teacher Professional Development on Fourth Grade Students' Knowledge and Practices in English Language Arts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Masters, Jessica; Magidin de Kramer, Raquel; O'Dwyer, Laura; Dash, Sheralyn; Russell, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Improving teacher quality is arguably the most effective way to improve student achievement. Online professional development (OPD) has great potential to improve teacher quality. There is a dearth of scientific research, however, on whether changes in teachers' knowledge and instructional practices resulting from OPD are linked to changes in…

  6. Frameworks Shaping an Online Professional Development Program for K-12 Teachers of ELLs: Toward Supporting the Sharing of Ideas for Empowering Classroom Teachers Online

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Sedef Uzuner

    2014-01-01

    In efforts to maintain America's global competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy, teacher professional development has moved to center stage. With increasing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools, several states have adopted mandatory professional development for classroom teachers to equip them with the knowledge…

  7. Exploring EFL Teachers' CALL Knowledge and Competencies: In-Service Program Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Mei-Hui; Kleinsasser, Robert C.

    2015-01-01

    This article describes quantitative and qualitative data providing perspectives on how six English as a Foreign Language (EFL) vocational high school teachers perceived CALL knowledge and competencies in a yearlong technology-enriched professional development program. The teachers' developing technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) and…

  8. Does a child's language ability affect the correspondence between parent and teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms?

    PubMed

    Gooch, Debbie; Maydew, Harriet; Sears, Claire; Norbury, Courtenay Frazier

    2017-04-05

    Rating scales are often used to identify children with potential Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), yet there are frequently discrepancies between informants which may be moderated by child characteristics. The current study asked whether correspondence between parent and teacher ratings on the Strengths and Weakness of ADHD symptoms and Normal behaviour scale (SWAN) varied systematically with child language ability. Parent and teacher SWAN questionnaires were returned for 200 children (aged 61-81 months); 106 had low language ability (LL) and 94 had typically developing language (TL). After exploring informant correspondence (using Pearson correlation) and the discrepancy between raters, we report inter-class correlation coefficients, to assess inter-rater reliability, and Cohen's kappa, to assess agreement regarding possible ADHD caseness. Correlations between informant ratings on the SWAN were moderate. Children with LL were rated as having increased inattention and hyperactivity relative to children with TL; teachers, however, rated children with LL as having more inattention than parents. Inter-rater reliability of the SWAN was good and there were no systematic differences between the LL and TL groups. Case agreement between parent and teachers was fair; this varied by language group with poorer case agreement for children with LL. Children's language abilities affect the discrepancy between informant ratings of ADHD symptomatology and the agreement between parents and teachers regarding potential ADHD caseness. The assessment of children's core language ability would be a beneficial addition to the ADHD diagnostic process.

  9. Oral language supports early literacy: a pilot cluster randomized trial in disadvantaged schools.

    PubMed

    Snow, Pamela C; Eadie, Patricia A; Connell, Judy; Dalheim, Brenda; McCusker, Hugh J; Munro, John K

    2014-10-01

    This study examined the impact of teacher professional development aimed at improving the capacity of primary teachers in disadvantaged schools to strengthen children's expressive and receptive oral language skills and early literacy success in the first 2 years of school. Fourteen low-SES schools in Victoria, Australia were randomly allocated to a research (n = 8) or control arm (n = 6), resulting in an initial sample of 1254 students, (n = 602 in research arm and n = 652 in control arm). The intervention comprised 6 days of teacher and principal professional development (delivered by language and literacy experts), school-based continuing contact with the research team and completion by one staff member of each research school of a postgraduate unit on early language and literacy. Schools in the control arm received standard teaching according to state auspiced curriculum guidelines. Full data were available on 979 students at follow-up (time 2). Students in the research arm performed significantly better on Test of Language Development: Primary (Fourth Edition) sub-tests (p ≤ .002) and the Reading Progress Test (F = 10.4(1); p = .001) than students in the control arm at time 2. Narrative scores were not significantly different at time 2, although students in research schools showed greater gains. Findings provide "proof of concept" for this approach, and are discussed with respect to implications for teacher professional development and pre-service education concerning the psycholinguistic competencies that underpin the transition to literacy.

  10. Continued professional development of teachers to facilitate language used in numeracy and mathematics.

    PubMed

    Wium, Anna-Marie; Louw, Brenda

    2012-12-01

    Learners in South African schools have been found to perform poorly in mathematics because they do not understand the language used in solving mathematical problems. In order to improve academic performance teachers need to be made aware of the importance of language in the development of numeracy. A continued professional development (CPD) programme addressed this need. The purpose of the research was to understand how the participants implemented the strategies developed during the programme and how they perceived the support provided by the programme. The research was conducted over 2 years in semi-rural and urban contexts. As part of a more comprehensive mixed method study, the qualitative data referred to in this article were obtained through open-ended questions in questionnaires, focus groups,I reflections in portfolios, and a research diary. Results showed that numeracy terminology was often used by learners that differed from standard terminology prescribed by the curriculum. The participants themselves did not necessarily understand the numeracy terminology and thus found it a challenge to implement curriculum outcomes. Issues related to language use of the participants in teaching numeracy were associated with the lack of resources available in the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Some of the participants taught numeracy in English, rather than LoLT. The results indicated low teacher expectations of the learners. The CPD programme was considered valuable and effective. SLPs in schools need to be expand their role to provide CPD opportunities for teachers.

  11. Characteristics of an Effective English Language Teacher as Perceived by Iranian Teachers and Learners of English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shishavan, Homa Babai; Sadeghi, Karim

    2009-01-01

    This study attempted to characterize qualities of an effective English language teacher (EELT) as perceived by Iranian English language teachers and learners. For this purpose, a tailor-made questionnaire was administered to 59 English language teachers and 215 learners of English at universities, high schools and language institutes in Iran. The…

  12. Understanding Language: A Primer for the Language Arts Teacher.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malmstrom, Jean

    This volume aims to bridge the gap between language arts teaching and linguistic theory. Part one discusses selected aspects of linguistics that are relevant to language arts teaching: the acquisition and development of language during childhood; the English sound system and its relation to spellings and meanings; traditional, structural, and…

  13. Pedagogical Self-Image Is the Key to Better Student-Teacher Interaction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Danahy, Michael

    Imagery and metaphors for language teaching, language teachers, and language students that appear in the literature of language teacher training do not reflect a sense of mutual teacher-student cooperation or complementarity, but may instead show why most second language students seldom achieve more than minimal language proficiency. Terminology…

  14. Teachers Teaching Teachers (T3)[TM]. Volume 4, Number 6

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    von Frank, Valerie, Ed.

    2009-01-01

    "Teachers Teaching Teachers" ("T3") focuses on coaches' roles in the professional development of teachers. Each issue also explores the challenges and rewards that teacher leaders encounter. This issue includes: (1) Values and Clarity Build Classroom Language (Valerie von Frank); (2) Tools: Identifying and Clarifying Beliefs about Learning; (3)…

  15. The Challenges of Digital Literacy in the Context of the Spanish Government Educational Policies: The Statement of the Question

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Díaz, Carmen Guillén; Quílez, Mariá Teresa Blasco

    The "(r)evolution" of the literacy concept and our duty as Languages' Teachers' Trainers at the Faculty of Education and Social Work in Valladolid's University (Spain), guides this research in progress. Our research develops in the framework of the Spanish Higher Education System, within the development of the eight key competences established by the European Council, for the Education and Training of the European citizens for lifelong learning in the knowledge society. We focus on the competences 1, 2 and 4: Communication in the mother tongue, Communication in foreign languages and Digital competence, both as essential competences in the professional language's teacher's profile and as a challenge in the Teacher's Education and Training in the Spanish government policies context.

  16. Academic Language in Preschool: Research and Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Michael Luna, Sara

    2017-01-01

    Developing and scaffolding academic language is an important job of preschool teachers. This Teaching Tip provides five strategies that extend the topic of academic language by integrating previous research and field-based data into classroom practice.

  17. Classroom Promotion of Oral Language (CPOL): protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of a school-based intervention to improve children’s literacy outcomes at grade 3, oral language and mental health

    PubMed Central

    Goldfeld, Sharon; Snow, Pamela; Eadie, Patricia; Munro, John; Gold, Lisa; Le, Ha N D; Orsini, Francesca; Shingles, Beth; Lee, Katherine; Connell, Judy; Watts, Amy

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Oral language and literacy competence are major influences on children’s developmental pathways and life success. Children who do not develop the necessary language and literacy skills in the early years of school then go on to face long-term difficulties. Improving teacher effectiveness may be a critical step in lifting oral language and literacy outcomes. The Classroom Promotion of Oral Language trial aims to determine whether a specifically designed teacher professional learning programme focusing on promoting oral language can lead to improved teacher knowledge and practice, and advance outcomes in oral language and literacy for early years school children, compared with usual practice. Methods and analysis This is a two-arm cluster multisite randomised controlled trial conducted within Catholic and Government primary schools across Victoria, Australia. The intervention comprises 4 days of face-to-face professional learning for teachers and ongoing implementation support via a specific worker. The primary outcome is reading ability of the students at grade 3, and the secondary outcomes are teacher knowledge and practice, student mental health, reading comprehension and language ability at grade 1; and literacy, writing and numeracy at grade 3. Economic evaluation will compare the incremental costs of the intervention to the measured primary and secondary outcomes. Ethics and dissemination This trial was approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee #CF13/2634-2013001403 and later transferred to the University of Melbourne #1545540. The investigators (including Government and Catholic partners) will communicate trial results to stakeholders, collaborators and participating schools and teachers via appropriate presentations and publications. Trial registration number ISRCTN77681972; Pre-results. PMID:29162571

  18. (Non)native Speakered: Rethinking (Non)nativeness and Teacher Identity in TESOL Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aneja, Geeta A.

