scholarly journals Expert views on how language education may develop in the next 20 years and what CALL could contribute

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Ton Koenraad Koenraad

<span>The celebration of EUROCALL’s twentieth anniversary provides a proper occasion to reflect on the future of language teaching and the role of CALL in these developments. In this paper we present the views of six authorities on language teaching and learning from different EU countries. All of them have a special interest in CALL and/or are CALL experts and well respected EUROCALL members, such as the late Graham Davies. We present a selection of their observations based on a summary of the Skype interviews in which they contributed to a symposium entitled ‘And now for another century of modern language teaching…’ organised by the Dutch national Association of Language Teachers on the occasion of its first centennial in 2011. To provide a more global (or at least European) perspective, the interviewees were asked to cover the same topics that were central to the live panel discussion delivered by six Dutch participants representing a variety of perspectives: secondary and university teachers, students, curriculum experts and teacher educators. By way of preparation, all involved had been given a number of challenging statements related to some aspects of the discussion theme: the characteristics of the future learning environment, teacher, learner, pedagogy and technology. In this audio-supported document we will focus on interesting points of view particularly related to pedagogy and technology expressed in the interviews. A video report summary of the live discussion (in Dutch) is available on the limited CD edition with recordings of the centennial festivities. For an impression of the panel discussion and other symposium activities see this </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S476HdHWaYw&amp;hd=1" target="_blank">video report</a><span> on YouTube.</span>

2021 ◽  
pp. 335-362
Author(s):  
Mateusz Bogdanowicz

The article calls for a thorough revision of the cultural and historical content of English language curricula at all levels of the Polish educational system. The benefits of coordinated and well-managed language education based on cultural and historical content are outlined. The article is based on the author’s research into part-time university students who are English language teachers, as well as the cultural and historical background knowledge imparted during English classes. The study was conducted at the Department of English Studies of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn in 2010–2019. The article expounds the reasons behind students’ and teachers’ reluctance towards incorporating cultural and historical content into English language curricula. The benefits stemming from cultural and historical background knowledge for teachers, students and foreign language teaching in general are discusses. Based on these observations, the last part of the article explores the most effective methods for promoting, introducing, implementing and developing teaching modules that incorporate cultural and historical knowledge. Culture and history-related content would undoubtedly increase the attractiveness and efficacy of language programs, promote competence development (linguistic, extra-linguistic, and general) among students and teachers, increase motivation in the learning and teaching process, and deliver tangible benefits for schools.


Author(s):  
Jennyfer Paola Casas Trujillo

AbstractMost Education systems propose policies in pro of the benefit of society. However, successful application of these is unknown in consequence considering teachers voices is needed to understand the situations in the classroom. This study analyzes some English language teachers’ stories that served the purpose to construct themselves as professionals of language education facing the dichotomy of inclusion and exclusion placed by the mandates of the Colombian education system. The theme of Language Teacher Subjectivities, in this article, is conceptualized and discussed as the alternative’s teachers have within their reach to use their own theories regarding language teaching and learning. Reflecting retrospectively and prospectively on meaningful school experiences related to the language teaching activity to tackle the dichotomy, the research question that guided this study was: What do language teachers’ narratives portray about their professional subjectivities in relation to inclusion? From a narrative perspective, narrative interviews and a professional life history timeline was analyzed using short story analysis focusing on when, when and who as meaningful in the data and finding that the participants comply with the multidimensional view of the subject. The narratives depicted that the corporal dimension, social-affective dimension, cognitive dimension, and ethic-moral dimension are part of the teachers’ professional subjectivities in the frame of Colombian inclusion policy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 8-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Lomicka ◽  
Gillian Lord

AbstractAs the field of applied linguistics ponders and even embraces the myriad roles technology affords language education, we frame this critical report within the context of the Modern Language Association's 2007 report, along with earlier state-of-the-field Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (ARAL) pieces (e.g., Blake, 2007; 2011) to consider not only where we've come from but also, crucially, where the field is headed. This article begins with an overview of the field, examining the role of technology and how it has been leveraged over decades of language teaching. We also explore issues such as the goals established by the Modern Language Association (MLA) with respect to shaping technological vision and the role of technology in enhancing the field of language education. We use this critical assessment to offer insights into how the field of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) can help shape the future of language teaching and learning.


English Today ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Edwards

A review of foreign-language teaching in relation to the predominance of English in Europe and in the world at large.The theme of a conference of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages (part of the Modern Language Association) in 2000 was the future of language teaching and learning. My discussion here is based upon remarks made in Phoenix.


