Sample records for teacher language awareness

  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. Teacher Language Awareness in Supervisory Feedback Cycles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindahl, Kristen; Baecher, Laura

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates pre- and post-observation feedback provided to TESOL teacher candidates who are preparing to work in content-based instruction/content and language integrated learning contexts, extending the conceptualization of teacher language awareness (TLA) to candidate supervision. It examines the extent to which TLA is manifested by…

  3. 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…

  4. Teacher Language Awareness Education and Pedagogy: A New Discursive Space

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pomphrey, Cathy; Burley, Suzanne

    2009-01-01

    This article attempts to recontextualise the dimensions of teacher language awareness (LA) highlighted by Svalberg ((2007) "Language awareness and language learning." "Language Teaching," 40, 287-308) by emphasising the role of pedagogy in achieving coherence in language education across the subjects of English (L1) and Modern…

  5. English Teachers' Language Awareness: Away with the Monolingual Bias?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Otwinowska, Agnieszka

    2017-01-01

    The training of language teachers still follows traditional models of teachers' competences and awareness, focusing solely on the target language. Such models are incompatible with multilingual pedagogy, whereby languages are not taught in isolation, and learners' background languages are activated to enhance the process. When teaching…

  6. 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…

  7. Which Methodology Works Better? English Language Teachers' Awareness of the Innovative Language Learning Methodologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kurt, Mustafa

    2015-01-01

    The present study investigated whether English language teachers were aware of the innovative language learning methodologies in language learning, how they made use of these methodologies and the learners' reactions to them. The descriptive survey method was employed to disclose the frequencies and percentages of 175 English language teachers'…

  8. 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…

  9. A Teacher's Exploratory Inquiry of Language Awareness: Language Learner Perceptions from Oral Presentations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leichsenring, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents a teacher-led inquiry into learner language awareness and learner perceptions of: oral presentations using first language (L1) support when using a second language (L2); and L2 learner and user identity. The quantitative-based results of this preliminary inquiry represent a source of understanding for the researcher, who later,…

  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. Teacher Language Awareness and the Professional Knowledge Base of the L2 Teacher

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andrews, Stephen

    2003-01-01

    This paper provides an introduction to teacher language awareness (TLA) and a personal reconceptualisation of the relationship between TLA and other dimensions of teacher knowledge, revisiting issues discussed in Andrews (2001). In the first part of the paper, knowledge of subject matter is identified as the core of TLA. Given the increased…

  12. 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,…

  13. Sociocultural Perspectives on Teacher Language Awareness in Form-Focused EFL Classroom Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luk, Jasmine C. M.; Wong, Ruth M. H.

    2010-01-01

    A teacher's language awareness (TLA) is generally believed to have a significant impact on grammar or form-focused (FonF) instruction. TLA has traditionally been assumed to be a cognitive construct. A more recent view on TLA argues for its sociocultural significance in second language learning. This paper builds on this recent view and attempts to…

  14. Effect of Mobile-Assisted Dialect Awareness Training on the Dialect Attitudes of Prospective English Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bozoglan, Hilal; Gok, Duygu

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a mobile-assisted dialect awareness programme on the dialect attitudes of pre-service English language teachers in Turkey. The study adopted a pre-test and a post-test design including 58 first-grade pre-service English language teachers in two different classes. The experimental group…

  15. Peer Interaction, Cognitive Conflict, and Anxiety on a Grammar Awareness Course for Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Svalberg, Agneta Marie-Louise

    2012-01-01

    This study explored some MA students' perceptions of a Grammar Awareness course for language teachers. The aim was to understand how group tasks might help students build Grammar Awareness. Two cohorts of students were surveyed and interviewed. In this paper, the survey responses are discussed in some depth. While the first cohort was left to…

  16. 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.

  17. 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…

  18. 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'…

  19. Teacher Trainees' Awareness Regarding Mother Tongue Use in English as a Foreign Language Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sener, Sabriye; Korkut, Perihan

    2017-01-01

    This study explores the views, perceptions and suggestions of teacher trainees regarding L1 use in foreign language classes and search for their awareness of the issue. A qualitative research design was employed. The data were gathered by means of 5 open-ended questions. The findings revealed that most of the participants preferred mostly target…

  20. Making It "Authentic": Egyptian EFL Student Teachers' Awareness and Use of Online Authentic Language Materials and Their Learning Motivation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdelhafez, Hanan A.; Abdallah, Mahmoud M. S.

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports a research study that sought investigating Assiut University College of Education (AUCOE) EFL student teachers' awareness and use of online authentic materials on the basis of their actual language leaning needs, and how this relates to their language learning motivation. To accomplish this, a mixed-method research methodology…

  1. Teacher Educators' Personal Practical Knowledge of Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

    2018-01-01

    This paper describes teacher educators' understanding of language for classroom communication in higher education. We argue that teacher educators who are aware of their personal practical knowledge of language have a better understanding of their students' language use and provide better support for knowledge construction. Personal practical…

  2. 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…

  3. 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…

  4. Arabic Language Teachers and Islamic Education Teachers' Awareness of Authentic Assessment in Jordan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Basheer, Akram; Ashraah, Mamdouh; Alsmadi, Rana

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed at investigating Islamic Education teachers' and Arabic Language teachers' perceptions of authentic assessment in Jordan, and exploring the effects of factors related to teachers' specialization, gender and years of experience on their understanding of the implications of this kind of assessment. In this mixed-method research, a…

  5. Language Awareness and Comprehension through Puns among ESL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lucas, Teresa

    2005-01-01

    The focus in studies of language awareness in L2 learning generally has been on the efficacy of teacher-generated attention to discrete elements of the forms of language through the manipulation of texts or corrective feedback. The study reported in this paper engaged learners in a collaborative task that involved learner-generated attention to…

  6. Raising Cultural Awareness in the English Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frank, Jerrold

    2013-01-01

    This article discusses how teachers can incorporate cultural knowledge into English language classes, exploring elements of culture, intercultural phenomena, and high-context and low-context cultures. Activities offered by the author to raise cultural awareness include web quests, role plays, cultural observations, and culture journals.

  7. "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…

  8. Integrating Sociopolitical Awareness into a Teacher Education Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Major, Elza Magalhaes; Celedon-Pattichis, Sylvia

    2001-01-01

    Discusses critical pedagogy in teacher education and defines constructivist practices. Describes the structure of an English-as-a-Second-Language endorsement program, and focuses on Awareness Week, describing the role of student leadership in the program and the supporting role of the faculty and the coursework. (Author/VWL)

  9. Foreign Language Anxiety: Understanding Its Status and Insiders' Awareness and Attitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trang, Tran Thi Thu; Baldauf, Richard B., Jr.; Moni, Karen

    2013-01-01

    Foreign language anxiety (FLA) has been found to exist in all of the cultures where it has been studied, yet the literature provides limited empirical evidence to indicate whether foreign language students and teachers, as the direct stakeholders in the phenomenon, are aware of it. This study investigated the extent to which foreign language…

  10. Rhymes & Reasons: Literature and Language Play for Phonological Awareness.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Opitz, Michael F.

    This book addresses common questions to enable teachers to make informed decisions about the appropriateness of integrating phonological awareness activities into their language arts programs. The primary purpose is to call attention to recently published (mid to late 1990s) children's literature that can be used to foster children's…

  11. 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…

  12. 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…

  13. The Use of EPOSTL to Determine the Self-Efficacy of Prospective EFL Teachers: Raising Awareness in English Language Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bergil, Ayfer Su; Sariçoban, Arif

    2017-01-01

    The current practices in the field of foreign language teacher education have a heavy inclination to make use of traditional means especially throughout the assessment process of student teachers at foreign language departments. Observing the world in terms of teacher education makes it urgent to include more reflective and objective tools in…

  14. A Sample Corpus Integration in Language Teacher Education through Coursebook Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asik, Asuman

    2017-01-01

    The use of corpora has an increased interest in language teaching in the past two decades. Many corpora have been utilized for several purposes in language classrooms directly or indirectly. In spite of the increasing awareness towards the use of corpora and the corpus tools, language teacher education programs still do not include corpus…

  15. The linguistically aware teacher and the teacher-aware linguist.

    PubMed

    McCartney, Elspeth; Ellis, Sue

    2013-07-01

    This review evaluates issues of teacher linguistic knowledge relating to their work with children with speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCD). Information is from Ellis and McCartney [(2011a). Applied linguistics and primary school teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press], a state-of-the-art text deriving from a British Association of Applied Linguistics/Cambridge University Press expert seminar series that details: linguistic research underpinning primary school curricula and pedagogy; the form of linguistic knowledge useful for teachers supporting children with SLCD in partnership with speech and language therapists; and how and when teachers acquire and learn to apply such knowledge. Critical analysis of the options presented for teacher learning indicate that policy enjoinders now include linguistic application as an expected part of teachers' professional knowledge, for all children including those with SLCD, but there is a large unmet learning need. It is concluded that there is a role for clinical linguists to disseminate useable knowledge to teachers in an accessible format. Ways of achieving this are considered.

  16. 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…

  17. The missing foundation in teacher education: Knowledge of the structure of spoken and written language.

    PubMed

    Moats, L C

    1994-01-01

    Reading research supports the necessity for directly teaching concepts about linguistic structure to beginning readers and to students with reading and spelling difficulties. In this study, experienced teachers of reading, language arts, and special education were tested to determine if they have the requisite awareness of language elements (e.g., phonemes, morphemes) and of how these elements are represented in writing (e.g., knowledge of sound-symbol correspondences). The results were surprisingly poor, indicating that even motivated and experienced teachers typically understand too little about spoken and written language structure to be able to provide sufficient instruction in these areas. The utility of language structure knowledge for instructional planning, for assessment of student progress, and for remediation of literacy problems is discussed.The teachers participating in the study subsequently took a course focusing on phonemic awareness training, spoken-written language relationships, and careful analysis of spelling and reading behavior in children. At the end of the course, the teachers judged this information to be essential for teaching and advised that it become a prerequisite for certification. Recommendations for requirements and content of teacher education programs are presented.

  18. 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.

  19. "Now I See How My Students Feel": Expansive Learning in a Language Awareness Workshop

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fajardo, Guadalupe Ruiz; Torres-Guzmán, María E.

    2016-01-01

    This study looks at a case study research on a language awareness workshop in a New York public school with a dual language (Spanish/English) program. A learner-centred lesson, taught in Spanish, focused on basic personal information exchanges for in-service teachers who taught only in English and who had some limited knowledge of Spanish. The…

  20. 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…

  1. Improving Preservice Teachers' Phonemic Awareness, Morphological Awareness and Orthographic Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNeill, Brigid C.

    2018-01-01

    Few studies have examined the effectiveness of methods to develop preservice teachers' phonemic, morphological and orthographic awareness for spelling instruction. Preservice teachers (n = 86) participated in 10 hours of metalinguistic coursework. The coursework focused on: phonological awareness, orthographic awareness, morphological awareness…

  2. Exploring Students' Language Awareness through Intercultural Communication in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Yu-Fen

    2013-01-01

    Students seldom think about language unless they are instructed to do so or are made to do so during learning activities. To arouse students' awareness while learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP), this study formed a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) community to engage teachers and students from different domains and…

  3. Iowa FLES Newsletter, 1985-1995. A Newsletter for Teachers of Foreign Language in the Elementary School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenbush, Marcia H., Ed.

    1995-01-01

    The first ten years (30 issues) of the newsletter for Iowa teachers of foreign language in the elementary school (FLES) contain a variety of articles on both curricular and extracurricular FLES programs and teaching. Topics addressed include: teacher certification; summer language camps; multicultural education and cultural awareness; program…

  4. Using morphological awareness instruction to improve written language skills.

    PubMed

    Apel, Kenn; Werfel, Krystal

    2014-10-01

    Written English is a morphophonemic language. Researchers have documented that a conscious awareness of the morphological structure of English morphology is predictive of students' written language skills and that morphological awareness instruction leads to improvements in morphological awareness and in other written language skills. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide specific information to clinical scientists and other educators for integrating morphological awareness instruction into their written language instruction. The authors first define morphological awareness and provide an overview of the research on the effects of morphological awareness intervention on improving morphological awareness and written language skills. Measures used to assess morphological awareness ability are then discussed, followed by suggestions for how clinical scientists and other educators can provide morphological awareness instruction to improve the written language skills of the students they serve. By integrating morphological awareness instruction into the services they provide, clinical scientists and other educators will be providing their students with a strong tool to aid written language skills.

  5. "Spinach to Chocolate": Changing Awareness and Attitudes in ESL Writing Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winer, Lise

    1992-01-01

    Data from student journals in an English-as-a-Second-Language writing practicum are used to trace the process by which practice of and reflection on specific activities change awareness of and attitudes toward writing and the teaching of writing. The paper demonstrates the necessity of integrating training and development in teacher education.…

  6. Environmental Ethics Awareness of Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karakaya, Ferhat; Yilmaz, Mehmet

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the present research is to determine science teachers' and biology teachers' awareness levels of environmental ethics in relation to different variables. The "Environmental Ethics Awareness Scale" developed by Özer and Keles (2016) was used in the research. The research is consisted of 237 people, including 130 science…

  7. Carrying a Baby in the Back: Teaching with an Awareness of the Cultural Construction of Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holme, Randal

    2002-01-01

    Shows how culture is encoded in the everyday conceptual metaphors speakers take for granted. Describes the way these encodings differ across languages as "semantic relativism" and argues that language teachers need to be aware of this phenomenon to understand their learners' interlanguage and to help them recognize the internal structure of the…

  8. 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.

  9. Preservice and inservice teachers' knowledge of language constructs in Finland.

    PubMed

    Aro, Mikko; Björn, Piia Maria

    2016-04-01

    The aim of the study was to explore the Finnish preservice and inservice teachers' knowledge of language constructs relevant for literacy acquisition. A total of 150 preservice teachers and 74 inservice teachers participated in the study by filling out a questionnaire that assessed self-perceived expertise in reading instruction, knowledge of phonology and phonics, and knowledge of morphology. The inservice teachers outperformed the preservice teachers in knowledge of phonology and phonics, as well as morphology. Both groups' knowledge of morphology was markedly lower than their knowledge of phonology and phonics. Because early reading instruction does not focus on the morphological level of language but is phonics-based, this result was expected. However, the findings also revealed a lack of explicit knowledge of basic phonological constructs and less-than-optimal phonemic awareness skills in both groups. Problems in phonemic skills manifested mostly as responding to the phonological tasks based on orthographic knowledge, which reflects an overreliance on the one-to-one correspondence between graphemes and phonemes. The preservice teachers' perceptions of expertise were weakly related to their knowledge and skills. Among the inservice teachers, perceived expertise and knowledge of language constructs were completely unrelated. Although the study was exploratory, these findings suggest that within the Finnish teacher education there is a need to focus more on explicit content studies for language structures and the concepts relevant for literacy instruction, as well as phonological and phonemic skills.

  10. Fostering Awareness of the Pedagogical Implications of World Englishes and ELF in Teacher Education in Italy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vettorel, Paola; Corrizzato, Sara

    2016-01-01

    Teacher education represents an essential step to raise awareness of the sociolinguistic changes brought about by the current pluralization of English and by its lingua franca role. Within the pre-service teacher education programs run at the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Verona, Italy, part of the English language…

  11. Exploring Language Awareness through Students' Engagement in Language Play

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahn, So-Yeon

    2016-01-01

    The present study explores Korean students' demonstration of language awareness through their engagement in language play. Grounded in the understanding of the relationship between language play and an "engagement with language" (EWL) perspective, this ethnographic and discourse analytic study investigates how Korean students aged 11-15…

  12. Language Awareness as a Challenge for Business

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunerberg, Reinhard; Geile, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    The following contribution is a meta-analysis of the language awareness discipline from a practical application point of view. It is based on a keynote speech at the "10th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness," and deals with the implications of business requirements for language use in communication processes. The…

  13. 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…

  14. 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…

  15. 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…

  16. 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'…

  17. La formacion de profesores de lengua materna (Native Language Teachers' Education).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez Chacon, Concepcion Elena

    1980-01-01

    Discusses the goals of native language instruction advocating a broadening of horizons, away from traditional grammar and literature teaching, and towards culturally based communication skills. Sociocultural awareness is stressed as the fundamental component of a teacher's background and the basis for mastering the relevant aspects of…

  18. 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,…

  19. Chinese EFL teachers' knowledge of basic language constructs and their self-perceived teaching abilities.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jing; Joshi, R Malatesha; Dixon, L Quentin; Huang, Liyan

    2016-04-01

    The present study examined the knowledge and skills of basic language constructs among elementary school teachers who were teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in China. Six hundred and thirty in-service teachers completed the adapted Reading Teacher Knowledge Survey. Survey results showed that English teachers' self-perceived ability to teach vocabulary was the highest and self-perceived ability to teach reading to struggling readers was the lowest. Morphological knowledge was positively correlated with teachers' self-perceived teaching abilities, and it contributed unique variance even after controlling for the effects of ultimate educational attainment and years of teaching. Findings suggest that elementary school EFL teachers in China, on average, were able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language constructs, but less able to demonstrate explicit knowledge of other skills, especially sub-lexical units (e.g., phonemic awareness and morphemes). The high self-perceived ability of teaching vocabulary and high scores on syllable counting reflected the focus on larger units in the English reading curriculum.

  20. 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…

  1. Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge of Language Concepts: Relationships to Field Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tetley, Deborah; Jones, Caroline

    2014-01-01

    Acquisition of language concepts by pre-service teachers (PSTs) is likely influenced by university coursework and field experiences, but little research has examined how. Knowledge of phonics and phonological awareness and confidence to teach reading were surveyed among primary PSTs at one New South Wales university, most in second year following…

  2. Developing Cultural Awareness in Foreign Language Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shemshadsara, Zahra Ghorbani

    2012-01-01

    Culture awareness has become an important focus of modern language education, a shift that reflects a greater awareness of the inseparability of language and culture, and the need to prepare students for intercultural communication. The paper reports on an ongoing study into the presence and status of cultural understanding in EFL teaching. In…

  3. Language Awareness and Perception of Connected Speech in a Second Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kennedy, Sara; Blanchet, Josée

    2014-01-01

    To be effective second or additional language (L2) listeners, learners should be aware of typical processes in connected L2 speech (e.g. linking). This longitudinal study explored how learners' developing ability to perceive connected L2 speech was related to the quality of their language awareness. Thirty-two learners of L2 French at a university…

  4. 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,…

  5. Awareness on Learning Disabilities among Elementary School Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Menon K. P., Seema

    2016-01-01

    The study aims to find out the awareness on learning disabilities among elementary school teachers. The sample for the present study consisted of 500 elementary school teachers of Kerala. In this study the investigator used an Awareness Test on Learning Disabilities to measure the Awareness on Learning Disabilities among Elementary School…

  6. The Linguistically Aware Teacher and the Teacher-Aware Linguist

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCartney, Elspeth; Ellis, Sue

    2013-01-01

    This review evaluates issues of teacher linguistic knowledge relating to their work with children with speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCD). Information is from Ellis and McCartney [(2011a). "Applied linguistics and primary school teaching." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press], a state-of-the-art text deriving from a British…

  7. Methods Matter: Teacher-Trainee Perspectives on Language Teaching Methods in a South Korean TESOL Certificate Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jobbitt, Todd

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this survey was to ascertain Korean teacher-trainees' perspectives on the awareness, likability, perceived usefulness and prospective application of varied language teaching methods that they had been taught in a sixteen-week language teaching methodology course. What did the students think about these methods? Will students…

  8. Using Morphological Awareness Instruction to Improve Written Language Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Apel, Kenn; Werfel, Krystal

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Written English is a morphophonemic language. Researchers have documented that a conscious awareness of the morphological structure of English morphology is predictive of students' written language skills and that morphological awareness instruction leads to improvements in morphological awareness and in other written language…

  9. Determination Metacognitive Awareness of Physical Education Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aktag, Isil; Semsek, Önder; Tuzcuoglu, Soner

    2017-01-01

    In this study metacognitive awareness of physical education teachers were investigated. A total of 537 physical education teachers were participated. Data were collected by a survey which was developed by Schraw and Dennison (1994) translated to Turkish by Akin, Abaci and Çetin (2007). The mean of the metacognitive awareness level of physical…

  10. On Becoming a Language Teacher.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jakobovits, Leon A.

    Underlying this essay on psycholinguistic theory is the belief that language teachers often suffer from neurotic symptoms of confusion, anxiety, and uncertainty in connection with their work. The author discusses his "BALT" theory (battered language teachers). Philosophically-oriented remarks are directed toward teachers wishing to redirect their…

  11. High School Spanish Teachers' Attitudes and Practices toward Spanish Heritage Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russell, Brittany D.; Kuriscak, Lisa M.

    2015-01-01

    This case study uses survey data to examine the attitudes and pedagogical practices of preservice and current high school Spanish teachers toward Spanish heritage language learners (HLLs). The research questions addressed were (1) the extent to which participants were aware of the challenges facing Spanish HLLs who are enrolled in traditional…

  12. The Utility of the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory for Teachers among In-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kallio, Heli; Virta, Kalle; Kallio, Manne; Virta, Arja; Hjardemaal, Finn Rudolf; Sandven, Jostein

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the present study is to explore the utility of the compressed version of the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory for Teachers (MAIT-18) among in-service teachers. Knowledge of teachers' awareness of metacognition is required to support students' self-regulation, with the aim of establishing modern learning methods and life-long…

  13. Critical Language Awareness in the Teaching of Portuguese.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leal, Maria Christina Diniz

    1998-01-01

    Reports a two-phase project aimed at developing critical language awareness through the teaching of Portuguese. During the first phase, 13-year-olds in a Brazilian state school evaluated their Portuguese lessons, and identified features they felt needed altering to develop critical awareness of language and social reality. Changes were proposed…

  14. 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…

  15. 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…

  16. 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…

  17. 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…

  18. 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.