    2016-01-01

    Despite its imprecision, the native-nonnative dichotomy has become the dominant paradigm for examining language teacher identity development. The nonnative English speaking teacher (NNEST) movement in particular has considered the impact of deficit framings of nonnativeness on "NNEST" preservice teachers. Although these efforts have…

  19. The Development of Teacher Education in Malaysia: Problems and Challenges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Molly N. N.

    2000-01-01

    Reviews patterns of teacher education in Malaysia, highlighting current problems and challenges, discussing recent reforms and policy initiatives in the domain of teacher education, and introducing three articles that focus on: teacher education for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages in Malaysia, training of school counselors in…

  20. Wikis for Building Content Knowledge in the Foreign Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pellet, Stephanie H.

    2012-01-01

    Most pedagogical applications of wikis in foreign language education draw on this collaborative tool to improve (formal) writing skills or to develop target language cultural sensitivity, missing largely on the opportunity to support student-developed L2 content knowledge. Seeking an alternative to traditional teacher-centered approaches, this…

  1. The Test of Thought and Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Markoff, Annabelle M.

    The paper describes the development of the "Test of Thought and Language" (Total) which is intended to allow first grade teachers to determine if students are ready for phonics instruction or if, for some students, the curriculum should first develop language concepts, structures and thinking processes. Background information for the…

  2. Developing Voice through the Language Arts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henn-Reinke, Kathryn; Chesner, Geralyn A.

    2006-01-01

    This book shows prospective teachers how to use the language arts to connect diverse students to the world around them and help them develop their own literate voices. It considers the integrated nature of the primary language arts--reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visually representing. The authors encourage preservice and…

  3. Why elementary teachers might be inadequately prepared to teach reading.

    PubMed

    Joshi, R Malatesha; Binks, Emily; Hougen, Martha; Dahlgren, Mary E; Ocker-Dean, Emily; Smith, Dennie L

    2009-01-01

    Several national reports have suggested the usefulness of systematic, explicit, synthetic phonics instruction based on English word structure along with wide reading of quality literature for supporting development in early reading instruction. Other studies have indicated, however, that many in-service teachers are not knowledgeable in the basic concepts of the English language. They may be well versed in children's literature but not know how to address the basic building blocks of language and reading. The authors hypothesized that one of the reasons for this situation is that many instructors responsible for training future elementary teachers are not familiar with the concepts of the linguistic features of English language. This hypothesis was tested by administering a survey of language concepts to 78 instructors. The results showed that even though teacher educators were familiar with syllabic knowledge, they performed poorly on concepts relating to morphemes and phonemes. In a second study, 40 instructors were interviewed about best practices in teaching components and subskills of reading. Eighty percent of instructors defined phonological awareness as letter-sound correspondence. They also did not mention synthetic phonics as a desirable method to use for beginning reading instruction, particularly for students at risk for reading difficulties. In conclusion, providing professional development experiences related to language concepts to instructors could provide them the necessary knowledge of language concepts related to early literacy instruction, which they could then integrate into their preservice reading courses.

  4. Improving Students’ Sense to Learn Language in Islamic Institution of Coastal Area Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuraedah, St.; Azaliah Mar, Nur; Gunawan, Fahmi

    2018-05-01

    This research aims to examine the ways to develop a sense of love for learning Arabic among students in Islamic Higher education of Indonesia. This study is essential to do because Arabic should be the favourite subject by the students. In addition, Arabic is also the language of Al-Qur’an. As the language of Al-Qur’an, Arabic for Indonesian is not a foreign language as other foreign languages. In fact, the Arabic becomes one of the dreaded subjects by most students, especially at State Islamic Institute of Kendari. Therefore, it takes the tips and efforts by the Arabic teachers to make Arabic more interesting for the students. The results show that one way to increase the motivation to learn Arabic for students is to develop students’ sense of love to Arabic. The teachers can do it by showing how easy Arabic is and how important it is since it is a language of religion and science, and providing the tips to learn the language. Besides, they also can explain some borrowing words from Arabic adopted into Indonesian and to be used in daily conversations without realizing it, and show the form of word derivation in Arabic that can help to enrich the Arabic vocabulary. The teacher should tell the students that knowing one word in Arabic can develop into some vocabulary with different meanings.

  5. Teacher Identity Development through Action Research: A Chinese Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yuan, Rui; Burns, Anne

    2017-01-01

    This study explores how two language teachers constructed and reconstructed their professional identities through their action research (AR) facilitated by university researchers in China. Informed by the theory of 'community of practice', the findings of the study show that AR exerted a transformative impact on the teachers' identity development.…

  6. Can teacher-child relationships support human rights to freedom of opinion and expression, education and participation?

    PubMed

    Wang, Cen; Harrison, Linda J; McLeod, Sharynne; Walker, Sue; Spilt, Jantine L

    2018-02-01

    This study explored how teacher-child relationships change over the early school years, in terms of closeness and conflict, whether these trajectories differ in type and frequency for children with typical development and children with speech and language concern (SLC), and whether the trajectories are associated with school outcomes at 12-13 years. Participants were children, parents and teachers in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Parents identified 2890 children with typical communication and 1442 children with SLC. Teacher-rated teacher-child closeness and conflict were collected biennially over six years. Academic and social-emotional outcomes were reported by teachers and children. Growth mixture modelling was conducted to generate teacher-child relationship trajectories and Wald's chi-square analyses were used to test the association between trajectories and school outcomes at 12-13 years, after controlling for a range of covariates including child's sex, language background, Indigenous status, age and socio-economic position. In both groups, the majority of children had teacher-child relationship trajectories with sustained high closeness and low conflict that predicted positive outcomes at age 12-13, but the SLC group was more at risk of less positive trajectories and poorer school outcomes. Close, less conflicted relationships with teachers may provide a supportive context for later language, literacy and social-emotional development. This study highlights the role of teachers in supporting children in their development of communication and academic skills that will optimise their capacity for freedom of opinions and expression, education and participation, as enshrined in Articles 19, 26 and 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

  7. Redrawing the Boundaries on Theory, Research, and Practice Concerning Language Teachers' Philosophies and Language Teacher Cognition: Toward a Critical Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crookes, Graham V.

    2015-01-01

    Two areas of investigation and professional practice--language teachers' philosophies and language teacher cognition--can be considered as related, perhaps overlapping, insofar as they are both the result of thought. The concept of a philosophy of teaching may hold together sets of language teacher cognitions, or guide specific investigations of…

  8. Using Technology to Develop a Collaborative-Reflective Teaching Practice toward Synthecultural Competence: An Ethnographic Case Study in World Language Teacher Preparation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Webber, Dana E.

    2013-01-01

    Using technology to develop a collaborative-reflective teaching practice in a world language education methods course block for teaching certification creates unique opportunities for world language education undergraduates to learn to develop synthecultural competence for education. Such a program allows undergraduates to expand their capacity to…

  9. Language Teacher Research in Asia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farrell, Thomas S. C., Ed.

    2006-01-01

    The Language Teacher Research Series aims to connect research and practice by highlighting the insights that teachers themselves describe after examining their own practices. This first volume of the five-volume series presents research conducted by language teachers at all levels, from high school English teachers to English language teacher…

  10. Language Teacher Education in Finland and the Cultural Dimension of Foreign Language Teaching--A Student Teacher Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Larzen-Ostermark, Eva

    2009-01-01

    The increasing importance attributed to the cultural dimension of foreign language (FL) education has entailed new demands for teachers and teacher educators. This paper explores the cultural agenda in Finnish language teacher education from a student teacher perspective. The focus is on the students' perceptions regarding how effectively cultural…

  11. Reticence in Chinese EFL Students at Varied Proficiency Levels

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Meihua; Jackson, Jane

    2009-01-01

    Reticence in foreign language classes has long been a challenge for both teachers and students. With the advent of globalization, there is a pressing need for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers to help reticent students develop the skills and confidence needed to take an active role in oral English lessons. This article reports on a…

  12. Performance-Based Curriculum for Language Arts: From Knowing to Showing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burz, Helen L.; Marshall, Kit

    This book is intended to be used as a guide to develop a performance-based curriculum based on language arts standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. The book helps teachers take their students beyond knowledge and basic skills by teaching them to be accountable for showing…

  13. Foreign Language Professional Communicative Competence as a Component of the Academic Science Teacher's Professional Competence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valeeva, Roza A.; Baykova, Olga V.; Kusainov, Askarbek K.

    2016-01-01

    The urgency of the problem raised in the article is explained by the increasing demand for qualified specialists who have a good command of a foreign language. The communicative competence of an academic science teacher under the conditions of international cooperation development is of great importance. The article discusses the problem of…

  14. Read the Label. English as a Second Language Initiative. Teacher's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council on Family Health, New York, NY.

