Foreign language teacher education in Turkey: A historical overview

This report proposes a European Profile for language teacher education in the 21st century. It deals with the initial and in-service education of foreign language teachers in primary, secondary and adult learning contexts and it offers a frame of reference for language education policy makers and language teacher educators in Europe. The findings draw on consultation with a wide range of European experts on language teacher education, and on the experience of eleven European teacher education institutions. The findings also suggest guidelines for quality assurance and enhancement. By outlining the key elements in European language teacher education, the Profile aims to serve as a checklist for existing teacher education programmes and a guideline for those still being developed. The report begins by examining the context of recent European enlargement and developments in the European Commission’s policies for education and languages. It outlines the need for a Profile for foreign language teacher education in Europe and explains the rationale behind the Profile as it has been developed. It deals with the structure of educational courses, the knowledge and understanding central to foreign language teaching, the diversity of teaching and learning strategies and skills and the kinds of values language teaching should encourage and promote. Drawing on the expertise of policy makers and educators in the field of foreign language teacher education from a wide range of European countries, the Profile presents 40 key elements in language teacher education courses. It details how courses can be structured and delivered to give trainee teachers access to essential learning opportunities during initial and in-service teacher education. In particular, it focuses on innovative teacher education practices and ways of promoting cooperation, exchange and mobility among the new generation of Europe’s language teachers. In the Profile, each element is explained in detail and supported by advice, guidelines and proposals from European experts. Eleven case studies of European teacher education institutions provide exemplifications of how each element works in practice. The case studies also help identify a number of possible issues that might arise in relation to items of the Profile.

This study provides a much-needed socio-political perspective on language teaching in Turkey and identifies key influences and orthodoxies past and present and their impact on current practices of language learning. The researchers provide a refreshing critique of successive cycles of policies and how they have variously sought to secure starting with imperial, nationalist, and contemporary populist ambitions of language teaching in the classroom and beyond. Almost 150 years of such efforts have frequently shoehorned teaching practices with inevitable consequences for language acquisition from primary education to university. Along with the contemporary educational changes before and after the foundation of the Turkish Republic, the researchers aim to shed light on the chronological records of language teacher education by drawing parallelism between general teacher education and language teacher education in Turkey. The paper concludes with suggestions for improving our understanding of present-day challenges in a field that remains fundamental to the future of the country.

The scholarly interest in the field of foreign language teaching and learning has recently widened its scope within the competence-paradigm from learners’ competences to competences of teachers. Foreign language teacher education has thus been subject of many international and national publications and studies. Focussing on the situation of foreign language teacher education in Germany, results of international research can only partly be applied. This is primarily due to different standards in certain phases of teacher education. From a national perspective, one of the challenges in foreign language teacher education is rooted in the federal system: The 16 federal states of Germany have different regularities concerning the second phase of teacher education (in-service training). Looking at national research on foreign language teacher education, emphasis on investigating knowledge of foreign language teachers based on concepts of pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman) has to be noted. Throughout this article, we would like to critically evaluate underlying competence models, and establish lesson planning as a key category of identifying competence development of foreign language teachers. Lesson planning is conceptualised as an activity that requires language teachers to draw upon all areas of their knowledge. Presenting results of an empirical research study conducted with teacher trainees, the article concludes with relevant research foci that should be addressed in the field of foreign language teacher education.

