Accountable professional practice in ELT

Farmer, Frank

doi:10.1093/elt/cci103

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…However, using a target culture strategy to teach learners who are not in a target culture context reflects a teaching practice that is not in line with learners' interests and needs. In communicative approach, teachers need to place learners in an environment that corresponds to their needs and interests (Farmer, 2006). Thus, target culture does not reflect learners needs in Algeria (but it might be elsewhere e.g.…”

Section: Theory and Practice In Language Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Idiom Understanding and Teaching: Do We Need to Assume a Target Culture?

Bouherar¹

2017

TPLS

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Abstract-This paper argues that learning idioms can be more effective when assuming first language cultural contexts because easier access to relevant contextual assumptions from first language context reduces processing loads and makes learning easier. This is also consistent with Winkler's (2012) view that learning can have better results when it takes place in an environment that corresponds to learners' needs. This paper reports on results from a pilot study with participants in the UK and Algeria who are teachers and learners of English as a second and foreign language. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with UK and Algerian teachers to know about their current teaching practice. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with learners who worked with some teaching materials. Learners were assigned into two groups, both taught idioms in English by the same teacher for a four-week period. In group 1, participants worked with teaching materials which assumed first language cultural contexts however in group 2 students worked with teaching materials that assumed target cultural context. All students were tested pre-and post the four-week study. The results revealed that students' and teacher's attitudes to the first language culture activities were positive but the language tests did not provide evidence of significant differences between the two groups.

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Section: Theory and Practice In Language Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Idiom Understanding and Teaching: Do We Need to Assume a Target Culture?

Bouherar¹

2017

TPLS

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“…Put succinctly, because the overall strategy impacts on everything, it is incumbent on teachers to be familiar with it. Farmer () wants even more active involvement for ESOL teachers, suggesting that they should be competent to deliver services such as programme structure, administration, planning, and staff evaluation, although these are “not normally considered part of teaching” (p. 162). Some might regard such sentiments as radical, but the implication is that, at least at an operational level, it may be counterproductive to have an unwarranted partition of responsibilities between management/administration and teaching in commercially oriented ESOL organisations.…”

Section: The Market‐oriented Teacher In Tesolmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The postcompulsory English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) private sector is a widespread and popular option for nonnative speaker students who wish to improve their English language skills as well as a significant contributor to export education in countries such as Australia and New Zealand (New Zealand Ministry of Education, ). Institutions in the sector are for‐profit service organisations (Farmer, ; Walker, ) competing in a global marketplace. They are distinctive in terms of their dual nature: As educational institutions they are expected, at least in regulated environments, to adhere to established professional and ethical standards, but as businesses they must turn a profit for their owners and shareholders.…”

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confidence: 99%

ESOL as Business: Time for the Market‐Oriented Teacher?

Walker

2014

TESOL Journal

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Private-sector institutions offering English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) in postcompulsory contexts are distinctive in terms of their dual nature: As businesses, their principal raison d'etre is to turn a profit for their owners and shareholders, but at the same time they are educational institutions that are expected, at least in regulated environments, to adhere to established professional and ethical standards. ESOL teachers are professional educators trained in a humanistic academic tradition. When employed in private-sector English language centres, how do such professionals come to terms with the challenges of practising in a manifestly commercial environment? This article employs a services perspective to explore tensions between commercial and educational or professional imperatives in ESOL. It considers the challenges facing ESOL teachers in functioning as so-called market-oriented teachers (Fredriksson, 2009), able both to uphold the tenets of their profession and to support the business strategy and commercial practices of their employer. Although it is unlikely that strains in the ESOL business-education relationship can be entirely dispelled, examples of good practice suggest that a mutually beneficial alliance of the commercial and the educational is possible, resulting in profitable, professional, and ethical private-sector ESOL organisations.

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“…She highlights both reflective practice and membership of a discourse community as indicators of professionalism in teaching. Farmer (2006) suggested that the way other professionals are held accountable for their work may be a convenient criterion for deciding the kind of knowledge skills and attitudes that are required to deliver the ELT service. He argues that what teachers can come to know through training and through reading research is not necessarily the same thing as what they should know in order to ensure that learning is fully supported, while Pennington's (1992) call for teacher accountability centres on outcomes rather than service criteria.…”

Section: Elt Practitioners As Teachers In Tertiary Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Elt Practitioners As Teachers In Tertiary Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The position of ELT practitioners in Mexican public universities

Farmer

Mercau

López

2011

Int J App Linguistics

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English Language Teaching (ELT) staff in Mexican universities may be academics or technicians, depending on the status accorded by the university. This paper reports a survey of the academic qualifications and duties of 185 ELT staff in seven Mexican public universities and relates these to the Mexican government's standards for university lecturers in general (Programa para el Mejoramiento del Profesorado [PROMEP]). It was found that the proportion of ELT staff officially accredited with a desirable PROMEP profile was low, and that other staff varied from the PROMEP profile in different ways and to different degrees. Possible reasons for the wide variation in the position of ELT staff in tertiary institutions are explored and discussed in this paper, and suggestions are made for follow‐up studies. El personal docente de inglés de las universidades mexicanas se clasifica en técnicos o académicos dependiendo del acuerdo establecido por las universidades. Este estudio presenta los resultados de una encuesta sobre el perfil académico y las actividades que realizan 185 profesores de inglés que trabajan en siete universidades públicas mexicanas, relacionándolos con el modelo con que el gobierno mexicano califica el desempeño de todos los profesores universitarios que gozan de una contratación definitiva (PROMEP). Se observó que el número de profesores de inglés que acreditaron oficialmente el perfil deseable PROMEP fue bajo y que el resto de ellos tiene un perfil que difiere del de PROMEP en diferentes maneras y grados. En el artículo se analizan las posibles razones para esta gran variedad de perfiles de los profesores de inglés y se hacen sugerencias respecto a los estudios futuros que se podrían hacer.

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Accountable professional practice in ELT

Cited by 16 publications

References 6 publications

Idiom Understanding and Teaching: Do We Need to Assume a Target Culture?

Idiom Understanding and Teaching: Do We Need to Assume a Target Culture?

ESOL as Business: Time for the Market‐Oriented Teacher?

The position of ELT practitioners in Mexican public universities

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