English Language Education In Rural Contexts

Reaching out into the rural English teaching and learning environment led to compiling these chapters that exemplify the possibilities and achievements of teachers worldwide. Often with overly large classes, isolation, and few resources, English instruction leads to extrinsic success for their students with future educational, professional, and economic outcomes. In other instances, the fruits of teachers’ labor become intrinsic motivators for learners who value learning and critical thinking. English in the international curriculum has perceived value for developing human and social capital, as indicated in these authors’ personal and professional journeys. This volume was originally begun by Paul Chamness Iida, who sadly passed away in June 2021. The editors have done their best to complete this project as he envisioned and share this work in his honor. Contributors are: Mary Frances Agnello, Md. Al Amin, Naoko Araki, Monica A. Baker, Xingtan Cao, Mary Coady, Florent Domenach, Lee E. Friederich, Arely Romero García, Maribel Villegas Greene, Janinka Greenwood, Dongni Guo, Paul Chamness Iida (deceased), Irham Irham, Munchuree Kaosayapandhu, Wuri P. Kusumastuti, Di Liang, Carla Meskill, Erin Mikulec, Piotr Romanowski, Leticia Araceli Salas Serrano, Fang Wang, Emilia Wąsikiewicz-Firlej, Jing Yixuan, Jing Zhiyuan and Dai Chang Zhi.

Showcasing the voices, perspectives, and experiences of rural English teachers and students, Teaching English in Rural Communities promotes equity, diversity, and inclusivity within rural education. Specifically, this book develops a Critical Rural English Pedagogy (CREP), which draws attention to issues of power, representation, and justice related to rurality. Based on the assumption that “rurality” is a social construct, CREP critiques deficit-laden stereotypes and renderings of rural places and people that circulate in media, popular discourse, and even education at times. In doing so, CREP opens up possibilities for educators and students to use the English classroom as a space to better understand the complex issues they face as rural people and ways to promote more nuanced and comprehensive representations of rurality. In particular, this book highlights English rural classrooms whereby students examine representations of rurality in literary and media texts; decenter dominant settler-colonist narratives of rural spaces, places, and people; develop understandings of Indigenous perspectives and cultural practices, particularly related to land stewardship; and engage in local outreach to promote inclusivity within rural communities. This book also gives special attention to ways race and racism may factor into literacy education in rural contexts and possibilities for rural educators to attend to these issues.

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.

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2012 in the subject Didactics - English - Pedagogy, Literature Studies, grade: None, , language: English, abstract: Student, Especially those in developing countries, have inherited a legacy of discrimination and oppression which manifest in poverty, health issues, violence, limited access to basic needs, resources and employment. The challenges facing students in the areas of economic empowerment, access to land and access to science and technology are still a barrier to own development and it remains a challenge to level the playing fields. As Developing Nations seek to control limited resources toward the goal of achieving a developed status they must reevaluate past practices and explore available and affordable technologies. Where information and communication infrastructures are weak, use of low-cost, easily distributed technologies have proven effective. Still, many developing nations have failed to incorporate a resource in great abundance, to use these new technologies to greatest advantage. English is in India today a symbol of people’s aspiration for quality in education and a fuller participation in national and international life. It is fundamentally essential for Rural Students to learn English from a young age in this rapidly globalizing world. English knowledge will help to open many opportunities for them in the future and it will be invaluable in their future careers. However, teaching English to rural students is not an easy job, but it is also not difficult, if we already know how to do it. Many teaching positions involve teaching Rural Students - a unique experience that is both challenging and fun. The key to teaching English to Rural Students is to understand the principles of language acquisition and apply it in ways that keep Rural Students motivated to learn.

The Covid-19 pandemic has directly impacted the way teachers and learners worldwide teach and learn languages, forcing numerous educational activities in technologically-deprived contexts to stop altogether and those in technologically-rich environments to go online on an emergency basis. This volume provides a collection of theoretical and practical insights into the challenges and affordances faced globally during the pandemic and lessons learnt about the application of digital technologies for language teaching and learning. The chapters explore the vital role of technology in its various forms, including the internet, social media, CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning), MALL (Mobile Assisted Language Learning), TALL (Technology Assisted Language Learning) and TELL (Technology Enhanced Language Learning). Topics explored include the new avenues digital technology has opened up for language teachers and learners, options and challenges in applying technology in various contexts, and how the second language education industry could have been adversely impacted at the time of the pandemic without technological affordances. The contributions showcase studies from various geographical contexts, revealing how the global crisis was received and tackled differently in Australia, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the UAE, the UK and the USA.

This comprehensive handbook provides an overview of current trends in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) teacher education and professional development across the globe. It highlights theories and practices in CALL teacher education and professional development in five sections, such as English language teaching, including pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, teacher educators, material developers, course designers and researchers. It explores the role of CALL teacher education and professional development in many underexplored countries such as Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It stresses the critical role of professional development programs, from the use of technology in its generic sense. The theoretical and empirical chapters in the book provide a more inclusive and comprehensive picture of various aspects of CALL teacher education and professional development globally. It offers context-specific approaches and strategies to language teachers and teacher educators. It provides pedagogical implications and suggestions for promoting digital literacy and autonomy in online education. This book provides valuable insights for researchers, teacher educators and teacher trainers in applied linguistics.

This book critically analyses early school foreign language teaching policy and practice, foregrounding the influence of the socioeducational and cultural context on how policies are implemented and assessing the factors which either promote or constrain their effectiveness. It focuses on four Asian contexts – Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand – while providing a discussion of policy and practice in Canada and Finland as a comparison. Concentrating on the state school sector, it criticises the worldwide trend for a focus on English as the principal or only foreign language taught in primary schools, founded on a rationale that widespread proficiency in English is important for future national success in a globalised economy. It maintains that the economic rationale is not only largely unfounded and irrelevant to the language learning experiences of young children but also that the focus on English exacerbates system inequalities rather than contributing to their reduction. The book argues for a broader perspective on language learning in primary schools, one that values multilingualism and knowledge of regional and indigenous languages alongside a more diverse range of foreign languages. This book will appeal to educational policymakers, researchers and students interested in early foreign language learning in state educational systems worldwide.