Teacher Education in TESOL - Research Paper Example

?Literature review on teacher training What is teacher training? Relation between training, education and development. Teacher training, as the term implies, is the training or skill development of teachers. There is direct juxtaposition between the terms training and education. According to Widdowson (1983, p. 19), training means imposition of a conformity to the widely accepted and established behavioral patterns whereas education “seeks to provide for creativity whereby what is learned is a set of schemata and procedures for adapting them to cope with problems which do not have a ready-made, formulaic solution (Widdowson, 1983, p. 19). Teacher development is the development of a sense of the strengths and weaknesses in a teacher so that the increased self-awareness resulting from the process helps the teacher identify better ways to teach others. Training and education are both the means of development of a teacher. How is second language teacher training different from teacher training in other disciplines? Second language teacher training differs from training of teachers in other disciplines in that it imparts a need for the teacher to study and develop compatibility with different cultural factors that drive the students’ tendency to learn second language, language being intrinsically and integrally linked with culture whereas training in other subjects is not constrained by cultural differences. Teacher training in other disciplines is primarily about developing the expertise of the teacher in the technical aspects of the subject e.g. lab work training for such subjects as physics and chemistry, and training of software and programming for the subject of computer. On the contrary, training of teachers in the teaching of second language is more about reaching out to the students both individually and collectively so as to understand the barriers they face in developing their competence in the second language. One aspect of teacher training in the subject of second language teaching could be planning and designing of lecture in such a way that it includes activities and exercises aimed at individually targeting the barriers of students in learning the second language, respecting the time constraints of the lecture. 2. Summary of teacher training history and the main theories on teacher training. The history of teacher training varies from one country to another, yet one common and very favorable improvement that has occurred over the years is increased use of ICT and advanced technology in the teacher training. The training of primary school teachers dates back to the late Victorian period when it commenced almost by an accident after the Kindergarten school was established in the year 1882 (Randall, 2007). Bedford was families’ choice because of the availability of high quality of education. The Training College was established originally with only five students and continued to remain at the site for more than 70 years. The Bedford students followed Friedrich Froebel’s progressive model of training. The system gradually became more developed and advanced. Likewise, the only teaching requirements in the colonial period in America were mediocre learning and low pay. Teacher training began during the 1820s and 1830s in academies that were equal to the contemporary secondary schools (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2011). …..and the main theories on teacher training. Ethical theories primarily apply in teacher training. “We believe that some teaching of ethical theory – the teaching of the ways we can distinguish right from wrong, good from bad - is necessary in ethics courses, but we suggest a modest, not a major role for theory” (Bowden and Smythe, 2008, p. 23). Since unethical behavior is identifiable, students and teachers can individually assess their actions’ rightness or wrongness. Training of the teachers of second language describes the teacher’s notion as a reflective practitioner, that is an individual who reflects on the professional practices with a view to developing expertise in it (Wallace, 1991). Training of second language teachers is a process of exploration of the ways in which a reflective approach can be applies to the variety of areas of the program of teacher education that include but are not limited to micro teaching, classroom observation, and planning and assessment of the programs of teacher education. 3. Teacher training process and curricula. Perhaps a short section on this – with various models and approaches, roles and identities too? Teachers may be trained in schools if their have their own specific curricula of second language teaching or they may be trained in vocational training institutions or academies. These academies train the teachers on specific areas to help them deal with the challenges of second language teaching. Second Language Teaching Education (SLTE) has surfaced as a new practice that consists of several practices and ideas of reflection. “At the same time, it has drawn increasingly on feeder ?elds of research and practice such as teacher cognition and professional cultures” (Wright, 2010). Curriculum development tools for the training of second language teachers include workshops, workplace (classroom) analysis, analysis of students’ demographics, and alignment of curricula to handle the differences and overlapping areas (Dittrich, n.d.). 4. Pre-service and in-service teacher training; differences and implication on programme design. Yes but with emphasis on which one you are working with – give this more space.(Focus should be on in-service teacher training) The fundamental difference between pre-service training and in-service training is evident from the terms’ names; pre-service training refers to training before the start of service whereas in-service training is training during the service. Reforms in pre-service teacher training happened during the 1990s that led to considerable change in the institutions of teacher training and also in the practical training schools (Tardif et al, 2001) whereas the in-service teachers training initiative started at the end of the year 1999 and was supported by UNICEF (unicef.org, 2000, p. 2). Saricoban and Bariskan (2005) carried out a research to study the effectiveness of the pre-service training in the skills of classroom management. As a result of the research, it was found that most of the teachers have the awareness of classroom management principles that are conveyed during the programs of teacher training. It was also concluded that the skills of classroom management are adequately implemented in the classroom and that the program of teacher training is generally quite effective. Pre-service training does not let a teacher know how well he/she may perform in teaching. “One who merely knows how to teach but can’t or doesn’t teach well doesn’t meet Dewey’s pragmatic test” (Crawford, 1938, p. 241). As compared to pre-service training, in-service training generally leads to more favorable results since the training can be customized to the needs of the program design. In-service teacher training is similar in concept to the continued professional development of a teacher that inculcates more skills in the teachers to be better able to perform their duties in the educational institutions. Concern about the teachers’ professional development and the quality of services delivered by them imparts the need of investment in training for quality. “Systematic inservice training, over and above teachers' formal education and experience, is a significant predictor of program quality” (highscope.org, n.d.) provided that it the inservice training is inclusive of workshops, multi-session distributive learning, a model of curriculum, trainers’ visits to the classrooms, and opportunities of reflection on the learning experiences by the participants. 