    The teacher's guide was developed as part of an initiative by the Council on Family Health to encourage speakers of English as a second language (ESL) to read and understand the information on over-the-counter and prescription drugs. It contains classroom activities, handout materials, and suggestions for presenting lessons on label reading. It is…

  15. The Language Teaching Methods Scale: Reliability and Validity Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okmen, Burcu; Kilic, Abdurrahman

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this research is to develop a scale to determine the language teaching methods used by English teachers. The research sample consisted of 300 English teachers who taught at Duzce University and in primary schools, secondary schools and high schools in the Provincial Management of National Education in the city of Duzce in 2013-2014…

  16. Literacy in the Early Years and English as an Additional Language: The Case of a British International School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Englezou, Eliana; Fragkouli, Elpiniki

    2014-01-01

    The study upon which this article is based investigates teachers' literacy development methods used in nursery and reception classrooms of a British international school, and focuses specifically on children having English as an additional language (EAL). Findings from teaching observations and from interviews with teachers present the techniques…

  17. Teachers and Speech and Language Therapists Working with Children with Physical Disabilities: Implications for Inclusive Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Jannet A.; Kersner, Myra

    1999-01-01

    This questionnaire study examined the coordination of speech/language therapists (N=47) with teachers (N=62) in 54 special schools for children with physical disabilities in England. Respondents were positive about the value of collaboration, although many reported problems of limited time available for joint planning and development of…

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

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nguyen, Minh Hue

    2013-01-01

    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…

  19. Teachers' Report of Strategies Used to Facilitate Language Development in Students with Hearing Loss

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Handley, Candace Michele

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which teachers of the deaf report using four identified language facilitation strategies: recasting, extension, responsivity, and self-talk/parallel talk. Participants self-selected in response to an advertisement on a state-wide listserv and to the state's residential school internal news.…

  20. Literacy and FLES. Connecting to the Common Core Learning Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martino, Al; Barnett, Harriet

    2013-01-01

    At present, Whole Language (WL) teachers DO teach reading as a part of their curriculum. However, the new common core learning standards set the stage for Foreign Language in Elementary Schools (FLES) teachers to take a more active role, if not lead the way in developing important reading skills in children. Although this new challenge may at…

  1. Language Teacher Research in the Americas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGarrell, Hedy M., Ed.

    2007-01-01

    This volume in the Language Teacher Research Series (Thomas S. C. Farrell, series editor) presents research conducted by language teachers at all levels, from high school English teachers to English language teacher educators, reflecting on their practices. The countries represented in this book are Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,…

  2. Learning to Get It Right: Understanding Change Processes in Professional Development for Teachers of English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Choi, Daniel Sung-Yeol; Morrison, Peggy

    2014-01-01

    A professional development program for US teachers in the state of Oregon was the context in which this study took place. This five-year hybrid (online and face-to-face) program assisted experienced teachers to adapt their practice to meet the needs of language minority and immigrant students. The positive changes in teacher perceptions and…

  3. Developing a Reflective Thinking Tendency Scale for Teachers and Student Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Semerci, Cetin

    2007-01-01

    This paper aims to develop the Reflective Thinking Tendency Scale (RTTS) for teachers and student teachers. Survey was the research method used in the study. In this research, there were 599 cases and 456 of these cases were the students of the departments of the Turkish language teaching and primary school teaching within grades of 2nd, 3rd and…

  4. Problem behaviors of low-income children with language delays: an observation study.

    PubMed

    Qi, Cathy Huaqing; Kaiser, Ann P

    2004-06-01

    Children from low-income families are at increased risk for significant behavioral and language problems. Early identification of these problems is essential for effective intervention. The purpose of the present study was to use multiple behavioral assessments to examine the behavioral profiles of sixty 3- and 4-year-old children from low-income families enrolled in Head Start programs and to compare the behavior characteristics of 32 children with language delays with those of 28 children with typical language development. Teachers completed the Child Behavior Checklist/Caregiver-Teacher Report Form/2-5 (CTRF; T. M. Achenbach, 1997) and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; F. M. Gresham and S. N. Elliott, 1990), and children were observed in the classrooms during structured and unstructured activities. Children with language delays exhibited more problem behaviors and poorer social skills on some of the observational measures than did children with typical language development, as predicted, but not on all.

  5. Talking about science: An interpretation of the effects of teacher talk in a high school science classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moje, Elizabeth B.

    This paper builds on research in science education, secondary education, and sociolinguistics by arguing that high school classrooms can be considered speech communities in which language may be selectively used and imposed on students as a means of fostering academic speech community identification. To demonstrate the ways in which a high school teacher's language use may encourage subject area identification, the results of an interactionist analysis of data from a 2-year ethnographic study of one high school chemistry classroom are presented. Findings indicate that this teacher's uses of language fell into three related categories. These uses of language served to foster identification with the academic speech community of science. As a result of the teacher's talk about science according to these three patterns, students developed or reinforced particular views of science. In addition, talking about science in ways that fostered identity with the discipline promoted the teacher as expert and built classroom solidarity or community. These results are discussed in light of sociolinguistic research on classroom competence and of the assertions of science educators regarding social and ideologic implications of language use in science instruction.Received: 23 September 1993; Revised: 15 September 1994;

  6. The First Language in the Foreign Language Classroom: Teacher Model and Student Language Use--An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chavez, Monika

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates how three teachers differed in the amount of first language (L1; here, English) they used during teacher-led instruction in a foreign language (FL; here, German) class and whether differences in the three teachers' L1 were associated with similar differences in their respective students' L1 use, both during teacher-led…

  7. An analysis of integrated science and language arts themes in software at the elementary school level

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Libidinsky, Lisa Jill

    2002-09-01

    There are many demands on the elementary classroom teacher today, such that teachers often do not have the time and resources to instruct in a meaningful manner that would produce effective, real instruction. Subjects are often disjointed and not significant. When teachers instruct using an integrated approach, students learn more efficiently as they see connections in the subjects. Science and language arts, when combined to produce an integrated approach, show positive associations that can enable students to learn real-life connections. In addition, with the onset of technology and the increased usage of technological programs in the schools, teachers can use technology to support an integrated curriculum. When teachers use a combined instructional focus of science, language arts, and technology to produce lessons, students are able to gain knowledge of concepts and skills necessary for appropriate academic growth and development. Given that there are many software programs available to teachers for classroom use, it is imperative that quality software is used for instruction. Using criteria based upon an intensive literature review of integrated instruction in the areas of science and language arts, this study examines science and language arts software programs to determine whether there are science and language arts integrated themes in the software analyzed. Also, this study examines whether more science and language arts integrated themes are present in science or language arts software programs. Overall, this study finds a significant difference between language arts software and science software when looking at integrated themes. This study shows that science software shows integrated themes with language arts more often than does language arts software with science. The findings in this study can serve as a reference point for educators when selecting software that is meaningful and effective in the elementary classroom. Based on this study, it is apparent that there is a need to evaluate software for appropriate use in the classroom in order to promote effective education.

  8. Teacher Preparation and Place: An American Student Teacher in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Elizabeth J.; Johnson, Lisa E.; Gabauer, Lauren J.

    2016-01-01

    A preservice Spanish teacher in the United States is assigned to teach English, her native language, in China. This case study investigates the application of her developing pedagogical knowledge to a radically different teaching environment.

  9. Foreign Language Teaching in Rudolf Steiner Schools. Guidelines for Class-Teachers and Language Teachers. First Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stott, Michael

    This book is intended for foreign language teachers interested in the approaches used in Rudolf Steiner schools, and also classroom teachers who teach foreign languages. Chapters address these issues: what the language lesson is to achieve; how the language lesson differs from other lessons; lesson design; examples of actual lessons; avoiding the…

  10. Developing a Language Learning Rationale for African Language Tutorials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dwyer, David

    1999-01-01

    Presents a rationale for the supervised tutorial component of the African language program at Michigan State University. The supervised tutorial is one of two modes through which African languages are offered at Michigan State University. The other, which is teacher led, is offered for high enrollment languages such as Arabic, Swahili, and Hausa.…

  11. On Teaching Strategies in Second Language Acquisition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Hong

    2008-01-01

    How to acquire a second language is a question of obvious importance to teachers and language learners, and how to teach a second language has also become a matter of concern to the linguists' interest in the nature of primary linguistic data. Starting with the development stages of second language acquisition and Stephen Krashen's theory, this…

  12. A Literary Approach to Teaching English Language in a Multicultural Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Choudhary, Sanju

    2016-01-01

    Literature is not generally considered as a coherent branch of the curriculum in relation to language development in either native or foreign language teaching. As teachers of English in multicultural Indian classrooms, we come across students with varying degrees of competence in English language learning. Although language learning is a natural…

  13. Whole Language: Beliefs and Practices, K-8. Aspects of Learning Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manning, Gary, Ed.; Manning, Maryann, Ed.

