Online Language Teacher Education

TESOL Perspectives

Liz England

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780415894500
• eBook ISBN: 9781136698811
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

More and more, ESL/EFL teachers are required by their employers to obtain a Master's degree in TESOL. Thousands of ESL/EFL teachers are acquiring professional skills and knowledge through online and distance education instructional models. Filling a growing need and making an important contribution, this book is a forerunner in addressing some of the issues and problems for online distance learning and instructional delivery in TESOL and applied linguistics departments in universities around the world. Carefully addressing the complexity of the field, this volume includes primary research and case studies of programs where a variety of online distance models are used. Structured in a logical sequence, the readable and accessible content represents the collected expertise of leading language teacher educators. Each chapter brings the reader a better understanding and ability to apply knowledge about online distance TESOL education.

1
ONLINE DISTANCE TESOL
IN THE 21ST CENTURY—
FROM THE TRENCH

Liz England

Who knew where the world would take English language teacher education in the 21st century? As the start of the second decade of the new millennium marches further along in the history of English language teaching worldwide, it is timely to consider a number of critical questions in online TESOL.

This chapter situates the remarkable growth of online distance TESOL preparation in the world today and provides readers with a clear and succinct description of the content and status of teacher education in online distance contexts worldwide.

With the explosion in the vast and diverse uses of technology to provide support for language teacher education in general, now there are more than 40 universitybased TESOL master’s level programs taught online and by distance worldwide, and more than 400 private institutions offering certificates in TESOL online.

Thousands of students enroll in these online teacher education programs in TESOL worldwide, and those who teach them are faced with remarkable and complex challenges in addressing quality online instruction.

In its effort to describe and clarify some of these challenges, this volume addresses the learning experiences for students in online TESOL programs, as well as the instructional and administrative tasks for those who lead them.

While most all face-to-face master’s degree and certificate programs in TESOL include technology tools in their instructional programs, these “blended” models of teacher education are not the subjects of this book. Here, we focus on programs that rely on completely (or nearly completely) online instruction.

For the purposes of this volume, an early definition of online education is taken from one of the first publications on this topic. Paloff and Pratt (2001), defined online education as follows:

An approach to teaching and learning that utilizes Internet technologies to communicate and collaborate in an educational context.

So, with this definition in mind, several important questions in online TESOL are addressed in the current volume:

Who Takes classes Online and at a Distance in TESOL?

Students enroll in online TESOL programs of study for reasons similar to their colleagues in face-to-face programs: in search of academic and professional education and experiences that will improve their classroom teaching skills and their ability to do research in TESOL (Lin, 2010). Individual universities establish their own admission criteria for prospective students to gain acceptance to study in their online programs. Most of those students who enroll in online programs do so for these reasons: program quality and reputation and convenience (Lin, 2010). In most cases, online distance students are unable to enroll in a traditional program of study locally (face-to-face) and if they want to do an educational program, they must do so in a distance (online program).

Why Do Students Choose Distance Models (Online) Over
Traditional (Face-to-Face) Ones?

Students select online instruction in those cases where the degree they seek is unavailable in their geographical area or because they wish to complete their study in an institution with a reputation for excellence in instruction, and that also provides online options that suit students’ personal or professional needs.

In the chapters in this book, contributors identify a wide variety of student profiles. It is important to know that unlike face-to-face programs, online TESOL programs welcome an extraordinary diversity of students. A majority of online distance TESOL students fit into one or more of the following categories: students who are located in rural areas or remote locations worldwide; those who are occupied with personal responsibilities such as child care, parent care or other priorities in their personal lives; those with professional responsibilities and limitations that require them to study in the evenings, at home, en route to a job, or other time-specific responsibility. Most online programs are asynchronous, allowing students to participate in their classes on a regular, but not fixed, schedule.

Online TESOL courses allow all students great convenience and flexibility in addressing other responsibilities, such as personal and work-related, no matter their location—a feature of online TESOL that is essential to the needs of 21st-century professional, worldwide education. In addition, online TESOL programs offer greater flexibility in terms of their freedom from visa requirements, thus providing access to those who are unable to leave home countries due to family or work obligations, or who lack the financial means to support a long trip, extended residence and living expenses in a foreign country, to study in other countries. The challenges and benefits of these realities are addressed below and in a number of chapters in this book.

It is important to note that the growing number of online TESOL programs in the United States and elsewhere use the flexibility and convenience of online TESOL as a factor in their promotional information and advertising. It is, in part, the goal of this volume to address the opportunities that face TESOL, as a profession and as an academic discipline, in maintaining high levels of quality in online distance programs of study leading to degrees and certificates in our field.

The content of this book offers opportunities for addressing unique features of online learning in TESOL, which we believe includes a different type of learner with different needs from those found in more familiar face-to-face programs.

What is Taught in Online TESOL Programs?