  19. 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

  20. Digital Storytelling with Pre-Service Teachers. Raising Awareness for Refugees through ICTS in ESL Primary Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alcantud Diaz, Maria

    2016-01-01

    This article describes the design and implementation of a Digital Storytelling (DS) experience that was carried out in a foreign language setting with pre-service teachers. This case study sets out to assess the effect of DS aimed at becoming a social awareness and pedagogical tool for both, high education and consequently, primary students. The…

  1. Language Awareness for Multicultural Populations: Building Positive Attitudes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Jacqueline

    This paper suggests classroom activities to develop awareness of language and the sociolinguistic aspects of language proficiency and to help eliminate language prejudice. The exercises are presented in seven categories: (1) examination of connotative and denotative language, names and nicknames; (2) dialects and slang and the status attached to…

  2. 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…

  3. 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)…

  4. Phonological Awareness for American Sign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corina, David P.; Hafer, Sarah; Welch, Kearnan

    2014-01-01

    This paper examines the concept of phonological awareness (PA) as it relates to the processing of American Sign Language (ASL). We present data from a recently developed test of PA for ASL and examine whether sign language experience impacts the use of metalinguistic routines necessary for completion of our task. Our data show that deaf signers…

  5. Receptive Vocabulary and Cross-Language Transfer of Phonemic Awareness in Kindergarten Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atwill, Kim; Blanchard, Jay; Gorin, Joanna S.; Burstein, Karen

    2007-01-01

    The authors investigated the influence of language proficiency on the cross-language transfer (CLT) of phonemic awareness in Spanish-speaking kindergarten students and assessed Spanish and English receptive vocabulary and phonemic awareness abilities. Correlation results indicated positive correlations between phonemic awareness across languages;…

  6. 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…

  7. 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;…

  8. Elementary School Mathematics Teacher Trainees' Metacognitive Awareness Levels: Turkey Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Memnun, Dilek Sezgin; Hart, Lynn Cecilia

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this research is to determine the metacognitive awareness levels of elementary mathematics teacher trainees and to investigate whether their awareness differs according to gender and class level. We also investigate the relationship between the metacognitive awareness levels of trainee mathematics teacher's and their overall performance…

  9. A Whole-School Approach to Promoting Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lane, Nathan

    2015-01-01

    Languages teachers are all aware of the significant advantages and benefits learning a language provides, and believe in the importance of second language acquisition. However, why is it that languages teachers need to justify learning a second language and work hard to encourage more students to see the importance of learning a language and to…

  10. The Study of Foreign Language Teachers-- Teacher Efficacy and Native Speakership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liaw, En-Chong

    2009-01-01

    This study aims at examining the differences between native and nonnative foreign language teachers at a major northeast university. The primary areas of investigation are "teacher efficacy" and "teacher perceptions of language teaching." The results of this study suggested that both nativeness and wide repertoire of teaching…

  11. 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…

  12. Diversity Awareness for K-6 Teachers: The Impact on Student Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McLeod, Rona Leach

    2011-01-01

    "Diversity Awareness for K-6 Teachers: The Impact on Student Learning" is a resource guide for elementary teachers and college-level student teachers for teaching diversity awareness across the various areas of content. It contains many exciting activities teachers can use to enhance learning while making learning and teaching fun and exciting.…

  13. Foreign Language Teacher Education. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jarvis, Gilbert A.; Bernhardt, Elizabeth B.

    Foreign language education professionals agree that the profession lacks an established theory and methodological consistency. Foreign language teacher education has not changed much since the 1960s. Most programs consist of subject-matter content, general education requirements, and specialized education courses. Teacher trainee supervisors do…

  14. 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.

  15. Language Issues: Readings for Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Durkin, Diane Bennett

    This book provides a collection of interrelated essays on language for teachers concerned with first and second language acquisition, non-standard English, the teaching of grammar, language change, and the attainment of literacy. A problem-oriented text, the book presents the various controversies surrounding each language area, offering competing…

  16. Teachers' Judgements of Students' Foreign-Language Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhu, Mingjing; Urhahne, Detlef

    2015-01-01

    Numerous studies have been conducted on the accuracy of teacher judgement in different educational areas such as mathematics, language arts and reading. Teacher judgement of students' foreign-language achievement, however, has been rarely investigated. The study aimed to examine the accuracy of teacher judgement of students' foreign-language…

  17. 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…

  18. 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…

  19. Redrawing the Boundaries of Language Teacher Cognition: Language Teacher Educators' Emotion, Cognition, and Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Golombek, Paula R.

    2015-01-01

    This article, grounded in a Vygotskian sociocultural perspective, details the self-inquiry of a language teacher educator who examined her "emotional dissonance" regarding her mediation of the reflection journals of a teacher learner teaching an ESL class during an internship. Data from the teacher learner's reflection journals and the…

  20. Ethical Awareness and Ethical Orientation of Turkish Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gökçe, Asiye Toker

    2013-01-01

    This study inquires ethical evaluation of teachers, investigating their moral reasoning to ethical decision making, in Turkey. Specifically three hypotheses were tested: Overall ethical awareness of teachers is high; Teachers will identify reasons for ethical evaluation related to philosophical values such as justice, deontology, utilitarianism,…

  1. Professional Content Knowledge of Grades One--Three Teachers in Sweden for Reading and Writing Instruction: Language Structures, Code Concepts, and Spelling Rules

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alatalo, Tarja

    2016-01-01

    In this study, Swedish teachers of grades 1-3, with various teacher-training backgrounds, were tested to determine if they have the requisite awareness of language elements and the way these elements are represented in writing. The results were poor, yet the indication was that teachers with a good educational background in literacy and a good…

  2. 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…

  3. Accuracy of Teachers' Predictions of Language Minority and Majority Students' Language Comprehension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wold, Astri Heen

    2013-01-01

    The classroom is an important context of second language learning for language minority children. Teachers are responsible for creating good learning opportunities by securing language use well adjusted to the children's level of comprehension. Thus, teachers should have realistic expectations of this. The purpose of the research is to increase…

  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. Multiple Intelligence and Digital Learning Awareness of Prospective B.Ed Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gracious, F. L. Antony; Shyla, F. L. Jasmine Anne

    2012-01-01

    The present study Multiple Intelligence and Digital Learning Awareness of prospective B.Ed teachers was probed to find the relationship between Multiple Intelligence and Digital Learning Awareness of Prospective B.Ed Teachers. Data for the study were collected using self made Multiple Intelligence Inventory and Digital Learning Awareness Scale.…

  6. Language Awareness Research: Where We Are Now

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Svalberg, Agneta M-L.

    2016-01-01

    This paper outlines the context in which Language Awareness (LA) research is currently situated and where it might be going. The starting point is Eric Hawkins's vision (40 years ago) of LA as a bridge between school subjects and, in wider society, between people of different backgrounds and languages. Although considerable progress has been made…

  7. Secondary Teachers' Language Usage: Beliefs and Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hlas, Anne Cummings

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, much research has shown that the first language (L1) is being used in the majority of foreign language classrooms. However, these findings have often failed to include secondary foreign language teachers and their teaching context. The current mixed-methods study explores Spanish teachers' use of and beliefs about first and target…

  8. Language Teacher Cognitions: Complex Dynamic Systems?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feryok, Anne

    2010-01-01

    Language teacher cognition research is a growing field. In recent years several features of language teacher cognitions have been noted: they can be complex, ranging over a number of different subjects; they can be dynamic, changing over time and under different influences; and they can be systems, forming unified and cohesive personal or…

  9. Raising Learners' Awareness through L1-L2 Teacher Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gunning, Pamela; White, Joanna; Busque, Christine

    2016-01-01

    There is considerable interest in teacher collaboration across mother tongue and second language curricula. However, cross-curricular collaboration in reading strategy instruction has seldom been investigated. We report a two-year study involving collaboration between the French first language (L1) and English second language (L2) teachers in an…

  10. Unveiling Pre-Service Language Teachers' Conceptualizations of Teachers of English through Metaphors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kavanoz, Suzan

    2016-01-01

    The present research aimed at conducting an analysis of metaphors Turkish pre-service language teachers generated about English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. This study also examined whether and how the metaphors created by teacher candidates at different phases of their education demonstrated variation. The data gathered from 94…

  11. Language Teacher Subjectivities in Japan's Diaspora Strategies: Teaching My Language as Someone's Heritage Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Motobayashi, Kyoko

    2016-01-01

    This study demonstrates the ways in which discourses in a state-sponsored volunteer program incited transformations of individual subjectivities, focusing on a group of Japanese language teacher volunteers training in Japan to become teachers of Japanese as a heritage language for the country's diaspora (Nikkei) population in South America. As…

  12. 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…

  13. Culture, Language, Pedagogy: The Place of Culture in Language Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Badger, Richard; MacDonald, Malcolm N.

    2007-01-01

    The principles of many international language teacher education programmes are grounded in a relatively homogenous set of "Western" cultural values, even though their participants come from a wide range of different cultural backgrounds. This paper addresses some of the issues surrounding the role of culture in language teacher education and…

  14. 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…

  15. Critical Language Awareness in Pedagogic Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ali, Shamim

    2011-01-01

    This study was designed to investigate the significance of developing students' critical language awareness through explicit teaching methodology of some procedures of critical discourse analysis. The researcher integrated critical activities into her teaching and students' learning process. The study was planned prudently to discover the…

  16. The Role of Unconscious Awareness of Teachers within Teacher-Child Relationship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gölbasi, Elçin; Önder, Alev

    2017-01-01

    This article is a descriptive study which aims to investigate preschool teachers' awareness of their own unconscious and the contribution of unconscious processes to educational activities. It presents a literary review on education as a meeting of the teacher and student at a certain point in time and space, not only at a knowledge level but also…

  17. 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…

  18. Turkish Teachers' Awareness and Perceptions of Open Educational Resources

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ozdemir, Ozgur; Bonk, Curtis J.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to explore K-12 teachers' awareness of open educational resources (OER) as well as their perceptions of its potential opportunities and challenges for teaching practices. Data were gathered from 99 online survey respondents and six interviewees in this study. Findings showed that teachers are aware of OER to a certain…

  19. A Study of Public Awareness of Speech-Language Pathology in Amman

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mahmoud, Hana; Aljazi, Aya; Alkhamra, Rana

    2014-01-01

    Background: Statistical levels of awareness and knowledge of speech-language pathology and of communication disorders are currently unknown among the public in the Middle East, including Jordan. Aims: This study reports the results of an investigation of public awareness and knowledge of speech-language pathology in Amman-Jordan. It also…

  20. English Language Teachers' Perceptions on Knowing and Applying Contemporary Language Teaching Techniques

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sucuoglu, Esen

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine the perceptions of English language teachers teaching at a preparatory school in relation to their knowing and applying contemporary language teaching techniques in their lessons. An investigation was conducted of 21 English language teachers at a preparatory school in North Cyprus. The SPSS statistical…

  1. Changing Teacher Roles in the Foreign Language Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Francis; Delarche, Marion; Marshall, Nicholas; Wurr, Adrian; Edwards, Jeffrey

    1998-01-01

    The roles of teachers in traditional second language classrooms are examined and measured against current conceptual trends within the discipline of foreign language learning and teaching. These trends, especially those in interpersonal communication and learner autonomy, require a new understanding of the classroom role of the language teacher.…

  2. Language Teachers' Perceptions of Evaluation Criteria in Iran

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ostovar Namaghi, Seyyed Ali

    2013-01-01

    The objectives of this study are twofold: (1) uncovering the local criteria for evaluating language-teaching performance, and (2) unraveling and conceptualizing language teachers' perception of these criteria. To this end, the study used grounded theory to collect and analyze interview data from twelve experienced language teachers who were…

  3. 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…

  4. Teacher knowledge of basic language concepts and dyslexia.

    PubMed

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

    2011-05-01

    Roughly one-fifth of the US population displays one or more symptoms of dyslexia: a specific learning disability that affects an individual's ability to process written language. Consequently, elementary school teachers are teaching students who struggle with inaccurate or slow reading, poor spelling, poor writing, and other language processing difficulties. Findings from studies have indicated that teachers lack essential knowledge needed to teach struggling readers, particularly children with dyslexia. However, few studies have sought to assess teachers' knowledge and perceptions about dyslexia in conjunction with knowledge of basic language concepts related to reading instruction. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine elementary school teachers' knowledge of basic language concepts and their knowledge and perceptions about dyslexia. Findings from the present study indicated that teachers, on average, were able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language concepts (i.e. syllable counting), but failed to demonstrate explicit knowledge of others (i.e. phonics principles). Also, teachers seemed to hold the common misconception that dyslexia is a visual processing deficit rather than phonological processing deficit. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. "It's Very Complicated" Exploring Heritage Language Identity with Heritage Language Teachers in a Teacher Preparation Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cho, Hyesun

    2014-01-01

    Despite the proliferation of research in heritage language (HL) education, pedagogically based research that examines teacher education practice for promoting critical reflection of HL teachers is sparse. This article describes how preservice teachers working in community-based HL schools changed their views of HL identity during their…

  6. 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…

  7. Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers' Awareness of White Privilege

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGowan, Shannon L.; Kern, Anne L.

    2016-01-01

    Over the last several years teacher preparation programs have strived to adequately prepare pre-service teachers for more diverse populations in the classroom. However, little research has been done to examine the attitudes of pre-service teachers related to white privilege. This is the qualitative report from a mixed-methods study which examined…

  8. Public Awareness: What Can the Individual Teacher Do? The Challenge of Communication. ACTFL Review of Foreign Language Education, Vol. 6.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reeves, Dona B.

    The greatest single opportunity for influencing public opinion concerning foreign language study is through the teacher-student encounter. There is some indication that student motivation for foreign language study may be related to general cultural interests and travel facility rather than to research or career requirements. Flexibility in pace…

  9. SEL/Project Language. Level II, Kindergarten, Teacher's Handbook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valladares, Ann E.; Lynch, Helen C.

    The Teacher's Handbook is part of the publication series of the Southeastern Education Laboratory/Project Language (SEL/PL), an 8-year language-centered program designed to alleviate the language deficiencies of disadvantaged children between the ages of four and eleven. For teachers utilizing SEL/PL, the Handbook provides a research summary and…

  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. The New Explorers teacher`s guide: The new language of science

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1997-09-01

    The Chicago Science Explorers Program is designed to make students aware of the many career options that are available to them which involve science. The program also hopes to encourage students to consider a career in science by providing interesting classroom experiences, information on various careers generated from the video tape, and a class field trip. In the videotape The New Language of Science, Dr. Larry Smarr of the University of Illinois illustrates how supercomputers can create visualizations of such complex scientific concepts and events as black holes in space, microbursts, smog, drug interactions in the body, earthquakes, and tornadoes.more » It also illustrates how math and science are integrated and emphasizes the need for students to take as much advanced mathematics as is offered at the junior high and high school level. Another underlying concept of the videotape is teamwork. Often students think of science as being an isolated career and this video tape clearly demonstrates that no one scientist would have enough knowledge to create a visualization alone. This report is the teacher`s guide for this video.« less

  12. 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…

  13. 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…

  14. Effects of Morphological Awareness on Second Language Vocabulary Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akbulut, Fatma Demiray

    2017-01-01

    This research has analysed the impact of morphological treatment in English morphological awareness task. The main aim of this study is to understand the relationship between morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge of university preparatory class students. In second language learning environment, fifty-two preparatory class students have…

  15. Exploring the Use of Multidimensional Analysis of Learner Language to Promote Register Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aguado-Jimenez, Pilar; Perez-Paredes, Pascual; Sanchez, Purificacion

    2012-01-01

    This paper discusses the use of multidimensional analysis (MA) of learner language to promote the awareness of linguistic concepts such as register and variation. Our research explores the introduction of learner register awareness by using MA of learner language in the field of university Foreign Language Teaching (FLT). In this context, a group…

  16. Teachers' Awareness of the Semio-Cognitive Dimension of Learning Mathematics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iori, Maura

    2018-01-01

    While many semiotic and cognitive studies on learning mathematics have focused primarily on students, this study focuses mainly on teachers, by seeking to bring to light their awareness of the semiotic and cognitive aspects of learning mathematics. The aim is to highlight the degree of awareness that teachers show about: (1) the distinction…

  17. Speaking the Same Language: Developing a Language-Aware Feedback Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lazar, Gillian; Ryder, Agi

    2018-01-01

    Research suggests that feedback as part of assessment is often not delivered effectively. A key aspect of effective feedback delivery is that students need to understand feedback and also feel motivated to act on it. This article explores how educational developers can incorporate a language-aware approach to feedback when working with staff…

  18. 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…

  19. Pedagogy and Practice for Online English Language Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pawan, Faridah; Wiechart, Kelly A.; Warren, Amber N.; Park, Jaehan

    2016-01-01

    Pedagogy--not technology--drives effective online instruction. The authors of "Pedagogy and Practice for Online English Language Teacher Education" discuss foundational theories of pedagogy and link those theories with their own practices in online courses for language teacher education and language teaching. This book discusses and…

  20. Teachers' and Students' Beliefs regarding Aspects of Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Adrian

    2003-01-01

    The similarities and dissimilarities between teachers' and students' conceptions of language learning were addressed through a questionnaire survey concerning the nature and methods of language learning. The results indicate points of congruence between teachers' and students' beliefs about language learning in respect of eight main areas.…

  1. 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…

  2. The Teacher Trainer, A Practical Journal Mainly for Modern Language Teacher Trainers, 1996.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodward, Tessa, Ed.

    1996-01-01

    The three issues of the journal on second language teacher education include these articles: "We Need More and Different Flags" (Agnes Martin); "Dealing with Timetabling on Second Language Teacher Training Courses" (Craig Thaine); "Interview with Jill Florent"; "Haiku Idea" (Tim Hahn); "The Hidden…

  3. 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…

  4. Phonological awareness: explicit instruction for young deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

    PubMed

    Miller, Elizabeth M; Lederberg, Amy R; Easterbrooks, Susan R

    2013-04-01

    The goal of this study was to explore the development of spoken phonological awareness for deaf and hard-of-hearing children (DHH) with functional hearing (i.e., the ability to access spoken language through hearing). Teachers explicitly taught five preschoolers the phonological awareness skills of syllable segmentation, initial phoneme isolation, and rhyme discrimination in the context of a multifaceted emergent literacy intervention. Instruction occurred in settings where teachers used simultaneous communication or spoken language only. A multiple-baseline across skills design documented a functional relation between instruction and skill acquisition for those children who did not have the skills at baseline with one exception; one child did not meet criteria for syllable segmentation. These results were confirmed by changes on phonological awareness tests that were administered at the beginning and end of the school year. We found that DHH children who varied in primary communication mode, chronological age, and language ability all benefited from explicit instruction in phonological awareness.

  5. Teacher Voices: Immigration, Language and Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Writing Project (NJ1), 2011

    2011-01-01

    This report presents stories of six teachers who believe in the power and promise of immigrant students and English language learners. Their stories begin to help readers understand the assets these groups of students bring to classrooms, the challenges they--both students and teachers--face, and the role that teachers and schools play in their…

  6. 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…

  7. Preservice World Language Teachers' Reflection on Classroom Language Use: An Application of Video Study Groups Focused on Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hagedorn, Jan

    2017-01-01

    Within a framework of reflective practice, this dissertation examines the ways in which preservice K-12 world language teachers discuss classroom language use when reflecting with peers on videos of their teaching. Twelve preservice language teachers at a large public university in the United States participated in four meetings of video study…

  8. Resources for the Internet: Applications for Foreign Language Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Finnemann, Michael D.

    1995-01-01

    A session of the Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ICTFL) October 1995 conference dealing with Internet resources for second language teachers is summarized, and in extension of that information, World Wide Web resources for language teachers are enumerated. In the conference session seven types of Internet resource are…

  9. 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…

  10. The Effect of Strengths Awareness and Development on the Self-Efficacy of Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Griffin, Lauren Elyse

    2016-01-01

    Increasing teacher efficacy poses challenges to educational leaders, highlighting the need for a study of the awareness and development of strengths related to teacher efficacy. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of the awareness and development of strengths on teachers' perceived self-efficacy, as well as to determine if…

  11. 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

  12. Elementary Teachers' Perception of Language Issues in Science Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seah, Lay Hoon

    2016-01-01

    Although the importance of language in science learning has been widely recognized by researchers, there is limited research on how science teachers perceive the roles that language plays in science classrooms. As part of an intervention design project that aimed to enhance teachers' capacity to address the language demands of science, interview…

  13. 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…

  14. Teachers as Language-Policy Actors: Contending with the Erasure of Lesser-Used Languages in Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Kara

    2010-01-01

    On the basis of an ethnographic study of the Voro-language revitalization in Estonia, this article explores the way teachers function as policy actors in the broader context of the school. As policy actors, the language teachers' appropriation of regional-language policy helps simultaneously to reproduce and challenge existing ideologies in the…

  15. Unpacking Teachers' Language Ideologies: Attitudes, Beliefs, and Practiced Language Policies in Schools in Alsace, France

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Andrea S.

    2014-01-01

    In France, most teachers still receive scant training in how to support plurilingual children in their learning of and through the language of instruction. In the absence of relevant, in-depth knowledge about language, we believe that many teachers are practising language policies based on beliefs rooted in ideologies unsupported by research…

  16. An Approach to Developing Language Awareness in the Irish Language Classroom: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O Laoire, Muiris

    2007-01-01

    This case study deals with language awareness (LA) oriented instruction in the Irish language classroom, based on qualitative-type research conducted in a class of 21 English-medium secondary students studying Irish as a subject. Having outlined the general background to the teaching of Irish in secondary schools, the first section of the paper…

  17. Peer Mentoring Second Language Teachers: A Mutually Beneficial Experience?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kissau, Scott P.; King, Elena Tosky

    2015-01-01

    Studies have shown that there are not enough qualified foreign language and English as a second language teachers in this country. To increase the number of new second language teachers who remain in the profession, and to promote their use of best teaching practices, the ACTFL has identified mentoring as a national research priority. The…

  18. Native Language Teachers in a Struggle for Language and Cultural Survival

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suina, Joseph H.

    2004-01-01

    Language shift among New Mexico Pueblo Indians threatens the loss of their oral-based cultures. Language revival for many Pueblos has resulted in school programs in which students are easily accessible and teachers are accountable to tribes rather than the state. Finding "Pueblo space" for the Native language in school, where it was…

  19. Teachers' Pedagogical Mathematical Awareness in Swedish Early Childhood Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Björklund, Camilla; Barendregt, Wolmet

    2016-01-01

    Revised guidelines for Swedish early childhood education that emphasize mathematics content and competencies in more detail than before raise the question of the status of pedagogical mathematical awareness among Swedish early childhood teachers. The purpose of this study is to give an overview of teachers' current pedagogical mathematical…

  20. Children's Expressive Language Skills and Their Impact on the Relation between First-and Second-Language Phonological Awareness Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodrich, J. Marc; Lonigan, Christopher J.; Farver, JoAnn M.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the cross-language relations between the phonological awareness (PA) skills of preschool children learning more than one language are dependent upon their first-and second-language oral language skills. Four hundred sixty-six Spanish-speaking language minority children participated in this study.…

  1. Preparing Foreign Language Students for Today's Job Market.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garfinkel, Alan; Schrank, Holly L.