This is a collection of essays dealing with ESL/EFL/FL teacher education by experienced ESL/EFL/FL teacher educators and student teachers of different cultural backgrounds, and from different countries. The essays cover topics that focus both on the teacher as learner and the learner as teacher. This book recognizes that the language classroom has a particular culture of its own while being part of a broader school culture. As a result, the multi-foci nature of the chapters serve to present the varied and diverse language education needs, programs, and approaches. Contents: The National Foreign Languages: Can we Get from Here to There?, Sophie Jeffries; FLES Teacher Preparation: Competencies, Content and Complexities, Gladys C. Lipton; Journaling: A Path to Reflective Teacher Development, Aleiline J. Moeller; Alternative Assessment in Foreign Second Language: What do we in Foreign Language Know?, Charles R. Hancock; Where are the African American Foreign Language Teachers?, Mark English; Foreign Language Teacher Education in a Professional Development School, Alan Garfinkel and Carol Sosa; Portfolio Design and the Decision Making Process and in Teacher Education, JoAnn Hammadou; Peer Evaluation in In-Service Teacher Education, Jeannette Morris; Professional Development for Japanese Teachers, Yoshiko Saito; Successful Listening Comprehension Strategies: Implications for Foreign Language Teaching and Teacher Training, Rhonda Chipman-Johnson; Emergent L2 Writing in the French Immersion Classroom: Implications for Teacher Education of Where are the Holes in Whole Language?, Stephen Carey and Rishma Dunlop; Multimedia and Foreign Language Teacher: A Humananistic Perspective, Josef Hellebrandt; Culture: How do Teachers Teach it?, Zena Moore.

O processo de internacionalização das Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) brasileiras e as ações por ele desencadeadas têm sido um ponto central de discussão no âmbito das políticas e das práticas linguísticas dessas instituições. A internacionalização é um processo que tem como objetivo principal assegurar a visibilidade nacional e internacional da produção, da mobilidade acadêmica, da internacionalização em casa e do currículo nas IES num escopo mais amplo. Nesse contexto, ações que envolvem gestores, docentes e discentes em práticas de ensino, pesquisa e extensão buscam ampliar relações através de sua participação em projetos cujos desdobramentos incidem em nível local, regional, nacional e internacional. Atualmente, é importante problematizar o lugar do plurilinguismo e das diversas culturas nas políticas linguísticas educativas concernentes ao Ensino Básico e ao Ensino Superior nos documentos com foco na internacionalização elaborados pelo Ministério da Educação (MEC). Dessa forma, cientes da importância da internacionalização e das questões didático-metodológicas, socioculturais e político-linguísticas que elas suscitam para a sua concretização, nesta seção temática reunimos artigos que discutem (a) os desafios da política educacional em prol do plurilinguismo; (b) o impacto do processo de internacionalização na formação de professores de línguas estrangeiras; (c) as ações políticas e didáticas de línguas e culturas com vistas à internacionalização; (d) as questões de plurilinguismo e de translinguagem; e (e) as problemáticas relacionadas aos contextos de migração.

Research and practice show that university-based teacher educators experience great challenges to become teacher-educator-researchers, and need academic support to facilitate their academic development. This paper reports on a grassroots school-baed academic salon in a national teacher education university in China to support foreign language teacher educators’ academic development. Semi-structured interviews and facilitators’ longitudinal observations were employed to collect data. The findings indicate its appeal to teaching-focused mid-career teacher educators who either lacked PhD research training or continuous research experiences, and aspired collegial support to achieve teaching-research integration. Meanwhile, its sustainability arose as a serious issue, suggesting a need for adjustment of its operational mechanisms and administrative support to the facilitating team’s continued efforts. The study suggests the necessity of systemic efforts to support its ongoing development.

This contribution explores pre-service teachers’ perspectives on dealing with taboo topics in English language education. Focusing particularly on university students in Germany who study English to become primary or secondary school teachers, we discuss the results of an online survey addressing the implications for teacher education and ELT. One aim was to identify whether students perceive a mismatch between the presence of taboo topics in their lives and how often they addressed these at school and university. Another major interest was to identify whether university students would like to address taboo topics and methodological approaches for dealing with these topics in TEFL seminars at university. The present study confirms the aforementioned mismatch and allows us to make some suggestions for teacher education and teaching practice. These, for instance, relate to the use of different text types. Given the importance attributed to this by the participants, the contribution concludes by making some suggestions for integrating taboo topics into foreign language teacher education.

