New Directions In English Language Teaching Issues Practices Challenges

New Directions in English Language Teaching: Issues,Practices, Challenges attempts to create a comprehensive vision of critical and culturally relevant English teaching methodologies at the cusp of the 21st century. The present book is multi-voiced. It includes perspectives from classroom teachers, teacher educators and researchers in language and literacy, positioned to respond to recent changes in national conversations about literacy, learning and assessment. These vividly situated authors also recognise the rapidly changing demographics in colleges, the changing nature of teaching English in the digital age, and increasing demands for teaching pedagogies. This book is critically placed at the juncture of numerous directions in novel techniques. At all times, education is a political act, and colleges are embedded with a socio-culture reality that benefits some at the expense of others. Therefore the approach advocated through many of the chapters is one of critical literacy where English students gain reading and writing skills and proficiency with digital technologies that allow them to become more able, discerning, and empowered consumers and producers of texts.

New Directions in Teaching English: Reimagining Teaching, Teacher Education and Research attempts to create a comprehensive vision of critical and culturally relevant English teaching at the dawn of the 21st century.

With English becoming the world's foremost lingua franca, the pressure to improve English language education (ELE) has been steadily increasing. Consequently, the nature of ELE has changed drastically in the last decade. This has not only brought about a number of changes in the way English is taught and learnt, but it has also led to various innovative practices around the world. As a result, this edited book aims to shed light on the new theoretical and methodological developments in the field of ELE as well as the major issues and difficulties faced by practitioners in different parts of the globe. One very important variable that the book takes into account is the role that English already plays in a particular society since this may affect the views that teachers and students hold of the language. This in turn can significantly influence the way English is taught and learnt in given political, economic and socio-cultural settings. The purpose of this book is therefore to provide a comprehensive overview of the pedagogical methods, policies and problems that underlie English language education in ten different regions across the world, including: the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Japan, China and Hong Kong. In doing so, the different chapters in the book emphasize the importance of responding to linguistic and other forms of diversity in order to develop English language education in a globalized world. This book will be useful for teachers and students of English language, for English language curriculum and materials developers, and for those involved in educational policy-making and language acquisition research. Written by experts in the field, the range of content covered in the book's chapters will also help policy-makers, researchers and practitioners develop effective English language education practices and policies, and propose solutions to emerging issues in English language teaching and learning in different environments around the world. The newly-developed arguments and concerns pertaining to English language education will serve as future reference for professionals interested in this area of expertise.

This book offers a holistic practitioner and research-based perspective on English Language Teaching and teacher education in difficult circumstances. In addition to extending the current conceptualization of ‘difficult circumstances’ in ELT to include the broader policy issues that may affect ELT in low-to-mid income countries, the book focuses on the challenges faced by practitioners and learners in contexts of confinement, conflict and special education. The chapters in this collection examine the challenges and problems that emerge from the complex current ELT environment, and present examples of contextualized inquiry-based strategies and interventions to address these challenges. Underlining the need to extend the boundaries of the discipline of ELT to include teaching-learning in less privileged contexts, this wide-ranging volume will appeal to students, scholars and practitioners of English Language Teaching.

Specialised English: New Directions in ESP and EAP Research and Practice provides an authoritative and cutting-edge account of the latest avenues of research and practice in the dynamic field of Specialised English. Ken Hyland and Lillian Wong present 17 specially commissioned chapters by some of the world’s leading experts to offer discussions of key topics in research, theory and pedagogy from a variety of international perspectives. Divided into three sections, which focus on conceptual issues, text and classroom practice, this book: Offers a clear and accessible introduction to current issues in EAP and ESP, including academic interaction, academic lingua franca, second language publishing, workplace talk, practitioner identity, data-driven learning and critical thinking Includes studies of a range of genres such as research articles and student reports, student spontaneous speech, personal statements, builders’ diaries and university tutorials Presents links between theory and practice with a sampling of different research methodologies, practical applications and theoretical approaches Specialised English is essential reading for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers in EAP/ESP and applied linguistics, as well as pre- and in-service teachers and teacher educators.

Teaching English, particularly in second-language situations, involves teachers in wider issues within the community. Beyond Methodology considers the relationship between language teaching and the community, and the ways in which teachers are both affected by broader social, political and economic policies and can also have an effect on these policies. It begins by exploring the three ways in which communities have a bearing on language teaching: as beneficiary, as resource, and as control. The effect of national policy is considered, and the scope is widened to include language teaching abroad. The final chapter suggests ways in which teachers might influence future developments.

English language teaching methods and language learning styles have changed dramatically over the past decade in Asia and the surrounding regions. Huge efforts are being made by teachers from the K-12 system, as well as at the tertiary level, to move away from the traditional Grammar-Translation Method towards more communicative approaches to teaching and learning, including the use of project – and task-based learning and technology-enhanced language learning, just to name a few of the more frequently used methodologies. In this book, the authors shed light on the changes in ELT in Asia and the region over the past 10 years or so as seen in the wider context of language policy, which puts greater value on the acquisition of English and the new directions in learner-centered classrooms which encourage student autonomy and voice and place students as active decision-makers in the learning process.With the title of “Departing from Tradition: Innovations in English Language Teaching and Learning”, this book showcases some of the innovations in ELT that are currently happening in this rapidly growing field. Given the growing importance of English and the enormous energy and enthusiasm in the region for learning the language in both formal and informal contexts, ELT will continue to flourish. This volume will offer insights into the tremendous changes that have been made in secondary and university English language classrooms across the region.

Reclaiming English Language Arts Methods Courses showcases innovative work in teacher education that fosters teachers’ capacities as reflective practitioners and public intellectuals; extends traditional boundaries of methods courses on teaching the English language arts, literacy, children’s and young adult literature; and embodies democratic and critical politics that go beyond the reductive economic aims and traditional classroom practices sanctioned by educational policies and corporate educational reforms. Featuring leading and emerging scholars in English language arts teacher education, each chapter provides rich and concrete examples of elementary and secondary methods courses rooted in contemporary research and theory, on-line resources, and honest appraisals of the possibilities, tensions, and limits of doing teacher education differently in a top-down time of standards-based education, high-stakes testing, teacher assessment, and neoliberal education reforms. This book offers important resources and support for teacher educators and graduate students to explore alternative visions for aligning university methods courses with current trends in English and cultural studies, critical sociocultural literacy, new literacies and web 2.0 tools, and teaching the English language arts in multiethnic, multilingual, and underserved urban communities.