5. Literature review on integrating ICT into teacher training. YES and include issues of impact here too. (at least 500 words here) ICT is frequently used in teacher training in all kinds of institution. Literature review (Enochsson and Rizza, 2009) depicts a considerably homogeneous picture of the use of ICR in the initial training of teachers despite the representation of the eleven OECD countries, though the picture is incomplete as yet. There are many evidences of successful practice that can be defined as “a practice that makes the student teachers use technology with their pupils in the classrooms” (Enochsson, n.d., p. 4). There is a variety of ways in which ICT is used in teacher training. Enochsson (n.d.) carried out a research to explore the use of ICT in the practice of initial teacher training. The research led to the conclusion that there is a great difference between the time for which the Swedish student teachers use ICT and the number of hours range from 0 to 80 hrs. Although both extremes appear to be implausible, yet they are not completely unrealistic. In this research, the issue of interactive whiteboards was found to pose challenges for the students. There were some students who had seen the interactive whiteboards in their field placements whereas others had only heard about them. The comments and interviews of the students led to the impression that they were in greater control with the whiteboard as compared to other kinds of technological devices. Although the higher education institutions based in Norway have good access to the ICT equipment (Wilhelmsen et al, 2009), yet there is difference between having access to ICT and using it. Results of the research carried out by Tomte, Hovdhaugen, and Solum (n.d.) suggests that the basic ICT equipment like projector systems and computers are generally more accessible for use in the teacher training whereas other sophisticated systems like interactive whiteboards and videoconferencing are sparsely available for such purposes. This is illustrative of the practices that imply more of a traditional view of ICT than of an instrumental view. There is an institution in the Oslo University College that has strongly focused upon the ICT for many years (Tomte, Hovdhaugen, and Solum, n.d., p. 19). Oslo University College launched an e-learning strategy in the year 2003 (HiO, 2003). Nevertheless, the former or current strategic plans of the University do not cover the issue of ICT, primarily because ICT is thought to have been already dealt with in other documents. One of the implications of integrating ICT into teacher training is time management. One teacher trainer from Karlstad introduced such a service to the class in which teachers may borrow the software and different sorts of pedagogical games for free (Enochsson, n.d. p. 21). Although this was deemed to be a good practice, yet the student teacher was not content with the mere awareness of the service. Despite her willingness to make use of the service while she was on her field placement, the student teacher could not achieve that since the mentor teacher was not interested in that and secondly that was not one of the requirements. Social, political, and technological sustainability are factors of concern and consideration in ICT based training (Tinio, n.d., p. 20). 6. Literature review on teacher training main challenges and success factors. Include barriers, challenges and contraints. Challenges in teacher training include but are not limited to lack of funds to purchase the ICT equipment, lack of availability of expert trainers, time constraints, budget constraints, and lack of motivation in teachers to learn the use of ICT or change the teaching practices that have been in place traditionally. Another barrier to teacher training is also the consideration of changing the teaching practices to incorporate the use of ICT in them that involves redevelopment of schedules, redesigning of coursework, and rescheduling. The success factors of teacher training include enhanced skill of the teachers, their improved efficiency and ability to train the students on the use of ICT, and the improved quality of education with the use of ICT equipment. References: Bowden, P., and Smythe, V. (2008). Theories on Teaching & Training in Ethics. Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies. 13(2), 19-26. Crawford, C. C. (1938). Functional Pre-Service Training of Teachers. The Phi Delta Kappan. 20(7), 241-245. Dittrich, I. J. (n.d.). TVET teacher training for work process based curriculum design – the DCCD project –. Universitat Bremen. Enochsson, A. (n.d.). ICT in Initial Teacher Training. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/sweden/45046846.pdf. Enochsson, A., and Rizza, C. (2009). ICT in Initial Teacher Training: Research review. OECD. highscope.org. (n.d.). Inservice Teacher-Training Is the Key to High-Quality Early Childhood Programs. Retrieved from http://www.highscope.org/file/Research/high_scope_curriculum/Inservicetraining.pdf. HiO. (2003). E-l?ringsstrategi, innstilling fra e-l?ringsutvalget avgitt 15.2.2003 http://www.hio.no/content/view/full/9256. Randall, A. (2007). History of Teacher Training. University of Bedfordshire. Retrieved from http://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/departments/initial-teacher-training/history. Saricoban, A., and Bariskan, V. (2005). The Effectiveness of Pre-Service Teacher Training in Classroom Management Skills. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. 1(2), 124-133. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. (2011). Columbia University Press. Tardif, M. et al (2001). Pre-service Teacher Training Programs: Outcomes of recent reforms and new trends towards effective professional training. Universite Laval, Quebec City. pp. 1-19. Retrieved from http://www.cesc.ca/pceradocs/2001/papers/01Tardif_etal_e.pdf. Tinio, V. L. (n.d.). ICT in Education. Retrieved from http://www.saigontre.com/FDFiles/ICT_in_Education.PDF. Tomte, C., Hovdhaugen, E., and Solum, N. H. (n.d.). ICT in Initial Teacher Training. Country Report: Norway. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/norway/45128319.pdf. unicef.org. (2000). Progress Report of the “In-Service Teachers’ Training Using Active Learning Methodologies” in Two Experimental Primary Schools in Republika SRPSKA. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/files/srpska_techer_training_rec_347506.pdf. Wallace, M. J. (1991). Training Foreign Language Teachers: A Reflective Approach. Cambridge University Press. Widdowson, H. (1983). Learning Purpose and Language Use. Oxford: O.U.P. Wilhelmsen, J., Ornes, H., Kristiansen, T., and Breivik, J. (2009). Digitale utfordringer i hoyere utdanning. Norgesuniversitetets IKT-Monitor. Norgesuniversitetets skriftserie 1/2009 Tromso: Norgesuniversitetet. Wright, T. (2010). Second language teacher education: Review of recent research on practice. Language Teaching. 43(3), 259-296. Read More