Providing a series of chapters, written by teacher educators in three continents, this edited volume explores the concepts, challenges, possibilities, and implementations of competency-based instruction for developing English competencies in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. Recent trends in education have emphasized the need to develop competencies that connect learning with real-life performances. This need has brought about a massive increase in the number of studies and scholarly works devoted to research into competency-based education. However, for teachers and learners of EFL, it is challenging to develop competencies for using a language that does not seem to connect with their real-life scenarios. The chapters apply the concept of competency-based instruction in different EFL contexts and are structured around three themes: Theory: current thoughts on theories of competency-based education Research: empirical research on competency-based teacher education Practice: integrating competency-based instruction into teacher education This book offers examples of competency-based EFL teacher education through both research and practical applications. In addition to the innovation in competency approaches, the inclusion of language learning in virtual environments offers a valuable resource for scholars, educators, researchers, and all those concerned with current and future education.

The field of Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE) is mainly concerned with the professional preparation of L2 teachers. In order to improve teaching in the multilingual and multicultural classroom of the 21st century, both pre- and in-service L2 teachers as well as L2 teacher educators must be prepared to meet the new challenges of education under the current circumstances, expanding their roles and responsibilities so as to face the new complex realities of language instruction. This volume explores a number of key dimensions of EFL teacher education. The sixteen chapters discuss a wide variety of issues related to second language pedagogy and SLTE. Topics discussed include the importance of SLA research; competency-based teacher education approach; classroom-based action research; SLTE models; the value and role of practicum experience abroad; the models of pronunciation teaching; multicultural awareness and competence; the influence of teachers’ cognitions, emotions and attitudes on their emerging and changing professional identities; the potential of classroom materials and technology; and CLIL and ESP teacher education. English as a foreign language teacher education: Current perspectives and challenges will be of interest to teachers-in-training, teachers, teacher educators and to those educational researchers interested in how L2 teaching is actually learned in professional preparation programmes. Juan de Dios Martínez Agudo is Associate Professor of EFL Teacher Education at the University of Extremadura, Spain. His current research interests include Second Language Acquisition and English Teaching Methodology. His most recent books are Oral Communication in the EFL Classroom (2008), Errors in the Second Language Classroom: Corrective Feedback (2010) and Teaching and Learning English through Bilingual Education (2012).

Spanning the divide between the theory and praxis of competency-based teaching in tertiary language education, this volume contains invaluable practical guidance for the post-secondary sector on how to approach, teach, and assess competencies in Bologna-adapted systems of study. It presents the latest results of prominent European research projects, programs of pedagogical innovation, and thematically linked academic networks. Responding to a profound need for a volume addressing the practical aspects of the newly designed language degrees now being rolled out across Europe, this essential contribution pools the insights of a prestigious set of scholars, practitioners, and policy makers from diverse parts of Europe and the US. It will inform crucial decisions about instituting and evaluating competencies in a new generation of language studies programmes. ​

English Language Teaching (ELT), especially English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL), has been witnessing unprecedented changes in curriculum, teaching methodology, and the application of learning theories. This has created a demand for teachers who can teach English to learners of varied cultural, socio-economic and psychological backgrounds. The book, in its second edition, continues to discuss the modern trends, innovations, as well as the difficulties and challenges in teaching and learning ESL in a non-native context. The book, with contributions from many experts (each one specializing in a particular field) from countries such as UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, India, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, China, and Japan, provides new methods, strategies and application-oriented solutions to overcome the problems in a practical way. The book deals with all topics pertinent to English as a Second Language or English for the non-native speakers, and these are further reinforced by a large number of examples and quotations from different sources. The new edition comes along with thoroughly improvised chapters on Narrative Inquiry for Teacher Development (Chapter 13) and Mass Media, Language Attitudes and Language Interaction Phenomena (Chapter 23): to provide an insight on the innovative approaches in Teacher training and in classrooms, and new approaches and changing language dimensions in the world of media, and in general. What distinguishes the text is its focus on modern innovations and use of technology in ELT/CLT (Communicative Language Teaching). Postgraduate Students of English, teachers, teacher-trainees (B.Ed./M.A. Education/M.Ed.), and teacher-educators who are concerned with teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) should find this book immensely helpful.a

This book contains many suggestions for practical work and discussion, and includes an extended case-study.

This book showcases how teacher educators from diverse backgrounds, contexts, and realities approach English language teacher education with a critical stance. Organized into nine parts that explore different facets of English Language Teaching, each section opens with theoretical considerations chapters and features 24 practical application chapters. Written by renowned scholars including Graham Hall, Lili Cavalheiro, and Mario López Gopar, among others, the theoretical considerations chapters offer concise insights into current issues and controversies in the field, point out opportunities for criticality, and discuss implications for teacher education. Written by critically-oriented teacher educators/researchers from various parts of the world including Brazil, Germany, Morocco, Sweden, Turkey, and the USA, among others, the practical application chapters exhibit various ways to incorporate critical approaches in reshaping current teacher education practices (ranging from critical and queer pedagogy to translanguaging to multilingualism) along with a critical reflection of the potentials and the challenges involved in their application.

Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language, Second Edition, is designed for those new to ESL/EFL teaching and for self-motivated teachers who seek to maximize their potential and enhance the learning of their students. This guide provides basic information that ESL/EFL teachers should know before they start teaching and many ideas on how to guide students in the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It stresses the multifaceted nature of teaching the English language to non-native speakers and is based on the real experiences of teachers. The second edition of Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language includes a wider range of examples to coincide with a variety of teaching contexts-from K-12 schools, to university intensive language programs and refugee programs. It is also updated with discussions of technology throughout, and it considers ways in which technology can be used in teaching language skills. Sources for further study are included in each chapter and in the appendixes.