    College language teachers should become more aware of the needs of the job market and the specific ways that language majors can use their unique characteristics to satisfy those needs. Then students must be made aware of this information. The principles of marketing can be used to examine job requirements. Steps in applying these principles…

  2. A Rough Guide to Language Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bourke, James M.

    2008-01-01

    For teachers of a second language (L2), the role of grammar instruction in the classroom has been a perennial subject of debate and has undergone many changes over the years. For example, the once well-respected traditional methods that relied on extensive drilling and memorization of grammar evoked a backlash in the 1970s, which resulted in new…

  3. Increasing Elementary School Teachers' Awareness of Gender Inequity in Student Computer Usage

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luongo, Nicole

    2012-01-01

    This study was designed to increase gender equity awareness in elementary school teachers with respect to student computer and technology usage. Using professional development methods with a group of teachers, the writer attempted to help them become more aware of gender bias in technology instruction. An analysis of the data revealed that…

  4. 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

  5. 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…

  6. Exploring Young Learners' Foreign Language Learning Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muñoz, Carmen

    2014-01-01

    The present study explores young learners' awareness of foreign language learning and of their learning conditions. The participants were 76 Catalan-Spanish children who were learning English at primary school. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data were collected by means of two different interviews that contained questions related to pupils'…

  7. Water Awareness Scale for Pre-Service Science Teachers: Validity and Reliability Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Filik Iscen, Cansu

    2015-01-01

    The role of teachers in the formation of environmentally sensitive behaviors in students is quite high. Thus, the water awareness of teachers, who represent role models for students, is rather important. The main purpose of this study is to identify the reliability and validity study outcomes of the Water Awareness Scale, which was developed to…

  8. Teacher Diversity Awareness in the Context of Changing Demographics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acquah, Emmanuel O.; Tandon, Madhavi; Lempinen, Sonia

    2016-01-01

    This study examined awareness of and knowledge of how to address increasing linguistic and cultural diversity among 89 teachers in an ethnically and racially diverse school located in Southwest Finland. The empirical evidence suggests that in a school with many years of experience with a diverse student population the levels of awareness and…

  9. PLEXIL-DL: Language and Runtime for Context-Aware Robot Behaviour

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moser, Herwig; Reichelt, Toni; Oswald, Norbert; Förster, Stefan

    Faced with the growing complexity of application scenarios social robots are involved with, the perception of environmental circumstances and the sentient reactions are becoming more and more important abilities. Rather than regarding both abilities in isolation, the entire transformation process, from context-awareness to purposive behaviour, forms a robot’s adaptivity. While attaining context-awareness has received much attention in literature so far, translating it into appropriate actions still lacks a comprehensive approach. In this paper, we present PLEXIL-DL, an expressive language allowing complex context expressions as an integral part of constructs that define sophisticated behavioural reactions. Our approach extends NASA’s PLEXIL language by Description Logic queries, both in syntax and formal semantics. A prototypical implementation of a PLEXIL-DL interpreter shows the basic mechanisms facilitating the robot’s adaptivity through context-awareness.

  10. 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.

  11. Hit or Miss, or Missing: The Role of Second Language Acquisition Research in Language Teacher Training.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rankin, Jamie

    1994-01-01

    This article discusses how the syllabus for language teacher training in German has evolved and considers what direction foreign language teacher training might take if it were to follow the cue of "Deutsch als Fremdsprache" and appropriate the research agenda of second-language acquisition studies. (Contains 51 references.) (JL)

  12. Cross-Language Transfer of Morphological Awareness in Chinese-English Bilinguals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pasquarella, Adrian; Chen, Xi; Lam, Katie; Luo, Yang C.; Ramirez, Gloria

    2011-01-01

    This study examined cross-language transfer of morphological awareness in Chinese-English bilingual children. One hundred and thirty-seven first to fourth graders participated in the study. The children were tested on parallel measures of compound awareness, vocabulary, word reading and reading comprehension in Chinese and English. They also…

  13. Queer English Language Teacher Identity: A Narrative Exploration in Colombia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lander, Roderick

    2018-01-01

    This article presents partial results of research exploring links between language teacher identity and queer identity in English language teachers working in Colombia. Three gay male teachers participated in a narrative research project framed within a poststructural perspective on identity. I conducted and recorded semi-structured interviews…

  14. Teachers' Opinions about the Use of Body Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benzer, Ahmet

    2012-01-01

    Effective communication occurs with non-verbal and verbal tools. In this study the body language as non-verbal communication tool is taken to be examined, and teachers' opinions about the use and importance of body language in education are surveyed. Eight open-ended questions are asked to 100 teachers. As a result, it is shown that teachers…

  15. Community health center provider and staff's Spanish language ability and cultural awareness.

    PubMed

    Baig, Arshiya A; Benitez, Amanda; Locklin, Cara A; Campbell, Amanda; Schaefer, Cynthia T; Heuer, Loretta J; Lee, Sang Mee; Solomon, Marla C; Quinn, Michael T; Burnet, Deborah L; Chin, Marshall H

    2014-05-01

    Many community health center providers and staff care for Latinos with diabetes, but their Spanish language ability and awareness of Latino culture are unknown. We surveyed 512 Midwestern health center providers and staff who managed Latino patients with diabetes. Few respondents had high Spanish language (13%) or cultural awareness scores (22%). Of respondents who self-reported 76-100% of their patients were Latino, 48% had moderate/low Spanish language and 49% had moderate/low cultural competency scores. Among these respondents, 3% lacked access to interpreters and 27% had neither received cultural competency training nor had access to training. Among all respondents, Spanish skills and Latino cultural awareness were low. Respondents who saw a significant number of Latinos had good access to interpretation services but not cultural competency training. Improved Spanish-language skills and increased access to cultural competency training and Latino cultural knowledge are needed to provide linguistically and culturally tailored care to Latino patients.

  16. Metalinguistic awareness and reading performance: a cross language comparison.

    PubMed

    Ibrahim, Raphiq; Eviatar, Zohar; Aharon-Peretz, Judith

    2007-07-01

    The study examined two questions: (1) do the greater phonological awareness skills of billinguals affect reading performance; (2) to what extent do the orthographic characteristics of a language influence reading performance and how does this interact with the effects of phonological awareness. We estimated phonological metalinguistic abilities and reading measures in three groups of first graders: monolingual Hebrew speakers, bilingual Russian-Hebrew speakers, and Arabic-speaking children. We found that language experience affects phonological awareness, as both Russian-Hebrew bilinguals and the Arabic speakers achieved higher scores on metalinguistic tests than Hebrew speakers. Orthography affected reading measures and their correlation with phonological abilitites. Children reading Hebrew showed better text reading ability and significant correlations between phonological awareness and reading scores. Children reading Arabic showed a slight advantage in single word and nonword reading over the two Hebrew reading groups, and very weak relationships between phonological abilities and reading performance. We conclude that native Arabic speakers have more difficulty in processing Arabic orthography than Hebrew monolinguals and bilinguals have in processing Hebrew orthography, and suggest that this is due to the additional visual complexity of Arabic orthography.

  17. Language, Identity, and Emotionality: Exploring the Potential of Language Portraits in Preparing Teachers for Diverse Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lau, Sunny Man Chu

    2016-01-01

    The present study, framed from a critical and transformative approach to teacher education, aims to investigate whether language portraits (Prasad, 2010)--the mapping of one's language and cultural make-up on a body template--can help improve student teachers' self-understanding about language and identities and can foster critical reflection…

  18. Second Language Teacher Education. International Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tedick, Diane J., Ed.

    2005-01-01

    The education of second language teachers takes place across diverse contexts, levels, settings, and geographic regions. By bringing together research, theory, and best practices from a variety of contexts (ESL/EFL, foreign language, bilingual and immersion education), this book contributes to building meaningful professional dialogue among…

  19. Language Learners' and Teachers' Perceptions of Task Repetition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahmadian, Mohammad Javad; Mansouri, Seyyed Abbas; Ghominejad, Shiva

    2017-01-01

    This study examined how English language learners and teachers perceive and interpret task repetition (TR), and whether teachers' and learners' views about this pedagogic practice correspond. In addition, the study explored learners' cognitive and affective engagement with TR. We asked eight experienced language teachers to use a structured…

  20. The Association between Morphological Awareness and Literacy in English Language Learners from Different Language Backgrounds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marinova-Todd, Stefka H.; Siegel, Linda S.; Mazabel, Silvia

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: The main goal of this study was to examine whether the morphological structure of a child's first language determined the strength of association between morphological awareness and reading and spelling skills in English, their second language. Methods: The sample consisted of 888 Grade six students who had English as their first language…

  1. Prospective English Language Teachers' Perceptions of the Target Language and Culture in Relation to Their Socioeconomic Status

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arikan, Arda

    2011-01-01

    Prospective foreign language teachers need to have an accurate knowledge and a positive perception of the target language and target culture so that they can help their students gain further insight on culture by and large. Hence, by means of a questionnaire, prospective English language teachers' (n= 412) perceptions of the target language and…

  2. Prospective English Language Teachers' Perceptions of the Target Language and Culture in Relation to Their Socioeconomic Status

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arikan, Arda

    2011-01-01

    Prospective foreign language teachers need to have an accurate knowledge and a positive perception of the target language and target culture so that they can help their students gain further insight on culture by and large. Hence, by means of a questionnaire, prospective English language teachers' (n = 412) perceptions of the target language and…

  3. Teachers' Reactions towards Performance-Based Language Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chinda, Bordin

    2014-01-01

    This research aims at examining the reactions of tertiary EFL teachers towards the use of performance-based language assessment. The study employed a mixed-method research methodology. For the quantitative method, 36 teachers responded to a questionnaire survey. In addition, four teachers participated in the in-depth interviews which were…

  4. 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…

  5. Teachers' Uses of the Target and First Languages in Second and Foreign Language Classrooms.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turnball, Miles; Arnett, Katy

    2002-01-01

    Reviews recent theoretical and empirical literature regarding teachers' uses of the target (TL) and first languages (L1) in second and foreign language classrooms. Explores several issues related to teachers' use of the L1 and the TL in the classroom; exposure to TL input, student motivation, cognitive considerations, code switching, and…

  6. 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…

  7. Teacher Learning across Boundaries: A Challenge to the Legitimacy of Language Teachers' Disciplinary Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Han, Chunyan; Wu, Zongjie

    2015-01-01

    The legitimate forms of knowledge recognised for language teachers in Chinese universities are differentiated by strong academic boundaries, subject only to disciplinary authority and fashion. Classroom practice on the whole tends not to be informed by research. For many language teachers, a disconnect exists between the academic discipline in…

  8. Thinking, Language and Learning in Initial Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Nick

    2016-01-01

    Initial teacher education (ITE) serves as a bridge between prospective teachers exiting the school system to enrol in teacher education faculties, on the one hand and newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who are embarking on a career in schooling on the other. The present paper describes the language and thinking skills student teachers bring to their…

  9. The Effectiveness of Using a Content Acquisition Podcast to Teach Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, and Phonics to Preservice Special Education Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carlisle, Abigail A.; Thomas, Cathy Newman; McCathren, Rebecca B.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using a content acquisition podcast (CAP) to teach phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and phonics (PA) to preservice special education teachers. Fifty undergraduate preservice special education teachers over 2 years were randomly assigned to either the CAP group or a comparison group…

  10. EFL Teachers' Identity (Re)Construction as Teachers of Intercultural Competence: A Language Socialization Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ortaçtepe, Deniz

    2015-01-01

    Adapting Norton's (2000) notion of investment as an analytical lens along with thematic analysis, this longitudinal/narrative inquiry explores how 2 EFL teachers' language socialization in the United States resulted in an identity (re)construction as teachers of intercultural competence. Baris and Serkan's language socialization in the United…

  11. "CLASS Professional Standards" for K-12 Chinese Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Lucy C.; Lin, Yu-Lan; Su, Chih-Wen

    2007-01-01

    "CLASS Professional Standards" is a resource for Chinese teachers, foreign language specialists, school administrators, parents, and policy makers who recognize the importance of Chinese cultures taught by professional teachers of Chinese. The release of the book also marks the celebration of the Chinese Language Association of…

  12. Building a Well-Prepared Languages Teaching Force: Turkish Teacher Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beykont, Zeynep F.

    2012-01-01

    Teacher quality is a central issue in the provision of languages. This paper reports on a study that examines teachers' perceptions of the obstacles to creating a well-prepared and wellsupported languages teaching force. In one-on-one interviews, teachers of Turkish in Australia identified the essential knowledge base, understanding, and skills of…

  13. Cuban Voices: A Case Study of English Language Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Steven John

    2016-01-01

    This case study uses qualitative research methods and a postcolonial paradigm to listen to the voices of Cuban teacher educators describing how they educate and prepare English language teachers in Cuba. English language teacher education in Cuba includes features that are considered innovative, contemporary and good practice in the Western world.…

  14. Teachers' English Proficiency and Classroom Language Use: A Conversation Analysis Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Canh, Le; Renandya, Willy A.

    2017-01-01

    How does teachers' target language proficiency correlate with their ability to use the target language effectively in order to provide optimal learning opportunities in the language classroom? Adopting a conversation analysis approach, this study examines the extent to which teachers' use of the target language in the classroom creates learning…

  15. Teacher Language Competence Description: Towards a New Framework of Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sokolova, Nataliya

    2012-01-01

    The article is centred around the concept of "language competence of a foreign language (FL) teacher" and the ways it can be evaluated. Though the definition of teacher language competence might sound obvious it has not yet been clearly structured and, therefore, no component has been thoroughly described. I use this fact as a starting…

  16. Language Arts Concepts for Elementary School Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burns, Paul C., Ed.; And Others

    An anthology of literature on elementary school language arts concepts is presented. Its purpose is to provide specific content that may help prospective and practicing teachers to recognize the role of language content in teaching. The anthology is divided into seven parts. Part One presents a general picture of the language arts curriculum that…

  17. Using Instructional Technology to Improve Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Phonological Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Driver, Melissa K.; Pullen, Paige C.; Kennedy, Michael J.; Williams, Mira Cole; Ely, Emily

    2014-01-01

    Teacher understanding of phonological awareness (PA) and how to teach PA is related to student outcomes; however, many teachers have an inadequate understanding of PA. The purpose of this study is to describe an intervention intended to improve preservice teachers' understanding of PA, using an example of instructional technology called Content…

  18. 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…

  19. Perceptions about the Dominance of English as a Global Language: Impact on Foreign-Language Teachers' Professional Identity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gayton, Angela Mary

    2016-01-01

    Using a novel theoretical framework that incorporates teacher identity, a school as community of practice, and English as a global language from a linguistic-imperialism perspective, this qualitative interview study with foreign-language teachers in Scotland, France, and Germany (N = 13) explores connections between foreign-language-learning…

  20. Brief Report: Teachers' Awareness of the Relationship between Prior Knowledge and New Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 2016

    2016-01-01

    The author examined the degree to which experienced teachers are aware of the relationship between prior knowledge and new learning. Interviews with teachers revealed that they were explicitly aware of when students made connections between prior knowledge and new learning, when they applied their prior knowledge to new contexts, and when they…

  1. 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…

  2. Brain basis of phonological awareness for spoken language in children and its disruption in dyslexia.

    PubMed

    Kovelman, Ioulia; Norton, Elizabeth S; Christodoulou, Joanna A; Gaab, Nadine; Lieberman, Daniel A; Triantafyllou, Christina; Wolf, Maryanne; Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan; Gabrieli, John D E

    2012-04-01

    Phonological awareness, knowledge that speech is composed of syllables and phonemes, is critical for learning to read. Phonological awareness precedes and predicts successful transition from language to literacy, and weakness in phonological awareness is a leading cause of dyslexia, but the brain basis of phonological awareness for spoken language in children is unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify the neural correlates of phonological awareness using an auditory word-rhyming task in children who were typical readers or who had dyslexia (ages 7-13) and a younger group of kindergarteners (ages 5-6). Typically developing children, but not children with dyslexia, recruited left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) when making explicit phonological judgments. Kindergarteners, who were matched to the older children with dyslexia on standardized tests of phonological awareness, also recruited left DLPFC. Left DLPFC may play a critical role in the development of phonological awareness for spoken language critical for reading and in the etiology of dyslexia.

  3. 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…

  4. 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…

  5. Uncovering the Layers of Foreign Language Teacher Socialization: A Qualitative Case Study of Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uzum, Baburhan

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative case study explored how a novice language teacher negotiated her pedagogical beliefs and practices during her socialization into a foreign cultural and educational context. The focal participant was an Uzbek language teacher at a university in the USA. Using a language socialization theoretical framework, data were drawn from…

  6. Views of Turkish Language and Literature Teachers and Their Managers Related to Professional and Organizational Socialization Processes of Turkish Language and Literature Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Özbas, Mehmet; Arslan, M. Abdullah

    2016-01-01

    Teaching Turkish effectively and successfully is one of the main functions of all the teaching phases of Turkish education system. In secondary education, this duty mostly depends on Turkish Language and Literature teachers. The aim of the research named "Socialization of Turkish Language and Literature teachers" is to evaluate the…

  7. The Social Construction of Academic Language in Teacher Education: Preparing Preservice Teachers to Work with English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scalzo, Jennifer Noel

    2010-01-01

    Increasing numbers of English language learners enrolled in public schools has brought national attention to issues surrounding the education of linguistically diverse students. Teacher education programs have come under scrutiny for not doing an "adequate job of preparing teachers to teach diverse populations" (Hollins & Guzman,…

  8. Language and Learning to Read: What Teachers Should Know about Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hodges, Richard E., Ed.; Rudorf, E. Hugh, Ed.

    Written by teachers, linguists, psychologists, and reading specialists, this book elucidates the relationship between reading and language, and explains why reading should be regarded as a language-based process. The book is divided into eight sections, each of which includes an introduction and sources for further reading. The essays for each…

  9. 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…

  10. Teaching in Two Tongues: Rethinking the Role of Language(s) in Teacher Education in India

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Menon, Shailaja; Viswanatha, Vanamala; Sahi, Jane

    2014-01-01

    This article is a sharing of emergent ideas about the potential role of languages in teacher education (TE) programmes in multilingual contexts in India. Languages play a critical role in TE programmes where they shape both the learning as well as the future teaching of prospective teachers. This role acquires particular significance in…

  11. Preparing Language Teachers for Blended Teaching of Summary Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Yu-Fen

    2014-01-01

    Research on preparing language teachers for blended teaching of summary writing, a mix of on-site and online instruction for college students to grasp the gist of the texts, is scarce in higher education. This study examined the problems encountered and solutions proposed by six language teachers, who altogether instructed 214 college students on…

  12. The World Language Teacher Shortage: Taking a New Direction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swanson, Pete; Mason, Shannon

    2018-01-01

    Since the end of World War II, international leaders have made calls addressing the world language teacher shortage. For almost 70 years, such rhetoric has been advanced, yet world language teacher shortages remain in many countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In this article, the…

  13. Community Health Center Provider and Staff’s Spanish Language Ability and Cultural Awareness

    PubMed Central

    Baig, Arshiya A.; Benitez, Amanda; Locklin, Cara A.; Campbell, Amanda; Schaefer, Cynthia T.; Heuer, Loretta J.; Mee Lee, Sang; Solomon, Marla C.; Quinn, Michael T.; Burnet, Deborah L.; Chin, Marshall H.

    2014-01-01

    Many community health center providers and staff care for Latinos with diabetes, but their Spanish language ability and awareness of Latino culture are unknown. We surveyed 512 Midwestern health center providers and staff who managed Latino patients with diabetes. Few respondents had high Spanish language (13%) or cultural awareness scores (22%). Of respondents who self-reported 76–100% of their patients were Latino, 48% had moderate/low Spanish language and 49% had moderate/low cultural competency scores. Among these respondents, 3% lacked access to interpreters and 27% had neither received cultural competency training nor had access to training. Among all respondents, Spanish skills and Latino cultural awareness were low. Respondents who saw a significant number of Latinos had good access to interpretation services but not cultural competency training. Improved Spanish-language skills and increased access to cultural competency training and Latino cultural knowledge are needed to provide linguistically and culturally tailored care to Latino patients. PMID:24858866

  14. Individual differences in adult foreign language learning: the mediating effect of metalinguistic awareness.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Patricia J; Kempe, Vera

    2013-02-01

    In this study, we sought to identify cognitive predictors of individual differences in adult foreign-language learning and to test whether metalinguistic awareness mediated the observed relationships. Using a miniature language-learning paradigm, adults (N = 77) learned Russian vocabulary and grammar (gender agreement and case marking) over six 1-h sessions, completing tasks that encouraged attention to phrases without explicitly teaching grammatical rules. The participants' ability to describe the Russian gender and case-marking patterns mediated the effects of nonverbal intelligence and auditory sequence learning on grammar learning and generalization. Hence, even under implicit-learning conditions, individual differences stemmed from explicit metalinguistic awareness of the underlying grammar, which, in turn, was linked to nonverbal intelligence and auditory sequence learning. Prior knowledge of languages with grammatical gender (predominantly Spanish) predicted learning of gender agreement. Transfer of knowledge of gender from other languages to Russian was not mediated by awareness, which suggests that transfer operates through an implicit process akin to structural priming.

