An investigation of Albanian EFL teachers' decision-making in their use of CLT-oriented textbooks

Against a backdrop of ongoing educational reforms that seek to introduce Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Albanian primary and secondary state schools, Albanian teachers, among others, are officially required to use communication-based textbooks in their classes. Authorities in a growing number of countries that are seeking to improve and westernise their educational systems are also using communication-based textbooks as agents of change. Behind these actions, there is the commonly held belief that textbooks can be used to support teacher learning as they provide a visible framework teachers can follow. Communication-based textbooks are used in thousands of EFL classrooms around the world to help teachers to “fully understand and routinize change” (Hutchinson and Torres, 1994:323). However, empirical research on the role materials play in the classroom, and in particular the role of textbook as an agent of change, is still very little, and what does exist is rather inconclusive. This study aims to fulfill this gap. It is predominately a qualitative investigation into how and why four Albanian EFL teachers use Western teaching resources in their classes. Aiming at investigating the decision-making processes that teachers go through in their teaching, and specifically at investigating the relationship between Western-published textbooks, teachers’ decision making, and teachers’ classroom delivery, the current study contributes to an extensive discussion on the development of communicative L2 teaching concepts and methods, teacher decision making, as well as a growing discussion on how best to make institutional reforms effective, particularly in East-European ex-communist countries and in other developing countries. Findings from this research indicate that, prompted by the content of Western-published textbooks, the four research participants, who had received little formal training in CLT teaching, accommodated some communicative teaching behaviours into their teaching. The use of communicative textbooks, however, does not seem to account for radical, methodological changes in teachers’ practices. Teacher cognitions based on teachers’ previous learning experience are likely to act as a lens through which teachers judge classroom realities. As such, they shape, to a great degree, the decisions teachers make regarding the use of Western-published textbooks in their classes.

Prática de ensino supervisionada em educação pré-escolar e ensino do 1º ciclo do ensino básico: tornando-se educadora/professora

O presente relatório da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada (PES) resulta da observação e participação no contexto da PES em Educação Pré-Escolar realizado em Florianópolis, Santa Catarina (Brasil), através do programa Luso-Brasileiro, no Núcleo de Educação Infantil Colónia Z-11 e da PES em 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico na Escola EB1 da Quinta da Vista Alegre, pertencente ao Agrupamento Manuel Ferreira Patrício de Évora. O relatório centra-se no meu percurso e aprendizagens como futura educadora/professora: ir aprendendo a profissão em contexto, indo ao encontro de quem somos e em quem nos vamos tornando, dando enfase ao papel das crianças nos processos de aprendizagem que experimentámos. Na conceção da ação educativa, tornada prática pedagógica em contexto, a avaliação, formativa e transformadora, assim como a reflexão acerca da prática foram fundamentais para o melhoramento da intervenção e, por tal, influências positivas na aprendizagem das crianças e na minha aprendizagem profissional. A problemática deste relatório teve como base o querer compreender relações entre uma reflexão sistemática, por escrito, sobre o desenvolvimento do meu projeto de formação em contexto, considerando que a avaliação formativa deveria nortear e monitorizar o nosso trabalho, as relações e aprendizagens, na ação docente que ia desenvolvendo, quer em Educação Pré-Escolar quer no 1º Ciclo. Neste percurso, entrelaçando a ação e a investigação, procurei respostas para as seguintes questões: o que sabia acerca da docência que se pauta por uma avaliação formativa e formadora no trabalho com crianças? O que fiz para aprendermos em conjunto, tendo em conta uma função reguladora que a avaliação poderia tomar? Como o fiz? Em que momentos e com quem? Para quê, com que finalidade? O que aprendi no decorrer deste processo de aprendizagem profissional, onde a investigação-ação teve um papel relevante?; Supervised Teaching Practice’s Report to obtain a Master’s Degree in Preschool and Primary school: Abstract: The present report of Supervised Teaching Practice (STP) is a result of the observation and participation in context of STP in pre-school that took place in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina (Brazil), through the Luso-Brazilian program, in Núcleo de Educação Infantil Colónia Z-11 and through STP in Primary School of Ensino Básico in Escola EB1 da Quinta da Vista Alegre, which belongs to the Manuel Ferreira de Évora Group. The report focuses on my journey and learnings as a future teacher: learning the profession in it’s actual context, trying to find who we are and what we can become, and emphasizing the children’s role in these learning processes. In the conception of the education activities, which became possible by pedagogical practice in context, the evaluation, formative and transformative, as well as the reflection about the practice were vital to improve the intervention and, consequently, to have a positive influence in the children’s learning process and in my own professional experience. The main focus of this report is to understand the relation between a systematic reflection, in writing, about the development of my teaching in context project, considering that the formative evaluation should guide and monitor our work, the relationships and learnings, in the educational process that I developed, either in pre-school or primary school. In this journey, by combining action and investigation, the main intention was to answer the following questions: What did I know about teaching characterized by a formative assessment when working with children? What did I do so we could learn together, bearing in mind a regulative function that evaluation could take? How did I do it? In what moments and whom with? What for, and what was the purpose? What did I learn throughout this professional learning process, where the investigation-action played a major role?