    This 25-chapter anthology includes the ideas of many of the leading authorities on whole language and contains chapters on the meaning of whole language, the skills movement, reading and writing development, and teacher autonomy. Chapters are: "Whole Language: What's New?" (Bess Altwerger and others); "Language Arts Basics: Advocacy…

  14. The Impact of a Professional Development Program on English Language Teachers' Classroom Performance (El impacto de un programa de desarrollo profesional en el desempeño en clase de profesores de lengua inglesa)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Giraldo, Frank

    2014-01-01

    This article reports the findings of an action research study on a professional development program and its impact on the classroom performance of in-service English teachers who worked at a language institute of a Colombian state university. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, class observations, and a researcher's journal were used as…

  15. Joint Development of Teacher Cognition and Identity through Learning to Teach L2 Pronunciation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burri, Michael; Chen, Honglin; Baker, Amanda

    2017-01-01

    The constructs of teacher cognition and teacher identity have recently gained considerable attention in second language teacher education research for their crucial roles in understanding teacher learning. While a number of current studies have examined the contributions of both constructs, the connections between cognition and identity are yet to…

  16. Composing with New Technology: Teacher Reflections on Learning Digital Video

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bruce, David L.; Chiu, Ming Ming

    2015-01-01

    This study explores teachers' reflections on their learning to compose with new technologies in the context of teacher education and/or teacher professional development. English language arts (ELA) teachers (n = 240) in 15 courses learned to use digital video (DV), completed at least one DV group project, and responded to open-ended survey…

  17. Dialogic Possibilities: Exploring New Frontiers in Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nesheim, Nicole Elizabeth

    2015-01-01

    The transition from preservice teacher to classroom teacher occurs rapidly, requiring that teacher candidates assimilate into the field quickly. In order to do so, these teachers must demonstrate appropriate language development as it relates to the teaching profession. Not only do novice teachers need to be able to articulate what they and their…

  18. Participant Perspectives and Critical Reflections on Language Teacher Education by Distance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knox, John S.

    2017-01-01

    Language teaching is a profession which is international in character. Language teachers often work and study in foreign countries, and distance education has become very important in the education of language teachers. Drawing on two international surveys, this paper explores language teacher education by distance from the perspective of students…

  19. Learning English Language by Radio in Primary Schools in Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Odera, Florence Y.

    2011-01-01

    Radio is one of the most affordable educational technologies available for the use in education and development in developing countries. This article explores the use of school radio broadcast to assist teachers and pupils to learn and improve English language both written and spoken in Kenyan primary schools. English language occupies a central…

  20. Language and Social Development in a Multilingual Classroom: A Dinosaur Project Enriched with Block Play

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pate, Monique

    2009-01-01

    With the implementation of the natural approach, the dinosaur study and facilitated block play gave dual language learners many opportunities to acquire a new language, develop social skills, and improve communication abilities. Once teachers identified the barriers to children playing and talking together, they created a classroom environment…

  1. Developing Pedagogical Practices for English-Language Learners: A Design-Based Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iddings, Ana Christina DaSilva; Rose, Brian Christopher

    2012-01-01

    This study draws on the application of sociocultural theory to second-language learning and teaching to examine the impact of a design-based research approach on teacher development and literacy instruction to English-language learners (ELLs). Design-based research methodology was employed to derive theoretical suppositions relating to the process…

  2. Seeking Understanding of Foreign Language Teachers' Shifting Emotions in Relation to Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruohotie-Lyhty, Maria; Korppi, Aino; Moate, Josephine; Nyman, Tarja

    2018-01-01

    Teaching is recognised as an emotional practice. Studies have highlighted the importance of teachers' emotional literacy in the development of pupils' emotional skills, the central position of emotions in teachers' ways of knowing, and in their professional development. This longitudinal study draws on a dialogic understanding of emotion to…

  3. Applying an SIOP-Based Instructional Framework for Professional Development in Korea

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Song, Kim Hyunsook

    2016-01-01

    Nonnative English speaking teachers' oral proficiency and instructional strategies are the significant factors to become effective language teachers where English is not used as a daily communication medium. The study focuses on improvement of EFL teachers' instructional strategies. The main goal of the study is to develop an EFL instructional…

  4. Fostering Structurally Transformative Teacher Agency through Science Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rivera Maulucci, Maria S.; Brotman, Jennie S.; Fain, Shoshana Sprague

    2015-01-01

    This study draws on data from a 10-month critical narrative inquiry of science teaching and learning in a third grade, dual language, integrated co-teaching classroom. The teachers were participants in a 14-week science professional development seminar that enrolled inservice and preservice teachers and focused on enhancing science teaching and…

  5. Use of Graphic Organizers in a Language Teachers' Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chien, Chin-Wen

    2012-01-01

    Starting from 2009 academic year, the instructional coaches in a school district in a northwest American city began to provide Workshop II (pseudonym) to elementary school English teachers. This study aims to discuss the use of graphic organizers in English teachers' professional development. Different types of graphic organizers such as…

  6. Professional Development Implications of Teachers' Beliefs and Attitudes toward English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karabenick, Stuart A.; Noda, Phyllis A. Clemens

    2004-01-01

    Research-based professional development is essential for districts and teachers across the nation that face the challenge of providing a quality education for increasingly diverse student populations. In this study, the researchers surveyed 729 teachers in one midwestern suburban district recently impacted by high numbers of immigrant and refugee…

  7. Developing Pedagogical Expertise in Modern Language Learning and Specific Learning Difficulties through Collaborative and Open Educational Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gallardo, Matilde; Heiser, Sarah; Arias McLaughlin, Ximena

    2017-01-01

    This paper analyses teachers' engagement with collaborative and open educational practices to develop their pedagogical expertise in the field of modern language (ML) learning and specific learning difficulties (SpLD). The study analyses the findings of a staff development initiative at the Department of Languages, Open University, UK, in 2013,…

  8. Learner-Driven EFL Curriculum Development at the Classroom Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shawer, Saad; Gilmore, Deanna; Banks-Joseph, SusanRae

    2009-01-01

    This qualitative study examines the learner-directed motives that cause English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers to approach curriculum differently, as curriculum-transmitters, curriculum-developers, or curriculum-makers. This study's conceptual framework was grounded in teacher curriculum development, curriculum implementation,…

  9. The Impact of Teacher Language and Growth Mindset Feedback on Writing Motivation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Truax, Megan L.

    2018-01-01

    In recent years, many students have developed a fixed mindset as a result of the national focus on raising test scores. The present study aims to investigate the effects of teacher language and the inclusion of growth mindset feedback on the writing motivation of second and third grade students. The researcher used a mixed-methods,…

  10. From TPACK-in-Action Workshops to English Classrooms: CALL Competencies Developed and Adopted into Classroom Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tai, Shu-Ju

    2013-01-01

    As researchers in the CALL teacher education field noted, teachers play the pivotal role in the language learning classrooms because they are the gate keepers who decide whether technology or CALL has a place in their teaching, and they select technology to support their teaching, which determines what CALL activities language learners are exposed…

  11. Beyond Externalising and Finalising Definitions: Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doecke, Brenton

    2007-01-01

    This article explores issues relating to the development of the Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA). STELLA is the product of work by members of the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) and the Australian Literacy Educators' Association (ALEA), the two key professional bodies in…

  12. Supporting Indigenous Students' Understanding of the Numeration System of Their First Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cortina, Jose Luis

    2013-01-01

    Results from a project conducted in Mexico are discussed, in which a group of 17 indigenous teachers analyzed the numeration systems of their first language. The main goal of the project is to develop resources that help teachers in supporting students' understanding of the systems. In the first phase of the project, the central organizing ideas…

  13. Affective Influences on the Reading-Language Arts Development of Native American Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gold, David A. S.

    To this time, language arts-reading programs established by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) totally immerse the young Indian student in a complete English environment. The real problem is not so much the type of program used, but the feelings of the teachers working with the students. Until very recently, few of the teachers in BIA schools were…

  14. Destrezas de Lenguaje: Curriculo Basico. Guia para el Maestro (Language Skills: Basic Curriculum. Teacher's Guide).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Puerto Rico State Dept. of Education, Hato Rey. Office of Special Education.

    The basic special education curriculum of the Department of Public Instruction of Puerto Rico is designed so that the skills defined can be used to attend to the needs of children with disabilities. This teacher's guide, in Spanish, presents a basic language curriculum to help the child develop the ability to communicate effectively. It includes…

  15. Small Schools Student Learning Objectives, K-8: Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics. K-3; Science, Social Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartl, David, Ed.; And Others

    Developed by 40 primary teachers and 10 elementary principals from small school districts in Washington, this handbook contains sequenced student learning objectives for grades K-3 in science and social studies and for grades K-8 in reading, language arts, and mathematics. The handbook is designed to assist teachers with the improvement of…

  16. Using Thematic Units To Promote Literacy in a Scottish Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erwin, Barbara; And Others

    Using a literature-based thematic unit to teach language arts in concert with science, social studies, mathematics, and art, a Scottish teacher instilled in her 6- and 7-year-old pupils an understanding of their own lives, a love for language, and a feeling of satisfaction and pride in their accomplishments. The teacher developed a topic based on…

  17. Professional Learning across Contexts for LESLLA Teachers: The Unlikely Meeting of Adult Educators in Kindergarten to Explore Early Literacy Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vinogradov, Patricia Egan

    2013-01-01

    In this case study of adult English as a Second Language (ESL) educators, the researcher facilitated a six-week professional development activity around the topic of early literacy instruction. The four participants in the study circle were all LESLLA (low-educated second language and literacy acquisition) teachers whose students are adult…

  18. Engaging in vocabulary learning in science: the promise of multimodal instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Townsend, Dianna; Brock, Cynthia; Morrison, Jennifer D.