  15. The Impact of CALL Instruction on English Language Teachers' Use of Technology in Language Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kiliçkaya, Ferit; Seferoglu, Gölge

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the impact of CALL training on in-service language teachers' use of CALL-based activities in their classrooms. The participants included 35 pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers who took an undergraduate-level elective CALL course (FLE318) offered during the 2008-2009 academic year in the Department of…

  16. 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…

  17. 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…

  18. Teacher to Teacher: Supporting English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McElroy, Edward J.

    2005-01-01

    The student population is changing, and teachers need new tools to help their English language learner (ELL) students. ELL students are learning to read, write, and speak English at the same time as they study history, science, math, and all the other subjects taught in our schools. This article describes one tool, the Colorin Colorado website,…

  19. Relationships between Preschoolers' Oral Language and Phonological Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hipfner-Boucher, Kathleen; Milburn, Trelani; Weitzman, Elaine; Greenberg, Janice; Pelletier, Janette; Girolametto, Luigi

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between complex oral language and phonological awareness in the preschool years. Specifically, the authors investigate the relationship between concurrent measures of oral narrative structure (based on measures of both story retell and generation), and measures of blending and elision in a sample of 89 children…

  20. Foreign Language Instruction in a Global Community.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nugent, Stephanie A.

    2000-01-01

    As we move from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, foreign language programs are hampered by inadequate curricular emphasis and negligible funding for materials or teachers. Five goals for foreign language learning include communicative competence, cultural awareness, interdisciplinary connections, cross-cultural comparisons, and…

  1. The Representation of Gender in the Language Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sunderland, Jane

    This paper is concerned with the different ways that gender is represented in the English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classroom, and how this representation may contribute to the socialization of female language learners. Attention is focused primarily on the language teacher's understanding and awareness of gender representations, not to specific…

  2. Phonemic awareness of English second language learners

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Background The PA skills of phonological blending and segmentation and auditory word discrimination relate directly to literacy and may be weak in English second language (EL2) learners. In South Africa, literacy skills have been found to be poor in especially EL2 learners. Objectives The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of vowel perception and production intervention on phonemic awareness (PA) and literacy skills of Setswana first language (L1) learners. These learners are English second language (EL2) learners in Grade 3. Method The present study employed a quasi-experimental, pre-test–post-test design. Results The findings of low–literacy skill levels concurred with previous investigations. However, post-test results of intervention in PA seemed to improve the literacy skills of EL2 learners. Conclusion PA skills should be a crucial part of the literacy curriculum in South Africa. PMID:28155282

  3. Navigating Complexities: An Integrative Approach to English Language Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, Phillip; Glodjo, Tyler; Hobbs, Bethany; Stargel, Victoria; Williams, Thad

    2015-01-01

    This article is an analysis of one undergraduate English language teacher education program's integrative theoretical framework that is structured around three pillars: interdisciplinarity, critical pedagogy, and teacher exploration. First, the authors survey the unique complexities of language teaching and learning. Then, they introduce this…

  4. 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…

  5. The Impact of In-Service Teacher Education on Language Teachers' Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borg, Simon

    2011-01-01

    This qualitative longitudinal study examines the impact of an intensive eight-week in-service teacher education programme in the UK on the beliefs of six English language teachers. Drawing on a substantial database of semi-structured interviews, coursework and tutor feedback, the study suggests that the programme had a considerable, if variable,…

  6. Post-Secondary Foreign Language Teachers' Belief Systems about Language Teaching/Learning and Technology/Teaching with Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oda, Kazue

    2011-01-01

    While many studies have demonstrated the advantages of using computer technology in foreign language classrooms, many post-secondary foreign language (FL) teachers still remain reluctant to use technology in instruction. Even when teachers do use technology, critiques have indicated that it is oftentimes used merely to replicate traditional…

  7. A Context-Aware Solution in Mobile Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fatahipour, Majid; Ghaseminajm, Mahnaz

    2014-01-01

    Despite obvious benefits, some challenges exist in the way of sustainable utilization of mobile phone technology for language learning tasks. This paper shows how these challenges can be better addressed in the light of recent advancements in mobile phone technology, like context aware mobile learning, informed with a sound pedagogical basis for…

  8. 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…

  9. The Invisible Multilingual Teacher: The Contribution of Language Background to Australian ESL Teachers' Professional Knowledge and Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellis, Elizabeth M.

    2004-01-01

    English as a second language (ESL) is taught in Australia to adult learners of mixed language backgrounds through the medium of English, and there is currently no requirement that ESL teachers speak another language. This paper reports on a study which asked what advantages there may be for ESL teachers to have proficiency in two or more…

  10. 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…

  11. Language Teacher Immunity: A Double-Edged Sword

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hiver, Phil; Dörnyei, Zoltán

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we introduce a new concept termed "teacher immunity". We propose that this immunity emerges from the accrued experiences of coping with disturbances and problems in stressful teaching environments, and that it functions as an indispensable protective armor allowing language teachers to survive the unavoidable hassles of…

  12. Level of Awareness of Various Aspects of Lung Cancer Among College Teachers in India: Impact of Cancer Awareness Programmes in Prevention and Early Detection.

    PubMed

    Shankar, Abhishek; Roy, Shubham; Malik, Abhidha; Rath, G K; Julka, P K; Kamal, Vineet Kumar; Barnwal, Keshav; Upadhyaya, Sneha; Singh, Rajan; Srivastava, Vivek

    2016-12-01

    Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer mortality among men in India and incidence is increasing, but actually, they are largely preventable diseases. In India, advanced stage at the time of presentation is responsible for high mortality and morbidity and early detection is the only way to reduce it. The purpose of this study is to know the level of awareness of various aspects of lung cancer among college teachers and impact of awareness programmes in its prevention and early detection. This assessment was part of Pink Chain Campaign-a campaign on cancer awareness. During the cancer awareness events in 2011-2013 at various women colleges in different parts in India, pre-test related to lung cancer was followed by awareness programme. Post-test using the same questionnaire was conducted at the end of interactive session, at 6 months and 1 year. A total of 872 out of 985 teachers participated in the study (overall response rate was 88.5 %). Mean age of the study population was 41.6 years (range 26-59 years). There was a significant increase in the level of knowledge regarding lung cancer at 6 months, and this was sustained at 1 year. Among teachers who were just asked yes or no question, 117 teachers (13.4 %) were smokers and 241 teachers (27.6 %) were alcoholics. Magazines and newspapers were sources for knowledge in 50-60 % of teachers, whereas approximately 30 % of teachers were educated by TV and Internet regarding various aspects of lung cancer. Post awareness at 6 months and 1 year, Pink Chain Campaign was the major source of knowledge related to lung cancer in more than 90 % of teachers by continuous and timely update on subject. Post awareness at 6 months and 1 year, there was a significant change in alcohol and smoking habits. Major reasons for not going for check-up were ignorance (83.1 %), fear (30.1 %) and lethargic attitude (29.3 %) initially, but over time, lack of time, lethargic attitude and hesitation became

  13. Mathematical Language Skills of Mathematics Prospective Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gürefe, Nejla

    2018-01-01

    Effective mathematics teaching can be actualized only with correct use of the mathematical content language which comprises mathematical rules, concepts, symbols and terms. In this research, it was aimed to examine the mathematics prospective teachers' content language skills in some basic geometric concepts which are ray, angle, polygon,…

  14. Awareness about autism among school teachers in Oman: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Al-Sharbati, Marwan M; Al-Farsi, Yahya M; Ouhtit, Allal; Waly, Mostafa I; Al-Shafaee, Mohamed; Al-Farsi, Omar; Al-Khaduri, Maha; Al-Said, Mona F; Al-Adawi, Samir

    2015-01-01

    Children with special needs such as those with autism spectrum disorder have been recorded as ostracized and stigmatized in many parts of the world. Little is known about whether such negative views are present among mainstream teachers in Oman. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate school teachers' awareness about autism spectrum disorder in an urban region in Oman. A total of 164 teachers were randomly enrolled from five schools. Misconceptions about autism spectrum disorder were found to be common among mainstream teachers in the country. We posit that such lack of awareness was likely to be rooted with sociocultural patterning as well as conflicting views often "spun" by the scientific community and mass media. Enlightened views toward children with autism spectrum disorder should be presented to Omani teachers to overcome misconceptions and negative attitudes toward children with autism spectrum disorder. © The Author(s) 2013.

  15. 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)

  16. A Language Teacher's Reflection on Maladaptive Immunity, Possible Selves and Motivation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ordem, Eser

    2017-01-01

    The concept of language teacher immunity as productive and maladaptive system has emerged in very recent years, although motivation has been incrementally studied in second language field. It is important to establish a relationship between language teacher immunity, possible selves and motivation. This study aimed to focus on a teacher's…

  17. Teacher Perspectives on the Integration of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grimshaw, Jennica; Cardoso, Walcir; Collins, Laura

    2017-01-01

    Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) provides second language (L2) learners and teachers with resources to enhance the learning experience, including its anytime, anywhere accessibility (Traxler, 2007). However, factors such as lack of confidence with technology (Son, 2014) and time limitations (Godwin-Jones, 2015) may prevent teachers from…

  18. 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…

  19. Teachers' Perceived Efficacy among English as a Foreign Language Teachers in Middle Schools in Venezuela

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chacon, C.T.

    2005-01-01

    Teachers' sense of efficacy has been shown to influence teachers' actions and student outcomes. This study explored self-efficacy beliefs among English as a Foreign Language teachers in selected schools in Venezuela. Data were collected through a survey administered to 100 teachers. The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran &…

  20. Changing Teacher Roles in the Foreign-Language Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Francis; Delarche, Marion; Marshall, Nicholas; Wurr, Adrian; Edwards, Jeffery

    This paper examines trends reflecting changes in the role of the classroom foreign language teacher, particularly as these trends affect English-as-a-Second-Language instruction. This study is based on relevant literature and research being carried out in the English Language Institute at Kanda University of International Studies (Japan). Past and…

  1. Emotions and Language Teacher Identity: Conflicts, Vulnerability, and Transformation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Song, Juyoung

    2016-01-01

    This study discusses how the shifting teaching context via globalization generates new demands for English language teachers, and how teachers' emotional responses to this shift affect their identity and practice. Based on interviews with five secondary English teachers in South Korea, the study presents these teachers' conflicted stories such as…

  2. Teacher Preparation and Language Policy Appropriation: A Qualitative Investigation of Teach For America Teachers in Arizona

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heineke, Amy J.; Cameron, Quanna

    2013-01-01

    In this qualitative study, we examined teachers' language policy appropriation in the English-only state of Arizona. Specifically, we investigated teachers who received their professional placement and preparation through the Teach For America organization. We conducted the research in 2010 and 2011, a period when Arizona state language policy…

  3. Foreign Language Teaching Practicum Beliefs of Student Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sariçoban, Arif

    2016-01-01

    This study to be conducted with English Language Teachers at the secondary education in our country during the first semester 2014-2015 academic year, aims to explore the beliefs of these in-service ELT teachers during the micro teaching sessions by the prospective ELT teacher candidates. This study aims at reporting the progress inbetween the…

  4. 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…

  5. English Language Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oder, Tuuli

    2014-01-01

    During the most recent educational reform in Estonia, a new National Curriculum was introduced in 2010 providing new guidelines for education generally and foreign languages specifically. To investigate the understanding that an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher has about professional teaching and whether it matches the principles of the…

  6. Phonological Awareness: Explicit Instruction for Young Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Elizabeth M.; Lederberg, Amy R.; Easterbrooks, Susan R.

    2013-01-01

    The goal of this study was to explore the development of spoken phonological awareness for deaf and hard-of-hearing children (DHH) with functional hearing (i.e., the ability to access spoken language through hearing). Teachers explicitly taught five preschoolers the phonological awareness skills of syllable segmentation, initial phoneme isolation,…

  7. The Relationship between Preservice Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs and Metacognitive Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hart, Lynn Cecilia; Memnun, Dilek Sezgin

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the metacognitive awareness and the beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning of preservice elementary mathematics teachers and to explore the relationship between the two. The Metacognitive Awareness Instrument (MAI) and the Mathematics Beliefs Instrument (MBI) were implemented with 118 elementary…

  8. Language and reading instruction in early years' classrooms: the knowledge and self-rated ability of Australian teachers.

    PubMed

    Stark, Hannah L; Snow, Pamela C; Eadie, Patricia A; Goldfeld, Sharon R

    2016-04-01

    This study sought to investigate the level of knowledge of language constructs in a cohort of Australian teachers and to examine their self-rated ability and confidence in that knowledge. Seventy-eight teachers from schools across the Australian state of Victoria completed a questionnaire which included items from existing measures, as well as newly developed items. Consistent with a number of earlier Australian and international studies, teachers' explicit and implicit knowledge of basic linguistic constructs was limited and highly variable. A statistically significant correlation was found between (1) total self-rated ability and (2) years since qualification and experience teaching the early years of primary school; however, no relationship was found between self-rated ability and overall performance on knowledge items. Self-rated ability to teach phonemic awareness and phonics had no relationship with demonstrated knowledge in these areas. Teachers were most likely to rate their ability to teach skills including spelling, phonics, comprehension or vocabulary as either moderate or very good. This was despite most respondents demonstrating limited knowledge and stating that they did not feel confident answering questions about their knowledge in these areas. The findings from this study confirm that in the field of language and literacy instruction, there is a gap between the knowledge that is theoretically requisite, and therefore expected, and the actual knowledge of many teachers. This finding challenges current pre-service teacher education and in-service professional learning.

  9. 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…

  10. 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…

  11. The Yellow, Blue and Red Book. A Collection of Short-Term Activities Developed by and for Teachers K-6, to Help Expand Students' Awareness of Traditional Sex Role Stereotyping.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Highline Public Schools, Seattle, WA.

    This teacher's guide contains short-term activities aimed at expanding K-6 grade students' awareness of attitudes concerning traditional sex-role stereotyping. Subject areas are language arts, social studies, career education, mathematics, and physical education. Activities are divided into 10-20 minute, 20-40 minute, and 40 minute plus…

  12. Readings on English as a Second Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Croft, Kenneth, Ed.

    This collection of readings on the topic of teaching English as a second language (ESL) has a twofold purpose: to enlarge the ESL teacher's awareness of the field and to assist in the professional growth of the new teacher or teacher-trainee. Each of the book's nine sections deal with one area of ESL instruction. Section 1, "Trends and Practices,"…

  13. Teacher Leadership to Support English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russell, Felice Atesoglu; Von Esch, Kerry Soo

    2018-01-01

    As today's K-12 schools become increasingly diverse, many teachers are struggling to meet the needs of English language learners and teach them in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner. The authors provide a pair of examples to illustrate specific ways teacher leaders can be effective advocates for better instruction and services for…

  14. Multilingual Pedagogies and Pre-Service Teachers: Implementing "Language as a Resource" Orientations in Teacher Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Catalano, Theresa; Hamann, Edmund T.

    2016-01-01

    While Ruiz's (1984) influential work on language orientations has substantively influenced how we study and talk about language planning, few teacher education programs today actually embed his framework in the praxis of preparing pre-service and practicing teachers. Hence, the primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate new understandings…

  15. Phonological awareness and oral language proficiency in learning to read English among Chinese kindergarten children in Hong Kong.

    PubMed

    Yeung, Susanna S; Chan, Carol K K

    2013-12-01

    Learning to read is very challenging for Hong Kong children who learn English as a second language (ESL), as they must acquire two very different writing systems, beginning at the age of three. Few studies have examined the role of phonological awareness at the subsyllabic levels, oral language proficiency, and L1 tone awareness in L2 English reading among Hong Kong ESL kindergarteners. This study aims to investigate L1 and L2 phonological awareness and oral language proficiency as predictors of English reading among children with Chinese as L1. One hundred and sixty-one typically developing children with a mean age of 5.16 (SD=.35) selected from seven preschools in Hong Kong. Participants were assessed for English reading, English and Chinese phonological awareness at different levels, English oral language skills, and letter naming ability. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that both oral language proficiency and phonological awareness measures significantly predicted L2 word reading, when statistically controlled for age and general intelligence. Among various phonological awareness units, L2 phonemic awareness was the best predictor of L2 word reading. Cross-language transfer was shown with L1 phonological awareness at the tone level, uniquely predicting L2 word reading. The present findings show the important role of phonological awareness at the subsyllabic levels (rime and phoneme) and oral language proficiency in the course of L2 reading development in Chinese ESL learners. The significant contribution of L1 tone awareness to L2 reading suggests that phonological sensitivity is a general competence that ESL children need to acquire in early years. The findings have significant implications for understanding L2 reading development and curriculum development. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

  16. 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…

  17. Prereferral Process with Latino English Language Learners with Specific Learning Disabilities: Perceptions of English-as-a-Second-Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferlis, Emily; Xu, Yaoying

    2016-01-01

    This study explored perceptions of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers on the prereferral process for Latino English language learners (ELLs). Using Colaizzi's (1978) phenomenological approach, qualitative data were collected through interviews with four ESL teachers. Analyses of the data indicated that the ESL teachers used research-based…

  18. 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…

  19. 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…

  20. Preparing Secondary Education Teachers To Work with English Language Learners: English Language Arts. NCBE Resource Collection Series, No. 10.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anstrom, Kris; DiCerbo, Patricia, Ed.

    This document examines the education of secondary level English language learners within mainstream language arts classes. It provides teachers and teacher educators with an understanding of how mainstream language arts instruction can be designed and implemented to enhance academic achievement for these students. Research for this report included…

  1. Prospective Foreign Language Teachers' Preference of Teaching Methods for the Language Acquisition Course in Turkish Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    GüvendIr, Emre

    2013-01-01

    Considering the significance of taking student preferences into account while organizing teaching practices, the current study explores which teaching method prospective foreign language teachers mostly prefer their teacher to use in the language acquisition course. A teaching methods evaluation form that includes six commonly used teaching…

  2. 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:…

  3. A Multicultural Awareness Program To Improve Language and Thinking Skills to a Group of Language Deficient Preschool Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Altamura, Marilyn T.

    This practicum project exposed seven preschool students with language deficiencies to multicultural experiences and strategies, resulting in improvements in both language and thinking skills. The children were included in a regular preschool program serving low-income families. The program was based on a multicultural awareness curriculum which…

  4. Critical Thinking Dispositions of Pre-Service Turkish Language Teachers and Primary Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maltepe, Sadet

    2016-01-01

    The present study aimed to determine critical thinking dispositions of pre-service Turkish language and primary teachers in terms of several variables by employing descriptive survey design. The study group consisted of 215 senior students attending Turkish Language Teaching and Primary Education Departments of Necatibey Faculty of Education at…

  5. Exploring English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Teacher Trainers' Perspectives on Challenges to Promoting Computer Literacy of EFL Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dashtestani, Reza

    2014-01-01

    Computer literacy is a significant component of language teachers' computer-assisted language learning (call) knowledge. Despite its importance, limited research has been undertaken to analyze factors which might influence language teachers' computer literacy levels. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of 39 Iranian EFL teacher…

  6. Reflective Awareness in Mathematics Teachers' Learning and Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chapman, Olive

    2015-01-01

    The nature of mathematics teachers' knowledge specific to teaching mathematics [MTK] is of ongoing concern in mathematics education research. This article contributes to our under-standing of this knowledge with particular focus on reflective awareness. It discusses MTK based on ways it has been used in research. It highlights reflective awareness…

  7. 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…

  8. The Role of Emotionality in Teacher Change: The Case of Chinese Language Teachers in Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loh, Elizabeth K. Y.; Tam, Loretta C. W.

    2017-01-01

    Over the past decade, Chinese language teachers in Hong Kong have experienced a series of educational reforms. They are now expected to design and implement their own school-based Chinese language curriculum, and adopt innovative pedagogies and customized materials in the classroom. The current literature suggests that some teachers are not ready…

  9. The Relationship between SLA Research and Language Pedagogy: Teachers' Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nassaji, Hossein

    2012-01-01

    There is currently a substantial body of research on second language (L2) learning and this body of knowledge is constantly growing. There are also many attempts in most teacher education programs around the world to inform practicing and prospective L2 teachers about second language acquisition (SLA) research and its findings. However, an…

  10. The Relationship Between Speech, Language, and Phonological Awareness in Preschool-Age Children With Developmental Disabilities.

    PubMed

    Barton-Hulsey, Andrea; Sevcik, Rose A; Romski, MaryAnn

    2018-05-03

    A number of intrinsic factors, including expressive speech skills, have been suggested to place children with developmental disabilities at risk for limited development of reading skills. This study examines the relationship between these factors, speech ability, and children's phonological awareness skills. A nonexperimental study design was used to examine the relationship between intrinsic skills of speech, language, print, and letter-sound knowledge to phonological awareness in 42 children with developmental disabilities between the ages of 48 and 69 months. Hierarchical multiple regression was done to determine if speech ability accounted for a unique amount of variance in phonological awareness skill beyond what would be expected by developmental skills inclusive of receptive language and print and letter-sound knowledge. A range of skill in all areas of direct assessment was found. Children with limited speech were found to have emerging skills in print knowledge, letter-sound knowledge, and phonological awareness. Speech ability did not predict a significant amount of variance in phonological awareness beyond what would be expected by developmental skills of receptive language and print and letter-sound knowledge. Children with limited speech ability were found to have receptive language and letter-sound knowledge that supported the development of phonological awareness skills. This study provides implications for practitioners and researchers concerning the factors related to early reading development in children with limited speech ability and developmental disabilities.

  11. Mutually Beneficial Service Learning: Language Teacher Candidates in a Local Community Center

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hildebrandt, Susan A.

    2014-01-01

    This article reports on a project designed to provide mutually beneficial solutions to challenges faced by world language teacher candidates, their preparation program, and a local community center. The project provided opportunities for teacher candidates enrolled in a world language (WL) teacher education course to complete clinical experiences…

  12. Language Teacher Educators' Pedagogical Knowledge: Validating a Proposed Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moradkhani, Shahab

    2017-01-01

    The aim of the current study was twofold: identifying the constituent components of language teacher educators' pedagogical knowledge, and investigating possible differences among teachers, teacher educators, and university professors' opinions about these components. Data were collected from 436 participants using a questionnaire. The results of…

  13. Deliberative Teacher Education beyond Boundaries: Discursive Practices for Eliciting Gender Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mooney Simmie, Geraldine; Lang, Manfred

    2018-01-01

    This study uses boundary crossing in activity theory as one normative framework for opening a deliberative inquiry in new discursive spaces to elicit "gender awareness" in teachers' practices. We illustrate this framework by drawing from data in one European teacher education project. Seven case studies were conducted and data were…

  14. Perceptions of Pre-Service English Teachers towards the Integration of an LMS into English Language Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basal, Ahmet

    2015-01-01

    With the growing availability of educational technologies, informing future teachers about the use of such technologies in their classrooms has become essential, particularly for language teachers. Integrating these technologies into the curriculum of language teaching education programs is more appropriate than simply sharing information with…

  15. Exploring the Fluid Online Identities of Language Teachers and Adolescent Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    del Rosal, Karla; Conry, Jillian; Wu, Sumei

    2017-01-01

    Due to demographic changes, there is a growing number of adolescent students who learn in classrooms in which their teacher and peers come from cultural and linguistic backgrounds that are different from theirs. In these diverse classrooms, teachers need to be able to facilitate language learning spaces that are welcoming for all children,…

  16. Teaching Phonics in the Literature-Based Classroom. Bill Harp Professional Teachers Library.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fowler, Dorothy; Frey, Jean

    Intended for preschool, kindergarten, and primary grade teachers, the ideas in this book will support teachers as they plan language and literacy experiences that develop phonological awareness. Stressing that a knowledge of phonemic awareness and phonics is critical to successful reading, the authors encourage teaching all aspects of reading,…

  17. Meeting the Needs of High School Science Teachers in English Language Learner Instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cho, Seonhee; McDonnough, Jacqueline T.

