Developing English Teachers

This book offers a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the recent professional developments of teachers of English in the western region of China in the context of English language teaching reform and teacher education reform. It discusses a wealth of theories, frameworks, qualitative case studies and quantitative investigations, while also covering a range of key practices that are indispensable. It equips readers with an in-depth understanding of the impact of the current curriculum reform on the promotion of teachers’ cognition, emotions, attitudes and awareness of their self-development, as well as teachers’ corresponding efforts to update their educational concepts, reassess their teacher roles, enhance their teaching skills, and implement new approaches to their professional development. It is a valuable resource for anyone pursuing research in this field as well as in-service teachers, teacher educators and education administrators. And as it offers practical help for the potential difficulties and challenges they might encounter, it is also a must-read for the student teachers of English.

This much-needed text provides a coherent and strategic approach to teacher development Teacher Development for Language Teachers examines ten different approaches for facilitating professional development in language teaching: self-monitoring, support groups, journal writing, classroom observation, teaching portfolios, analysis of critical incidents, case analysis, peer coaching, team teaching, and action research. The introductory chapter provides a conceptual framework. All chapters contain practical examples and reflection questions to help readers apply the approach in their own teaching context.

This forward-looking book combines theory and practice to present a broad introduction to the opportunities and challenges of teaching English in secondary school classrooms. Each chapter explains the background to current debates about teaching the subject and provides tasks, teaching ideas, and further reading to explore issues and ideas in relation to school experience. With reference to new legislation, the chapters suggest a range of approaches to the teaching of reading, writing, speaking and listening, drama, media study, information technology, language study, grammar, poetry, Shakespeare, GNVQ and A Level English Language and Literature. Learning to Teach English in the Secondary Schooloffers principles and practical examples of teaching and learning in the context of the end of the twentieth century when new notions of literacy compete with the demands of national assessment. Taking as its starting point the changing ideologies of English as a subject, the text addresses questions about the nature of teacher education. It raises issues concerning competence-based courses, working with a mentor in school and monitoring the development of a student teacher. Learning to Teach Subjects in the Secondary School series, edited by Sue Capel, Tony Turner and Marilyn Leask.

Language teaching is a common phenomenon in every school across the globe. The English language, a powerful medium of communication all over the world, is in the school curriculum everywhere. Its teaching and learning need to be taken care of both by the teachers and the students in order to achieve the objectives of language teaching and learning. Realising the very role of English teaching, this book is written comprehensively to help the English language teachers teach effectively in their classrooms. The pre-service and in-service can become effective and efficient by understanding thoroughly and implementing perfectly the contents of the book. Contents: Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Learning English as a Foreign Language, Methods and Techniques of Teaching English as a Second Language, Objectives of Teaching English, Teaching English Pronunciation, Teaching English Grammar, Teaching English Vocabulary, Teaching English Composition, Teaching English Prose, Teaching English Poetry, Development of the Skills of Speech, Development of the skill of Reading, Development of the Skill of Writing, Audio-visual Aids in Teaching English, English Text Books, Remediation in Teaching English, Designs of Lesson Planning.

The field of English language teaching continues to become more and more complex. To stay up-to-date with the developments as the discipline grows, English language teachers must work to expand their knowledge base by participating in continual professional development and practicing reflective teaching. Farrell provides useful insights about the many kinds of training and discusses the practices you can engage in to ensure your own growth, including team teaching, action research, and teaching portfolios. Learn about the different stages of professional development, what approaches are right for you, and how you can sustain your growth throughout your career.

This book is the eighth volume in the Global Research on Teaching and Learning English series, co-published with The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF). It brings together the latest developments in research on teaching English in under-resourced contexts across the world, offering a window into the complex challenges that these communities face. Recommendations from research and experience in well-resourced contexts are frequently not relevant or feasible in different circumstances. Contributors explore local and regional assets and challenges to provide a deeper understanding of the difficult issues that language learners and teachers must confront, and they provide insights to meet those challenges. With chapters written by TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grant awardees, the volume addresses the crucial and growing need for research-based conversations on the contexts, environments, and challenges of teaching English in areas of the world with limited resources, literacy levels, or other constraints. The volume includes sections on policy connections, teacher preparation, and practice insights. It is a useful resource for graduate students and teacher educators in language education, ESL/EFL education, and international education, and an enlightening reference for all readers with an interest in language education around the world.

The first few years of teaching are critical to the professional development of effective English teachers. In these crucial years, new teachers establish their identities, learn the ins and outs of the curriculum, acclimate to unfamiliar communities, and cope with student behaviors that they never expected. All of this can be daunting for novice teachers. This book can help. The stories within are written by English teachers in the early stages of their careers. In their carefully crafted narratives, teachers offer practical strategies, professional insights, and a wealth of tips for surviving the first years in the classroom. The narratives are grouped into thematic chapters with brief introductions of key terms, helpful learning activities, and provocative discussion questions, all intended to foster critical conversation about beginning a career teaching English. In a time when many teachers leave the profession too soon, Early Career English Teachers in Action gives voice to those who have decided to stay. More importantly, this book validates teacher narratives as a powerful way of understanding what happens inside of the classroom—a way that provides more authentic evidence of learning than standardized test scores will ever supply.

Learning English as a foreign language in any formal education context requires opportunities for learners and teachers to give and receive feedback on the teaching learning process as it is happening. These opportunities could be created via various in-class activities specifically designed for this purpose. Teachers who create and use these diagnostic opportunities effectively detect what learners need in a timely fashion, and provide remedial teaching in the right time and mode, so that chances can be created for learners to improve their learning. There is no one universally accepted way of how to do this, however, with various approaches for collecting, analyzing and reviewing data for this purpose. This book encapsulates the unbreakable relationship between teaching, learning and assessment through a range of articles which scrutinize assessment from a wide spectrum, ranging from the role of assessment in language learning to ELT teacher assessment literacy, from the use of technology in classroom-based assessment to practicing teachers’ reflections on their teacher classroom action research, and from the role of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to empirical data analysis.