An Investigation into the Teachers’ Use of L1 in EFL Classes

In many countries where English is used as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL), the classroom is the main context for students’ exposure to the target language (L2); however, English teachers have a tendency to use the mother tongue (L1) excessively. As a result, the appropriate use of L1 in language classrooms remains as a major problem. This study investigates Turkish EFL teachers’ perspectives on the use of L1, and functions that the teachers’ use of L1 serves in foreign language classrooms. Mixed method research design was adopted using a questionnaire and semistructured interviews. English teachers (n=43) responded to the Use of L1 Questionnaire and semistructured interviews were held with eight volunteer teachers working in Beyza private schools in a province in Turkey. Quantitative data from the Likert scale questionnaire items was analysed using descriptive statistics to reveal frequency, mean and standard deviation scores, and inductive content analysis was applied for the analysis of qualitative data. The findings have demonstrated that most teachers avoid or limit the use of L1 systematically and give priority to using L2 in EFL classrooms. Findings also suggest that L1 can be used as a facilitating tool for explaining difficult grammar and vocabulary items, managing classrooms, giving instructions, checking for comprehension and establishing a friendly classroom environment.

Turkish EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on WEB 2.0 Applications: Benefits and Potential Challenges

Web 2.0 applications such as Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts, and social networking including Myspace, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram are important sources for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). in foreign language classrooms. This study investigates Web 2.0 tools used by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, and the teachers’ perspectives of such tools in terms of their benefits and potential challenges. A mixed-method research design was adopted, and data was collected using The Web 2.0 Application Questionnaire and written interviews. English teachers (n:56) working in TED (Turkish Education Association, Türk Eğitim Derneği) colleges completed the questionnaire, and interviews were held with 12 volunteer teachers. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data from the demographic information of the participants, as well as the mean and standard deviation scores of the Likert-scale questionnaire items. Qualitative data from the interview questions were analyzed through content analysis. The findings suggest that teachers are aware of the potential uses of ICT technology, and they use various Web 2.0 applications for instructional purposes. In addition, teachers consider using Web 2.0 tools beneficial in enhancing student motivation, collaboration, and communication skills, keeping students engaged with classroom tasks, and enabling teachers to adjust their instructional practices to students’ varied needs, hence creating an effective learning environment. Not much challenge is reported in using Web 2.0 tools, except technology-related difficulties.

Web 2.0 Applications in the Teaching Process: A Swot Analysis

This study, it is aimed to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the web 2.0 applications used in the teaching process through SWOT analysis and to reveal the opportunities and threats. For this purpose, the study group consists of 20 volunteer teachers working in public and private schools. The teachers benefited from web 2.0 tools in their lessons and could actively use web tools. Online interviews were conducted with the teachers. The data obtained from the interviews were evaluated by using descriptive content analysis. The themes and codes were created by analysing the interview data considering the SWOT analysis and its sub-themes. As a result of the research, it was determined that the strengths of the web 2.0 applications used in the teaching process are making the students active, providing permanence in learning, increasing success and creating a positive effect on the development of many skills. Weaknesses of web 2.0 tools; difficulties in creating the materials, time-consuming use in the course, not allowing everyone’s access, lack of technology and access. Features such as being independent of space and time, creating the desired content, sharing information, using it as a measurement tool, getting quick feedback, and providing a flexible classroom environment are included among the opportunities of web 2.0 tools. It is under the threat of reducing the influence of the teacher, disrupting the dominance of the lesson, removing the subjects from the centre, causing distraction, experiencing internet and access problems, creating technology addiction in students and creating security problems.

Monitoring dan Evaluasi Penyelenggaraan Relawan Guru Pendidikan Kristen dan Katolik BKGS Salatiga

Primary schools lack Christian and Catholic teachers so there are volunteer teachers of the religious teaching staff. The volunteer has not enough education and teaching experiences. Therefore, provision is important both from a spiritual perspective, introduction to vision and mission, core values of BKGS, and as well as intellectually Christian and Catholic learning methods. The method that we used was to distribute the instrument to partner schools. The activity is carried out in several steps: Preparation, Implementation, Evaluation, and Reporting. The outcome and achievement are the performance of BKGS volunteers who are placed in schools, especially primary school in Salatiga, are classified good. This activity implies that teachers can improve learning strategies in schools through evaluations.

What are the Purposes of Teachers for Using the eTwinning Platform and the Effects of the Platform on Teachers?

This study is a qualitative case study research, determining the purposes of teachers to use the eTwinning platform and to examine the effects of the platform on teachers. The study group consisted of 15 volunteer teachers who carried out eTwinning projects rewarded with quality labels. In the study, the data were obtained through a semi-structured interview form, and the content analysis method was used in the data analysis. According to the results obtained, it was concluded that teachers used the eTwinning platform in order to make projects, participate in online courses, contribute to their professional development and collaborate. The platform has a great contribution to teachers both personally and professionally. As a result, it is obvious that the eTwinning platform is very useful for teachers. The platform is so effective that it contributes to the professional and personal development of teachers, and even changes their perspective on the profession.