    2018-02-01

    To a science 'outsider', science language often appears unnecessarily technical and dense. However, scientific language is typically used with the goal of being concise and precise, which allows those who regularly participate in scientific discourse communities to learn from each other and build upon existing scientific knowledge. One essential component of science language is the academic vocabulary that characterises it. This mixed-methods study investigates middle school students' (N = 59) growth in academic vocabulary as it relates to their teacher's instructional practices that supported academic language development. Students made significant gains in their production of general academic words, t(57) = 2.32, p = .024 and of discipline-specific science words, t(57) = 3.01, p = .004 in science writing. Results from the qualitative strand of this inquiry contextualised the students' learning of academic vocabulary as it relates to their teacher's instructional practices and intentions as well as the students' perceptions of their learning environment. These qualitative findings reveal that both the students and their teacher articulated that the teacher's intentional use of resources supported students' academic vocabulary growth. Implications for research and instruction with science language are shared.

  19. English Language Classroom Practices: Bangladeshi Primary School Children's Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shrestha, Prithvi Narayan

    2013-01-01

    English language teaching (ELT) has been investigated from various angles including how English language teachers perceive what happens in an ELT classroom. How primary school English language learners perceive their experiences of ELT is rarely reported in the published literature, particularly from developing countries such as Bangladesh. This…

  20. Standardization of Sign Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adam, Robert

    2015-01-01

    Over the years attempts have been made to standardize sign languages. This form of language planning has been tackled by a variety of agents, most notably teachers of Deaf students, social workers, government agencies, and occasionally groups of Deaf people themselves. Their efforts have most often involved the development of sign language books…

  1. The Implications of Modern Approaches to Language for Teacher Training.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Huw

    1984-01-01

    Connections between recent developments in theories about language, learning theory, and language teaching are traced from Chomsky's work elaborating the distinction between competence and performance. The evolution of the concepts of function and notion from the study of how language and communication come together in linguistic philosophy is…

  2. Preparing Dual Language Teachers to Educate English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Craft-Coleman, Sylvia L.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative embedded multiple case study was to explore the teaching strategies, skills, and knowledge received from English language learner professional development (ELLPD) trainings and seminars and how the application of ELLPD content affected communication with English language learners in the mainstream classroom. The…

  3. Knowing English is Not Enough! Cultivating Academic Literacies among High School Newcomers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franquiz, Maria E.; Salinas, Cinthia

    2013-01-01

    Secondary school teachers face remarkable challenges when they are asked to incorporate language objectives because the traditional approach to the education of English Language Learners (ELL) separates English language development from content instruction. The underlying assumption is that English language proficiency is a prerequisite for…

  4. Enhancing the metalinguistic abilities of pre-service teachers via coursework targeting language structure knowledge.

    PubMed

    Purvis, Caralyn J; McNeill, Brigid C; Everatt, John

    2016-04-01

    Low metalinguistic knowledge of pre-service and in-service teachers is likely to restrict the provision of evidence-based literacy instruction in the classroom. Despite such concerns, relatively few studies have examined the effects of teacher preparation coursework in building pre-service teachers' language structure knowledge. This study examined the effects of 7 h of language structure coursework, delivered over 7 weeks, on 121 New Zealand pre-service teachers in their initial year of study. Changes in participants' phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and orthographic knowledge were tracked across the teaching period. The impact of the coursework for participants who presented with strong spelling (n = 24) and poor spelling (n = 24) ability was also compared. The cohort demonstrated significant gains across all measures. Strong spellers responded more favourably to the teaching than poor spellers, even when accounting for initial levels of meta-linguistic knowledge. Implications for the development of teacher preparation programmes that enhance the provision of effective literacy instruction are discussed.

  5. EFL Teachers' Knowledge of the Use and Development of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Materials

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dashtestani, Reza

    2014-01-01

    Even though there are a plethora of CALL materials available to EFL teachers nowadays, very limited attention has been directed toward the issue that most EFL teachers are merely the consumers of CALL materials. The main challenge is to equip EFL teachers with the required CALL materials development skills to enable them to be contributors to CALL…

  6. Exploring Bilingual Teachers' Beliefs about Academic Language Development in Mathematics Teaching: Implications for Bilingual Teachers' Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Canales-Vela, Viola

    2017-01-01

    The achievement of mathematics within Hispanic youth is of great concern across the nation. In order to improve student achievement in mathematics, the nature of a mathematics teacher's complex belief system must be understood (McGee & Wang, 2014). The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study is to investigate the K-5 bilingual teachers'…

  7. "Short Courses Shouldn't Be Short-Lived!" Enhancing Longer-Term Impact of Short English as a Foreign Language INSET Initiatives in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yan, Chunmei; He, Chuanjun

    2015-01-01

    Short in-service teacher development (INSET) programmes have been globally used as a form of teacher development, but their impact has been under question. This study sought to examine teacher participants' perceptions of short INSET programmes to come up with better solutions to enhancing their effect on teachers' professional learning. A…

  8. School-age children development

    MedlinePlus

    ... the norm, talk to your provider. If language skills appear to be lagging, request a speech and language evaluation. Keep close communication with teachers, other school employees, and parents of ...

  9. Teacher Linguistic, Cultural, and Technological Awareness Development and Transfer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Congcong

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation includes two studies: a pilot study on native-English-speaking preservice teachers' perceptions of learning a foreign language online and a follow-up study on inservice teachers' perceptions of transferring teacher linguistic, cultural and technological awareness into teaching practice. Conducted in 2010, the pilot…

  10. The Canada/China Teacher Education Project: A Chinese Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fahmy, Jane Jackson; And Others

    In 1991, Saint Mary's University (SMU) (Canada) and Beijing Normal University (BNU) (China) began an 18-month joint teacher education project intended to meet professional needs of BNU foreign language teachers. The project had three components: professional development of teachers; adaptation of the existing national curriculum to meet special…

  11. "Teacher You Are Stupid!"--Cultivating a Reflective Disposition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farrell, Thomas S. C.

    2014-01-01

    There is a longstanding recognition in the field of language education that teachers must continually shape and reshape their knowledge of teaching and learning throughout their careers (Farrell, 2015). Much of a teacher's early knowledge is developed initially in teacher education programs, and then through teaching experiences and…

  12. Learning to Mediate: Teacher Appropriation of Dynamic Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davin, Kristin J.; Herazo, José D.; Sagre, Anamaría

    2017-01-01

    This article examines how four second language (L2) teachers' discursive practices changed as they attempted to implement dynamic assessment (DA) in their classrooms. Classroom artifacts, lesson recordings, and reflections from two pre-service teachers and two in-service teachers, both before and after a professional development series on DA, were…

  13. Primary School English Teachers' Research Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gao, Xuesong; Chow, Alice Wai Kwan

    2012-01-01

    Research engagement is an important means for teachers to develop their professional competence. This paper reports on an enquiry into the research engagement of a group of primary school English language teachers in Guangdong province on the Chinese mainland. Drawing on questionnaire data and teachers' interview narratives, the paper examines how…

  14. Social Justice Language Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawkins, Margaret R.

    2011-01-01

    Social justice language teacher education conceptualizes language teacher education as responding to social and societal inequities that result in unequal access to educational and life opportunities. In this volume authors articulate a global view of Social Justice Language Teacher Education, with authors from 7 countries offering a theorized…

  15. To What Extent Do Professional Training, School Demographics, Teacher Bilingualism, and Teacher Attitude Predict the Instructional Strategies that Elementary School Content Area Teachers Use with English Language Learners?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rader-Brown, Lucy M.

    2010-01-01

    Using responses from a survey of elementary teachers from the state of Ohio, this study analyzed the influences of teachers' professional training (both pre-service training and in-service professional development), teachers' attitude towards ELLs, teachers' bilingualism, schools' percent of ELLs, and schools' resources (both socioeconomic status…

  16. Laying down Pale Memories: Learners Reflecting on Language, Self, and Other in the Middle-School Drama-Languages Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothwell, Julia

    2015-01-01

    This article explores one teacher/researcher's development of a drama-language unit and the learners' responses to it. The work is underpinned by a model of intercultural language learning which also acknowledges the pluricultural and plurilingual contexts in which foreign languages are taught in Australia. As part of a…

  17. A Typology of Tasks for Mobile-Assisted Language Learning: Recommendations from a Small-Scale Needs Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Moonyoung; Slater, Tammy

    2014-01-01

    In response to the research priorities of members of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), this study investigated language learners' realworld tasks in mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) to inform the future development of pedagogic tasks for academic English as a second language (ESL) courses. The data included…

  18. Language Policy, Teacher Beliefs, and Practice: Implications for English Language Learners in Mathematics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Llamas-Flores, Silvia

    2013-01-01

    In 2007, Arizona voters passed House Bill (HB) 2064, a law that fundamentally restructured the Structured English Immersion (SEI) program, putting into place a 4-hour English language development (ELD) block for educating English language learners (ELLs). Under this new language policy, ELL students are segregated from their English-speaking peers…