La acción tutorial en los trabajos de fin de grado: análisis de su funcionamiento en la Titulación de Grado en Derecho de la Universidad de Málaga

En los nuevos planes de estudio la función tutorial alcanza un papel clave en el proceso de aprendizaje del estudiante. A diferencia del viejo concepto de acción tutorial que existía en los antiguos estudios de licenciatura, actualmente la tutorización del estudiante por parte del profesor es parte esencial de su profesor de aprendizaje. En el caso de los trabajos fin de grado esta función toma un mayor protagonismo al ser necesario que el profesor realice un seguimiento del alumno para orientarle desde su inicio hasta la finalización del trabajo fin de grado. A través de este trabajo expondremos cuáles son las funciones que el profesor-tutor debe desarrollar durante la tutorización del trabajo fin de grado y cuál es la valoración que podemos realizar de su regulación y funcionamiento en la titulación de Grado en Derecho de la Universidad de Málaga, tras dos años de experiencia.

On-line writing: a link to learning in a teacher education program

This paper examines the use of on-line discussion as a medium for learning in a pre-service teacher education program. As part of an Education Studies course student teachers engaged in a discussion of issues related to technology and equity in schools. The design of the task and the subsequent analysis of the on-line text were part of a research project investigating whether and how communications technology can be used to integrate and extend the learning of teacher education students. The main argument developed in the paper is that through the on-line activity distinctive sets of writing practices were created. These practices enabled students to make connections between the often disparate parts of teacher education programs-theory and practice, campus and school, research and experience. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning design twofold strategies for teacher-led inquiry andstudent active learning

This workshop paper states that fostering active student participation both in face-to-face lectures / seminars and outside the classroom (personal and group study at home, the library, etc.) requires a certain level of teacher-led inquiry. The paper presents a set of strategies drawn from real practice in higher education with teacher-led inquiry ingredients that promote active learning. Thesepractices highlight the role of the syllabus, the importance of iterative learning designs, explicit teacher-led inquiry, and the implications of the context, sustainability and practitioners’ creativity. The strategies discussed in this paper can serve as input to the workshop as real cases that need to be represented in design and supported in enactment (with and without technologies).

A methodological approach to identify teacher's ICT competencies in online learning environments in Higher Education

Aquest article pretén descriure el procés metodològic d'identificació i mesurament de les competències TIC dels professors i com a formadors en les TIC en un entorn d'aprenentatge en línia en l'Educació Superior portat a terme en el marc del Projecte Europeu Elene-TLC.La revisió de la recerca en les competències en línia del professor demostra que, en primer lloc, el mètode més utilitzat per a identificar aquestes competències és el focus group. En segon lloc, la tècnica Delphi és la tècnica més utilitzada per reunir el consens d'experts sobre quines són les competències principals per al professor en línia entre els que s'indiquen.La proposta metodològica descrita en aquest document consisteix en la creació de 7 grups de discussió en línia, l'objectiu dels quals era identificar les competències formatives dels professors en línia i les dels professos en línia. La llista de competències obtingudes posteriorment es va oferir als experts europeus que participaven en l'aplicació de la tècnica Delphi. A aquests experts se'ls va demanar que ordenessin les competències d'acord amb el seu grau d'importància.Els resultats mostren que els grups de discussió en línia i el mètode Delphi són les metodologies apropiades per a identificar les competències TIC dels professors universitaris en els entorns d'aprenentatge en línia.

