Queer Thinking about Language Learning: Current Research and Future Directions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia D. Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Queer Theory ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Identity Negotiations ◽  
Lgbt Students ◽  
Sexual Identities ◽  
Queer Pedagogy

This chapter traces the genesis of research on Queer Thinking in language education/acquisition, an area that has attracted much interest internationally over the past two decades. It outlines key themes and studies in this area and proposes new directions for future research. Research to date has focused on four main aspects: applying queer theory to language learning/teaching; analyzing sexual identities/diversity in classroom discourse; critiquing heteronormativity in language learning materials; and understanding the experiences and identity negotiations of LGBT students and teachers. More work is needed in Queer Applied Linguistics on: what queer pedagogy looks like in diverse geo-localities; how language teachers are learning to think queerly in teacher education and professional development programs; and how researchers can be supported in investigating language, sexuality, and learning and in applying Queer Thinking to other vital issues in language education.

scholarly journals Innowacyjność w edukacji językowej a profesjonalizm nauczyciela

Neofilolog ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 28-41
Author(s):  
Krystyna Droździał-Szelest
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Task Based Instruction ◽  
Learning Language

Innovation in language education, just as in any other discipline, is connected with changes whose primary goal is to make the process of language learning/language teaching more efficient. Examples of such innovations include, for instance, task based instruction, computer assisted language learning or the use of portfolio as a means of assessment.Innovation implies a new, qualitatively different perception of the language learning/ language teaching process, roles of teachers and learners, use of materials etc., hence it is believed to constitute a challenge for language teachers and their professionalism. The present article is an attempt to answer the question whether and to what extent the language teaching profession is actually prepared to deal with innovation.

FL Instructor Beliefs About Machine Translation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Emily Hellmich ◽  
Kimberly Vinall
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Machine Translation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Instructor Beliefs ◽  
The Impact

Machine translation (MT) platforms have gained increasing attention in the educational linguistics community. The current article extends past research on instructor beliefs about MT by way of an ecological theoretical framework. The study reports on a large-scale survey (n=165) of FL university-level instructors in the U.S. Findings indicate strong lines being drawn around acceptable MT use (e.g., in relation to text length and skill, policies), an acknowledgement of widespread student use driven by diverse motivations, and the Janus-faced nature of MT's potential threat to the profession. These findings reveal several salient tensions in how MT mediates relationships in language education (e.g., constructions of students, the nature of language and language learning, goals of the profession) that shed new light on the impact of MT technologies on the field. Implications for future research and the development of pedagogical practices anchored in digital literacies conclude the piece.

Language Teachers as Materials Developers

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822110616
Author(s):  
Jiao Li ◽  
Xuesong (Andy) Gao ◽  
Xuehai Cui
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Materials Development ◽  
Materials Analysis ◽  
Learning And Teaching

This report reviews studies on language teachers as materials developers in language education, particularly focusing on how language teachers act as materials users, materials analysts, and materials designers when engaging with language learning and teaching materials. We contend that the three dimensions of materials development – that is, materials use, materials analysis, and materials design – intersect with one another, and that language teachers play a critical role in all three. Therefore, this review concludes with a research agenda that centres on language teachers as materials developers to expand our understanding of their roles in materials development.

scholarly journals The Needs of Educators in Intercultural and Bilingual Preschools in Chile: A Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rukmini Becerra-Lubies ◽  
Aliza Fones
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Indigenous Language ◽  
Sociocultural Perspective ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Second Language Teachers ◽  
Mapuche People ◽  
K 12

Several studies have examined the lack of or the insufficient preparation of K-12 educators to work in intercultural and bilingual (IBE) schools in Chile, but little is known about the preparation of educators to teach in IBE preschools. Even less is known about teachers’ perceptions of their own preparation. This work contributes to a growing body of literature that examines the experiences and practice of second language teachers in Indigenous language education settings from a sociocultural perspective. This qualitative case study focuses on teachers’ perceptions of their preparation to teach Mapudungun, the language of the Mapuche people, in urban IBE preschools in Chile. Three research questions guide this study: What are teachers’ perceptions of their needs regarding their preparation to teach Mapudungun in urban IBE preschools? What are the current challenges that teachers face teaching Mapudungun in urban IBE preschools? Which experiences fostered their ability to teach Mapudungun? The findings of this study have implications for the incorporation of more complex notions of Indigenous language learning that are linked directly to Mapuche culture and its sociopolitical context, as well as the inclusion of teachers’ experiential knowledge in the preparation of teachers for work in IBE schools.

Podcasting as a Next Generation Teaching Resource

2009 ◽  
pp. 350-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Ang Lu
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Almost All

This chapter aims to investigate how podcasts can be made to fit into the repertoire of resources utilized by teachers, especially in language education. It focuses on arming the language teacher with a fundamental knowledge of podcasting, centering on its potential applications in the classroom. Podcasts are ideal resources for language teachers, especially English language teachers, because almost all topics imaginable are now being treated in podcasts and the bulk of podcasts are recorded in English. Aside from making use of language-teaching podcasts, language teachers can also incorporate English language podcasts dealing with a wide range of issues to cater to the varying preferences of students. In addition to discussing these points, this chapter also provides suggestions for the practical incorporation of podcasts in language learning and teaching, both inside and outside the classroom. Two case studies demonstrating possible ways to use podcasts in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context are presented.