Targeted Individual Support for Ethnic Minority Preschoolers in the Silent Period in Learning Chinese

The silent period is most frequently used to describe the period of second language (L2) acquisition where the learner displays no obvious language output. In Hong Kong, ethnic minority (EM) preschoolers face challenges on home, school and community levels in learning Chinese as a second language, meaning that for those in the silent period, it may particularly difficult to begin speaking Chinese, leading to slower language development. A support service was established, targeting EM preschoolers in Hong Kong who are experiencing the silent period in learning Chinese as a second language. Volunteer teachers conduct individual, one-to-one training with these preschoolers at their homes or at community centers. This study aims to explore the approximate length of the silent period for EM preschoolers in learning Chinese as a second language, comparing the effect of receiving the support as opposed to none, and identify perceived effective practices in the targeted individual support, using a mixed methods approach. Analysis on speaking scores of the Language Progression Framework (LPF) revealed that the average silent period without support lasted for approximately two years, which can be shortened by half a year with the support service. A case study on a preschooler and a semi-structured focus group interview with volunteer teachers revealed perceived effective practices including interesting activities and teaching materials, opportunities for social interaction with peers, establishing rapport between teachers and their preschoolers, and a positive attitude from parents in supporting their children in learning Chinese. Implications for EM preschoolers learning Chinese, integration with the local community, teaching practices and policy making are discussed.

Technology-Mediated Language Training: Developing and Assessing a Module for a Blended Curriculum for Newcomers

Newcomers to Canada with low proficiency in English or French often face challenges in the workforce (Kustec, 2012). While language classes provide workplace language training, not all newcomers are able to attend face-to-face classes (Shaffir & Satzewich 2010), suggesting a need for outside the classroom, occupation-specific language training. The use of technology has been shown to be advantageous for second language (L2) learning (Stockwell, 2007), especially when used outside the classroom (i.e., mobile-assisted language learning), as mobile technology affords learners greater control and flexibility over their own learning (Yang, 2013). This paper reports on a study investigating the development of a blended curriculum for L2 learners employed in customer service. A technology-mediated module was designed and developed within a task-based language teaching framework to provide workplace-linguistic support on mobile devices, enabling learners to access the language instruction they needed, when they needed it. The module contents and usability were assessed by high-beginner English proficiency newcomers employed in customer service (n=4) and their volunteer teachers (n=4). Results confirm the overall benefits of using language learning technology in providing instruction that meets participant language needs, ensuring opportunities for individualized training. Implications for designing, implementing, and researching technology-mediated modules are discussed.

Caratteristiche ed esiti di un corso di formazione per insegnanti volontari di italiano L2 Suggerimenti per favorire lo sviluppo di prassi didattiche efficaci

This paper presents the characteristics and outcomes of a training course for L2 Italian volunteer teachers (VTs). The aims of the course were: 1) to help VTs reflect upon their beliefs and past teaching experience; 2) to propose new teaching activities and work on them; 3) to analyse new perceptions and pedagogical practices that have developed as a result of the course. The outcomes were tested on 18 participants, whose psychological disposition towards their duties and improvement in grammar teaching were assessed using Guskey’s Teacher Training Evaluation Questionnaire. Classroom observations, conducted via a simplified version of the COLT scheme, allowed to further detect and analyse changes in teaching practices. Results show improvements in teaching and in pedagogical awareness.

The spatial imaginaries of international volunteer teachers: Contrapuntal and disconnected geographies

Scholars argue that international volunteering must not be framed as altruism or charity; rather, it should invoke themes from decolonial justice theorizing. Volunteers who have benefited from colonial-imperial structural advantages should understand their labor as a kind of reparation for ongoing structural dispossession. I argue that spatial imaginaries are central to this project. Volunteers can better situate themselves with decolonial intentionality if they adopt what Edward Said called contrapuntal theories of geography. The volunteer orientation phase is the best time to instill this spatial imaginary. This study analyzes how volunteers theorize “home” and “away” as they become teachers in Namibia. Drawing from a “netnographic” discourse analysis of their public blogs, I find that volunteers are likely to subscribe to a geographical imaginary of atomized and disconnected spaces, lacking the conceptual tools needed to grapple with decolonial justice and to implement dues-paying volunteering in their classrooms.

Volunteer student: the society-university interaction as a territory for the configuration of its professional profile

Extension, together with research and teaching, constitutes one of the substantive functions of the university, which facilitates a continuous exchange of shared knowledge between the university and society. This has been revalued through the Student Social Commitment Program that opens the possibility for university students to insert themselves and interact with differentsectors of society. Inthis way, our team developed projects that bring together in an interdisciplinary work, the educational community of the Curaca Lino Acevedo school in Córdoba and a team made up of volunteer teachers and students from different UNC faculties. The story ofthis experience is made by recovering the voices of one of its main protagonists, the student volunteers. The volunteer is above all an active, critical, co-responsible person, sensitive to social problems, both individual and collective, being a key piece to identify the demands of the environment and achieve an optimal combination between scientific-technical knowledge and the most contextualized (popular/social). Likewise, it plays a preponderant role so that the members of the community can recognize themselves as subjects of right, and to demand the conditions for a full exercise of health. In the extension activities that the volunteer students create and recreate, they find a different space to develop skills of exchange, dialogue, critical thinking,deployment of their creativity and respect for cultural diversity. The participation of students in interdisciplinary teams is also an opportunity for the development of social and civic communicative competence, and to experience values of respect, tolerance, commitment and solidarity, which are essential to perform in today's society. In this context, the volunteer student becomes a mediator between two realities, the university and society.