    2009-08-01

    This survey study explored high school science teachers’ challenges and needs specific to their growing English language learning (ELL) student population. Thirty-three science teachers from 6 English as a Second language (ESL)-center high schools in central Virginia participated in the survey. Issues surveyed were (a) strategies used by science teachers to accommodate ELL students’ special needs, (b) challenges they experienced, and (c) support and training necessary for effective ELL instruction. Results suggest that language barriers as well as ELL students’ lack of science foundational knowledge challenged teachers most. Teachers perceived that appropriate instructional materials and pedagogical training was most needed. The findings have implications for science teacher preservice and inservice education in regard to working with language minority students.

  18. The Development of a Recycling Awareness Scale for Prospective Science Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aksan, Zeynep; Çelikler, Dilek

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a scale for measuring prospective science teachers' awareness of waste recycling. The study was conducted with the participation of 382 prospective teachers attending a university located in northern Turkey. The five-point Likert type scale that was developed contained 82 items relating to prospective…

  19. 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.…

  20. Telecollaboration and Sociopragmatic Awareness in the Foreign Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martí, Natalia Morollón; Fernández, Susana S.

    2016-01-01

    This paper discusses the design and implementation of a pedagogical intervention aimed at raising sociopragmatic awareness in the context of Spanish as a foreign language in Denmark. The intervention consists of a blended-learning environment where the three main components are synchronous telecollaboration via Skype, reflection sessions in groups…

  1. Development of a Cognate Awareness Measure for Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malabonga, Valerie; Kenyon, Dorry M.; Carlo, Maria; August, Diane; Louguit, Mohammed

    2008-01-01

    This paper describes the development and validation of the Cognate Awareness Test (CAT), which measures cognate awareness in Spanish-speaking English Language Learners (ELLs) in fourth and fifth grade. An investigation of differential performance on the two subtests of the CAT (cognates and noncognates) provides evidence that the instrument is…

  2. Japan Association of Language Teachers Journal (JALT). 1982-1984.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Japan Association of Language Teaching Journal, 1982

    1982-01-01

    This compilation of four issues of the Japan Association of Language Teachers Journal (JALT) covers the years 1982-1984. The four issues contain a total of 21 articles, as follows: "Communicative Needs in Foreign Language Learning" (Jack C. Richards); "Language Proficiency Interview Testing" (David J. Keitges);…

  3. Lessons in the Korean Language and Culture for Teachers of English as a Second Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Chang Whan

    This language text is designed to introduce the Korean language and culture to Peace Corps trainees and volunteers who will be teachers of English as a second language to Korean students. The disciplines of language training, cross-cultural training, and TESL are combined in a single volume into one integrated curriculum. The text contains 100…

  4. 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.

  5. Cross-Sectional Evaluation of English Language Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yuksel, Ismail; Yasin, Elif

    2014-01-01

    The current study aims to identify the language teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge and to examine their competency levels in terms of gender, length of service, and workplace. This cross-sectional evaluation study was conducted with 124 language teachers in Eskisehir, Turkey. Participants were administered Technological…

  6. Adopting a Cultural Portfolio Project in Teaching German as a Foreign Language: Language Teacher Cognition as a Dynamic System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feryok, Anne; Oranje, Jo

    2015-01-01

    Intercultural language teaching and learning has increasingly been adopted in state school systems, yet studies have shown that language teachers struggle to include it in their practice. The aim of this study is to use dynamic systems theory to examine how a German as a foreign language teacher in a New Zealand secondary school adopted a project…

  7. The Videocassette Challenge: Strategies for the Foreign Language Teacher.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mount, Richard Terry; And Others

    Foreign language teachers can tap the appeal of video successfully and enjoyably in the foreign language classroom. Potential difficulties include length of feature films and difficulty in understanding the language and story simultaneously. The instructor must select materials and equipment carefully and commit considerable time and energy to…

  8. Theorizing and Studying the Language-Teaching Mind: Mapping Research on Language Teacher Cognition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burns, Anne; Freeman, Donald; Edwards, Emily

    2015-01-01

    The overarching project of the conceptual and empirical contributions in this special issue is to redraw boundaries for language teacher cognition research. Our aim in this final article is to complement the foregoing collection of articles by conceptualizing ontologically and methodologically past and current trajectories in language teacher…

  9. Student Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs about Using the Target Language in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bateman, Blair E.

    2008-01-01

    Although the language teaching profession has long emphasized the use of the target language in the classroom, student teachers face various challenges in their efforts to conduct class in their target language. This case study focused on 10 student teachers with respect to (1) their initial attitudes and beliefs about using the target language,…

  10. Hearing the voices of alternatively certified teachers in Texas: Narratives of teaching English language learners in urban secondary mainstream classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zannou, Yetunde Mobola

    In Texas, nearly half of all new teachers are alternatively certified (AC) whilst English language learners (ELL) are over one-third of the public school population in some districts. As this trend continues, the likelihood that AC teachers will teach ELLs increases and alters what Texas teachers must know upon entering the classroom. This research explores teacher knowledge and beliefs about teaching ELLs through constructivist and narrative lenses. Four AC science teachers in two diverse school districts participated in in-depth interviews and reflective interviews following classroom observations to answer the research questions: (1) how do AC teachers describe and interpret their acts of teaching ELLs in mainstream classrooms; and (2) how do AC teachers describe and interpret their learning to teach ELLs in mainstream classrooms. Data were transcribed and analyzed using thematic narrative methods. This study found that participants saw ELL instruction as: (1) "just good teaching" strategies, (2) consisting primarily of cultural awareness and consideration for student comfort, and (3) less necessary in science where all students must learn the language. The most experienced teacher was the only participant to reference specific linguistic knowledge in describing ELL instruction. Many of the teachers described their work with ELL students as giving them an opportunity to improve their lives, which was consistent with their overall teaching philosophy and reason for entering the profession. Participant narratives about learning to teach ELLs described personal experience and person-to-person discussions as primary resources of knowledge. District support was generally described as unhelpful or incomplete. Participants portrayed their AC program as helpful in preparing them to work with ELL students, but everyone desired more relevant information from the program and more grade-appropriate strategies from the district. Participant narratives reveal AC teachers

  11. Intercultural Communicative Competence: Creating Awareness and Promoting Skills in the Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    López-Rocha, Sandra

    2016-01-01

    Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) needs to be incorporated in the language curriculum if educators hope to help students develop an appreciation for the language and culture studied, an awareness of their own culture, and the development of skills that will allow them to be competent, adaptable, communicators. The key question addressed…

  12. A Language-Based Approach to Content Instruction (LACI) for English Language Learners: Examples from Two Elementary Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Oliveira, Luciana C.

    2016-01-01

    The number of English language learners (ELLs) in the United States has increased dramatically. Given this increase it is vital for teacher education programs at the pre-service level and professional learning programs at eh in-service level to address the needs of ELLs. This article presents a teacher preparation model--"a language-based…

  13. Preparing Teachers to Teach English as an International Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matsuda, Aya, Ed.

    2017-01-01

    This book explores ways to prepare teachers to teach English as an International Language (EIL) and provides theoretically-grounded models for EIL-informed teacher education. The volume includes two chapters that present a theoretical approach and principles in EIL teacher education, followed by a collection of descriptions of field-tested teacher…

  14. Chinese Language and Culture Curriculum: Teacher's Manual [and] Student Activity Book.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soh, Yong-Kian; And Others

    This curriculum is designed to introduce Chinese language and culture in the elementary grades, and consists of a teacher's manual and student activity book. The teacher's guide consists of an introductory section, which outlines the rationale, objectives, suggested teaching techniques and materials, and language and culture content of the…

  15. Working Conditions of Foreign Language Teachers: Results from a Pilot Survey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lopez-Gomez, Coral; Albright, Jeremy J.

    2009-01-01

    Recent research has consistently shown that teacher working conditions are highly predictive of faculty turnover and student performance. However, very little work investigates specifically the experiences of foreign-language instructors. This paper reports results from a pilot survey of language teachers in public and private schools from across…

  16. Language Arts Teachers' Resistance to Teaching LGBT Literature and Issues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thein, Amanda Haertling

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, scholars and other educators have encouraged language arts teachers to include LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) issues and texts in their classrooms. Despite these efforts, scholars have pointed out that LGBT perspectives are seldom included in language arts pedagogy. Studies of teacher attitudes toward addressing LGBT…

  17. 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…

  18. 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…

  19. Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Beliefs about Foreign Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Altan, Mustafa Zulkuf

    2012-01-01

    Beliefs are central constructs in every discipline which deals with human behaviour and learning. In addition to learner beliefs about language learning, language teachers themselves may hold certain beliefs about language learning that will have an impact on their instructional practices and that are likely to influence their students' beliefs…

  20. Improving Language Learning Strategies and Performance of Pre-Service Language Teachers through a CALLA-TBLT Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guapacha Chamorro, Maria Eugenia; Benavidez Paz, Luis Humberto

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports an action-research study on language learning strategies in tertiary education at a Colombian university. The study aimed at improving the English language performance and language learning strategies use of 33 first-year pre-service language teachers by combining elements from two models: the cognitive academic language…

  1. 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…

  2. EFL Teachers' Beliefs/Practices Correspondence in Reading Instruction: Does Language Teacher Education Make a Difference?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karimi, Mohammad Nabi; Dehghani, Asieh

    2016-01-01

    The present study examined EFL teachers' theoretical orientations towards reading, their reading instructional practices and the correspondence between the theoretical orientations/practices. The study participants were 80 male and female Iranian EFL teachers teaching at a number of private English language institutes. Half of the teachers were…

  3. 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.…

  4. Learning to Read with the Whole Language Approach: The Teacher's View

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Ling-Ying

    2014-01-01

    This project explores the understanding of early year's teachers regarding whole language approach and its implementation. A total of 200 questionnaires were delivered to teachers at nurseries and kindergartens in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) context. 169 questionnaires were completed and analysed. The findings shows that an overwhelming…

  5. 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…

  6. 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…

  7. Teacher Knowledge of Basic Language Concepts and Dyslexia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

    2011-01-01

    Roughly one-fifth of the US population displays one or more symptoms of dyslexia: a specific learning disability that affects an individual's ability to process written language. Consequently, elementary school teachers are teaching students who struggle with inaccurate or slow reading, poor spelling, poor writing, and other language processing…

  8. Awareness of Societal Issues Among High School Biology Teachers Teaching Genetics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lazarowitz, Reuven; Bloch, Ilit

    2005-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate how aware high school biology teachers are of societal issues (values, moral, ethic, and legal issues) while teaching genetics, genetics engineering, molecular genetics, human heredity, and evolution. The study includes a short historical review of World War II atrocities during the Holocaust when scientists from all the above-mentioned disciplines had been involved in trying to support and develop the eugenics theories. It investigates pre- and postwar theories of the eugenics movement in the United States which were implemented successfully in Germany and a literature survey of the studies of societal issues related to these subjects. The sample consisted of 30 male and female biology teachers. Enclosed are teachers' answers in favor or against including debates about societal issues in their classrooms while teaching the disciplines mentioned above. Teachers' answers were analyzed in relation to three variables: years of teaching experience, gender, and religion faith. Data were collected from questionnaires and personal interviews and analyzed according to qualitative and quantitative methods. The results show that amongst the teachers there is a medium to low level of awareness of societal issues, while mainly emphasizing scientific subjects in preparation of matriculation examinations. The majority of the teachers do not include societal issues in their teaching, but if students raise these issues, teachers claimed to address them. No differences in teachers' opinions to societal issues were found in relation to gender or religious faith. Teachers with more years of teaching experience tend to teach with a more Science, Technology, and Society (STS) approach than novice teachers. The results are discussed in relation to teachers' professional development and teaching strategies are suggested to be used in their classrooms based on a STS approach, which includes the societal issues as a main goal.

  9. Teacher and Student Language Practices and Ideologies in a Third-Grade Two-Way Dual Language Program Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henderson, Kathryn I.; Palmer, Deborah K.

    2015-01-01

    This article provides an in-depth exploration of the language ecologies of two classrooms attempting to implement a two-way dual language (TWDL) program and its mediating conditions. Drawing on ethnographic methods and a sociocultural understanding of language, we examined both teachers' and students' language ideologies and language practices,…

  10. Teacher Education and Teacher Autonomy: Creating Spaces for Experimentation in Secondary School English Language Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benson, Phil

    2010-01-01

    This article reports on a collective case study of four Hong Kong secondary school teachers' experiences of constraints on teacher autonomy in English language teaching, and their implications for teacher education. Findings suggested that the constraints were systemic and mainly organized around "Schemes of Work" and school-based…

  11. Exploring Languages and Cultures--An Exploratory Foreign Language Course. A Guide for Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Milwaukee Public Schools, WI. Div. of Curriculum and Instruction.

    A working guide for teachers in planning and teaching an exploratory course in foreign language and culture presents the basic course structure for nine weeks. Instructional materials are not provided. Course objectives include: (1) exploration of foreign languages and cultures; (2) sensitization to value systems and customs of one's own and other…

  12. Handbook for Teachers of English as a Second Language; Americanization-Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steeves, Roy W.; And Others

    This publication contains guidelines and suggestions to assist teachers of English as a second language in conducting programs that are oriented toward Americanization and literacy. (It is particularly directed toward those newly assigned teachers who do not have a background in teaching English as a second language.) The authors present points to…

  13. Language structures used by kindergartners with cochlear implants: relationship to phonological awareness, lexical knowledge and hearing loss.

    PubMed

    Nittrouer, Susan; Sansom, Emily; Low, Keri; Rice, Caitlin; Caldwell-Tarr, Amanda

    2014-01-01

    Listeners use their knowledge of how language is structured to aid speech recognition in everyday communication. When it comes to children with congenital hearing loss severe enough to warrant cochlear implants (CIs), the question arises of whether these children can acquire the language knowledge needed to aid speech recognition, in spite of only having spectrally degraded signals available to them. That question was addressed in the present study. Specifically, there were three goals: (1) to compare the language structures used by children with CIs to those of children with normal hearing (NH); (2) to assess the amount of variance in the language measures explained by phonological awareness and lexical knowledge; and (3) to assess the amount of variance in the language measures explained by factors related to the hearing loss itself and subsequent treatment. Language samples were obtained and transcribed for 40 children who had just completed kindergarten: 19 with NH and 21 with CIs. Five measures were derived from Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts: (1) mean length of utterance in morphemes, (2) number of conjunctions, excluding and, (3) number of personal pronouns, (4) number of bound morphemes, and (5) number of different words. Measures were also collected on phonological awareness and lexical knowledge. Statistics examined group differences, as well as the amount of variance in the language measures explained by phonological awareness, lexical knowledge, and factors related to hearing loss and its treatment for children with CIs. Mean scores of children with CIs were roughly one standard deviation below those of children with NH on all language measures, including lexical knowledge, matching outcomes of other studies. Mean scores of children with CIs were closer to two standard deviations below those of children with NH on two out of three measures of phonological awareness (specifically those related to phonemic structure). Lexical knowledge

  14. Shifting Roles: From Language Teachers to Learning Advisors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morrison, Brian R.; Navarro, Diego

    2012-01-01

    Although learning advisors are often qualified teachers, the skills they apply, such as those discussed by Kelly (1996), require a significant shift in approach regarding interaction with students. As teachers reorient themselves to advising, their role changes quite markedly from teaching language to advising on learning (Mozzon-McPherson, 2001).…

  15. Professional Training of Foreign Languages Teachers in Austria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Byndas, Olena

    2014-01-01

    The features of the Austrian education system, namely different types of schools of compulsory and optional levels and the necessity of qualified teachers needed for teaching in such schools, features of foreign languages teachers' professional training and their practical availability for service in school, have been observed. The problem of…

  16. Current Issues in English Language Teacher-Based Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davison, Chris; Leung, Constant

    2009-01-01

    Teacher-based assessment (TBA) is increasingly being promoted in educational policies internationally, with English language teachers being called on to plan and/or implement appropriate assessment procedures to monitor and evaluate student progress in their own classrooms. However, there has been a lack of theorization of TBA in the English…

  17. Utilizing Community Resources To Enhance Creativeness and Aesthetic Awareness in Head Start Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Irving, Virginia

    The primary goal of this practicum study was to provide opportunities for Head Start teachers to become knowledgeable of community resources that would encourage their aesthetic awareness and enhance their creative growth. A total of 16 teachers and teacher aides visited a local Dali Museum, a fine arts museum, a planetarium, a historical museum,…

  18. Turkish Language Teachers' Stance Taking Movements in the Discourse on Globalization and Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coskun, Ibrahim

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates how Turkish teachers take and give stances in the discourse on globalization and language by using linguistic resources. According to the findings obtained through the discourse analysis of the corpus that consisted of 36 h of recording of the discussion among 4 teachers with 5 to 10 years of teaching experience, the…

  19. Training Teachers of Language and Culture. Language Australia Research Policy and Practice Papers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lo Bianco, Joseph

    This booklet posits that language teacher education is an important component of nation building in a multilingual community. Communication is a crucial component of nation building, and teachers play a key role in the creation, renewal, and re-negotiation of the nation and its bonds, the state and its resources. This booklet discusses the…

  20. 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…

  1. Intersections between immigration, language, identity, and emotions: a science teacher candidate's journey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rivera Maulucci, Maria S.

    2008-04-01

    This study reports a subset of findings from a larger, ongoing study aimed at exploring interactions between teacher identity, learning, and classroom practices in a social justice teacher education program at a selective liberal arts college in New York. This case-study explores the journey of Elena, as an immigrant, a student, and a pre-service teacher candidate towards becoming a social justice educator. Elena reflects upon her school language experiences as an immigrant youth, her learning in a social justice teacher education program, and her field experiences in an international high school. The analysis spans macro-, meso-, and microlevels to explore the ways globalization, particularly immigration, as well as schooling policies for English language learners interact with aspects of Elena's core identity, particularly in school settings. The findings show some of the ways language and literacy verified and/or denied aspects of Elena's core identity; specific instances where second language proficiency was cast as power and privilege versus disadvantage according to ethnic, language, and class categorizations; and the struggles Elena, and other immigrant youth may face given the focus on English language acquisition and high stakes accountability in schools, at the expense of students' primary language proficiency and affirmation of core identity markers.

  2. Curriculum, Competence, and the Foreign Language Teacher. The ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Higgs, Theodore V., Ed.

    The articles in this book address some of the major issues facing foreign language teachers in the next decade. These issues grow out of the concepts that received most attention in the 1970s: communicative competence, alternatives to traditional instruction, articulation of the curriculum in view of realities in U.S. foreign language departments,…

  3. 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…

  4. Assessment Literacy of Foreign Language Teachers: Findings of a European Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vogt, Karin; Tsagari, Dina

    2014-01-01

    Training of pre- and in-service teachers constitutes one of the most important aspects in the quality assurance of language testing and assessment (LTA). For instance, foreign language (FL) teachers have to deal with standardised tests as well as their own classroom-based assessment procedures. This means they need the necessary expertise that can…

  5. Working with Second Language Learners: Answers to Teachers' Top Ten Questions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cary, Stephen

    This book aims to provide practical, research-informed answers to the questions most frequently asked by teachers of second language learners. Every question targets one of the key instructional issues teachers must address to ensure success for their second language students. Included among the questions are: How do I assess a student's English?…

  6. 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…

  7. The Evaluation of Foreign-Language-Teacher Education Programmes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peacock, Matthew

    2009-01-01

    This article presents a new procedure for the evaluation of EFL teacher-training programmes based on principles of programme evaluation and foreign-language-teacher (FLT) education. The procedure focuses on programme strengths and weaknesses and how far the programme meets the needs of students. I tested the procedure through an evaluation of a…

  8. Framing Communicative Language Teaching for Better Teacher Understanding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

    2007-01-01

    Studies of the use of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approaches in foreign language classrooms have frequently raised doubts about the adequacy of elementary and secondary teachers' understanding of CLT and their use of this approach in classrooms at those levels. Reasons for this alleged state of affairs are reviewed, with one potential…

  9. 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,…

  10. Semiotics and Foreign Language Pedagogy: A Much Neglected Area.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, James W.

    This essay develops a framework for the application of semiotics to foreign language (FL) pedagogy. The state of the art and rationale of applied semiotics are discussed. The teacher will find that the semiotic approach aids in the teaching of languages by making the student aware of what is going on in a language act and thus, through redundancy,…

  11. Professional Development through "Kizuki"--Cognitive, Emotional, and Collegial Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sakamoto, Nami

    2011-01-01

    The author traced an English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher's professional development by examining her narrative and identifying the transformation of her awareness or "kizuki". "Kizuki," which is unique to Japanese culture, implies a sudden feeling of inner understanding of a phenomenon and can be roughly translated as…

  12. The Career Trajectories of English Language Teachers. Oxford Studies in Comparative Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haworth, Penny, Ed.; Craig, Cheryl, Ed.