  19. A SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MICHEL, JOSEPH

    DESIGNED FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS AND PERSONS PREPARING TO BECOME FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS, THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1892 AND 1966 CONTAINS SECTIONS OF--(1) THE NATURE AND FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE, (2) LINGUISTICS, INCLUDING APPLIED LINGUISTICS FOR SPECIFIC LANGUAGES, (3) PSYCHOLOGY OF LANGUAGE, (4) PHYSIOLOGY OF SPEECH, (5)…

  20. Foreign Language Teachers' Language Proficiency and Their Language Teaching Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richards, Heather; Conway, Clare; Roskvist, Annelies; Harvey, Sharon

    2013-01-01

    Teachers' subject knowledge is recognized as an essential component of effective teaching. In the foreign language context, teachers' subject knowledge includes language proficiency. In New Zealand high schools, foreign languages (e.g. Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish) have recently been offered to learners earlier in their schooling,…

  1. Pre-Service Preschool Teachers' Beliefs about Foreign Language Learning and Early Foreign Language Teaching in Slovenia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fojkar, Mateja Dagarin; Skubic, Darija

    2017-01-01

    The implementation of foreign languages in preschool education has prompted the need for qualified teachers. However, most recent studies report a gap between the supply of qualified foreign language teachers of young learners and the demand for such teachers as foreign languages are introduced earlier and earlier. The authors of this paper…

  2. Language Teacher Research in the Middle East

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coombe, Christine, Ed.; Barlow, Lisa, Ed.

    2007-01-01

    An openness to new ways of teaching and learning is vital for growth among English language teachers, teacher educators, teachers in training, and students. This volume in the Language Teacher Research Series (Thomas S. C. Farrell, series editor) shares the studies and reflections of teacher researchers working in Middle Eastern countries with…

  3. Continuous Professional Development of English Language Teachers: Perception and Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al Asmari, AbdulRahman

    2016-01-01

    Professional development is considered as an essential element in enhancing the teaching and learning process to ensure student learning. Professional development can also be deemed as a cornerstone of teacher professionalism and quality. The governments and educational institutions invest significantly in Continuous Professional Development (CPD)…

  4. Early Science Instruction and Academic Language Development Can Go Hand in Hand. The Promising Effects of a Low-Intensity Teacher-Focused Intervention

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henrichs, Lotte F.; Leseman, Paul P. M.

    2014-11-01

    Early science instruction is important in order to lay a firm basis for learning scientific concepts and scientific thinking. In addition, young children enjoy science. However, science plays only a minor role in the kindergarten curriculum. It has been reported that teachers feel they need to prioritize language and literacy practices over science. In this paper, we investigate whether science lessons might be integrated with learning the language functional for school: academic language. The occurrence of scientific reasoning and sophisticated vocabulary in brief science lessons with 5-year-olds is evaluated. The aim of the study was twofold: first, to explore the nature of kindergarten science discourse without any researcher directions (pre-intervention observation). Second, in a randomized control trial, we evaluated the effect on science discourse of a brief teacher training session focused on academic language awareness. The science lessons focussed on air pressure and mirror reflection. Analyses showed that teachers from the intervention group increased their use of scientific reasoning and of domain-specific academic words in their science discourse, compared to the control group. For the use of general academic words and for lexical diversity, the effect was task-specific: these dependent measures only increased during the air pressure task. Implications of the study include the need to increase teachers' awareness of possibilities to combine early science instruction and academic language learning.

  5. Le Tutorat: Structure et Outil de Formation (Tutoring: Structure and Instruments of Development).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berthet, A.; And Others

    1996-01-01

    Focuses on the assurance by the Alliance Francaise of Paris of professional development of future teachers of foreign languages. The article describes the members of the Alliance as professors at the Foreign Language School of Paris with university training in such diverse fields as linguistics, modern languages, education, and philosophy. Their…

  6. Developing a Friendly and Productive Language Learning Environment (FPLE) Using the Learner as a Resource

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Masaazi, Fred M.

    2015-01-01

    This article addresses the need to develop a friendly and productive Language learning environment (FPLE) using the learners as a resource in schools in Uganda. This is in light of the persistent challenging reality that the teaching and learning of languages in schools appears to be still largely traditional, teacher-centered and…

  7. Improving Latino Children's Early Language and Literacy Development: Key Features of Early Childhood Education within Family Literacy Programmes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jung, Youngok; Zuniga, Stephen; Howes, Carollee; Jeon, Hyun-Joo; Parrish, Deborah; Quick, Heather; Manship, Karen; Hauser, Alison

    2016-01-01

    Noting the lack of research on how early childhood education (ECE) programmes within family literacy programmes influence Latino children's early language and literacy development, this study examined key features of ECE programmes, specifically teacher-child interactions and child engagement in language and literacy activities and how these…

  8. Language Teacher Noticing: A Socio-Cognitive Window on Classroom Realities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Daniel O.; Cho, Minyoung

    2018-01-01

    This article introduces the construct of teacher noticing, situates it in research on second language teacher cognition, and considers its implications for research on second language teacher training, acknowledging socio-cognitive perspectives on language learning and teaching. We then present a mixed-methods observational study that utilized…

  9. Supporting In-Service Language Educators in Learning to Telecollaborate

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Dowd, Robert

    2015-01-01

    The importance of teachers' capacity to integrate and exploit computer mediated communication (CMC) in the foreign language classroom has been recognised by many of the leading publications in foreign language teacher education, including the European Profile for Language Teacher Education (2004) and the European portfolio for student teachers of…

  10. Supporting Self-Improvement in Teaching, Literacy, Language and Numeracy. Tools for Staff Development. Module 5: Integrating Literacy Language and Numeracy into a Range of Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basic Skills Agency, 2007

    2007-01-01

    Develop the skills of staff across your organisation to successfully implement an embedded approach to LLN. Unpacking the practical issues involved, this module will help specialist LLN teachers to work effectively with colleagues who teach other subjects, supporting a "whole organisation approach" to developing literacy, language and numeracy.…

  11. Exploring Professional Development from Brief Experiences: Case Studies of Secondary EFL Teachers in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Qingling, Yuan; Qunhua, Yuan; Ying, Wan

    2016-01-01

    The current situation of educational reforms since 1990s has brought up a booming demand of competent EFL teachers because of economic globalization and further opening-up policy in China. So it's vital and significant to explore EFL teachers' professional development in order to promote English language teaching. Based on the Constructivism…

  12. Twitter: A Professional Development and Community of Practice Tool for Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosell-Aguilar, Fernando

    2018-01-01

    This article shows how a group of language teachers use Twitter as a tool for continuous professional development through the #MFLtwitterati hashtag. Based on data collected through a survey (n = 116) and interviews (n = 11), it describes how this collective of teachers use the hashtag and evaluates the impact of their Twitter network on their…

  13. The Functions of Reflection in High-Stakes Assessment of World Language Teacher Candidates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Troyan, Francis J.; Kaplan, Carolyn Shemwell

    2015-01-01

    In response to the call for improving teacher candidates' familiarity with the assessment tasks and format of the edTPA (Hildebrandt & Swanson, 2014), this single case study investigated the reflective writing development of Jena, a K-12 Spanish teacher candidate, and her evolution in a pedagogy that focused on the development of writing two…

  14. Designing a Materials Development Course for EFL Student Teachers: Principles and Pitfalls

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bouckaert, Marina

    2016-01-01

    This article presents an overview of a newly designed course in materials development at a teacher education institute in the Netherlands. It also includes an evaluation of the course by its participants, student teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Dutch secondary schools. The course overview describes the aims and objectives of the…

  15. Project: Informal Learning Program (ILP). Final Report for November 1, 1977 to May 31, 1978.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, David L., Jr.; And Others

    This final report describes the development and field evaluation of teacher training materials (for inservice workshops) and elementary school language arts materials. The basic goal of the training materials, called Teacher Development Packages (TDPs), was to provide teachers with the information and skills needed to utilize games and informal…

  16. Developing a Play-Based Communication Assessment through Collaborative Action Research with Teachers in Northern Canadian Indigenous Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stagg Peterson, Shelley

    2017-01-01

    With the goal of developing culturally appropriate approaches for assessing and supporting children's language use, teachers of 4-to 6-year-old children in northern Canadian rural and Indigenous communities are involved in a 6-year collaborative action research project. Teachers video record children's interactions during dramatic and construction…

  17. Exploring English Teachers' Perceptions about Peer-Coaching as a Professional Development Activity of Knowledge Construction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Castañeda-Londoño, Adriana

    2017-01-01

    Teachers' knowledge and how they construct it is an area that deserves attention when it comes to producing fruitful professional development practices. This small-scale action research aims at identifying the perceptions of three teachers in a private language center about peer-coaching and their actual construction of knowledge in a…

  18. The New York City Staff Development Program in Mathematics for High School Teachers and Supervisors, 1987-1988.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berney, Tomi D.; Friedman, Grace Ibanez

    The state-funded New York City Staff Development Program in Mathematics was a five-workshop series serving bilingual/English-as-a-Second-Language teachers teaching mathematics, and mathematics teachers unfamiliar with the special needs of limited-English-proficient (LEP) high school students. Supervisors were also invited to participate. Workshop…

