‘We Teach Who We Are’: Contemplation, Reflective Practice and Spirituality in TESOL

RELC Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-346
Author(s):  
Thomas S.C. Farrell ◽  
Bradley Baurain ◽  
Marilyn Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Disciplinary Knowledge ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
Being And Becoming

For most of its history, the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) has focussed much of its attention on teaching methods and curricula to the exclusion of the person who must deliver them. In this article we propose that TESOL recognize the inner lives of teachers through understanding their spirituality from the perspective of the teacher’s personal and professional being and becoming. We encourage teachers to reflect on the spiritual dimensions of practice and propose how these might interface with standard disciplinary knowledge to produce more integrated language teachers.

What about the teacher?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Carol Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Contemporary Problem ◽  
Teacher Stress ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Position Paper ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
High School English ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages

Given that I have been a teacher of one kind or another for practically all of my working life, starting as a high school English teacher before moving into TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages), I would like to suggest (in all modesty, of course!) that I am in a good position to understand the stresses of the job. In this position paper, I would like to try to explain the background to the issues of teacher stress, to identify contemporary problem areas, to suggest some possible ways to address the problems, and also to explain why tackling teacher stress is so important – both for teachers themselves, and also for the other stakeholders, especially the learners. Although this article draws essentially on the experience of language teachers and related literature, many of the issues described could apply to teachers of any subject at any level anywhere, a point that will be taken up again when suggesting areas for further research.

scholarly journals Professional Development Through Reflective Practice: A Framework for TESOL Teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Thomas S.C. Farrell ◽  
Melanie Macapinlac
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Teacher Roles ◽  
Teaching Philosophy ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
Students Success

This paper outlines a case study of the reflections of two novice teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) teachers in South Korea through the lens of a framework for reflecting on practice that included reflections on the teachers’ philosophy, principles, theory, practice, and beyond practice. Overall, the results revealed that connections between their reflections on the hidden aspects of teaching (philosophy, principles, and theory) for both teachers remained consistent with what was observed in their practices, and the connections that emerged between their reflections were grouped into two main categories: the acknowledgement of teacher roles, and the importance of their students’ success.

Penerapan Pendekatan Kontruktivisme dalam Pembelajaran Bahasa Indonesia di SMP Negeri I Remboken

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Femmy Tresje Pelealu
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Development Model ◽  
Strategy Model ◽  
Bahasa Indonesia

This study is conducted in order to describe the development model ofconstructivistic teaching in Indonesian language for the sake of maximizing thestudents’ attitude in critical thinking. Operationally this study is done inorder to describe the concept and strategy model and the materials of constructivisticIndonesian language teaching developed by the teachers in SMP Negeri 1 Rembokenfor the sake of maximizing the students’ attitude in critical thinking. TheIndonesian language teachers’ concept on the planning and the conduction ofconstructivistic teaching related to what Indonesian language teaching is, howthe textbook and the materials are used, the purpose of Indonesian languageteaching is, the role of the teacher, the role of the students in the teachingand learning process, the use of teaching methods and media, and the procedureof the conduction of constructivistic Indonesian language teaching and learningprocess in the classroom, was not done by the teachers when they were observed.Their constructivistic teaching attitude is very minimal.

Creating Critical Literacy Praxis: Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822098266
Author(s):  
Tsung-han Weng
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Critical Literacy ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
Literacy Implementation ◽  
Critical Literacy Pedagogy ◽  
Literacy Research

Although research in critical literacy has long been conducted in English as a second language contexts, a modicum of critical literacy research in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts in which English is seldom used outside the classroom environment has also been undertaken. This article aims to discuss the introduction of critical literacy in the Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL) profession, which has been neglected by TESOL researchers and practitioners in EFL contexts. The article reviews and synthesizes the existing literature by providing conceptualizations of the critical literacy approach to TESOL, examples of critical literacy implementation, and the benefits and challenges of implementing critical literacy pedagogy. The article concludes by calling for more critical literacy research in EFL contexts.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Teachers’ Questions in English Language Classroom: A Case Study in Year 10 of SMK N 1 Nunukan