    2016-01-01

    This volume identifies, illustrates, compares, contrasts and provides informed reflective commentary on the diverse career trajectories of English language teachers, teacher educators and researchers. Increased migration and globalisation pressures have led to dramatic changes in English language teaching over the last few decades. The resulting…

  13. 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…

  14. Milestone in English Language Teacher Education: How to Use European Profiling Grid in the Assessment of Prospective EFL Teachers' Qualifications

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Su Bergil, Ayfer; Sariçoban, Arif

    2016-01-01

    This research intends to exemplify one of the new practices that can be used for the assessment of prospective English language teachers' qualifications. Thus, the scope of this research covers the prospective EFL teachers and the implementation of European Profiling Grid (EPG) aimed to be commonly used for language teacher education in Europe.…

  15. Preschool Teacher Knowledge and Skills: Phonemic Awareness and Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Billow, Cecilia

    2017-01-01

    The extent of phonemic awareness knowledge and skills early childhood teachers bring to beginning literacy instruction lays the foundation upon which reading success is built for preschool children in their care. A significant number of preschool children receive their first literacy instruction in community-based or Head Start preschools.…

  16. Teachers' Language Use in University Foreign Language Classrooms: A Qualitative Analysis of English and Target Language Alternation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Polio, Charlene G.; Duff, Patricia A.

    1994-01-01

    In a follow-up project, this study examined how and when six university language teachers actually used English and the target language in the classroom. Results suggest that switches to English may be made to help maintain classroom order, to create solidarity or empathy, to cover lack of experience or strategies, or to rephrase or modify their…

  17. Listening to Teacher Lore: The Challenges and Resources of Korean Heritage Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Soyong; Bang, Yoo-Seon

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we present a study on the experiences of four Korean heritage language teachers in the United States, specifically the challenges they face and the resources they draw upon for their teaching. We situate our work within the conceptual framework of teacher lore (Ayers & Schubert, 1994) that accentuates the importance of putting…

  18. Awareness about Autism among School Teachers in Oman: A Cross-Sectional Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Sharbati, Marwan M.; Al-Farsi, Yahya M.; Ouhtit, Allal; Waly, Mostafa I.; Al-Shafaee, Mohamed; Al-Farsi, Omar; Al-Khaduri, Maha; Al-Said, Mona F.; Al-Adawi, Samir

    2015-01-01

    Children with special needs such as those with autism spectrum disorder have been recorded as ostracized and stigmatized in many parts of the world. Little is known about whether such negative views are present among mainstream teachers in Oman. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate school teachers' awareness about autism spectrum…

  19. Mind What Teachers Say: Kindergarten Teachers' Use of Mental State Language during Picture Story Narration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Misailidi, Plousia; Papoudi, Despina; Brouzos, Andreas

    2013-01-01

    The study focuses on the mental state language kindergarten teachers use when narrating picture stories. The aims were to examine (a) individual differences in the frequency with which kindergarten teachers use mental state terms, (b) the types of mental state terms (e.g., emotion, desire, belief terms) teachers use most frequently, and (c) the…

  20. A Snapshot of Teacher Candidates' Readiness for Incorporating Academic Language in Lesson Plans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lim, Woong; Moseley, Lauren Jeneva; Son, Ji-Won; Seelke, John

    2014-01-01

    With the national rollout of edTPA that champions language supports in content lessons, there is a renewed interest in academic language across disciplines and related pedagogy in the U.S. This study examines current knowledge of academic language demonstrated by teacher candidates at middle grades. An analysis (n = 42) of teacher candidates'…

  1. 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.

  2. Strategic and Organisational Considerations in Planning Content and Language Integrated Learning: A Study on the Coordination between Content and Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pavón Vázquez, Víctor; Ávila López, Javier; Gallego Segador, Arturo; Espejo Mohedano, Roberto

    2015-01-01

    Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is generally recognised as a fruitful example of bilingual education. However, success in CLIL may not be straightforward and may require the establishment of coordination between content and language teachers. The aim of this study is to investigate if content and language teachers are able to plan…

  3. The Challenge of Communication. ACTFL Review of Foreign Language Education, Vol. 6.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jarvis, Gilbert A., Ed.

    The relationship of communication to the foreign language profession is addressed in this volume. The following articles are presented: (1) "Communication and the Foreign Language Teacher," by Charles T. Brown; (2) "Rationale for Language Study," by Jane N. Lippman; (3) "Public Awareness: How Can Associations and Institutions Use Public Relations…

  4. Who Educates Teacher Educators about English Language Learners?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roy-Campbell, Zaline M.

    2013-01-01

    With the increasing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in schools across the United States, most teachers will have these students in their classrooms in the near future if not already. Due to the wide diversity of ELL students, all classroom teachers must be equipped to work with these students. This study presents the findings of a…

  5. Effect of Inclusive Education Awareness Programme on Preservice Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pingle, Sudha; Garg, Indu

    2015-01-01

    In India, the concept of inclusive education schools is gaining importance to provide equal opportunities for education for all. Aims of schools in India has is to include students with special needs in the regular classrooms. However, biggest challenge they face is lack of awareness among teachers about inclusive education. Educationists across…

  6. The Teacher Trainer: A Practical Journal Mainly for Modern Language Teacher Trainers, 2000.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodward, Tessa, Ed.

    2000-01-01

    This journal is for those interested in modern language teacher training. Several aims are to provide a forum for ideas, information, and news, to put trainers in touch with each other, and to give those involved with teacher training a feeling of how trainers in other fields operate as well as building up a pool of experience within modern…

  7. A Typological Analysis of South Korean Primary Teachers' Awareness of Primary Geography Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Dong-min

    2018-01-01

    This study illuminates primary teachers' awareness of geography education. Data were collected through interviews with twenty-one teachers and analyzed using Straussian-grounded theory. A total of 210 concepts were categorized into twenty-two categories. The participants were categorized into three types. Many participating teachers (type 1 and 2)…

  8. Motivations and Concerns: Voices from Pre-Service Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kavanoz, Suzan; Yüksel, Hatice G.

    2017-01-01

    Contemporary interactionist theories conceive identity formation as a dynamic process that is continuously co-constructed within a social context. For pre-service language teachers, teacher education programs constitute the context in which their professional identities are formed. This cross-sectional qualitative study aims at exploring…

  9. "Do You Know Your Language?" How Teachers of Punjabi and Chinese Ancestries Construct Their Family Languages in Their Personal and Professional Lives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beynon, June; Ilieva, Roumiana; Dichupa, Marela; Hirji, Shemina

    2003-01-01

    Focuses on how teachers of minority ancestries construct and represent their family language identities. Drawing on poststructural, postcolonial and sociocultural theory on culture, identity, and language, examined the complex nature of linguistic identities of 25 teachers of Chinese and 20 teachers of Punjabi ancestries. (Author/VWL)

  10. Awareness-Raising in the TEFL Phonology Classroom: Student Voices and Sociocultural and Psychological Considerations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Lawrence Jun

    2004-01-01

    This paper reports on two phases of a study of a group of advanced TEFL (teachers-of-English-as-a-foreign-language) students. To raise their awareness of the importance of discourse intonation while they were receiving teacher training, this study focuses on examining their sociocultural and psychological inclinations in the choice of phonological…

  11. Morphological Awareness Skills of English Language Learners and Children with Dyslexia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Siegel, Linda S.

    2008-01-01

    The relation of morphological awareness to reading and spelling skills of dyslexic children and English language learners (ELL) is investigated. The lack of reading and spelling skills is found to be significantly correlated to insensitivity to derivational morphology.

  12. 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"…

  13. Evaluating Corpus Literacy Training for Pre-Service Language Teachers: Six Case Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heather, Julian; Helt, Marie

    2012-01-01

    Corpus literacy is the ability to use corpora--large, principled databases of spoken and written language--for language analysis and instruction. While linguists have emphasized the importance of corpus training in teacher preparation programs, few studies have investigated the process of initiating teachers into corpus literacy with the result…

  14. 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…

  15. Foreign Language Anxiety's Forgotten Study: The Case of the Anxious Preservice Teacher

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tum, Danyal Oztas

    2015-01-01

    This article argues that nonnative preservice teachers are just as susceptible to foreign language anxiety as are inexperienced language learners, a claim carrying important implications for the EFL classroom. The results of the study described in this article indicate that anxious preservice teachers experience significant levels of language…

  16. Mind the Gap: Task Design and Technology in Novice Language Teachers' Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smits, Tom F. H.; Oberhofer, Margret; Colpaert, Jozef

    2016-01-01

    This paper focuses on the possibilities/challenges for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers designing tasks grounded in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and taking advantage of the affordances of technology--Interactive WhiteBoards (IWBs). Teachers have been shown to confuse tasks with exercises or activities. The interactive…

  17. Training Secondary School Teachers in Instructional Language Modification Techniques to Support Adolescents with Language Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Starling, Julia; Munro, Natalie; Togher, Leanne; Arciuli, Joanne

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This study evaluated the efficacy of a collaborative intervention where a speech-language pathologist (SLP) trained mainstream secondary school teachers to make modifications to their oral and written instructional language. The trained teachers' uptake of techniques in their whole-class teaching practices and the impact this had on the…

  18. Preservice and Inservice Teachers' Knowledge of Language Constructs in Finland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aro, Mikko; Björn, Piia Maria

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the study was to explore the Finnish preservice and inservice teachers' knowledge of language constructs relevant for literacy acquisition. A total of 150 preservice teachers and 74 inservice teachers participated in the study by filling out a questionnaire that assessed self-perceived expertise in reading instruction, knowledge of…

  19. Collaboration to Teach English Language Learners: Opportunities for Shared Teacher Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin-Beltran, Melinda; Peercy, Megan Madigan

    2014-01-01

    This study examines collaboration between English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers and content-area elementary school teachers, and makes the case for conceptualising teacher collaboration as an opportunity for shared teacher learning. Using a sociocultural theoretical lens, this study examines how three pairs of elementary teachers…

  20. The Role of Phoneme and Onset-Rime Awareness in Second Language Reading Acquisition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haigh, Corinne A.; Savage, Robert; Erdos, Caroline; Genesee, Fred

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated the link between phoneme and onset-rime awareness and reading outcomes in children learning to read in a second language (L2). Closely matched phoneme and onset-rime awareness tasks were administered in English and French in the spring of kindergarten to English-dominant children in French immersion programmes (n=98).…

  1. "Spanish as a Foreign Language" Teachers' Profiles: Inclusive Beliefs, Teachers' Perceptions of Student Outcomes in the TCLA Program, Burnout, and Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rojas Tejada, Antonio J.; Cruz Del Pino, Raquel M.; Tatar, Moshe; Jimenez Sayans, Pablo

    2012-01-01

    The present study focuses on the Temporary Classroom of Linguistic Adaptation program (TCLA program) in which specialist teachers (Spanish as a foreign language teachers--SFL teachers) teach Spanish to immigrants who are not proficient in the language. We suggest that support for immigrant students in Spanish schools should adopt a new inclusive…

  2. 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…

  3. Fire, wind, earth, and water: raising the education threshold through teacher self-awareness.

    PubMed

    Stolder, Mary Ellen; Hydo, Sharon K; Zorn, Cecelia R; Bottoms, Marjorie S

    2007-07-01

    The ancient Greeks, as well as current writers, prompt us to examine the self as teacher. Seeing the self as a border crosser is used to reveal both the light-side and shadow-side of self, as metaphorically suggested by fire, wind, earth, and water. Only through teacher self-awareness can respect be used to expand our lives as teachers and enrich students' learning and growth.

  4. Online Collaborative Communities of Learning for Pre-Service Teachers of Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morgan, Anne-Marie

    2015-01-01

    University programs for preparing preservice teachers of languages for teaching in schools generally involve generic pedagogy, methodology, curriculum, programming and issues foci, that provide a bridge between the study of languages (or recognition of existing language proficiency) and the teaching of languages. There is much territory to cover…

  5. Becoming a Japanese Language Learner, User, and Teacher: Revelations From Life History Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armour, William S.

    2004-01-01

    This article discusses how Sarah Lamond, a Japanese language teacher in Sydney, Australia has juggled three of her identities: second language (L2) learner, L2 user, and L2 teacher. Data come from four interviews used to create an edited life history. These data are used to draw attention to the relationship between L2 learner and language user.…

  6. Computer Literacy of Iranian Teachers of English as a Foreign Language: Challenges and Obstacles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dashtestani, Reza

    2014-01-01

    Basically, one of the requirements for the implementation of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' ability to use computers effectively. Educational authorities and planners should identify EFL teachers' computer literacy levels and make attempts to improve the teachers' computer competence.…

  7. Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers' Attitudes of Privilege and Oppression

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGowan, Shannon L.; Kern, Anne L.

    2014-01-01

    Over the past several years multicultural education has seen an increased attention in teacher preparation. However, little research exists that examines the attitudes of pre-service teachers related to white privilege. This study is a quantitative exploration of the attitudes of pre-service foreign language teachers on a variety of social issues…

  8. Building Language Educators: The Implications of Case-Based Pedagogy Using Practicum-Based Student-Teacher-Generated Cases for Pre-Service Language Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cournoyer, Amy Beth

    2014-01-01

    This case study investigated case-based pedagogy using student-teacher-generated cases as an instructional tool in the preparation of 12 pre-service ESL, Bilingual, and Modern Foreign Language teachers enrolled in a Student Teaching Seminar at a post-secondary institution. In the fall methods course, each participant generated a case study based…

  9. 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…

  10. "To Improve Language, You Have to Mix": Teachers' Perceptions of Language Learning in an Overseas Immersion Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roskvist, Annelies; Harvey, Sharon; Corder, Deborah; Stacey, Karen

    2014-01-01

    The overseas immersion environment has long been considered a superior context for language learning, supposedly providing unlimited exposure to target language (TL) input and countless opportunities for authentic interaction with expert users. This article focuses on immersion programmes (IPs) for in-service language teachers--a relatively…

  11. English and Language Arts Teachers' Perspectives on Schooling: Initial Exposure to a Teacher Education Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelly, Sean; Zhang, Yuan; Northrop, Laura; VanDerHeide, Jen; Dunn, Mandie; Caughlan, Samantha

    2018-01-01

    This article reports results from a study of teacher beliefs among a panel of English and language arts teachers at three universities as the pre-service teachers entered methodological coursework and internships. Using a new assessment tool, the Developmental Instruction Assessment Battery (DIAB), along with a discrete choice task and one-on-one…

  12. Oral Proficiency Standards and Foreign Language Teacher Candidates: Current Findings and Future Research Directions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glisan, Eileen W.; Swender, Elvira; Surface, Eric A.

    2013-01-01

    The renewed national focus on teacher quality and effectiveness has resulted in more rigorous standards that describe the knowledge and skills required of teacher candidates across all disciplines. In the area of foreign languages, three sets of professional standards address the oral proficiency of teachers in the target languages they teach…

  13. Working with English Language Learners: Preservice Teachers and Photovoice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graziano, Kevin J.

    2011-01-01

    This study utilizes documentary photography and storytelling, photovoice, to identify the educational realities of 16 Hispanic English Language Learners from an urban elementary school in the Southwest. Reflections from preservice teachers who utilized photovoice to gather data from the English Language Learners of this study are also discussed.…

  14. 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…

  15. SCDC Spanish Curricula Units. Language Arts, Unit 6, Grade 2, Teacher's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spanish Curricula Development Center, Miami Beach, FL.

    Language arts instructional and assessment activities for grade two are described in this teacher's guide to the language arts strand of unit six. Focus, objective and materials for each activity are given in English and Spanish, with teacher instructions only in Spanish. This strand includes a continuation of the basic activities of past units:…

  16. First-Year Teacher Knowledge of Phonemic Awareness and Its Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheesman, Elaine A.; McGuire, Joan M.; Shankweiler, Donald; Coyne, Michael

    2009-01-01

    Converging evidence has identified phonemic awareness (PA) as one of five essential components of beginning reading instruction. Evidence suggests that many teachers do not have the recommended knowledge or skills sufficient to provide effective PA instruction within the context of scientifically validated reading education. This study examines…

  17. 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…

  18. Foreign Language Teaching: An International Comparison of Teacher Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kissau, Scott; Rodgers, Marion; Haudeck, Helga

    2014-01-01

    Recent research has reported professional agreement among foreign language (L2) teachers with respect to the beliefs and behaviors associated with effective L2 teaching. While such research may contribute to an emerging professional consensus, it must be acknowledged that the participating teachers in the related studies were all living and…

  19. Narrating Beliefs: A Language Ideologies Approach to Teacher Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Razfar, Aria

    2012-01-01

    This article explores how we can better understand the language ideologies of teachers working with second language learners through narrative analysis. This analysis draws on ethnographic data collected in an urban high school with a predominant Latina/o population and nearly a quarter designated as English learners. This analysis illustrates how…

  20. Morphological Awareness and Learning to Read: A Cross-Language Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuo, Li-jen; Anderson, Richard C.

    2006-01-01

    In the past decade, there has been a surge of interest in morphological awareness, which refers to the ability to reflect on and manipulate morphemes and word formation rules in a language. This review provides a critical synthesis of empirical studies on this topic from a broad cross-linguistic perspective. Research with children speaking several…

  1. English Language Teachers as Program Administrators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tannacito, Dan J.

    2013-01-01

    An administrator, broadly conceived, is a person who has authority to lead and manage people, practices, materials, and policies in an educational unit. Dan Tannacito shows teachers the pathway to becoming English language program administrators (ELPAs) and the myriad benefits they can derive. Most may be surprised to see that they are already on…

  2. Coastal Awareness: A Resource Guide for Teachers in Elementary Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rasmussen, Frederick A.

    Intended to encourage elementary teachers to explore coastal ecology with their students, this guide presents background material, activity suggestions, and recommended resource materials that could be used in designing a week-long unit on Coastal Awareness. Discussed is how various physical processes such as waves, tides, and currents affect…

  3. Designing ICT Training Material for Chinese Language Arts Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Janet Mei-Chuen; Wu, Cheng-Chih; Chen, Hsiu-Yen

    The purpose of this research is to tailor the design of information and communications technology (ICT) training material to the needs of Chinese language arts teachers such that the training they receive will be conducive to effective integration of ICT into instruction. Eighteen experienced teachers participated in a Delphi-like survey that…

  4. English Language Learner Teacher Effectiveness and the Common Core

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Tammy; Wells, Lorra

    2017-01-01

    Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and teacher effectiveness are among the most contentious issues in education today. With an increase in English language learners (ELLs) and the rigorous requirements imposed by the CCSS, teachers are left unprepared and ELLs struggle to stay afloat. Using California as a case study, this research synthesis…

  5. Switching Perspectives: From a Language Teacher to a Designer of Language Learning with New Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuure, Leena; Molin-Juustila, Tonja; Keisanen, Tiina; Riekki, Maritta; Iivari, Netta; Kinnula, Marianne

    2016-01-01

    Despite abundant research on educational technology and strategic input in the field, various surveys have shown that (language) teachers do not seem to embrace in their teaching the full potential of information and communication technology available in our everyday life. Language students soon entering the professional field could accelerate the…

  6. Understanding Collaborative Language Learning in Novice-Level Foreign Language Classrooms: Perceptions of Teachers and Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sun, Peijian; Yuan, Rui

    2018-01-01

    This study explored the congruence and disparities among three groups of foreign language (Chinese, French, and German) students' and teachers' perceptions of collaborative/cooperative language learning (CLL) strategies in novice-level classroom contexts. A total of 168 participants from a university in the USA took part in this mixed-method…

  7. Awareness and Ethical Orientation of Alternatively Certified Prospective Teachers to Intention for Whistle Blowing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toker Gokce, Asiye

    2013-01-01

    This study inquires whistle blowing intentions of alternatively certified prospective teachers, investigating their moral reasoning to blow the whistle. Specifically three hypotheses were tested: Overall ethical awareness of the alternatively certified prospective teachers is high; the participants will identify reasons related to philosophical…

  8. Using Visual Literacy to Teach Science Academic Language: Experiences from Three Preservice Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelly-Jackson, Charlease; Delacruz, Stacy

    2014-01-01

    This original pedagogical study captured three preservice teachers' experiences using visual literacy strategies as an approach to teaching English language learners (ELLs) science academic language. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What are the experiences of preservice teachers' use of visual literacy to teach science…

  9. Speech-language therapy for adolescents with written-language difficulties: the South African context.

    PubMed

    Erasmus, D; Schutte, L; van der Merwe, M; Geertsema, S

    2013-12-01

    To investigate whether privately practising speech-language therapists in South Africa are fulfilling their role of identification, assessment and intervention for adolescents with written-language and reading difficulties. Further needs concerning training with regard to this population group were also determined. A survey study was conducted, using a self-administered questionnaire. Twenty-two currently practising speech-language therapists who are registered members of the South African Speech-Language-Hearing Association (SASLHA) participated in the study. The respondents indicated that they are aware of their role regarding adolescents with written-language difficulties. However, they feel that South-African speech-language therapists are not fulfilling this role. Existing assessment tools and interventions for written-language difficulties are described as inadequate, and culturally and age inappropriate. Yet, the majority of the respondents feel that they are adequately equipped to work with adolescents with written-language difficulties, based on their own experience, self-study and secondary training. The respondents feel that training regarding effective collaboration with teachers is necessary to establish specific roles, and to promote speech-language therapy for adolescents among teachers. Further research is needed in developing appropriate assessment and intervention tools as well as improvement of training at an undergraduate level.

  10. A Role for English Language Teachers in Trauma Healing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Medley, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Because English language teachers should take into account the social-psychological situation of the students they teach, they must be sensitive to the effects of traumatic stress among learners. Refugee and immigrant children are frequently survivors of trauma, along with their peers in crisis-torn English as a foreign language settings around…

  11. Comparing Cross-Cultural Multicultural Self-Awareness among K-12 In-Service School Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koyama, Chieko; Plash, Shawn; Davis, Kirk

    2012-01-01

    The present study explored multicultural self-awareness among 134 K-12 in-service school teachers using the Cultural Diversity Awareness Inventory (CDAI). The results were compared to Yeung's (2006), allowing for a comparison between Eastern and Western cultures. A composite score was generated for each of the five areas measured by the CDAI. A…

  12. Content and Language Integrated Learning: Teachers' and Teacher Educators' Experiences of English Medium Teaching. Publication No. 4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sjoholm, Kaj, Ed.; Bjorklund, Mikaela, Ed.