  19. Identity Formation of LBOTE Preservice Teachers during the Practicum: A Case Study in Australia in an Urban High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nguyen, Hoa Thi Mai; Sheridan, Lynn

    2016-01-01

    This study captures the experiences of language background other than English (LBOTE) preservice teachers using a case study approach to explore identity development. Wenger's (2000) "modes of belonging" form the theoretical framework to develop an understanding of the factors contributing to teacher identity. This article draws on…

  20. Teacher Evaluation as a Tool for Professional Development: A Case of Saudi Arabia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hakim, Badia Muntazir

    2015-01-01

    This study reports on the use of teacher evaluation and appraisal process as a tool for professional development. A group of 30 teachers from seven different nationalities with diverse qualifications and teaching experiences participated in this case study at the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Saudi Arabia.…

  1. Guiding Educators to Praxis: Moving Teachers beyond Theory to Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Castillo, Melissa J.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore and report on the impact of coaching as an embedded part of professional development has on teacher learning and practice in the context of educating English Language Learners (ELLs). A close examination was made of what teachers, coaches and principals believe to be effective professional development and…

  2. The Effects of Online Professional Development on Fourth Grade English Language Arts Teachers' Knowledge and Instructional Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Masters, Jessica; de Kramer, Raquel Magidin; O'Dwyer, Laura M.; Dash, Sheralyn; Russell, Michael

    2010-01-01

    Online professional development (OPD) has great potential to improve teacher quality by improving teachers' knowledge and instructional practices, with the ultimate goal of improving student achievement. There is a dearth of scientific research, however, on the effects of OPD. This article presents the results of a randomized control trial…

  3. Examining the Relationship among Opportunity, Inclusion, and Choice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franquiz, Maria E.; Reyes, Maria de la Luz

    2000-01-01

    Describes the multicultural language practices used at Western Hills Elementary School in Denver, Colorado. Discusses social and cultural dimensions of learning and their relationships to second language acquisition. Describes exploring cultural diversity through school-wide themes, encouraging second-language development for teachers and…

  4. Academic Language Socialization in High School Writing Conferences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilliland, Betsy

    2014-01-01

    This study examines multilingual high school writers' individual talk with their teachers in two advanced English language development classes to observe how such talk shapes linguistically diverse adolescents' writing. Addressing adolescent writers' language socialization through microethnographic discourse analysis, the author argues that…

  5. Learning English Speaking through Mobile-Based Role-Plays: The Exploration of a Mobile English Language Learning App Called Engage

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Bowen; Zhou, Shijun; Ju, Weijie

    2013-01-01

    Engage is a new form of mobile application that connects students studying English with teachers in real-time via their smartphones. Students receive target language through preparation dialogues, and then apply it to a role-play with a teacher. The conceptualization and development of Engage follows the user-centred design approach; and the…

  6. What Linguistically Diverse Parents Know and How It Can Help Early Childhood Educators: A Case Study of a Dual Language Preschool Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Michael-Luna, Sara

    2013-01-01

    While the population of bilinguals and English learners continues to rise in our schools, teachers often feel frustrated with their lack of knowledge about best practices to support their multilingual students' language, socio-emotional and cognitive development. Teachers' frustration is compounded by the push for assessments in the…

  7. Teachers' Awareness and Use of Scales to Map the Progress of Children Who Speak English as an Additional Language or Dialect

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Courcy, Michele; Adoniou, Misty; Ngoc, Doan Ba

    2014-01-01

    With the development of the English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) Teacher Resource, the educational needs and outcomes of refugee and immigrant children have been placed on the national mainstream teaching agenda. This new national resource sits alongside a plethora of other resources, known as scales and standards, which have been…

  8. Developing Teachers' Knowledge and Skills at the Intersection of English Language Learners and Language Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Téllez, Kip; Mosqueda, Eduardo

    2015-01-01

    The growth of teachers' professional knowledge and skills has been the topic of policy, research, and even philosophy for many decades. The assessment of English Learners (ELs), a more specific concern, has become an interest of the educational community in just the past 40 years (e.g., Harris, 1969). The authors' task in this chapter is to…

  9. Early Science Instruction and Academic Language Development Can Go Hand in Hand. The Promising Effects of a Low-Intensity Teacher-Focused Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henrichs, Lotte F.; Leseman, Paul P. M.

    2014-01-01

    Early science instruction is important in order to lay a firm basis for learning scientific concepts and scientific thinking. In addition, young children enjoy science. However, science plays only a minor role in the kindergarten curriculum. It has been reported that teachers feel they need to prioritize language and literacy practices over…

  10. The Role of Dialogic Reading in Enhancing the Learning Opportunities of Preschool English Learners and Teachers in an English Only Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roselli, Taryn

    2009-01-01

    Today's preschool teachers are educating a diverse population of children, with many from homes where English is not the first language. In light of this growing number of English Language Learners (ELLs) in preschool, researchers have investigated ways to support ELLs' emergent literacy development. One of the ways to support ELLs' emergent…

  11. Teachers' Perspectives on Academic Achievement and Educational Growth of U.S.-Born Hispanic Students in a Midwestern Spanish Language Immersion Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salgado, Herlinda Arlene Galve

    2016-01-01

    Elementary Spanish language immersion programs have become more popular in the educational field in the United States to support the academic achievement of minority students. The final goal of immersion programs is to develop proficiency in the home language and dominant language, identified as first language (L1) and second language (L2), to…

  12. How Much Foreign Language Is There in the Foreign Language Classroom?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duff, Patricia A.; Polio, Charlene G.

    1990-01-01

    Classroom observation of 13 college language courses and analysis of student questionnaire and teacher interview responses indicated that teachers varied widely in use of target language with a mean of 67.9 percent; language type, departmental policy, lesson content, and teacher training affected target language use; and students were generally…

  13. Contextual Factors, Methodological Principles and Teacher Cognition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walsh, Robert; Wyatt, Mark

    2014-01-01

    Teachers in various contexts worldwide are sometimes unfairly criticized for not putting teaching methods developed for the well-resourced classrooms of Western countries into practice. Factors such as the teachers' "misconceptualizations" of "imported" methods, including Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), are often blamed,…

  14. Children's Language Assessment--Situational Tasks.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conrad, Eva E.; And Others

    The Children's Language Assessment-Situational Tasks (CLA-ST) was developed to collect language samples within a normally operating classroom. The language is taken on a cassette tape recorder, which is placed at the foot of a small table. At this table, in a committee setting, four children are engaged with a teacher in an activity similar to…

  15. Developing a Language Program in One School System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Charlesworth, Roberta A.

    As an outgrowth of their study of language theory and practice, English and elementary school teachers involved in in-service linguistic workshops are analyzing the verbal usage of a number of Toronto students to identify the language attitudes and characteristics of K-13 students and to become aware of language learning possibilities at grade…

  16. Icelandic for Adult Foreigners: Effects of Imposing an Icelandic Language Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Innes, Pamela; Skaptadóttir, Unnur Dís

    2017-01-01

    Legislation linking language course attendance and passage of a language test for residence visas and citizenship, respectively, was enacted in Iceland in the early 2000s. Curricular guidelines and the language test were developed as a result. Research in other countries suggests such structures cause teachers to create "de facto"…

  17. Learning Words for Life: Promoting Vocabulary in Dual Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gillanders, Cristina; Castro, Dina C.; Franco, Ximena

    2014-01-01

    Vocabulary development plays a critical role in young dual language learners' success in school. As teachers become aware of how they use language in the classroom, systematically teach specific words in a variety of ways, and learn about dual language learners' level of English acquisition and sociocultural experiences, they can help…

  18. Classroom Composition and Language Minority Students' Motivation in Language Lessons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rjosk, Camilla; Richter, Dirk; Hochweber, Jan; Lüdtke, Oliver; Stanat, Petra

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we investigated effects of the proportion of language minority students in classrooms on the development of students' intrinsic motivation in language lessons and the mediating role of instructional climate (e.g., teacher support, focus on student interests). In addition, we explored the interaction between the proportion of…

  19. Adjusting Language Level in Teacher-Talk in ELT Microteachings with Specific Reference to Distance Education Teacher

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sarigoz, Iskender Hakki

    2013-01-01

    Foreign language teacher education requires microteaching practices carried out by teacher trainees for learning and assessment purposes. During microteachings, teacher trainees operate many teaching skills concurrently. Interlanguage compatible teacher-talk in the target language is essential for the production of student talk at elementary and…

  20. Beyond Methods: Components of Second Language Teacher Education. The McGraw-Hill Second Language Professional Series. Directions in Second Language Learning and Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bardovi-Harlig, Kathleen, Ed.; Hartford, Beverly, Ed.