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eka Pratiwi ◽  
Yuyun Yulia
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Knowledge Level ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Tenth Grade ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
English Language Teachers

In English language classroom, teachers’ questions are important parts of teaching English language. Teachers need to know what kind of questions which potentially support students learning target language.  However, students did not actively participate in learning particularly when responding teachers’ questions. To overcome this problem, it is important for teachers to modify their question through some techniques in order to get students’ responses. This study reports the types of teachers’ questions used by English teachers in classroom, and the classification of modification questions used by teachers during teaching English language in class.This research belongs to classroom discourse analysis. The research was conducted at tenth grade of SMKN 1 Nunukan. The data were collected through observation, video recording, and interview. The teachers’ questions were analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s (1995) model of qualitative data analysis.The research findings show that both teachers pose more questions of knowledge level than other levels, and the teachers used various techniques to modify their questions when the students did not give response. The modification of modifying questions are repeating and rephrasing. Then sometimes teachers negotiated questions by in Bahasa Indonesia or first language (local language). The domination of knowledge level questions and how teachers modified the questions is influenced by teachers’ competence, students’ competence, situation of teaching English language, and teaching material.

scholarly journals Examining the Impact of Training and Nativeness on Teacher’s self-efficacy in teaching English

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 81-97
Author(s):  
Lina Lafta Jassim
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Foreign Teachers ◽  
Development Of Language ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of training and 'nativeness' on teacher's self-efficacy in teaching English as a second language. A questionnaire was used and administered to 281 foreign teachers in Nasseria, Iraq. The teacher’s sense of efficacy scale (TSES) was employed to measure a teacher's self-efficacy. Using MANOVA, we tested the impact of teachers’ training and 'nativeness' on a teacher’s self-efficacy. The analysis showed that trained teachers have higher self-efficacy than untrained teachers and further that professional development enhances self-efficacy. The study established that being a native speaker does not necessarily influence a teacher's self-efficacy and goes to support the hypothesis that target language proficiency should not be associated with being a language teacher. Ultimately, policymakers and educational administrators should concentrate on the professional development of language teachers and disband the native/non-native dichotomy.

scholarly journals Investigating TESOL Teachers' Awareness of Critical Pedagogy at Higher Education Institutions in Oman: Implications for Critical Professional Development

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 35-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thuraya Al Riyami ◽  
Ali Al Issa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Alternative Pedagogy ◽  
Sociopolitical Context ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
The 1960S

Critical Pedagogy (CP) has been proposed as an alternative pedagogy capable of meeting the complex demands of teaching English within a particular sociopolitical context. Despite the fact that CP has been present in education since the 1960s, much of the research on CP has been conducted recently in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) contexts. There is a growing but as yet small amount of research that addresses the usage of CP in TESOL contexts, to which this study hopes to make a useful contribution. Therefore, this study investigates the extent to which TESOL teachers from four higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman are aware of CP. In order to achieve this, a questionnaire is administered to 178 English Language Teachers. The main findings reveal a widespread lack of awareness of the concept of CP among TESOL teachers. Nonetheless, minorities of teachers are aware of CP and implement it in a limited fashion in their classes. On the other hand, there are teachers who, whilst being aware of CP, do not implement it. The implications of these findings are discussed.

scholarly journals The development of an online game-based simulation for the training of English language teachers in virtual environments

2020 ◽  
pp. 334-341
Author(s):  
Areti Vasmatzoglou ◽  
Neasa Ní Chiaráin
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Practice Experience ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
Practice Opportunities

Virtual simulation training has gained in usage in various educational fields and offers the potential to support and reinforce learning goals when practical experience is not possible. Teaching practice experience in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom is critical, yet frequently unobtainable for students in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)/English Language Teaching (ELT) Masters programmes. This paper describes the design, development, and evaluation of a gamified simulation prototype, Virtual EFL Classroom, that was built to offer teaching practice opportunities to students in such programmes. Eleven Masters students enrolled in the ELT programme at Trinity College Dublin took part in this study. Findings indicate that participants enjoyed active experimentation in Virtual EFL Classroom and that it has the potential to enhance student-teachers’ decision-making skills, flexibility, and adaptability in planning and teaching learner-centred lessons.

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