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In the fields of Corpus Linguistics and Teacher Education, there is a substantial body of research relating to corpus applications in the classroom. However, the majority of such work relates to teacher training in tertiary education. In this article, a research project is described in which corpus training was included as part of a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), the popular four-week teacher training programme. Specifically, the project focuses on web-based corpus tools that provide frequency information. Observations and evidence are offered from both the trainees’ and trainers’ perspectives, and the subsequent analysis reveals a number of trends. Overall, it is argued that corpus tools are a valuable training resource on CELTA programmes in terms of developing language awareness and assisting in lesson planning, but that expecting trainees to use corpus tools during teaching practice remains unrealistic. In the ensuing discussion, practical considerations are provided for the integration of corpus tools into CELTA programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been almost 20 years since what is known as the non-native Englishspeaking (NNES) professionals' movement-designed to increase the status of NNES professionals-started within the US-based TESOL International Association. However, still missing from the literature is an understanding of what a movement is, and why non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) in TESOL constitute a movement. This article draws on the field of sociology to explain the notion of a 'movement' and explains the emergence of the NNEST movement as a sociological phenomenon. The article furt'her discusses the NNEST movement's achievements in creating opportunities for leadership development, and research and publications; its partial achievements in providing NNES professionals networking opportunities; and its failure in promoting a more inclusive environment for NNES professionals. The article ends with a call for action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the Film in Language Teaching Association (FILTA) project, a community of practice (CoP) whose main goals are first to engage language teachers in practical uses of film and audio-visual media in the second language classroom; second, to value the artistic features of cinema; and third, to encourage a dialogue between language teachers in order to share activities and creative approaches to the use of film and audio-visual texts in language teaching. This article examines the origin, development, experiences, and practices of the international and multilingual community of language teachers that forms FILTA (a community which includes teachers of Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, and Urdu). It also looks at some recent European audio-visual and education policies that permeate current trends of film literacy in language teaching, and considers future challenges, including how to maintain growth and further promote engagement within this diverse CoP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the role that handwriting can have when writing is used as a tool for learning in English language education. Nineteen Norwegian EFL teacher training students were interviewed in focus groups about their own practices and their thoughts about writing-to-learn activities. All the students said that they prefer to write by hand. They claimed that writing by hand is fundamentally different from writing on a keyboard, and that handwriting has much greater impact as a tool for learning. However, the students had not given much thought to the didactic implications of their own preferences, and issues related to the different technologies of writing are not dealt with in their own studies. The investigation suggests that more attention should be paid to the affordances of different technologies of writing and to handwriting as a tool for learning in ELT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a survey of Swedish EFL teachers' attitudes towards, and dependence on, ELT coursebook packages in the light of recent research into digital literacy. The results showed that while ICT is making massive inroads into language classrooms in technologically advantaged countries like Sweden, the coursebook package still has its place assured among trainee teachers, at least for the immediate future. The current generation of 'digital native' pre-service teachers still looks to coursebook packages to structure lessons during teaching practice and as a means of providing extended reading practice in the Li. Their more experienced in-service colleagues are, however, increasingly abandoning the coursebook in favour of freestanding digital resources. Practising teachers in the survey increasingly saw coursebooks in contingency terms and as a fall-back' position. Finally, the article considers the desirability of a more fundamental abandonment of the coursebook in favour of digital tools and resources in the EFL classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that the most commonly used lesson plan pro formas in language teacher education are inappropriately premised on an outcomes-based approach to teaching, one that is in conflict with what we know about how languages are learnt and how experienced teachers teach. It proposes an alternative, affordance-based approach to lesson planning and makes a number of practical suggestions to modify the pro forma and its role in lesson observation. It is argued that the suggested changes encourage teachers to plan for and respond to the learning opportunities of the lesson, thereby reflecting more closely the practice of experienced language teachers and the reality of differentiated language learning. It also makes recommendations on how such a pro forma could be used in both initial certification and in-service teacher development in a wide range of learning contexts, potentially compatible with product, process, and procedural approaches to syllabus design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In TESOL teacher mentoring, giving advice can be conceptualized as a continuum, ranging from directive to facilitative feedback. The goal, over time, is to lead toward the facilitative end of the continuum and specifically to catalytic interventions that encourage self-reflection and autonomous learning. This study begins by examining research on the mentor's advice-giving role. Next, the experiences of seven mentors participating in a mentor training programme illustrate how mentors view and fulfil their role. Data from the seven mentors' coursework is examined to identify the approaches and techniques that emerge during this process as they attempt to move toward catalytic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to present examples of trainer talk that scaffold trainee teachers’ understanding of teaching in a post-observation feedback session. Previous research into scaffolding in a teacher training context describes scaffolding at a technique or strategy level, without describing how, in linguistic terms, the trainer can support and guide the construction of teaching knowledge. Data from this research into talk with trainees in post-observation feedback sessions suggest that there are various levels of trainer scaffolding which may vary from moment to moment in the interaction between trainer and trainee. The article concludes that it is necessary to be aware of specific talk which can scaffold at these levels, and the author offers a possible framework for scaffolding talk. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores whether the perception of learner autonomy that is promoted in language pedagogy is suitable for preparing students to perform successfully in the changed circumstances of the use of English. Recent developments, which include the growing role of English as a lingua franca and computer-mediated communication (CMC), give rise to fluid and emergent contexts in which speakers from a variety of language and cultural backgrounds interact. It is argued that the current training-oriented view of learner autonomy in ELT, with its focus on learning processes, should be amended to enable learners to cope with the challenges of communication in the twenty-first century. In this article, an approach that shifts the attention to language use is suggested, where autonomy is developed through tasks and activities that engage learners on their own terms and allow them to effectively exploit their linguistic resources in online negotiation of meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has become a well-known term for foreign language teachers and language researchers. A little more than a decade ago, it was a term unheard of in most staff rooms or professional conferences. This paper seeks to define CLIL and to look into the reasons that have propelled it to widespread adoption. Important success factors of CLIL programmes will be presented, as well as research results relating to its impact. Finally, concerns about CLIL will be addressed and a way forward for the approach will be roughly sketched. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article provides some context for the unquestionable influence of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) on language learning, teaching, and assessment ten years after its publication. If a survey about the most relevant and controversial document in the field in the twenty-first century were to be carried out, the CEFR would most surely be the top one. The document itself has been translated into all European languages, and its scales are now available in more than 40 languages, including sign language. The CEFR levels and its scales have become currency in Europe and beyond, and its recommendations—having seduced governments and institutions—are slowly finding their way into everyday practice. The CEFR, however, is not a model of absolute perfection, and criticisms and challenges will also be reviewed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Describes an in-service language teaching initiative in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Untrained, unqualified and short-term teachers in Sierra Leone, West Africa; Importance of leadership; Motivation theory.

Responds to 'One-Month Teacher Training Courses: Time for a Change?,' an article by G. Ferguson and S. Donno, published in volume 57/1, January 2003 issue of 'ELT Journal.' Concept of short, entry-level certification courses in English language teaching (ELT); State of ELT around the world; ELT qualifications; Response to market demands.

Presents letters from 'ELT Journal' readers commenting on English language teaching issues covered by the magazine as of October 10, 2003. Change of paradigm from the point of view of practitioners; Dilemma in all education/training of all foreign language teachers; Reason for the dearth of published research into one-month pre-service teacher training courses.