    This collection of essays gives an overview of the different disciplines that inform language teaching and language teacher education. They include the following titles: "The Case for Psycholinguistics" (Bill VanPatten); "The Place of Second Language Acquisition Theory in Language Teacher Preparation" (Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig); "Why Syntactic…

  1. Intercultural Competence of English Language Teachers in International Baccalaureate World Schools in Turkey and Abroad

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demircioglu, Serife; Çakir, Cemal

    2015-01-01

    The study explores the opinions and attitudes of International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) English language teachers from Turkey, the USA, the UK, New Zealand and Spain on intercultural language teaching. 16 teachers from Turkey, 15 teachers from the USA, 11 teachers from the UK, 10 teachers from New Zealand and 8 teachers from Spain,…

  2. Associations between Teacher-Child Relationships and Children's Writing in Kindergarten and First Grade

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Kelley Mayer

    2013-01-01

    When children experience conflict in relationships with their teachers during early education, they perform more poorly on measures of language development and overall academic competence. Whereas children who have close relationships with teachers, often perform better on these measures. A close teacher-child relationship may be important for…

  3. Student Teachers' Cognition about L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burri, Michael

    2015-01-01

    In view of the minimal attention pronunciation teacher preparation has received in second language (L2) teacher education, this study examined the cognition (i.e. beliefs, thoughts, attitudes and knowledge) development of 15 student teachers during a postgraduate subject on pronunciation pedagogy offered at an Australian tertiary institution.…

  4. In-Service Teachers' Training: The Case of University Teachers in Yangon, Myanmar

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ulla, Mark B.

    2018-01-01

    Research studies show a number of significant contributions of professional development programs towards teachers' teaching skills. This paper explores the views of eight (8) university lecturers in a university in Yangon, Myanmar with regards to the teacher capacity building and language enhancement training program they attended from 2014-2016.…

  5. The Role of Consciousness-Raising through Critical Reflection in Teachers' Professional Development: A Sociocultural Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ebadi, Saman; Gheisari, Nouzar

    2016-01-01

    This study, framed within Vygotskyan sociocultural approaches to teacher education, aimed at reconceptualizing the thinking and subsequent recontextualizing of the classroom practice of a participating teacher. An Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher with pseudonym--Sara--was the participant of the study. Sara's conceptions of…

  6. Promoting Reflective Practice in Continuing Education in France

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryder, Jane

    2012-01-01

    Educationalist Fred Korthagen elaborated a model in the 1980s for the relationship between the teacher educator and the teacher which embraces reflective practice as its guiding principle. In the present study, research was carried out into teacher development among a small group of language teachers working in continuing education in France.…

  7. Teaching With(out) Technology: Secondary English Teachers and Classroom Technology Use

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flanagan, Sara; Shoffner, Melanie

    2013-01-01

    Technology plays an integral role in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom today, yet teachers and teacher educators continue to develop understandings of how technology influences pedagogy. This qualitative study explored how and why two ELA teachers used different technologies in the secondary English classroom to plan for and deliver…

  8. Early Career Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Noticing Related to Language and Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turner, Erin Elizabeth; McDuffie, Amy Roth; Sugimoto, Amanda Tori; Stoehr, Kathleen Jablon; Witters, Angela; Aguirre, Julia; Bartell, Tonya; Drake, Corey; Foote, Mary Q.

    2016-01-01

    There has been limited attention to early career teachers' (ECTs) understandings and practices related to language in teaching and learning mathematics. In this qualitative case study, we drew upon frameworks for teacher noticing to study the language practices of six early career elementary and middle school mathematics teachers. We describe…

  9. Context, Content, and Teacher Education: Six Language Teachers in a New Zealand Primary School Setting Discuss Their Language Teaching Identity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daly, Nicola

    2011-01-01

    Researchers have identified the importance of understanding language teacher identity in order to understand more about language teacher education (Johnson, Pawan, & Mahan-Taylor, 2005; Varghese, Morgan, Johnston, & Johnson, 2005). This paper reports on themes from semistructured interviews conducted individually with six inservice…

  10. High School EFL Teachers' Identity and Their Emotions towards Language Requirements

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torres-Rocha, Julio César

    2017-01-01

    This is a study on high school English as a foreign language Colombian teacher identity. Using an interpretive research approach, I explored the influence of the National Bilingual Programme on the reconstruction of teacher identity. This study focuses on how teachers feel about language requirements associated with a language policy. Three…

  11. English Language Teacher Educator Interactional Styles: Heterogeneity and Homogeneity in the ELTE Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lucero, Edgar; Scalante-Morales, Jeesica

    2018-01-01

    This article presents a research study on the interactional styles of teacher educators in the English language teacher education classroom. Two research methodologies, ethnomethodological conversation analysis and self-evaluation of teacher talk were applied to analyze 34 content- and language-based classes of nine English language teacher…

  12. Effective Grammar Teaching: Lessons from Confident Grammar Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Petraki, Eleni; Hill, Deborah

    2011-01-01

    Learning the grammar of a language is an integral part of learning a second or foreign language. Studies on teacher beliefs, teacher language awareness (TLA) and grammar teaching have reported that the majority of English language teachers recognise the importance of teaching grammar (Borg, 2001; Borg & Burns, 2008). At the same time, many…

  13. Codeswitching in the Language Classroom: A Study of Four EFL Teachers' Cognition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Samar, Reza Ghafar; Moradkhani, Shahab

    2014-01-01

    Although many language teachers resort to their first language (L1) at various junctures during their practice, not many studies have tried to understand the reasons for this from teachers' personal perspectives. This study aimed at investigating English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' cognitive processes during their classroom…

  14. Language of poverty strategies: Implemented in the urban elementary science classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jeanpierre, Bobby Jo

    2000-08-01

    This research study reports the results of school-based staff development models used at three urban elementary schools that had liaison teachers assisting classroom teachers in implementing instructional strategies in science teaching from "Language of Poverty," a curriculum framework designed to address the academic needs of disadvantaged students. The case study of two urban elementary schools and six classroom teachers, and survey and interview data results of a third school, uncovered insights into several areas of science teaching in urban settings. One conclusion is that in spite of substantial allocation of resources and assistance, teachers did not translate instructional strategies from "Language of Poverty" curriculum into their classroom practices in a way that would foster urban disadvantaged students' understanding of "big science concepts." A second conclusion is that the school-based staff development models were limited in their ability to address the diverse professional needs of all of its staff. Third, as it relates to students, discipline issues occurred in these urban classrooms across ethnicity and gender. And in addition to teachers being knowledgeable of relevant social and cultural group norms' application of this knowledge in an appropriate and consistent manner is needed to effectively address discipline concerns.

  15. Tangled paths: Three experienced teachers' growth in understanding during an extended science community of practice professional development effort

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, Nancy Melamed

    This qualitative investigation extends the study of teacher learning within a reform-based community of practice model of professional development. This long-term, multiple case study examined three experienced teachers' transformations in thinking about science instruction. Data were collected during the three years of the Guided Inquiry supporting Multiple Literacies research project, designed to develop instructional practices informed by a socio-cultural, inquiry-based orientation. Data sources included: transcripts of semi-structured interviews collected at strategic points, the teacher's journals, initial application information, and teachers' written case studies. Using an interpretive case study approach, tenets of the teachers' orientations were identified through a recursive process. Results are organized to reflect two principles that were integral to the design of the professional development community. The first principle describes changes in teachers' orientations about the goals and characteristics of science instruction in the elementary grades. The second describes changes about teachers' knowledge about themselves as learners and the influence of this knowledge on their thinking about science instruction and student learning. Illustrative findings indicate that: (a) it is possible for teachers' language regarding conceptions of their practice to change with only superficial change in their orientations, (b) teachers can hold dualistic ways of thinking about their practice, (c) in some cases, teachers use a significant amount of autobiography about their own learning to explain their practice; over time, this was replaced with warrants using the language that developed within the professional development community, and (d) long-term case studies revealed differences in orientations that emerged and were refined over time. These findings provide strong support for communities of practice as a model of professional development and hold implications for advancing teacher learning.

  16. Fred P. Ellison and Portuguese Program Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Milleret, Margo

    2016-01-01

    The written record of Ellison's involvement in Portuguese program development begins in 1964 when he became chairman of the Portuguese Language Development Group that met at several Modern Language Association meetings before being accepted by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) in 1967. The record ends in the…

  17. Reflections on Language Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barbara, Leila, Ed.; Scott, Mike, Ed.

    The collection of papers, dedicated to Maria Antonieta Alba Celani, a celebrated English professor in Brazil, consists of writings by colleagues on four themes: developments stemming from Dr. Celani's Brazilian national project for the teaching of English for special purposes; language teacher training; language processing; and analysis of…

  18. Problems and Prospects in Foreign Language Computing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pusack, James P.

    The problems and prospects of the field of foreign language computing are profiled through a survey of typical implementation, development, and research projects that language teachers may undertake. Basic concepts in instructional design, hardware, and software are first clarified. Implementation projects involving courseware evaluation, textbook…

  19. Listening Skill Development through Massive Comprehensible Input.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kalivoda, Theodore B.

    Foreign language listening comprehension instruction too often relies on brief selections read aloud or sporadic teacher talk interspersed with native language (NL) utterances, which fail to provide sustained listening practice. NL is overused for grammar-related talk, reducing target language exposure, encouraging translation, and hindering…

  20. Responding to the Call: Developing and Assessing Pedagogical Spanish Competencies in Bilingual Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aquino-Sterling, Cristian R.

    2016-01-01

    Bilingual teacher education scholars continue to advocate for the improvement of Spanish language-related teacher preparation practices. However, the field is in need of research on how bilingual teacher educators across the U.S. are addressing this task in their work with future teachers. In responding to this call, I describe an approach and an…

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