Wikipedia as a teaching tool for technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) development in pre-service history teacher education

This study explores the motivational factors and professional development needs of lower secondary foreign language teacher educators (FLTE) at a Swiss University of Teacher Education (UTE). Existing research on the motivation of teacher educators is scant and mainly focused on their identities, professional development and professional standards. Understanding their motivation, however, is crucial owing to the pivotal role of teacher educators in enhancing teaching quality. The study uses semi-structured interviews with eleven lower secondary FLTEs and applies Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory to investigate the motives which drove them to become FLTEs and work at their institution, and their current motivation. Preliminary findings indicate the importance of relational aspects of motivation, in particular the relationship with student teachers and colleagues. The results can inform policymakers and the academic community in optimising decisions related to teacher education and supporting teacher educators in their profession.

This article describes current practice in foreign language teacher education programs—middle-school through post-secondary levels—and provides recommendations for change that might be facilitated through the development of a national foreign language pedagogical research agenda. Discussion of teacher education practices centers around the following concerns: (1) policies regarding the admission and retention of students; (2) the content of teacher education programs, including core courses in the subject-matter specialization or major, professional education courses, and instruction in methodology; (3) preservice teaching experiences; (4) certification standards; and (5) in-service opportunities and maintenance of professional skills. The qualifications of teacher-training personnel, for both secondary and post-secondary settings, are also discussed. Recommendations for the development of a national agenda are grouped into three categories: (1) research and development activities; (2) in-service development opportunities; and (3) opportunities for leadership training. Such an agenda should aid the profession in its efforts to bring about needed change in the education and development of the nation's foreign language teachers.

In the last decade, many initiatives in the field of higher education have been taken at both national and international levels. In 1983 the ministers of education of the European Community themselves spoke in favour of encouraging study abroad by means of appropriate administrative and financial measures. That same year, the European Parliament passed resolutions concerning increased co-operation between institutions of higher education as well as mutual recognition of periods of study abroad and of degrees. In 1984 and 1985, the Council and Education Ministers of the European Community evaluated the Action Programme in the field of education (agreed upon in 1976) and decided inter alia to strengthen measures for the advancement of relations between institutions of higher education with a particular view to the development of joint courses of study, and improvements in the education of foreign language teachers, thereby also illustrating the political will to hasten the process of European understanding. In the last three decades, the Council of Europe has repeatedly dealt with questions of co-operation between higher education institutions, liberalization of courses of study and recognition of degrees. In 1977 the Capelle Report suggested new areas of endeavour such as information networks to encourage mobility and a scholarship programme for postgraduates. The report of the third conference on European mobility, held in October 1984, begins with an urgent recommendation to all universities actively to pursue a policy of mobility. The situation in the Federal Republic of Germany referred to in this article has also been modified by the setting of new goals and the creation of corresponding programmes, which should be examined critically in the light of the experience gained in the past decade. In spite of a multiplicity of plans and programmes, it is immediately apparent that the volume of exchanges has scarcely changed. In spite of rising enrolment, the identical proportion of German students (27 per 1000, or a total of 22,000) study abroad. Subtraction of the ever-larger group studying in the United States gives a figure of 18,000 German students elsewhere in Europe. Of over 65,000 foreign students in the Federal Republic of Germany, barely one-third come from European countries; here, too, the proportions seem to have changed little in recent years. Some have greeted these number games with scepticism and countered them by identifying increases in absolute terms observed in the last ten years or so with an upward trend. Attempts have also been made to define a hypothetical ideal number of mobile students. The fact that the German government has also taken note of the

Can we really talk about the education of foreign language teachers? Or, more accurately, are we dealing with the process of shaping future teachers of English, German, Romance languages, Slavic languages, etc.? Which fields of research should be considered in this context? Which discipline leads the way: the humanities, or perhaps, in parallel, the social sciences? What are the core disciplines that provide the foundation for acquiring knowledge, developing skills, and shaping the attitudes of future foreign language teachers? What is the interplay between these fields, and where do their scientific boundaries lie? What constitutes the optimal environment for preparing trainees? Furthermore, in which language should this process of developing foreign language teachers take place? This article seeks to answer these and similar questions by integrating insights from disciplines such as linguistics, psychology, pedagogy, and (glotto)didactics, as well as many other disciplines. The goal of this text is to highlight the unique synergy of this specific scientific environment in the contemporary process of educating foreign language teachers, and to explore the processes of learning and teaching these languages. The article is divided into three sections: a theoretical and historical part, which includes an analysis of selected documents and texts; a contemporary part, which examines the current state through the lens of practical educational research; and a prognostic part, which outlines future research perspectives and formulates new hypotheses.