XLinguae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-158
Author(s):  
Bambang Agus Darwanto ◽  
Sri Endah Setia Rini ◽  
Hesthi Herusatoto

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced school administrators and practitioners including teachers to find quick ways to mitigate the pandemic impacts on education including language education. When the pandemic hit, all parties were groping for new ways to conduct education (teaching and learning) in the emergency period. This research was intended to find out what skills teachers need to quickly transform themselves from the traditional to tech-rich teaching from home (TFH) in the pandemic outbreak with total school closure like that of the Covid-19. This research was descriptive quantitative with surveys and focus group discussions (FGD) with university teachers of different foreign languages to attain data. The results show that with different levels of digital and navigations skills, teachers have to be trained to attain the threshold level of various teachnological savviness to quickly serve. A diagram of a digital skills list is presented with hardware tools skills (skills to use gadgets) as the initial emergent skills to acquire and the learning tools skills (skills to access sources) as the last skills to train. All these trainings have to be carried out very quickly, and an around-the-clock mentoring system to give assistance to a teacher in an emergency teachnological situation must be provided. The findings should provide ideas as to how schools have to respond to a pandemic situation like the Covid-19 when a similar outbreak occurs in the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-193
Author(s):  
Lucía Pintado Gutiérrez

AbstractThis article explores the agency of the student in translation in language teaching and learning (or TILT). The purpose of the case study discussed here is to gain an overview of students’ perceptions of translation into the foreign language (FL) (also known as “inverse translation”) following a module on language and translation, and to analyse whether there is any correlation between students’ attitude to translation, its impact on their language learning through effort invested, and the improvement of language skills. The results of the case study reveal translation to be a potentially exciting skill that can be central to FL learning and the analysis gives indications of how and why language teachers may optimise the implementation of translation in the classroom. The outcome of the study suggests that further research is needed on the impact of translation in the language classroom focussing on both teachers’ expectations and students’ achievements.


2015 ◽  

The Cambridge Guide to Blended Learning for Language Teaching makes the case that it is pedagogy, rather than technology, that should underpin the design of blended learning programmes. The book is organised into five sections: Connecting Theories and Blended Learning; Implications for Teaching; Rethinking Learner Interaction; Case Studies; The Future of Blended Learning. With its research-informed and practitioner-focused approach, this book is ideal for language teachers and language centre managers looking to broaden their understanding of pedagogy and blended learning. It will also be of interest to anyone working on blended learning course design or delivering teacher training courses.


PMLA ◽  
1962 ◽  
Vol 77 (4-Part2) ◽  
pp. 31-42
Author(s):  
Wilmarth H. Starr

I. Brief History of the Project: Since 1952, the Foreign Language Program of the Modern Language Association of America, responding to the national urgency with regard to foreign languages, has been engaged in a vigorous campaign aimed in large part at improving foreign-language teaching in our country.In 1955, as one of its activities, the Steering Committee of the Foreign Language Program formulated the “Qualifications for Secondary School Teachers of Modern Foreign Languages,” a statement which was subsequently endorsed for publication by the MLA Executive Council, by the Modern Language Committee of the Secondary Education Board, by the Committee on the Language Program of the American Council of Learned Societies, and by the executive boards or councils of the following national and regional organizations: National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations, American Association of Teachers of French, American Association of Teachers of German, American Association of Teachers of Italian, American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages, Central States Modern Language Teachers Association, Middle States Association of Modern Language Teachers, New England Modern Language Association, Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Northwest Conference on Foreign Language Teaching, Philological Association of the Pacific Coast, Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association, South Atlantic Modern Language Association, and South-Central Modern Language Association.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 242-264
Author(s):  
Ernest Nyamekye ◽  
Daniel Baffour-Koduah ◽  
Esther Asare

Since the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), teaching and learning have somewhat taken a paradigm shift. It is, thus, imperative for teachers in all disciplines to appreciate the essence of integrating ICTs in teaching and learning. In this regard, this study sought to explore Basic School Ghanaian Language teachers’ perceptions of ICT integration in Ghanaian language teaching. The study employed a descriptive survey design. Stratified random sampling was used to obtain data from 205 teachers in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo region of Ghana. Analysis of data collected through a self-developed questionnaire reveals that Ghanaian language teachers exhibit a positive perception of ICT integration in education. However, in practice, they tend to integrate ICT in their instruction on occasional basis. Also, it was revealed that a lack of financial support for ICT resources and lack of in-service training on ICT use were factors that militated against ICT integration in Ghanaian language teaching. Finally, the study revealed a statistically significant difference between degree holders and diploma holders’ perception of ICT integration in teaching and learning Ghanaian language.


Neofilolog ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 28-41
Author(s):  
Krystyna Droździał-Szelest

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.


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