{"id":13662,"date":"2019-01-12T20:22:01","date_gmt":"2019-01-12T11:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=13662"},"modified":"2019-01-13T18:58:47","modified_gmt":"2019-01-13T09:58:47","slug":"ej88fromsped","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/issues\/volume22\/ej88\/ej88fromsped\/","title":{"rendered":"Second Language Teacher Education: Editorial"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thomas S.C. Farrell<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am delighted to have the honor of editing this TESL-EJ Special Issue on Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE). The papers in this issue shed some important information for the development of SLTE and it was a pleasure working with each of the authors. I hope you enjoy all the papers.<\/p>\n

The opening article, \u201cMy Training Has Failed Me\u2019: Inconvenient Truths About Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE)\u201d by Thomas S.C. Farrell, was motived by an email message the author received recently from a practicing, \u2018well-qualified\u2019 (BA and MA in Linguistics and a (200 hundred hour) TESL Certificate) ESL teacher in the US who was reaching out because she felt her training as a teacher had failed her. This prompted the author to reflect on two main inconvenient truths related to how language teachers are educated from their perspective in order to give a voice to the voiceless (the practicing teachers).These are: Inconvenient Truth #1: Theory\/Practice Gap<\/em>; Inconvenient Truth #2: No Contact With Newly Qualified Teachers<\/em>. The author noted that truths remain \u2018inconvenient\u2019 to teacher educators only because many fail\/refuse to acknowledge this \u2018truth\u2019 exists or even understand why it exists. However, rather than just pointing out these inconvenient truths, the paper suggests possible solutions to each of these so that the lived experiences of learner teachers, newly qualifies teachers (NQTs) and experienced teachers can be greatly enhanced.<\/p>\n

The next paper, \u201cReflection on and for Actions: Probing into English Language Art Teachers\u2019 Personal and Professional Experiences with English Language Learners\u201d by Huili Hong, explores the often-discounted stories\/reflective narratives of three veteran language teachers in the US. Four major dimensions (language, culture, culturally and linguistically sensitive pedagogy, and collaborative community) were identified as critical to effective teaching of ELLs and preparation of second language teachers. Through their reflections, the teachers became more aware of their teaching beliefs and the underlying influence of daily teaching practices in the class. More importantly according to the author, the reflection helped both teachers and the researchers realize what needs to be improved in their teaching practices in order to better teach ELLs and prepare teachers of ELLs. <\/p>\n

The next paper, \u201cEffective Language Teachers as Persons: Exploring Pre-service and In-service Teachers\u2019 Beliefs\u201d by Zia Tajeddin and Minoo Alemi, researches 50 pre-service and in-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in order to explore their beliefs about the attributes of effective teachers as persons. The data were collected through a mixed-methods design using interviews and a Likert-scale questionnaire informed by the effective-teachers-as-persons component of the framework of effective teachers. The analysis of both sources of data indicated that pre-service teachers valued personal teacher characteristics such as patience, kindness, friendliness, strictness, knowledge, enthusiasm, and fairness. In addition, they believed that an effective teacher uses reflection to improve teaching. On the other hand, in-service teachers mostly emphasized teachers\u2019 knowledge and energy, sense of humor, and friendliness. They further assumed that effective teachers as persons display positive attitudes toward teaching, create a warm classroom environment, and treat learners equally. A comparison of pre-service and in-service teachers\u2019 questionnaire responses revealed significant differences in their beliefs regarding, inter alia, creating a supportive classroom climate, using humor, taking pleasure in teaching, maintaining high-quality work, and seeking professional development. These findings suggest that in-service teachers possess different beliefs about the characteristics of effective teachers as persons due to their teaching experience, whereas pre-service teachers hold beliefs rooted in their immediate background as learners. <\/p>\n

The next paper, also about beliefs and practices, \u201c\u2018If I Wanted To Survive I Had To Use It\u2019: The Power of Teacher Beliefs on Classroom Practices.\u201d Thomas SC Farrell and Magdalena Guz, outlines a case study that examined and reflected on the relationship between the stated beliefs and observed classroom practices of an experienced EAP teacher in relation to teaching second language (L2) reading. The results revealed that the teacher holds specific beliefs about language teaching and learning in general, and teaching L2 reading in particular. What is striking about the results is that many of the teacher\u2019s beliefs and practices may in fact not conflate with what the research suggests about teaching L2 reading and what is being presented in second language teacher education programs about teaching L2 reading. Results thus suggest the need for EAP teachers to explore the sources of their beliefs and systematically, and regularly, examine their classroom practices through reflective practice in order to monitor their beliefs and classroom practices.<\/p>\n