La Incidencia de las nuevas tecnologías en los hábitos formativos de los estudiantes de magisterio = The Impact of new technologies in the learning habits of teacher students

Este trabajo persigue dos objetivos: el primero es analizar el uso de las TIC en un grupo de estudiantes de segundo curso de Magisterio de la Universidad de Girona; el segundo es analizar los documentos normativos legales que establecen el currículum de educación primaria en Cataluña para observar qué tipo de papel juegan las TIC en las nuevas programaciones educativas. La primera parte se ha llevado a cabo mediante una encuesta, cuyos resultados permiten observar tres aspectos distintos: el primero, que una parte considerable del grupo considera las TIC más como un complemento para el aprendizaje que como una forma de aprendizaje; el segundo, que a pesar de hacer un uso considerable de las TIC, el conocimiento que tienen de ellas es muy básico y utilizan aplicaciones muy genéricas; y el tercero es que una parte de sus propuestas didácticas para el uso de las TIC son propuestas tradicionales simplemente adaptadas a un nuevo instrumento, sin buscar realmente la innovación que puede suponer la incorporación de las TIC. En la segunda parte del artículo, a partir del análisis e interpretación de los documentos legales que establecen el currículum de Educación Primaria, se observa que en un mismo documento conviven aserciones sobre las TIC como complemento al aprendizaje de contenidos con otras formulaciones que consideran las TIC como constructoras de conocimiento. A partir del perfil de los estudiantes y del estado de los documentos legales, al final del artículo se hacen propuestas para formar al futuro maestro teniendo en cuenta las TIC como herramientas básicas de conocimiento

University teacher competences in a virtual teaching/learning environment : analysis of a teacher training experience

This paper attempts to shed light on the competencies a teacher must have inorder to teach in online university environments. We will relate a teacher trainingexperience, which was designed taking into account the methodological criteriaestablished in line with previous theoretical principles. The main objective of ouranalysis is to identify the achievements and difficulties of a specific formativeexperience, with the ultimate goal of assessing the suitability of this conceptualmethodologicalframework for the design of formative proposals aiming to contribute tothe development of teacher competencies for virtual environments.

Towards Innovative Virtual Learning in Vocational Teacher Education: Narratives as a Form of Meaningful Learning

http://www.eurodl.org/.

Conditions for EFL learning and professional development : Finland-Swedish learner and teacher perspectives

Engelskans dominerande roll som internationellt språk och andra globaliseringstrender påverkar också Svenskfinland. Dessa trender påverkar i sin tur förutsättningarna för lärande och undervisning i engelska som främmande språk, det vill säga undervisningsmålen, de förväntade elev- och lärarroller, materialens ändamålsenlighet, lärares och elevers initiala erfarenheter av engelska och engelskspråkiga länder. Denna studie undersöker förutsättningarna för lärande och professionell utveckling i det svenskspråkiga nybörjarklassrummet i engelska som främmande språk. Utgångsläget för 351 nybörjare i engelska som främmande språk och 19 av deras lärare beskrivs och analyseras. Resultaten tyder på att engelska håller på att bli ett andraspråk snarare än ett traditionellt främmande språk för många unga elever. Dessa elever har också goda förutsättningar att lära sig engelska utanför skolan. Sådan var dock inte situationen för alla elever, vilket tyder på att det finns en anmärkningsvärd heterogenitet och även regional variation i det finlandssvenska klassrummet i engelska som främmande språk. Lärarresultaten tyder på att vissa lärare har klarat av att på ett konstruktivt sätt att tackla de förutsättningar de möter. Andra lärare uttrycker frustration över sin arbetssituation, läroplanen, undervisningsmaterialen och andra aktörer som kommer är av betydelse för skolmiljön. Studien påvisar att förutsättningarna för lärande och undervisning i engelska som främmande språk varierar i Svenskfinland. För att stöda elevers och lärares utveckling föreslås att dialogen mellan aktörer på olika nivå i samhället bör förbättras och systematiseras.