    The publication on the integration of content area and second language instruction, focusing on the situation in Finland, consists of nine essays and a bibliography. The essays include: "Education in a Second or Foreign Language. An Overview" (Kaj Sjoholm); "Foreign Language Content Teaching in Teacher Education at Abo Akademi…

  13. Periodontal Disease Awareness and Knowledge among Nigerian Primary School Teachers

    PubMed Central

    Azodo, CC; Umoh, AO

    2015-01-01

    Background: Teacher-led oral health education is equally effective in improving the oral health knowledge and oral hygiene status of adolescents as dentist-led and peer-led strategies. Aim: The aim was to determine periodontal disease awareness and knowledge among Nigerian primary school teachers. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among primary school teachers in Edo State, Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire which elicited information on demography, awareness of the periodontal disease and source of information, knowledge of etiology, and symptoms of the periodontal disease, was the data collection tool.. The test of association was done using either Chi-square or Fisher's exact statistics. P value was set at 0.05 for significance level. Results: Out of 180 teachers recruited from seven public primary schools in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, 151 of them fully participated by filling the study questionnaires giving a 83.9% (151/180) response rate. The majority 74.2% (112/151) of the participants reported having heard of the periodontal disease and the leading source of information was television. A total of 29.8% (45/151) of participants considered periodontal disease as the main cause of tooth loss among adult Nigerian. Only 12.6% (19/151) of the participants knew dental plaque as soft debris on teeth and 29.1% (44/151) attested that plaque can cause periodontal disease. The majority of the participants were not aware of age 81.5% (123/151) and gender 96.7% (146/151) predisposition to periodontal disease. The perceived manifestations of the periodontal disease reported by were mainly gum bleeding 35.1% (53/151) and swollen gum 20.5% (31/151). A total of 70.2% (106/151) of the participants considered periodontal disease as a preventable disease and about half 49.0% (74/151) of the participants considered daily mouth cleaning as the best preventive method. The majority 95.4% (144/151) of the participants expressed interest in

  14. Periodontal Disease Awareness and Knowledge among Nigerian Primary School Teachers.

    PubMed

    Azodo, C C; Umoh, A O

    2015-01-01

    Teacher-led oral health education is equally effective in improving the oral health knowledge and oral hygiene status of adolescents as dentist-led and peer-led strategies. The aim was to determine periodontal disease awareness and knowledge among Nigerian primary school teachers. This cross-sectional study was conducted among primary school teachers in Edo State, Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire which elicited information on demography, awareness of the periodontal disease and source of information, knowledge of etiology, and symptoms of the periodontal disease, was the data collection tool.. The test of association was done using either Chi-square or Fisher's exact statistics. P value was set at 0.05 for significance level. Out of 180 teachers recruited from seven public primary schools in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, 151 of them fully participated by filling the study questionnaires giving a 83.9% (151/180) response rate. The majority 74.2% (112/151) of the participants reported having heard of the periodontal disease and the leading source of information was television. A total of 29.8% (45/151) of participants considered periodontal disease as the main cause of tooth loss among adult Nigerian. Only 12.6% (19/151) of the participants knew dental plaque as soft debris on teeth and 29.1% (44/151) attested that plaque can cause periodontal disease. The majority of the participants were not aware of age 81.5% (123/151) and gender 96.7% (146/151) predisposition to periodontal disease. The perceived manifestations of the periodontal disease reported by were mainly gum bleeding 35.1% (53/151) and swollen gum 20.5% (31/151). A total of 70.2% (106/151) of the participants considered periodontal disease as a preventable disease and about half 49.0% (74/151) of the participants considered daily mouth cleaning as the best preventive method. The majority 95.4% (144/151) of the participants expressed interest in learning about the periodontal disease and the

  15. Morphological Awareness Intervention in School-Age Children with Language and Literacy Deficits: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolter, Julie A.; Green, Laura

    2013-01-01

    This article highlights the clinical application of morphological awareness intervention to facilitate phonological, vocabulary, reading, and spelling success in children with language and literacy deficits. First, the research-based benefits of morphological awareness instruction are reviewed and current theoretical and research-based…

  16. 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…

  17. Exemplary Teachers of English Language Learners: A Knowledge Base

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clayton, Courtney

    2013-01-01

    The number of English language learners (ELL) in schools continues to rise. However, statistics reveal that the majority of classroom teachers have no training in working with ELLs (NCES, 2011). Because of this, it is critical to understand how teachers can be successfully prepared to teach ELLs. Through in-depth inquiry, this study explored what…

  18. Relationships between Language Teachers' Time-Management Skills, Creativity, and Burnout: A Mediation Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mahmoodi-Shahrebabaki, Masoud

    2015-01-01

    The present study aimed to investigate the effects of language teachers' time management and creativity skills on their burnout levels. The sample consisted of 213 Iranian language teachers. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Creative Behavior Inventory (CBI) and Time Management Skills Questionnaire (TMSQ) were employed for data collection. By…

  19. Preservice Teachers' Understanding of the Language Arts: Using a Lens of Critical Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bender-Slack, Delane; Young, Teresa

    2016-01-01

    Preservice teachers are placed in educational environments to learn about teaching literacy and about literacy's role in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. Of particular significance is how preservice teachers perceive and understand the varied components of language arts (i.e., reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually…

  20. Democratic Values and Teacher Self-Efficacy Perceptions: A Case of Pre-Service English Language Teachers in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Topkaya, Ece Zehir; Yavu, Aysun

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated democratic values of pre-service English language teachers in relation to their teacher self-efficacy perceptions in a Turkish context. It also examined the possible relationships between gender, grade and democratic values and self-efficacy perceptions. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 294 pre-service teachers.…

  1. Using a Corpus-Informed Pedagogical Intervention to Develop Language Awareness toward Appropriate Lexicogrammatical Choices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fernandez, Julieta; Yuldashev, Aziz

    2015-01-01

    The corpus-informed pedagogical intervention described in this article was developed for an advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) course designed for prospective International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) and implemented over the course of two class periods. Its primary goal was to offer students opportunities to gain language awareness of…

  2. Detecting changes in student teachers' conceptions of teaching science to adolescent English language learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pomeroy, Jonathon Richard

    2000-10-01

    This research study investigated the changes that occurred in six student teachers' conceptions of teaching science to adolescent English language learners over the duration of their participation in a one-year, graduate level, science teacher education program. Cases were created for each of the student teachers based on their concept maps, writing samples, interviews, lesson plans, informal interviews with cooperating teachers, and observation notes collected on biweekly visitations. The cases were divided into three dyads each consisting of two student teachers with similar preprogram and student teaching experiences. Cross case analysis revealed the existence of seven themes related to teaching science to adolescent English language learners. Further analysis suggested that student teachers that worked with experienced cooperating teachers and who had achieved a sense of autonomy over their student teaching demonstrated broad and sophisticated growth across all seven themes. Student teachers who had not achieved a sense of autonomy, demonstrated growth in two to three themes. Student teachers who demonstrated broad and sophisticated growth were able to clearly articulate their conceptions of teaching science to English language learners where as those who demonstrated limited growth were not. This research establishes the use of concept maps as a tool for detecting changes in student teachers' conceptions of teaching science to adolescent English language learners as well as the sensitivity of concept maps to detect the types of changes historically detected by writing samples and interviews. Recommendations based on the implications from are included.

  3. A Quantitative Action Research on Promoting Confidence in a Foreign Language Classroom: Implications for Second Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doqaruni, Vahid Rahmani

    2014-01-01

    Research has revealed that second language learners often seem passive and reticent in language classrooms. In the age of globalization, however, there is an urgent need for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers to enhance their reticent students' confidence to help them take part more actively in classroom oral activities. In line with…

  4. English Language Teachers on the Discursive Faultlines: Identities, Ideologies and Pedagogies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Menard-Warwick, Julia

    2013-01-01

    This book brings the voices of teachers into the fierce debates about language ideologies and cultural pedagogies in English language teaching. Through interviews and classroom observations in Chile and California, this study compares the controversies around English as a global language with the similar cultural tensions in programs for…

  5. Professional Training of Language Teachers in the Context of British Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glyanenko, Kateryna

    2016-01-01

    The article deals with revealing the peculiarities of language teachers' professional training in the context of British experience. The notions of philology, linguistics, philologist, linguist, language studies have been outlined and specified in the article. The titles of the curricula and their meanings in reference to language training have…

  6. Study Guide for Teacher Certification Test in Speech and Language Pathology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Umberger, Forrest G.

    This study guide is designed for individuals preparing to take the Georgia Teacher Certification Test (TCT) in speech and language pathology. The test covers five subareas: (1) fundamentals of speech and language; (2) speech and language disorders; (3) related handicapping conditions; (4) hearing impairment; and (5) program management and…

  7. English Language Teacher Educators' Pedagogical Knowledge Base: The Macro and Micro Categories

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moradkhani, Shahab; Akbari, Ramin; Samar, Reza Ghafar; Kiany, Gholam Reza

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the major categories of English language teacher educators' pedagogical knowledge base. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 teachers, teacher educators, and university professors (15 participants in total). The results of data analysis indicated that teacher educators' pedagogical…

  8. "Words that Hold Us up": Teacher Talk and Academic Language in Five Upper Elementary Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ernst-Slavit, Gisela; Mason, Michele R.

    2011-01-01

    This study investigates the oral academic language used by English as a second language prepared teachers during content area instruction in five upper elementary classrooms in the United States. Using ethnographic and sociolinguistic perspectives the authors examine the oral, academic language exposure students received from their teachers during…

  9. Understanding Teachers' Professional Identity and Beliefs in the Chinese Heritage Language School in the USA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Hsu-Pai; Palmer, Deborah K.; Field, Sherry L.

    2011-01-01

    Heritage language education has come to prominence worldwide. Despite the increasing number of Chinese heritage language learners and Chinese schools in the USA, little attention has been given to teachers. This study investigated three heritage language teachers' professional identity and beliefs about curriculum and instructional practices in a…

  10. Iranian English Language Teachers' Job Satisfaction and Organisational Climate in Public and Private Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Razavipour, Kioumars; Yousefi, Moslem

    2017-01-01

    Organisation issues rarely feature in the English language education literature, since language education is seemingly mostly concerned with the individual learner or teacher. As such, the impact that school climate might have on Iranian English language teachers remains an uncharted territory. This mixed-method study explores the relationship…

  11. Reconceptualizing and Describing Teachers' Knowledge of Language for Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morton, Tom

    2018-01-01

    Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is an approach to bilingual education in which academic content and an additional language are taught at the same time. It is growing rapidly throughout the world, with the medium of instruction in most CLIL classrooms being English. This means that many teachers around the world are teaching…

  12. Teachers' Multicultural Awareness and the Ethnic Identity of Minority Students: An Individual Case Study of a Hani Student

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Qunhui, Ou; Na, Du

    2012-01-01

    This study considers the role of teachers' multicultural awareness in promoting minority students' ethnic identity by considering the situation in one particular middle school. A case study of a Hani student is presented to show how teachers' multicultural awareness affects ethnic identity and the academic achievement of minority students. This…

  13. 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…

  14. Identifying the Best Foreign Language Teachers: Teacher Standards and Professional Portfolios

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sullivan, Joann Hammadou

    2004-01-01

    This study explored the differing perspectives of principals and foreign language department chairs on one state's teaching standards and the use of professional teaching portfolios as part of the hiring process. A 17-item questionnaire completed by 61 participants revealed that both groups strongly agreed with state teacher standards as accurate…

  15. 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.

  16. Science and Mathematics Teacher Candidates' Environmental Knowledge, Awareness, Behavior and Attitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yumusak, Ahmet; Sargin, Seyid Ahmet; Baltaci, Furkan; Kelani, Raphael R.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to measure science and mathematics teacher candidates' environmental knowledge level, awareness, behavior and environmental attitudes. Four instruments comprising Environmental Sensitivity Scale, environmental Behavior Scale, Environmental Attitudes Scale and Environmental Knowledge Test were administered to a total…

  17. A Case Study of Dual Language Program Administrators: The Teachers We Need

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lachance, Joan R.

    2017-01-01

    In support of growing numbers of dual language programs nation-wide, dual language school administrators seek to find teachers who are specifically prepared to work with dual language learners for additive biliteracy. For this research the author utilized a case study design to explore practicing dual language administrators' perspectives…

  18. Choosing an English Teacher: The Influence of Gender on the Students' Choice of Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taqi, Hanan A.; Al-Darwish, Salwa H.; Akbar, Rahima S.; Al-Gharabali, Nada A.

    2015-01-01

    Gender and teaching are gaining increasing attention in the field of higher education. The significance of teacher gender seems even more crucial in an environment based on gender segregation. In the scope of language teaching and gender, this study investigates the influence of gender on the students' selection of teachers in general, and…

  19. Teachers' Professional Knowledge for Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Assessing the Outcomes of Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    König, Johannes; Lammerding, Sandra; Nold, Günter; Rohde, Andreas; Strauß, Sarah; Tachtsoglou, Sarantis

    2016-01-01

    Despite an increasing research interest in subject-specific teacher knowledge, the scientific understanding regarding teachers' professional knowledge for teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is very limited. This study therefore applies standardized tests to directly assess content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and…

  20. The RIASEC Profile of Foreign Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swanson, Peter B.

    2008-01-01

    Vocational choice appears to crystallize during adolescence and one's career aspirations begin to take shape later. Over 40 years ago Holland studied incoming freshman to match vocational aspirations to vocational preference profiles. Individuals seeking to become foreign language teachers were assigned a Social, Artistic, Enterprising vocational…

  1. Bridging the Divide: Second Language Teachers, Pedagogy, Content Knowledge, and Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fryling, Margo J.

    2013-01-01

    This study examines the use of technology, pedagogy and content knowledge with second language teachers, and comparing Title 1 and non Title 1 schools. Technology can be used to provide unique learning opportunities for second language learners. Second language students can benefit from technology by practicing skills, increasing motivation,…

  2. The Physical Educator as a Language Teacher for English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gomez, Conrado L.; Jimenez-Silva, Margarita

    2012-01-01

    The linguistic diversity in schools is increasing throughout the United States and as state and federal accountability increases in the instruction of English language learners (ELLs), many teachers who never before were asked to work with ELLs are now required to contribute to the education of these students. In some states, all education majors,…

  3. iPads in the Second Language Classroom: An Examination of iPad Use by Teachers through TPACK and Teacher Perception Lenses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sharp, Steven Kary

    2017-01-01

    Research indicates a need for teacher education programs which include embedded computer assisted language learning (CALL) to support teachers' technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) of how to employ technology in classroom settings. Researchers also indicate a need to better understand the knowledge-base of language teacher…

  4. Conglomeration or Chameleon? Teachers' Representations of Language in the Assessment of Learners with English as an Additional Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gardner, Sheena; Rea-Dickins, Pauline

    2001-01-01

    Investigates teacher representations of language in relation to assessment contexts. Analyzes not only what is represented in teachers' use of metalanguage, but also how it is presented--in terms of expression, voice, and source. The analysis is based on interviews with teachers, transcripts of lessons, and classroom-based assessments, formal…

  5. Supporting the Transference of Knowledge about Language within Teacher Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fenwick, Lisl; Endicott, Michele; Quinn, Marie; Humphrey, Sally

    2014-01-01

    Teacher education is effective when pre-service teachers are able to transfer knowledge from content areas to practice. This study investigates the extent to which curriculum and assessment designs, along with teaching practices, supported pre-service teachers to transfer knowledge gained about language from a first-year course into a second-year…

  6. English Language Proficiency and Teacher Judgments of the Academic and Interpersonal Competence of English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freberg, Miranda E.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to investigate how English language proficiency is related to teacher judgments of students' academic and interpersonal competence. It was hypothesized that English Language Learner (ELL) students would generally be perceived as having weaker academic and interpersonal skills than their non-ELL counterparts regardless…

  7. Administrators' Sense of Self-Efficacy in Supervision of Teachers of English as a Second Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphy, Audrey Figueroa; Torff, Bruce

    2012-01-01

    English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. school population, which means schools are hiring significant numbers of new ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers. This burgeoning pool of ESL teachers must be supervised by administrative staff, and the stakes are considerably higher now that teacher-evaluation…

  8. Teacher awareness and attitudes regarding adolescent risky behaviours: is adolescent gambling perceived to be a problem?

    PubMed

    Derevensky, Jeffrey L; St-Pierre, Renee A; Temcheff, Caroline E; Gupta, Rina

    2014-06-01

    Despite legislative prohibitions, there is empirical evidence that youth gamble on both regulated and unregulated activities. The current survey was designed to assess teachers' awareness and attitudes regarding adolescent gambling and other high-risk behaviours. Three-hundred and ninety teachers from Ontario and Quebec, with experience teaching students aged 12-18, completed an online survey. Results suggest that teachers are aware of the fact that youth gamble. Furthermore, they recognized the addictive nature of gambling and their subsequent consequences. Despite overestimating the proportion of youth experiencing gambling problems, gambling was viewed as being the least serious of issues affecting youth, with drug use and school violence topping the list. Almost half of respondents indicated that gambling in school can constitute a good learning activity. In regards to prevention, all other risky behaviours and academic problems were perceived as issues needing greater attention than gambling. These results, which are largely consistent with findings from a previous study examining parental perceptions of adolescent risky behaviours, suggest a need for greater awareness and teacher education.

  9. Exploring Teacher Beliefs in Teaching EAP at Low Proficiency Levels

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alexander, Olwyn

    2012-01-01

    Teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) requires teachers experienced in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) to acquire additional skills, abilities and approaches. Beliefs about CLT teaching may not be appropriate for teaching EAP, especially to low level learners. Making teachers aware of their beliefs is the first step in helping them to…

  10. Improving Teacher Candidates' Knowledge of Phonological Awareness: A Multimedia Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kennedy, Michael J.; Driver, Melissa K.; Pullen, Paige C.; Ely, Emily; Cole, Mira T.

    2013-01-01

    Knowledge of phonological awareness (PA) and how to teach students to develop PA is an important component of teacher preparation given its role in learning to read. We believe multimedia can play a key role in improving how educators acquire, master, and prepare to implement evidence-based reading instruction in any nation. One multimedia-based…

  11. Teacher Intervention to Support Oral Language and Literacy in Dramatic Play Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Shelley Stagg; Greenberg, Janice

    2017-01-01

    A speech-language pathologist and former primary teacher who is now a researcher conducting action research with kindergarten teachers in northern rural Canadian classrooms collaborate in an analysis of one teacher's interactions with her students in a dramatic play center. We use three principles to show how the teacher supports children's…

  12. A General Investigation of the In-Service Training of English Language Teachers at Elementary Schools in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koç, Ebru Melek

    2016-01-01

    This study presents a critical diagnosis of in-service teacher-training activities offered to English-language teachers in Turkey and aims to investigate whether those teachers are satisfied with the activities. Thirty-two English-language teachers participated in this study. Data were collected from 32 elementary-school teachers of English as a…

  13. ESL and Content Area Teacher Responses to Discussions on English Language Learner Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pawan, Faridah; Craig, Daniel A.

    2011-01-01

    The current study compares the responses and statements of English as a second language (ESL) and content area teachers in discussions about the instruction of English language learners (ELLs). A study on how these two sets of teachers understand the field is important because commonalities and differences in their opinions may have an impact on…

  14. 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…

  15. Effective Education Materials to Advance Stroke Awareness Without Teacher Participation in Junior High School Students.

    PubMed

    Ohyama, Satoshi; Yokota, Chiaki; Miyashita, Fumio; Amano, Tatsuo; Inoue, Yasuteru; Shigehatake, Yuya; Sakamoto, Yuki; Toyoda, Kazunori; Minematsu, Kazuo

    2015-11-01

    Youth stroke education is promising for the spread of stroke awareness. The aim of this study was to examine whether our stroke awareness teaching materials without teacher's participation can increase student awareness to act fast on suspected stroke signs. We used the face, arm, speech, and time (FAST) mnemonic derived from the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale. Seventy-three students of the second grade and 72 students of the third grade (age range, 13-15 years) in a junior high school were enrolled in the study. The students were divided into 2 groups: students who received a teacher's lesson (group I) and those who did not receive a teacher's lesson (group II). Students in group II watched an animated cartoon and read a Manga comic in class. All students took the educational aids home, including the Manga comic and magnetic posters printed with the FAST message. Questionnaires on stroke knowledge were examined at baseline and immediately and 3 months after receiving the intervention. At 3 months after the intervention, a significant improvement in understanding the FAST message was confirmed in both the groups (group I, 85%; group II, 94%). Significant increases in the knowledge of risk factors were not observed in each group. Our education materials include a Manga comic, an animated cartoon, and a magnetic poster, without an accompanying teacher's lesson can increase stroke awareness, including the FAST message, in junior high school students. Copyright © 2015 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. 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)…

  17. Impacts of Professional Development in Integrated STEM Education on Teacher Self-Efficacy, Outcome Expectancy, and Stem Career Awareness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knowles, J. Geoff

    This research analyzed the effects of teacher professional development and lesson implementation in integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) on: 1.) Teacher self-efficacy and their confidence to teach specific STEM subjects; 2.) Teaching outcome expectancy beliefs concerning the impact of actions by teachers on student learning; and 3.) Teacher awareness of STEM careers. High school science and technology education teachers participating in the Teachers and Researchers Advancing Integrated Lessons in STEM (TRAILS) project experimental group attended a ten-day summer professional development institute designed to educate teachers in using an integrated STEM education model to implement integrated STEM lessons. The research design utilized a quasi-experimental nonequivalent comparison group design that incorporated an experimental group and an untreated comparison group with both pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest assessments on non-randomized participants. Teacher self-efficacy has been identified as a key factor in effective teaching and student learning, and teacher awareness of STEM careers impacts students as they consider career choices. The T-STEM Survey for teachers was given for the pretest and posttest assessments to measure attitudes and beliefs toward the specific constructs of this study. Significant effects of the TRAILS professional development were found in the teacher group (experimental or comparison) and teacher subject (technology or science) in pretest and posttest scores using cumulative link models for the constructs of teacher self-efficacy and beliefs to teach STEM subjects, teacher outcome expectancy beliefs, and teacher awareness of STEM careers. Effect sizes ranged from small to large varying by construct and assessment time. Highly significant p-values and effect sizes revealed impacts on science teachers were greater when teacher subject groups were analyzed separately.

  18. Preparing Teacher Candidates for the Instruction of English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gonzalez, Monica Marie

    2016-01-01

    This inquiry utilizes a sheltered instruction approach to lesson planning with the intention of improving teacher candidates' instruction to English Language Learners (ELLs). In this study a web-based questionnaire and a sheltered instruction lesson plan template were used to facilitate opportunities for teacher candidates to reflect on and…

  19. Risk Factors of Voice Disorders and Impact of Vocal Hygiene Awareness Program Among Teachers in Public Schools in Egypt.

