Innovation for English language teaching in higher education

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), 2013

This study is part of the research project "Dificultats d'escriptura amb textos argumentatius i explicatius i intervenció didàctica. Una aproximació des de tres llengües" (UV-INV-AE11-42019

2017

This article provides an analytical overview of relevant research methods in applied linguistics significant to teaching practitioners. In the canon of language teaching literature, there are numerous volumes presenting insightful analyses of research into English as a foreign or second language (EFL/ESL) context. This article seeks to familiarize English language practitioners with comprehensive, practical, and straightforward coverage of applied linguistics research within the three research paradigms of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. The twenty-first century challenges societies and systems with new demands and approaches, with schools and teachers being agents of those changes, responsible for their presentation, implementation and often evaluation. Teachers must have a good understanding of such changes and should be prepared to put new knowledge into practice. This can be achieved when a teacher becomes a researcher, engaging themselves in various activities tha...

As English takes on an ever more important role in the globalized world, its teaching also becomes increasingly important. This sate of affairs can be seen in Colombia especially through educational policies which put an increasing importance on English as well as the much-polemicized bilingual legislation, currently under the guise of Colombia Bilingüe. With this increased focus on language level comes a tendency to focus on the ‘how to’ of English language teaching (ELT), leading to what has been describes as the ‘insturmentalisation’ of ELT in Colombia (Usma, 2009: 132ff.). Critical of this increased emphasis on the ‘how to’ of ELT at the expense of the pedagogical nature of the teaching profession, this paper reflects on the use of sociolinguistic theory in a licenciatura, teacher formation programme, in Colombia and shows how engaging with sociolinguistic theories allows students to go beyond the instrumental, consider critical approaches to ELT and ultimately consider their agency in reclaiming the socio-pedagogical dimension of our profession as English teachers.

JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Aim. This article presents the results obtained in a qualitative research related to classroom practices and perceptions of teachers of English as a foreign language in Spain. The aim of this study is to present examples of good teaching practices, including the types of resources, materials and assessment used in spoken English teaching. Methods. A qualitative investigation that used ethnographic (non-participant) observation in primary and secondary English classes was implemented in thirty-two schools. Additionally, twenty semi-structured interviews with primary and secondary teachers were conducted. Results and conclusion. The results show significant differences between both applied methods Non-participant observation indicates that spoken communication in English is not practised sufficiently. However, based on interview results, teachers do apply appropriate language learning strategies that could allow them to successfully teach speaking skills in their students. The results imply that in Spain, there are still many teachers and educational institutions that follow the Grammar Translation Method and other traditional methodologies, which still focus primarily on writing skills. However, several examples of good practices and inspiring methodological and motivational strategies have been found throughout this research, which might be considered as a precedent for those that focus on writing approaches. Cognitive value. This article displays an original research supported by University of Oviedo, through which, the reader can approach to the teaching of spoken English in Spain by means of some teachers´ perceptions and examples of good practices.

nderstanding the Teaching and Learning Practices of English as a Foreign Language at CFAFC of SENA, 2021

The purpose of this research was to understand the reality of teaching and learning practices in English as a foreign language at the CFAFC (Centro de Formación en Actividad Física y Cultura) of the National learning Service better known as SENA. This is a transformational socio-critical study centered on a qualitative approach, in which a group of apprentices and instructors of the CFAFC of SENA in Bogotá participated. Surveys, interviews and didactobiographies were used for data collection and analysis. Through the interpretative phenomenological analysis, five main categories emerged with their corresponding subcategories: Teaching practices: the role of a mediator; Learning practices: the voices of instructors and apprentices; Integral professional training: the vision of different SENA’s agents; Rethinking EFL at SENA; and Reassessing the Bilingualism Guidelines at SENA. Finally, it became evident that there is a lack of resources and time to achieve the desired learning and level. In addition, the bilingualism guidelines are not aligned with comprehensive professional training. Keywords: Teaching and learning practices, EFL, SENA, IPT, bilingualism guidelines.

Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses, 2010

At the end of the first decade of this new millennium, it is time to reflect on English Language Teaching (ELT) research and practice, due to the fact that English has become the global lingua franca and inevitably the communicative use of this global language has been promoted. Throughout its history, English Language Teaching (henceforth, ELT) and its research has been influenced by the way language, in general, has been understood, thought to be learned and needed to be used in given time periods. In other words, the ideas defining language (linguistic paradigms), the leading theories attempting to determine how it is acquired and the particular social demand for its implementation have determined the type of research carried out to find out how English can be taught best in the particular temporal and social context. In this introduction of the special issue on ELT we reflect on the progress of English teaching research mainly in higher education. We start with a brief review of the field by examining the three most influential factors, i.e., the linguistic, psychological and sociological realms or paradigms that have determined its research and practice to the present day. Secondly, we examine the significant developments in the state of the English language, recent European educational and language legislation, as well as the technological advances that have also played a predominant role in characterizing ELT methodology today. As is evidenced by the articles found in this volume of "Research on Teaching in English: Secondary and Higher Education", many studies have focused on the pedagogical procedures used in Spanish tertiary education, influenced by the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), to facilitate the use of language for the academic and future professional lives of English language learners.

Didactica, 2020

El objetivo de este artículo es ofrecer una reflexión sobre la didáctica integrada de lenguas en el contexto de la educación plurilingüe vasca, basada en un análisis de una muestra de materiales didácticos. En el presente trabajo se ha focalizado en algunos aspectos de la producción de géneros textuales expositivos, tal y como se proponen en unidades didácticas de euskera, español e inglés de primero de secundaria. Se ha analizado, desde un punto de vista textual, el tratamiento de un aspecto gramatical específico como los conectores u organizadores textuales. Los resultados señalan que las unidades analizadas se basan en diversos criterios comunes y coordinados, lo que supone un avance hacia la didáctica integrada de lenguas. Asimismo, el análisis revela que cada unidad didáctica refleja una tradición distinta de la enseñanza del texto y de la gramática. El artículo concluye subrayando los retos derivados del hecho de que existan diferencias conceptuales y metodológicas en el trata...

ABSTRACT The purpose of this analysis is to project the methods implemented in the course of teaching English at the tertiary level. A method as an educational tool to imbibe effective teaching/learning, allows a student to adjust to the teaching material, to socialize in a group, to acquire the skill to creatively and critically think. The conceptual change from subject-centered to student centered has brought a transformation in the role of the method adopted in the learning/teaching process. This article highlights the shortcomings and possibilities involved in the process of teaching and learning. The methods adopted should enhance the student to promote oneself towards development and reveal the role of the teacher as a creative mediator. A teacher can adopt his/her methods of instruction that makes the teaching/learning more effective. It is important that the teaching, desired at the collegiate or the tertiary level should primarily be of the remedial type for though the learners have learnt enough language, but in the course of learning, they might have learnt it wrongly or poorly. At the tertiary level, the responsibility of the teacher is to correct and strengthen the language already learnt at the secondary level and make the education process more efficient. Keywords: educational tool, conceptual changes, subject- centered, student- centered

2011

At the end of the first decade of this new millennium, it is time to reflect on English Language Teaching (ELT) research and practice, due to the fact that English has become the global lingua franca and inevitably the communicative use of this global language has been promoted. Throughout its history, English Language Teaching (henceforth, ELT) and its research has been influenced by the way language, in general, has been understood, thought to be learned and needed to be used in given time periods. In other words, the ideas defining language (linguistic paradigms), the leading theories attempting to determine how it is acquired and the particular social demand for its implementation have determined the type of research carried out to find out how English can be taught best in the particular temporal and social context. In this introduction of the special issue on ELT we reflect on the progress of English teaching research mainly in higher education. We start with a brief review of the field by examining the three most influential factors, i.e., the linguistic, psychological and sociological realms or paradigms that have determined its research and practice to the present day. Secondly, we examine the significant developments in the state of the English language, recent European educational and language legislation, as well as the technological advances that have also played a predominant role in characterizing ELT methodology today. As is evidenced by the articles found in this volume of "Research on Teaching in English: Secondary and Higher Education", many studies have focused on the pedagogical procedures used in Spanish tertiary education, influenced by the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), to facilitate the use of language for the academic and future professional lives of English language learners.

2017

Methodological approaches in the didactic second language context Enfoques metodológicos en el marco de la enseñanza de segundas lenguas