Exploring the Online EFL Classroom Ecology of Middle Schools During the COVID-19 Lockdown

The outbreak of COVID-19 has induced an abrupt shift from face-to-face instruction to online delivery mode for academic continuity. This research aims to explore the ecology of the pandemic-induced online English as foreign language (EFL) classrooms in Chinese middle schools and perceptions held by the English teachers, students, and parents. By analyzing data collected from 10, 576 questionnaires and eleven interviews, this study revealed how these participants played their respective parts in online EFL classroom ecology. Also, it was found that teachers’ evaluations of students’ learning performance (learning engagement and outcomes) and teacher-student interactions (in-class interaction, after-class interaction, and teachers’ feedback about homework) and their overall satisfaction of the online EFL classrooms were lower than that of the other two groups. In addition, major concerns of the participants about online EFL teaching and learning were identified, such as students’ vision damage and inadequate self-discipline, lack of face-to-face communication, and unstable Internet connection. Through presenting and discussing the research findings, this study is expected to provide implications and insights for foreign language educators, learners, and parents worldwide in adapting to online classrooms during public crises.

Towards a Sustainable Classroom Ecology: Translanguaging in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in a Finance Course at an International School in Shanghai

Pedagogical translanguaging has emerged as an important strategy facilitating the sustainable use of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in educational settings. This mixed-method study, conducted in an EMI finance classroom at an international school in Shanghai, China, investigates the translanguaging practices of students in classroom interactions as well as their attitudes toward translanguaging as a communicative and pedagogical strategy. Drawing on video-assisted classroom observations and semistructured interviews, this study reveals that the participants’ translanguaging practices are motivated by ease of communication, facilitated by contextual resources, and reflect their strategic maneuvering of the linguistic resources in their repertoires. The data also suggest that the participants are generally positive about translanguaging as an aid in comprehension and for the enhancement of content learning. Some participants, however, expressed reservations about the acceptance of translanguaging as a standard, formal linguistic choice. The findings suggest that EMI teachers should recognize the linguistic resources of students in their entirety and incorporate them into classroom activities to promote biliteracy and the learning of academic content.

Counteracting Dysconscious Racism and Ableism Through Fieldwork: Applying DisCrit Classroom Ecology in Early Childhood Personnel Preparation

Early childhood personnel preparation programs must prepare future early educators who can counteract racism and ableism to provide all children with an equitable and just education. We applied Dis/ability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) Classroom Ecology to early childhood and specifically to preschool settings. We argue that early childhood personnel preparation programs can utilize this framework to prepare preservice early educators to facilitate more equitable experiences for Children of Color with disabilities and their families. We discuss the importance of preparing future early educators to counteract racism and ableism through their fieldwork experiences. We also provide a brief overview of DisCrit in relation to early childhood personnel preparation and present DisCrit Classroom Ecology to apply the framework components to preschool fieldwork.

Technology-Based Classroom Management

Many recent studies incorporate technology into classroom management strategies. Technology-based interventions can be used to increase the engagement of students in schools because they can be personalized to each student and meaningfully incorporated into the existing classroom ecology. This chapter describes how to effectively implement technology-based classroom management strategies. There is a particular focus on intervention selection and implementation. An evaluation of ClassDojo is included as an evaluative case study. Also, considerations of diversity and equity within classroom management interventions incorporating technology are included.

Examining the Issues of Gender and Indigenous Knowledge in English Education Semester Courses

Gender and indigenous knowledge are the contemporary cross-cutting issues to be addressed in the mainstream curriculum for enhancing inclusion and equity in higher education along with the recognition, preservation and promotion of indigenous knowledge. The issues of gender and IK are the cross-cutting subjects to be addressed in the contemporary educational discourses around the world including Nepal. Taking these issues into considering, this study critically examined and analysed the issues of addressing gender and integrating IK into the M.Ed. English courses of Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal, along with the pedagogical practices, assessment and research. Framing on indigenous perspective with social justice, cultural capital, classroom ecology and linguicism as the theoretical lenses, this study applied qualitative study of contents analysis and an open-ended questionnaire with the teachers from TU. The study found that the course content is not much inclusive in terms of gender and indigenous knowledge. However, pedagogical practices, assessment system and research are gender and indigenous friendly as responded by the participants. Its implication is that the M.Ed. English courses of Nepal’s TU needs to address the issues of gender and indigenous knowledge for equity, inclusion and recognition of indigenous knowledge for the glocal context.

High School teachers' Experiences in classroom Ecology of Language Teaching: A Study from the Phenomenological Perspective

The present study aims to look into ecological classroom practices adopted by teachers while teaching English language courses at colleges in Kathmandu, Nepal. The study specifically explains how three high school English teachers in the class felt about ecology of language teaching, how they experienced teaching, and how they provided meaning to it. Three high school English teachers’ experiences were recalled through an in-depth phenomenological interview. The results revealed that the need of classroom ecology was not emphasized. The teachers' experiences in the form of narratives, collected, transcribed, coded, thematic analyses and presented in the notion of emerging themes that English language teaching helped to explore the effective classroom ecological practices in detail. The study is expected to contribute in making EFL teaching successful in linguistic landscapes of Nepal.

Classroom Practices and Academic Outcomes in Urban Afterschool Programs: Alleviating Social-Behavioral Risk

Given the potential of afterschool programs to support youth in urban, low-income communities, we examined the role of afterschool classroom ecology in the academic outcomes of Latino and African American youth with and without social-behavioral risk. Using multireporter methods and multilevel analysis, we find that positive classroom ecology (i.e., social dynamics, responsive instruction, and organized management) positively predicted academic skills and self-concept across 1 year. For academic skills, the association was magnified for students with social-behavioral difficulties; for academic self-concept, the association was magnified for students without social-behavioral difficulties. No significant relation was found between fall classroom ecology and spring academic engagement; yet in classrooms with more positive ecology, youth with initial social-behavioral risk were more academically engaged. Results suggest the need to consider the role of afterschool classrooms and instructors in promoting supportive interactions and advancing academic outcomes for youth facing distal and proximal risk at the transition to adolescence.

Multilevel Exclusion of Dalit Students in Professional Elite Colleges of India

The study traces some exclusionary practices of dalit students in professional elite institutions at multiple levels: admission, pedagogy, classroom ecology and learning approach. Unfortunately, the professional elite institutions in India reinforce and maintain a divide between dalits and non-dalits. They devise mechanisms to restrict entry of dalit students at various levels. The pedagogy not only unconsciously reinforces exclusionary practices but offers many promises of reducing caste inequality in the campus. The pedagogy is further compounded by classroom proceedings. This inquiry gives another angle to understand exclusionary practices in the classroom of professional institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Dalit students as second generation of learners adopt either a strategic learning style or a surface learning style. Professional elite colleges in India have both an innovative as well as democratic classroom ecology. Similarly, teacher-centric and student-centric processes facilitate the process of learning.