The next paper, \u201cLanguage Proficiency Development of Non-native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) in an MA TESOL Program: A Case Study\u201d by Farahnaz Faez and Michael Karas, presents a case study that examined the perceptions of non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) in relation to their experiences in a one-year study abroad TESOL program in Canada and its potential for enhancing their language proficiency. While many participants reported that they embraced the benefits of living abroad for their language development, some acknowledged the struggle to take full advantage of the study abroad experience, noting difficulty in building relationships and social networks outside of their first language group. <\/p>\n

The next paper, \u201cThe ABCs of Inclusive English Teacher Education: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study Examining the Attitudes, Beliefs and (Reflective) Competence of Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers\u201d by Carolyn Blume, David Gerlach, Bianca Roters & Torben Schmidt, examines pre-service teachers\u2019 attitudes towards inclusion, their beliefs towards language learning, and the development of their reflective competence. In particular the article explores the attitudes towards inclusive (EFL) instruction in Germany through pre- and post-intervention surveys with the course\u2019s participants. As a result the authors were able to identify their attitudes, beliefs, and reflective competence regarding inclusive EFL and, furthermore, examine how their knowledge in these areas changes through the seminar. In addition, they noted that the pre-service teachers\u2019 beliefs developed over time to become more inclusive and also that their reflective competence developed over the semester is a positive indicator and an indication that reflective learning opportunities can affect subject-specific beliefs.<\/p>\n

The next paper, \u201cMethods as Interpretation and Glocalization, not Application: Water Far Away Will Not Put Out Nearby Fires\u201d by Faridah Pawan and Pu Hong, begins by noting that research shows that regardless of where teachers are trained, there is the disjuncture between training and practice and teachers reject new approaches because they are not aligned to contexts in which they eventually find themselves. However, this paper outlines how Chinese English language teachers make the connection between new and external approaches in their classrooms. Findings demonstrated that the teachers\u2019 interpretation and glocalization decision-making is based on whether it empowers teachers (e.g. strengthens teachers\u2019 professional position); empowers their teaching (e.g. improves their course design); engenders critical thinking (e.g. helps teachers to critically evaluate practice); enables appropriation and transformation (e.g. provides room for teachers to incorporate local practices). As a result of the research, the authors developed the \u201cCritical Glocalization Teaching Framework\u201d to help teachers to critically reflect on the utility of their teacher training experiences in light of their immediate teaching contexts. <\/p>\n

The next paper, \u201cTeaching about Teaching about Culture: The Role of Culture in Second Language Teacher Education Programs\u201d by Tabitha Kidwell, outlines a qualitative case study of one teacher education program in Indonesia that investigated novice teachers\u2019 learning about and practices for teaching about culture. Data sources included interviews and lesson observations with 20 teacher educators, and interviews, lesson observations, and journal entries from 20 novice teachers who recently graduated from the program. Findings indicated that teachers have few opportunities to learn about how to teach about culture, and that they address culture in their classrooms relatively infrequently. This study\u2019s implications revealed a need for teacher education programs to provide more concrete guidance about how to teach about culture. With stronger preparation in their teacher education programs, novice teachers might be better able to foster their students\u2019 ability to engage across difference.<\/p>\n

The next paper, \u201cEducating Pre-Service Teachers about World Englishes\u201d by Zohreh Eslami, Stephanie Moody, and Roya Pashmforoosh, describes six different activities designed to promote understanding of WE and English as an International Language (EIL) that pre-service teachers completed during one undergraduate course. The effectiveness of these activities was examined based on written reflections and pre- and post- intervention assessments. The data indicated that all activities were beneficial for raising participant\u2019s awareness, tolerance, and respect of WE, especially activity six. Results emphasize the importance of using experiential approaches for the promotion of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching. EIL pedagogy and instructional activities used in this study provides practices that promote the awareness and competence of preservice teachers to use skills necessary to meet the needs of diverse users of English language in their future teaching. Such transformative approaches will foster multilingual appreciation in preservice teachers and provide them with the competences necessary to effectively meet the challenges of the changing schools demographics. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thomas S.C. Farrell I am delighted to have the honor of editing this TESL-EJ Special Issue on Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE). The papers in this issue shed some important information for the development of SLTE and it was a pleasure working with each of the authors. I hope you enjoy all the papers. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":13552,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13662","page","type-page","status-publish","entry"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13662"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13677,"href":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13662\/revisions\/13677"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}