The Professional Development of Foreign Language Instructors in Postsecondary Education

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Language Instructors ◽  
Foreign Language Instructors

scholarly journals Coaching as a Professional Development Strategy for Adjunct Instructors in a Colombian University

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-135
Author(s):  
Claudia Gómez Palacio ◽  
Deisa Enid Gómez Vargas ◽  
Hadaluz Pulgarín Taborda
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Public University ◽  
Adjunct Instructors ◽  
Language Instructors ◽  
Foreign Language Instructors

This article reports the results of a study in which coaching was used as a professional development strategy with five foreign language adjunct instructors at a public university in Colombia. A questionnaire, coaching sessions, interviews, and both coaches and coachees’ reports were the data collection sources. Results showed that adjunct instructors consider coaching a useful professional development strategy that should be offered to all foreign language instructors. In addition, trust and genuine interest were considered determinant when administrators implement this professional development strategy, and self-leadership was crucial when foreign language instructors make decisions regarding their own professional development.

scholarly journals Understanding Austria from Afar: Treating Regional Variation in the Virtu-al German as a Foreign Language Classroom.

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 59-69
Author(s):  
Mason Wirtz
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
Language Instructors ◽  
Foreign Language Instructors

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced nearly every aspect of the academic world, and study abroad is no exception. Particularly in the foreign language learning sector, the unprecedented switch from in-class lectures to distance learning brought with it many challenges. Not only were language instructors tasked with creating an interactive language learning atmosphere from afar but continuing to spark student motivation while catering to a broad range of learning goals constituted a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. The following case study therefore seeks to provide an easily adaptable and interactive task-based activity for the German as a foreign language classroom that should support learners in gaining a deeper understanding of the social dimensions and usages of Austrian regional varieties. Furthermore, the activity is designed so as to be applicable in both an online as well as face-to-face classroom and accommodate foreign language instructors with less experience in digital course delivery and/or minimal access to learning management systems.  Abstract in German Die COVID-19 Pandemie hat nahezu jeden Aspekt der akademischen Welt beeinflusst, und Study Abroad ist keine Ausnahme. Gerade im Bereich des Fremdsprachenerwerbs hat die beispiellose Umstellung von Präsenzunterricht auf Fernlehre viele Herausforderungen mit sich gebracht. Nicht nur wurden Fremdsprachenlehrer:innen mit der Aufgabe konfrontiert, eine interaktive Sprachlernatmosphäre aus der Ferne zu schaffen, sondern auch die Motivation der Schüler:innen trotz der Situation zu wecken, aufrechtzuerhalten und gleichzeitig ein breites Spektrum an Lernzielen zu berücksichtigen. Dies hat eine scheinbar unüberwindbare Hürde dargestellt. In der folgenden Fallstudie handelt es sich daher um die Bereitstellung einer leicht adaptierbaren und interaktiven task-based Aktivität für den Deutsch als Fremdsprachenunterricht, die Lernende dabei unterstützen soll, ein tieferes Verständnis der sozialen Dimensionen und Verwendungen österreichischer Regionalvarietäten zu erlangen. Darüber hinaus ist die Aktivität so konzipiert, dass sie sowohl im Online- wie auch im Präsenzunterricht Einsatz finden und von Fremd-sprachenlehrer:innen mit wenig(er) Erfahrung in der digitalen Abhaltung von Lehrveranstaltungen und/oder minimalem Zugang zu Lernmanagement-systemen umgesetzt werden kann.

scholarly journals Challenges Faced by Female Students with Visual Impairments in Learning English as a Foreign Language: A Narrative Inquiry Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Waad Abdullah Almalki ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
English Language ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language Instructors ◽  
Foreign Language Instructors ◽  
Learning English

The English language is an international language used to enhance communication in all parts of the world. Countries that do not use English as their first language experience challenges while on international forums as their ability to communicate is curtailed. Females, especially those with visual impairment problems, are mostly affected. This study aimed to investigate the challenges faced by visually impaired female students when studying English at Taif University. The study adopted a narrative inquiry approach. The researcher randomly selected the study participants from visually impaired female students who had an average understanding of English. Data were collected by administering structured interviews. Online questionnaires were used to collect data from foreign language instructors. The study finding indicated that learners found learning English easy, though faced with challenges in the classroom, curriculum design that is not wholly inclusive of the visually impaired, and lack of learning materials such as PDFs, audios, and visuals. Simultaneously, foreign language instructors had not attended any course to teach English to the visually impaired. Based on the study findings, teachers and students required training to understand and handle the VI (visually impaired) students with more attention since there is no direct provision in the department.

scholarly journals Killing more than two birds with one stone: Teaching topical vocabulary through idioms

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 604-612
Author(s):  
Anastasia S. Syunina ◽  
Iskander E. Yarmakeev ◽  
Tatiana S. Pimenova ◽  
Albina R. Abdrafikova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
School Students ◽  
Idiomatic Expressions ◽  
Language Instructors ◽  
Foreign Language Instructors

The aim of this study is to monitor, analyse and assess the effectiveness of using idioms in mastering students’ vocabulary knowledge and improving speech in EFL class. The leading research method was a three-stage experiment. To successfully conduct the experiment, there were compiled a list of an active vocabulary and a list of English idioms that contain this vocabulary. All these were to meet the syllabus topics. A total of 62 school students were observed in this experiment. The obtained results were positive, indicating the fact that teaching vocabulary in idiomatic expressions turned out to be more appealing to learners and more effective than ‘teaching laundry lists of vocabulary alone’. The paper discusses issues and practices of teaching topical vocabulary in EFL class and offers general recommendations for foreign language instructors.   Keywords: EFL class, experiment, syllabus topics, teaching vocabulary through idioms, topical vocabulary

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