The article deals with the problem of development of students’ research skills and the organization of professional andpedagogical training in learner autonomy. The problem of future teachers training is vital as the requirements in moderneducational system are changing and the professionals should be able to adapt quickly and efficiently. Special attention ispaid to the education of foreign language teachers as they are the professionals who should be competent not only in languageteaching but in other spheres of activities. The standards of education are considered; research skills are defined, the curriculafor training Bachelors in Philology were studied. It is revealed that most of the curricula have the updated version of theoutdated programmes which is considered to be one of the problems of research skills development which are important forfuture teachers’ professional development.The article provides the statistical analysis revealing the connection between developing students research skills and theiracademic achievements. The results of students’ course paper defense were analyzed, revealing lack of students’ research skillswhich makes it more difficult to obtain positive results. Moreover, it is not enough to possess particular theoretical knowledgefor writing a course paper, a student has to have sufficient practice experience and the ability to describe the results of theirstudy on paper.The data for the analysis was collected at H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University among future languageteachers whose first foreign language is English. On the basis of the statistical analysis, the results for the following years werepredicted. It is assumed that, if not change and update the approach to teaching, students’ results in course paper defense are to decline. The worst situation is with “Methodology of teaching a foreign language” as it is one of the most difficult subjects asit is not purely theoretical and requires pedagogical practice which is time and effort consuming. Another reason for decliningthe results is general tendency of insignificance of higher education in Ukraine and the fact that education does not guaranteefuture employment.Suggestions for overcoming the problems in organizing students’ research are presented as well as the ways to update thecurricula and sets of exercises given to the students.

The article is aimed at analyzing the use of ChatGPT in foreign language teacher education and its potential for advancing educational development at the university level. This article explores the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (in particular, ChatGPT) in foreign language teacher education by analyzing its impact on student learning outcomes. Through a comprehensive literature review, the article synthesizes current findings on the integration of ChatGPT in educational settings, examining both the benefits and challenges it presents. The study explores into ChatGPT’s role in personalizing studying experiences, enhancing student engagement, and improving academic performance. The authors demonstrate the potential of ChatGPT in teaching disciplines related to studying foreign languages and the methodology of teaching foreign languages. The article emphasizes the importance of formulating clear and precise prompts as well as providing feedback for ChatGPT. The authors also suggest tasks with the use of ChatGPT that are appropriate for the professional training of future foreign language teachers (in particular, teachers of English in primary school). The article provides the examples of using the tasks mentioned above in the process of training students of specialty 013 "Primary education" (the educational and professional programs "Primary Education" and "Primary Education and English Language"). The authors illustrate ChatGPT prompts and its responses during practical classes of the courses "English for Professional Purposes", "Innovative Technologies of Teaching English" and "Methodology of Teaching English in Primary School". This research also suggests avenues for future inquiry, contributing to a deeper understanding of how ChatGPT can be effectively and responsibly integrated into foreign language teacher education, in particular, into training future teachers of English in primary school, to optimize students’ success.

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on a comparative study that investigates English language teacher educators’ ideal identities from the dual perspectives of language teachers and teacher educators in China. Drawing on data from focus and individual interviews, the findings of the study reveal a range of identities such as ‘practical expert,’ ‘model’ and ‘learner,’ which were perceived by the two parties (i.e. the languages teachers and teacher educators) as pivotal for an ideal language teacher educator. On the other hand, the two parties held differing views about some identities such as ‘researcher’ and ‘scholar’ due to the contextual influences in the higher education context. The study offers some useful implications for teacher educators to develop their professional identities and improve their effectiveness in educating teachers.