Using the EPOSTL for Dialogic Reflection in EFL Teacher Education (original) (raw)
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Using the EPOSTL for Dialogic Reflection in EFL Teacher
2015
For many pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and their mentors, the theory and practice driven European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL) 3 occupies a prominent and practical role in their preparation programs as a delivery system of core pedagogical skills and knowledge. Interest in the role that dialogical reflection plays in this process is studied in an EFL teacher education program at a Swiss university that relies heavily on the EPOSTL for the professional development awareness-raising. While the EPOSTL contributes valuable core knowledge to the processes of dialogic and mentored-reflection, certain program components provide more opportunities for scaffolded reflection than others.
2015
For many pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and their mentors, the theory and practice driven European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL)3 occupies a prominent and practical role in their preparation programs as a delivery system of core pedagogical skills and knowledge. Interest in the role that dialogical reflection plays in this process is studied in an EFL teacher education program at a Swiss university that relies heavily on the EPOSTL for the professional development awareness-raising. While the EPOSTL contributes valuable core knowledge to the processes of dialogic and mentored-reflection, certain program components provide more opportunities for scaffolded reflection than others.Para muchos docentes en formación de inglés como segunda lengua extranjera y sus mentores, la teoría y la práctica guiada por el Portfolio Europeo para Futuros Profesores de Idiomas – EPOSTL, ocupa un papel importante y práctico en sus programas de preparación,...
Promoting reflection in initial foreign language teacher education: The use of the EPOSTL revisited.
2020
The present text presents a longitudinal study on the promotion of reflection in foreign language teacher education. The report comprises work in progress. The research design was iterative in that each of the cycles shaped the following one. The research context was an undergraduate seminar course taught in the years 2014, 2017 and 2019 with the objective to promote students’ reflection in their practicum semester (in total 61 students). The European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL) was used and activities had been planned for its integration in the course. At the same time, research was undertaken in order to investigate the optimal ways to serve the purpose of reflection. Based on the identified shortcomings, changes to the course were made and conclusions were drawn concerning the improvements undertaken. The present paper outlines the rationale and research methodology of the project and discusses the interim results of the first two cycles. These, although far from final, indicate ways in which teacher education for reflection can be improved. Some thoughts on the expected final results of the project and the way forward conclude the paper.
2019
This explanatory mixed-method action research describes how a social constructivist professional development program impacts self-reflection of foreign language teachers at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). The problem is that traditional professional development for foreign language teachers does not improve self-reflection. Despite their individual differences and qualifications, most teachers receive traditional in-service professional development (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, Gardner, & Espinoza, 2017) on a specific topic and have no time to reflect on their existing practices, newly presented concepts, or students' responses to instruction. The effectiveness of such professional development is questionable (Darling
Irish Educational Studies, 2019
Although primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland are generalist teachers, language teaching of both Irish and English, as well as the development of literacy skills across the curriculum is an integral part of their daily professional practice. This paper presents an analysis of the European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL) with a view to considering its potential as a reflective tool in the initial primary teacher education (IPTE) in the Republic of Ireland. The creation and structure of the EPOSTL within a European language policy landscape is delineated, and thematic analysis is presented, focusing on three of the EPOSTL's main theoretical and conceptual underpinnings: (a) teacher autonomy, (b) reflective practice and, (c) self-assessment. The role of primary teachers as language teachers within a new framework of plurilingualism is highlighted. In order to consider the suitability of the EPOSTL as a reflective tool in teacher education, IPTE educational policy documents are examined to uncover converging discourses with the underlying themes of the EPOSTL. The EPOSTL emerges as a good conceptual fit with IPTE policy. It presents as a reflective tool with the potential to promote a transformative and integrated approach to language teacher education in and across Institutes of Education at a time of sociolinguistic and curriculum change in Irish primary schools.
A Tool for Reflection in Language Teacher Training
2020
Students wishing to become teachers of languages in Malta are required to follow the Master in Teaching and Learning (MTL) course offered by the Faculty of Education of the University of Malta. The two-year full-time post graduate course, which enables graduates to teach at Secondary level, according to the language of specialisation chosen, combines theory and practice by means of a Field Placement in schools throughout the 2 years of the course. This comprises a period of observation sessions in schools held once weekly, during which, with the help of a Teacher Mentor, student teachers are expected to discuss the different practices observed, followed by a five-week block practicum period in each of the two years of the course, giving particular attention to preparation and planning, reflective practice, professional skills and professional development. The Field Placement goes hand in hand with the Themes in Education interdisciplinary programme with the aim of fostering reflecti...
The reflective leg of an efl teacher’s journey
Erciyes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 2020
Reflection has a crucial role in learning to teach as a long developmental process. This case study focuses on the engagement of a teacher of English as a foreign language (EFL) in reflection. The teacher was engaged in a 12-week reflection process which included two-phase procedures repeated five times. The first phase of each procedure involved reflection on lexical problems through journals and peer discussions. The second was for reflection on classroom practice through journals and interviews. With a sequential exploratory mixed methods design, the study involved analysis of the teacher's reflections first qualitatively and then quantitatively. The qualitative analysis was based on the taxonomies for descriptive and critical reflection presented in Ho and Richards (1993) and Farrell (1999). The quantitative side involved one-way goodness-offit chi-square test results. The results revealed that she referred to most of the topics in the taxonomy, and the top three were students' problems, an approach/procedure, and positive evaluations of lessons. Overall, her critical reflection outnumbered her descriptive reflection, and was mostly related to evaluating teaching. The teacher also displayed development in the sense of critical reflectivity. All the quantitative analyses had statistically significant results. Globally, her reflection in journals, discussions, and interviews enabled her to respond to the context, engage in conscious deliberation, and integrate knowledge into the teaching act. In this way, the study is expected to contribute to the participant's professional development.