scholarly journals “I feel like it’s giving me a lot as a language teacher to be a learner myself”: Factors affecting the implementation of a multilingual pedagogy as reported by teachers of diverse languages

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-606
Author(s):  
Raees Calafato
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Factors Affecting

To boost the foreign language learning process, language teachers need to know how to implement a multilingual pedagogy, that is, they should be able to draw on their and their students’ knowledge of other languages during lessons. This qualitative study explored the extent to which 21 foreign language teachers in Norwegian and Russian upper-secondary schools were willing and able to implement multilingual teaching practices and the factors that they thought affected this implementation. The findings revealed three main factors, namely, their language knowledge, their positioning as language learners, and the level of support they received, which the participants reported as strongly influencing the extent to which they were able and willing to draw on their and their students’ multilingualism as a pedagogical resource. The findings also indicated that participants did not implement multilingual teaching practices differently based on the languages they taught, although there were differences between the participants from Norway and Russia concerning the teaching of English. The study has important implications for research on language teaching and learning in multilingual environments, educational institutions, and teacher development programs.

scholarly journals The Use of the Educational Function of Media in Foreign Language Teaching

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-57
Author(s):  
Kinga Bajorek ◽  
Sławomir Gawroński
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Mass Communication ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Mobile Technologies

Abstract The use of mass communication in the field of foreign language teaching is not a new phenomenon, because traditional media have been in use in this area for a few decades. Nowadays, however, several tendencies confirming the scale of this phenomenon can be observed. Mass media, and new media in particular, are used both in the process of self-education and as an important tool used by foreign language teachers. Technological progress, the communication revolution, the spread of the Internet, and the development of new media and mobile technologies offer modern and more effective methods of language education. This article reviews the conditions relating to the relationship between mass media and language learning, taking into account the possibility of using one of the key functions of mass communication, namely its educational function. The authors, using literature analysis, defined and analyzed the causes of specific symbiosis between media tools and technologies as well as the methodology used in the field of foreign language teaching.

scholarly journals Necessity of improvement of foreign language teaching in the Slovak Republic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-263
Author(s):  
Marcela Šarvajcová ◽  
Monika Štrbová
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers

Aim. The aim of the research study was to investigate the opinions of the Slovakian secondary school foreign language teachers and learn about their views on the system of education in the field of enhancement of teachers` professional qualifications. Methods. To perform the results of the study the method of focus group was used. Results. The results of the presented research show the differences between the perception of foreign language education in the past and how it appears today through the views of selected number of foreign language teachers in Slovakia. The pivotal role is played by the technological skills of the students and their ability to use information technologies instructed in foreign languages. The research results also indicate the possibilities of teachers to get in direct contact with the target foreign language as a part of their professional development. The research participants also specified the factors that they considered the most influential in the process of foreign language learning. Conclusion. The purpose of the article is to discuss the urge to achieve highly professional foreign language education in today`s technological society. As shown by the results obtained from the focus group, the teachers/participants agreed on a single highly impactful factor: family.

scholarly journals CLIL Approach to Legal English Courses: Analysis of Practice and Experience

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-149
Author(s):  
Elena Grigorievna Vyushkina
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition ◽  
System A ◽  
Question Formation ◽  
Language Teaching Methods

Summary The EU consistent policy on languages promotes new language teaching methods and encourages pedagogical experiments at all levels of education, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) being one of language education innovations. Over the past twenty years CLIL proved to be an effective method in foreign language acquisition and there is considerable evidence of successful CLIL implementation in secondary schools in many European countries. Speaking about foreign languages in higher education, it is necessary to note that abbreviation EMI – English as a Medium of Instruction – is mentioned much more often than CLIL. One of the reasons for lower CLIL implementation at a tertiary level is the complexity of subject contents taught at universities. Furthermore, if a student’s major is law, the issue becomes more challenging because of the differences in common law and civil law systems. However, one of lawyer’s professional competences directly connected with language learning is a communicative competence. Such spheres of lawyer’s activity as client counseling, negotiation, and mediation rely heavily on listening, paraphrasing, reframing, summarising, and skills of question formation regardless of what legal system a lawyer belongs to. These so-called soft skills can be developed within a foreign language course but it seems more rational to master them through a professional medium. Therefore, law teachers should be engaged in designing a substantive part of course materials, while language teachers are to be in charge of communicative competence development. The present study aims at analyzing the practice and experience in designing and implementing an original optional course “Client Consultation in English”. This course can serve as an illustration of a CLIL Legal English course and its structure can be used as an example to follow while designing similar courses.

Assessing the effectiveness of interactional feedback for L2 acquisition: Issues and challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Nassaji
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Conversational Interaction ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Challenging Question ◽  
Considerable Body

AbstractHow to correct learner errors has long been of interest to both language teachers and second language acquisition (SLA) researchers. One way of doing so is through interactional feedback, which refers to feedback provided on learners' erroneous utterances during conversational interaction. Various theoretical claims have been made regarding the beneficial effects of interactional feedback, and over the years a considerable body of research has examined its effectiveness. In this context, a central and challenging question has always been how to determine whether such feedback is effective for language learning. Studies investigating the role of feedback have used various measures to assess its usefulness. In this paper, I will begin with a brief overview of the recent studies examining interactional feedback, with a focus on how its effectiveness has been assessed. I will then examine the various measures used in both descriptive and experimental research and discuss the issues associated with such measures. I will conclude with what continues to pose us a challenge in assessing the role of feedback and offer some recommendations to inform future research in this area.

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