    PubMed

    Bolbol, Sarah A; Zalat, Marwa M; Hammam, Rehab A M; Elnakeb, Nasser L

    2017-03-01

    Even though many studies have explored the problem of voice disorders among teachers worldwide, this problem is still not adequately studied in Egypt. The following study was conducted to investigate the risk factors of voice disorders among an Egyptian sample of school teachers, to measure the effect of a vocal hygiene awareness program on them, and to investigate their vocal cord lesions. One hundred fifty-six teachers working in public schools and 180 administrative workers in the Faculty of Medicine in the same city participated in this study. They completed a self-administered questionnaire investigating voice disorders, and were subjected to a voice awareness program and a clinical examination. Voice-related symptoms and Voice Handicap Index were statistically significantly higher among teachers compared with the control subjects. Work duration and high frequency of classes per week of ≥15 were the most statistically significant indicators influencing a teacher's voice. Three months after application of vocal hygiene awareness program, the teachers who were studied showed a statistically significant increase in their awareness about vocal hygiene tips. Egyptian teachers working in public schools are dealing with classes that include a great number of students per class. They also have to deal with unprofessional facilities and limited assisting resources. Therefore, they are highly exposed to the risk of voice-related disorders. Increasing awareness about healthy behavior with the voice in their occupations will help in improving their quality of work and in minimizing any permanent impairments and/or disability. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Creating a Communicative Language Teaching Environment for Improving Students' Communicative Competence at EFL/EAP University Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farooq, Muhammad U.

    2015-01-01

    The present research focuses on teachers' perceptions and practices regarding Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and its impact on communicative competency of the students. A questionnaire was used to collect the quantitative data from teachers. The results show that the EFL teachers are aware of the CLT characteristics, its implementation and…

  1. 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.

  2. The LD Teacher's Language Arts Companion[TM]: A Multisensory Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wadlington, Elizabeth M.; Currie, Paula S.

    This book presents a multisensory approach for teaching language arts skills to students in grades 3-10 with learning disabilities. It is intended for teachers, parents, speech-language pathologists, and other professionals who work with students with learning disabilities. An introduction discusses multisensory instruction and the benefits of…

  3. Attitude Towards Computers and Classroom Management of Language School Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jalali, Sara; Panahzade, Vahid; Firouzmand, Ali

    2014-01-01

    Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is the realization of computers in schools and universities which has potentially enhanced the language learning experience inside the classrooms. The integration of the technologies into the classroom demands that the teachers adopt a number of classroom management procedures to maintain a more…

  4. Knowledge, Skills, and Training in Second Language Acquisition: A Comparative Study of Preservice Teachers' Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Christine

    2017-01-01

    Preservice teachers must have opportunities in their university teaching programs to apply theories of second language learning. Courses in second language acquisition and English as a second language methodology are essential to prepare mainstream teachers for teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Additionally, creating a…

  5. 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…

  6. A Comparison of Argentinean and Turkish English Language Teacher Education Curricula

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Diaz, Andrea Paola; Arikan, Arda

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we look at the education of English language teachers in two countries, namely, Argentina and Turkey. We specifically discuss the curricula of the teacher education programs by focusing on the specific courses taken by prospective teachers of English in each country and the steps they have to take to start teaching officially.…

  7. Photo-Booklets for English Language Learning: Incorporating Visual Communication into Early Childhood Teacher Preparation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Britsch, Susan

    2010-01-01

    Teachers can integrate discussion and writing about photographs into the early childhood curriculum to build speaking, reading, and writing skills in any language. Although little available research focuses on photography and early childhood education as related specifically to English Language Learners, several current teacher resources do focus…

  8. Opening up towards Children's Languages: Enhancing Teachers' Tolerant Practices towards Multilingualism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Der Wildt, Anouk; Van Avermaet, Piet; Van Houtte, Mieke

    2017-01-01

    Mainstream teachers struggle with linguistic diversity, often leading to restricting multilingualism. Scientific research, however, recommends including pupils' home languages in school. Various qualitative studies have evaluated implementations in schools and indicated possibilities for improving teachers' attitudes towards multilingualism. This…

  9. The Design of Foreign Language Teacher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banathy, Bela H.

    1968-01-01

    The developmental scheme of the systems approach could be applied effectively to the design of foreign language teacher education. After the performance objectives had been formulated and the learning tasks analyzed and characterized, the design of the system could be undertaken. This would involve--(1) functions and component analyses, (2) the…

  10. VISUAL AIDS HANDBOOK FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    GARIBALDI, VIRGINIA; STRASHEIM, LORRAINE A.

    TEACHERS ARE SHOWN HOW TO CONSTRUCT AND USE THEIR OWN VISUAL AIDS FOR ILLUSTRATING USEFUL BUT DIFFICULT EXPRESSIONS COMMON TO ALL LANGUAGES. SUCH SPECIFIC AIDS AS PROPS, REALIA, FLASHCARDS, CHARTS, FLANNEL AND MAGNETIC BOARDS, POCKET CHARTS, PUPPETS, DRILL CUING DEVICES, AND CULTURALLY ORIENTED VISUAL AIDS ARE DESCRIBED. LISTS OF PROFESSIONAL…

  11. A Hands-On Experience of English Language Teachers as Researchers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yayli, Demet

    2012-01-01

    This study presents the results of a teacher research project. The analysis aimed to explore both the four teacher researchers' interpretations of conducting research in English language teaching and the nature of their collaboration with their supervisor in the procedure. The results showed that qualitative data analysis and interpreting the…

  12. Globalization, English Language Policy, and Teacher Agency: Focus on Asia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamid, M. Obaidul; Nguyen, Hoa Thi Mai

    2016-01-01

    This paper focuses on English teachers in Asia in the context of globalization, the global spread of English and the emergence of English as an "Asian language." It highlights the dilemmas facing these teachers in meeting the growing social demands of English proficiency in a technology-influenced, managerial and neoliberal education…

  13. 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…

  14. Conveying the "Right" Kind of Message: Planning for the First Language and Culture within the Primary Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ludhra, Geeta; Jones, Deborah

    2008-01-01

    This school-based reflective narrative explores how one inner London primary school raised their awareness of the language needs of Advanced Bilingual Learners (ABL) through an emphasis on developing and celebrating pupils' first language skills alongside English. It stresses the central role of the teacher in planning language learning…

  15. Kirjoitetaan Kielista--Puhutaan Kielilla: Kielivalinnat Opettajien Elamakerroissa (Language Choices: Language Teachers Reflect on Their Professional Choices in a National Writing Contest).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kalaja, Paula; Dufva, Hannele; Nordman, Leena

    This article focuses on the language choices that second language teachers have made in the course of their professional lives as constructed in life stories that they wrote for a national writing contest. The choices include those made by the teachers during their school years, upon entering college, and in the course of their careers. In the…

  16. 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…

  17. Intercultural Communicative Competence: Exploring English Language Teachers' Beliefs and Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Tony Johnstone; Sachdev, Itesh

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports on an investigation into the beliefs and practices of experienced teachers in the USA, UK and France relating to the application of a model of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) to English language programmes. Broadly, "intercultural" approaches to language learning and teaching are strongly advocated in both the…

  18. Language and EFL Teacher Preparation in Non-English-Speaking Environments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peretz, Arna S.

    Linguistic and paralinguistic problems faced by non-native-English speakers training to be teachers of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) in non-English-speaking environments are discussed. Relevant theories of second language learning and acquisition are reviewed, and the affective factors and sociocultural variables that appear to…

  19. Language Teacher Cognition in Applied Linguistics Research: Revisiting the Territory, Redrawing the Boundaries, Reclaiming the Relevance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubanyiova, Magdalena; Feryok, Anne

    2015-01-01

    Understanding language teachers' "mental lives" (Walberg, 1972), and how these shape and are shaped by the activity of language teaching in diverse sociocultural contexts, has been at the forefront of the sub discipline of applied linguistics that has become known as "language teacher cognition." Although the collective…

  20. Issues of Motivation and Identity Positioning: Two Teachers' Motivational Practices for Engaging Immigrant Children in Learning Heritage Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Jung-In

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates two Korean heritage language teachers' motivational practices in relation to their identity positioning as heritage language (HL) teachers. Constant-comparative analyses of teachers' interviews and classroom practices showed that the two teachers' identity positioning as HL teachers was partially shaped by their earlier…

  1. MTFeedback: Providing Notifications to Enhance Teacher Awareness of Small Group Work in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez-Maldonado, Roberto; Clayphan, Andrew; Yacef, Kalina; Kay, Judy

    2015-01-01

    The teacher has very important roles in the classroom, particularly as manager of most resources for learning activities and in providing timely feedback that can enhance learning. But teachers need to be aware of students' achievements and weaknesses to decide how to time feedback. We present MTFeedback, a system that harnesses the new…

  2. Web-Based Machine Translation as a Tool for Promoting Electronic Literacy and Language Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Lawrence

    2006-01-01

    This article addresses a pervasive problem of concern to teachers of many foreign languages: the use of Web-Based Machine Translation (WBMT) by students who do not understand the complexities of this relatively new tool. Although networked technologies have greatly increased access to many language and communication tools, WBMT is still…

  3. 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.

  4. Cultivating Multivocality in Language Classrooms: Contribution of Critical Pedagogy-Informed Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khatib, Mohammad; Miri, Mowla

    2016-01-01

    Transmission-based language classrooms have been mostly dominated by teachers' authority, as reflected in IRF (Teacher Initiation, Student Response, Teacher Follow up/Feedback) architecture of their discourses. By contrast, Critical Pedagogy (CP) has been after fostering multivocality in and out of classroom borders. Which qualities of teacher…

  5. American Sign Language Teachers: Practices and Perceptions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newell, William J.

    1995-01-01

    Reports on a survey of 359 teachers of American Sign Language (ASL) conducted in 1993-94. Results found that the ability to apply appropriate methods, professional knowledge of ASL teaching practice, and bilingual skills in ASL and English were considered very important. Knowledge of theoretical issues and classroom management skills were viewed…

  6. The Flipped Experience for Chinese University Students Studying English as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doman, Evelyn; Webb, Marie

    2017-01-01

    Many educators worldwide are aware that traditional teacher-fronted instruction and lecture-based learning often lead students to become passive in the classroom. In the language classroom, particularly in classrooms for English as a second or foreign language, the flipped model of education drives students to become more responsive and more…

  7. The Relationship between the Entrepreneurship Characteristics and Metacognitive Awareness Levels of Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duman, Burcu

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the entrepreneurship characteristics and metacognitive awareness levels of pre-service teachers. Qualitative research method is used in this study and the study is designed as a relational survey. The sample of the study was 441 pre-service teachers studying at the faculty of…

  8. Awareness as an Enactivist Framework for the Mathematical Learning of Teachers, Mentors and Institutions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Preciado-Babb, Armando Paulino; Metz, Martina; Marcotte, Chenoa

    2015-01-01

    This paper explores the learning of both individuals and organizations within the context of a 3-year professional development program for mathematics and science teachers in a middle school. We propose to extend the notion of awareness from individuals to autonomous systems as a means to study the learning of teachers, mentors, the school, and…

  9. 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…

  10. Turkish and English Language Teacher Candidates' Perceived Computer Self-Efficacy and Attitudes toward Computer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adalier, Ahmet

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study is to reveal the relation between the Turkish and English language teacher candidates' social demographic characteristics and their perceived computer self-efficacy and attitudes toward computer. The population of the study consists of the teacher candidates in the Turkish and English language departments at the universities…

  11. Pre-Service English Language Teachers' Perceptions of Computer Self-Efficacy and General Self-Efficacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Topkaya, Ece Zehir

    2010-01-01

    The primary aim of this study is to investigate pre-service English language teachers' perceptions of computer self-efficacy in relation to different variables. Secondarily, the study also explores the relationship between pre-service English language teachers' perceptions of computer self-efficacy and their perceptions of general self-efficacy.…

  12. CALLing All Foreign Language Teachers: Computer-Assisted Language Learning in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erben, Tony, Ed.; Sarieva, Iona, Ed.

    2008-01-01

    This book is a comprehensive guide to help foreign language teachers use technology in their classrooms. It offers the best ways to integrate technology into teaching for student-centered learning. CALL Activities include: Email; Building a Web site; Using search engines; Powerpoint; Desktop publishing; Creating sound files; iMovie; Internet chat;…

  13. What Teachers Want: A Statewide Survey of Reading and English Language Arts Teachers' Instructional Materials, Preferences, and Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lenski, Susan; Larson, Mindy; McElhone, Dot; Davis, Dennis S.; Lauritzen, Carol; Villagómez, Amanda; Yeigh, Maika; Landon-Hays, Melanie; LeJeune, Marie; Scales, W. David

    2016-01-01

    This study reports the results of a survey of a representative sample of 1,206 elementary reading and English Language Arts teachers in Oregon to learn (1) what materials are currently being used, (2) what materials teachers would prefer, and (3) what instructional practices teachers use. Qualitative data included 365 comments and 34 interviews…

  14. The Role of "Outside" Organizations in Foreign Language Teacher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Love, William D., Ed.

    A short review of the various "revolutions" in methodology which foreign language instruction has undergone since its inception as an area of study leads into an appraisal of the role of government and private foundations in the education of teachers. The four-point program of the Washington Fourth Draft plan for teacher education and…

  15. 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

  16. 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.

  17. 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…

  18. Pre-Service English as a Foreign Language Teachers' Perceptions of the Relationship between Multiple Intelligences and Foreign Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Savas, Perihan

    2012-01-01

    The relationship between intelligence, language, and learning is a challenging field of study. One way to study how this relationship occurs and works is to investigate the perceptions of advanced language learners. Therefore, this paper reports a study that was conducted to explore 160 pre-service English language teachers' perceptions about…

  19. Promoting Critical Awareness in the Initial Training of Preschool Teachers in Greece: Resistance and Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kourti, Evangelia; Androussou, Alexandra

    2013-01-01

    This article focuses on the development of future preschool teachers' critical awareness through the introduction of two "new" subjects--intercultural education and media education--in the curriculum of an early childhood department in Greece. The current social and political context, the structure of preschool teachers' training in…

  20. Awareness of Societal Issues among High School Biology Teachers Teaching Genetics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lazarowitz, Reuven; Bloch, Ilit

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate how aware high school biology teachers are of societal issues (values, moral, ethic, and legal issues) while teaching genetics, genetics engineering, molecular genetics, human heredity, and evolution. The study includes a short historical review of World War II atrocities during the Holocaust when…

  1. Second Language Teacher Education: Review of Recent Research on Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Tony

    2010-01-01

    Second language teacher education (SLTE) has undergone considerable change over the past 25 years. The question of how language teaching is learnt and how programmes of professional preparation can contribute to this process now elicits quite different answers. A new agenda of theory and practice has emerged as SLTE has incorporated many of the…

  2. eTwinning in Language Learning: The Perspectives of Successful Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akdemir, Ahmet Selçuk

    2017-01-01

    This study aims at investigating the effect of eTwinning, an innovative way of cooperative learning, on language teaching. A qualitative research design is preferred in order to explore the experiences of language teachers who have completed successful eTwinning projects. To this end, 7 ELT professionals (4 female, 3 male) from different cities of…

  3. Cross-Language Correlates in Phonological Awareness and Naming Speed: Evidence from Deep and Shallow Orthographies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pae, Hye Kyeong; Sevcik, Rose A.; Morris, Robin D.

    2010-01-01

    Phonological awareness (PA) and rapid automatised naming (RAN) skills in relation to reading acquisition were examined using two languages, one with a deep orthography (English) and the other with a shallow orthography (Korean). Participants were 50 Korean American children who spoke English as a dominant language (DL) and were learning to read…

  4. 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…

  5. 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…

  6. Relationships among Teachers' Attitudes, Behaviors toward English Language Learners, Experience, and Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitchell, Sandra L.

    2016-01-01

    Public school teachers must meet the unique needs of English language learners (ELLs) in the general education classroom. There is a need to understand teacher attitudes toward ELLs because attitudes can explain and influence teacher behavior and professional practice. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationships between…

  7. Contemporary Literacies and Technologies in English Language Arts Teacher Education: Shift Happens!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    George, Marshall; Pope, Carol; Reid, Louann

    2015-01-01

    Three leaders of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference on English Education (CEE) reflect on the changes that have occurred in English language arts teacher education in the past 15 years since the first edition of "Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education" ("CITE Journal") was published.…

  8. Difficulties Encountered by Both Teachers and Students in Teaching and Learning Turkish as a Second Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Canbulat, Mehmet; Dilekçi, Atilla

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this research is to identify and suggest solutions to the problems experienced by students learning Turkish as a second language according to the opinions of both teachers and students evaluated. The research has been conducted among the classroom teachers, Turkish language teachers and the students attending the schools in…

  9. Acceptability Ratings of Language Interventions and Reasoning as Described by Early Childhood Special Education Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turan, Yasemin

    2012-01-01

    This study utilised a structured analogue method to evaluate factors which impact preschool teachers' preference for language interventions. These factors included type of treatment approach (naturalistic versus therapeutic), person delivering the intervention (classroom teacher versus speech and language pathologist), and severity of language…

  10. A Bourdieuian Analysis: Teachers' Beliefs about English Language Learners' Academic Challenges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shim, Jenna Min

    2014-01-01

    Using Pierre Bourdieu's concept of "habitus," this work analyzes five teachers' beliefs about English language learners' academic challenges. In reference to reproductive and inventive qualities of "habitus," this article argues that teachers' beliefs that are linked to their socio-cultural backgrounds can delimit or enhance…

  11. Directiveness in teachers' language input to toddlers and preschoolers in day care.

    PubMed

    Girolametto, L; Weitzman, E; van Lieshout, R; Duff, D

    2000-10-01

    Five subtypes of directiveness were examined in the interactions of day care teachers with toddler and preschooler groups. The instructional context (book reading, play dough) yielded significant differences across all five subtypes of directiveness, indicating that these two activities elicited different types of teacher-child discourse. Book reading was characterized by significantly more behavior and response control and less conversation control in comparison with the play-dough activity. Correlations between teachers' directiveness and child language productivity indicated that behavior control and turn-taking control were associated with low levels of productivity, whereas conversation control was associated with the highest levels of productivity. The results of this study confirm that instructional context is an important mediator of teachers' directiveness and suggest that subtypes of directiveness have differential effects on child language output.

  12. 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.

  13. A Teacher's First Language Use in Form-Focused Episodes in Spanish as a Foreign Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nakatsukasa, Kimi; Loewen, Shawn

    2015-01-01

    This study investigates a teacher's L1 use during focus-on-form episodes (FFEs). FFEs assist L2 learning by bringing learners' attention to language. We studied the language used in FFEs in a Spanish as a foreign language (SFL) classroom to better understand the pedagogical purposes of L1 use in the classroom. We video-recorded 12 hours…

  14. The Impact of Powerful Oral Language Lab on Chilean EFL Preservice Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ward, Hsuying Chiou; Andruske, Cynthia Lee

    2013-01-01

    This exploratory qualitative case study reports the impact of using a public-speaking structure (Powerful Oral Language Lab [POLL]) in teaching preservice Chilean English pedagogy students. It describes how this task-based method of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher training is related to language strategic competence. Twenty students…

  15. The Effects of New Jersey's K-8 Foreign Language Authorization on K-5 Foreign Language Teaching: Two Teachers' Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raymond, Robert B. L.

    2012-01-01

    Recent research in language education policy (LEP) refocuses attention from the role of governments to local stakeholders that shape LEP. However, little attention has been given to teacher agency in LEP implementation for early foreign language (FL) education in the United States. This pilot study considers the role of foreign language elementary…

  16. Research among Learners of Chinese as a Foreign Language. Chinese Language Teachers Association Monograph Series. Volume IV

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Everson, Michael E., Ed.; Shen, Helen H., Ed.

    2010-01-01

    Cutting-edge in its approach and international in its authorship, this fourth monograph in a series sponsored by the Chinese Language Teachers Association features eight research studies that explore a variety of themes, topics, and perspectives important to a variety of stakeholders in the Chinese language learning community. Employing a wide…

  17. Minding Morphology: How Morphological Awareness Relates to Reading for English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodwin, Amanda P.; Huggins, A. Corinne; Carlo, Maria S.; August, Diane; Calderon, Margarita

    2013-01-01

    This study explored subprocesses of reading for 157 fifth grade Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) by examining whether morphological awareness made a unique contribution to reading comprehension beyond a strong covariate-phonological decoding. The role of word reading and reading vocabulary as mediators of this relationship was…

  18. A Closer Look: Examining Teachers' Language Around UDL, Inclusive Classrooms, and Intellectual Disability.

    PubMed

    Lowrey, K Alisa; Hollingshead, Aleksandra; Howery, Kathy

    2017-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the language teachers used to discuss inclusion, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and learners with intellectual disability (ID) in an effort to better understand how teachers describe the relationship between those three. Utilizing a secondary analysis procedure, interview transcripts from seven general education teachers were reanalyzed to identify language used by teachers to refer to inclusive educational settings, the implementation of UDL, and learners with intellectual disability. The identified themes were then juxtaposed against the UDL framework (principles, guidelines, and checkpoints) and the current literature related to UDL and inclusive education. We end with recommendations for future practice and research involving inclusive classrooms, UDL, and learners with ID.

  19. Future Language Teachers Learning to Become CALL Designers--Methodological Perspectives in Studying Complexity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keisanen, Tiina; Kuure, Leena

    2015-01-01

    Language teachers of the future, our current students, live in an increasingly technology-rich world. However, language students do not necessarily see their own digital practices as having relevance for guiding language learning. Research in the fields of CALL and language education more generally indicates that teaching practices change slowly…

  20. The Relationship between Pre-Service Teachers' Awareness Levels of Electromagnetic Pollution and Other Environmental Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koklukaya, Ayse Nesibe; Guven Yildirim, Ezgi; Selvi, Mahmut

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out the relationship between the awareness level of preservice science teachers' conscious use of technological devices, which cause electromagnetic pollution, and their awareness level of related environmental problems. Research Methods: In this study, a mixed design method was used. A relational…