Meeting the Demand for TESL/TEFL Teachers: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Increasing Program Accessibility and Effectiveness

• Main Authors: Smith, Catherine A, Vellenga, Heidi E, Parker, Marian, Butler, Norman L
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Admission Criteria; Applied Linguistics; Communication Strategies; Communicative Competence (Languages); Conflict; Continuing Education; Curriculum Design; Discourse Analysis; Distance Education; English (Second Language); Grammar; Instructional Effectiveness; Instructional Innovation; Interdisciplinary Approach; Language Research; Language Teachers; Literature; Pragmatics; Professional Development; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Teacher Education; Teacher Supply and Demand; Web Sites

This paper assembles innovative ideas from several disciplines and offers an integrated discussion for improving TESL/TEFL curriculum design, specifically for individuals from peripheral social contexts and to address the global demand for ESL/EFL teachers. Overall, the suggested innovations serve to: (1) increase program accessibility to individuals who might not otherwise pursue professional development and/or continuing education, and (2) enhance instructional effectiveness by including instructional topics and techniques which support novice and nonnative English teachers. Adjustments to admission practices, instruction practices, and long-term professional support allow the program to reach a greater population of teachers to serve the ever-increasing worldwide demand for English teachers. A website available prior to, during, and after instruction allows participants to continue research projects, learn about professional development opportunities, and participate in a virtual community of TESL/TEFL professionals, regardless of their current teaching placement environment. More practically-focused instruction which is delivered via both on-site instruction and DL (distance learning) technology results in more competent teachers completing TESL/TEFL programs. The more practically-focused instruction incorporates recent language research and language teaching innovations from applied linguistics, multicultural literature, conflict communication strategies, and educational leadership. The language research innovations include descriptive grammar, pragmatics, and discourse analysis. These give teachers a substantially more accurate understanding of English language structures and functions at clause, sentence, and discourse levels. They provide essential tools to more accurately analyze and thus more effectively teach English in a variety of educational contexts. The language teaching innovations include participatory language teaching, sheltered language instruction, and authentic assessments) which extend the learning benefits of communicative language teaching (CLT) methods. These TESL/TEFL methods are incorporated with multicultural literature, conflict communication strategies, and educational leadership to form an interdisciplinary program which provides scaffolded instructional content and techniques which may better serve the needs of TESL/TEFL teacher training program stakeholders. The following are appended: (1) Descriptive Grammar Activity; (2) Pragmatics Activities; (3) Discourse Analysis Activities; and (4) Multicultural Literature Activities. (Contains 4 figures and 65 footnotes.) [This report was published by the Forum on Public Policy.]