While factors influencing achievement in online TESOL programs may be different from those affecting achievement in face-to-face programs, goals and objectives in both online and face-to-face programs are similar (Nunan, 2002). A number of nationally and internationally recognized accrediting bodies now have identified the role of online instructional delivery in maintaining quality standards in TESOL.

Instruction in online TESOL includes the content of TESOL academic and professional preparation: the principles of language learning and teaching, second language acquisition, cross-cultural communication, methodology and materials in teaching speakers of other languages (various ages, proficiency levels and needs), research methodology, language testing principles, language classroom observation, and practical training experiences. It is the means of instructional delivery—online instruction—that is different from traditional, face-to-face teacher education in TESOL. While quality standards and some content may vary by geographical region, the content of online TESOL is generally the same as is the quality of instruction in face-to-face programs.

Who Teaches Online TESOL Courses?

While instructional skills for those who teach online TESOL are similar to many of those required for face-to-face courses, there are some differences that will be addressed in the chapters on teaching in online distance TESOL (see Part II, Teaching in Online Distance TESOL). A better understanding, offered in the chapters of this volume, is needed to describe clearly the skills needed for TESOL teacher education in online programs. These, combined with updated institutional requirements for faculty hiring, are addressed in the chapters in this volume.

What Electronic Communication Media and Devices Are
Used in Online TESOL?

The extraordinary number of tools and devices now available for electronic communication provides a useful and timely analysis for TESOL online programs. The role and use of instructional packages and tools (such as Blackboard and other online instructional instructional systems) and the trillions of online resources in English and other languages are areas in need of analysis as to how and to what extent they contribute to effective language teacher education.

In addition, use of mobile phones for text messages purposes and telephonic communications is significant in the rapid growth of technology’s impact on TESOL teacher education.

The role of video has also expanded with opportunities to make videotapes of classes or class segments (to be shown in its original form, edited or revised and viewed by oneself or others) and to view others teaching or providing other information for teachers—all on low-cost or free-of-charge web-based hosts. In years past, none of these tools was available when teacher education relied on face-to-face visual representations of concepts, classroom teacher training and evaluation, or for any other instructional purpose in TESOL.

What Are the Advantages and Challenges of Online TESOL When Compared With Traditional Teaching and Learning Contexts?

The major challenge for online TESOL in the new millennium is a lack of research to address the unique features of online TESOL and other language teacher education (Lin, 2010). This volume is a step in the right direction as we move forward with increasingly large numbers of offerings for those seeking TESOL professional and academic education.

1. Contributors to this volume generally agree that learning online appears to be a somewhat different process from learning in a face-to-face setting. Students write more and must master the use of more technological tools in their learning. Instructors provide different types of instructional materials. Interactions between instructor and student(s), and among students, are different from face-to-face classes in TESOL programs. Syllabi are different for online courses than from face-to-face courses. Materials are selected using different criteria. Assessment and testing is different. Professional developmental needs and opportunities for staying current in our field are all different for those learning with online TESOL content. Accreditation standards and compliance records and program quality assessment for online TESOL takes a different approach from those in face-to-face programs. This book addresses the challenges for innovation and change in TESOL, particularly as those relate to online teacher education.

2. Teaching online is a challenge to those of us who have learned to educate teachers in traditional, face-to-face settings. Course development, implementation and evaluation differ from traditional face-to-face courses taught online in TESOL. Identifying learner needs, addressing gaps in learner knowledge and skills and assessing student achievement—all of these are done differently in online settings as compared with traditional, face-to-face instruction. And, as addressed above, the skills and knowledge of effective online teacher educators will be somewhat different from those required of traditional, face-to-face TESOL faculty. In this volume, research is reported upon that will begin to identify knowledge and skills for effective instruction in online TESOL.

3. Administration of online TESOL programs: the focus of this volume has been on learning and teaching in online TESOL programs. In this final section, and in line with an effort to begin to develop standards in online TESOL, authors present a series of chapters addressing a variety of administrative issues in management of online TESOL programs: student services, planning a course, rewards and challenges of online program administration, and finally, a look at the future of online TESOL.

In reading the chapters of this volume, readers should find them individually enlightening, delivering a useful, insightful and unique description. Each chapter contains a list of references, all of which are worthy of follow-up for those who seek to know more on the topic of online TESOL work to date. In addition, discussion questions appear at the end of each chapter, and will be of use to those who want to focus his/her reading on one or another topic addressed in those questions.

While unique interests draw one to read any book, all readers of this volume will find the content of each and every chapter to be a unique and first-ever description of the remarkable and complex world of online TESOL—today and for the future. All contributors and the editor of this volume welcome reader feedback! Enjoy reading Online Language Teacher Education: TESOL Perspectives!

Discussion Questions

1. The content of this book is presented in three parts, reflecting different perspectives on the online language teacher education experience: Online Learning; Online Teaching and Administration of Online Programs. As a language teaching professional, what interests you about online language teacher education? Jot down three or four ideas now, as you begin to read this book. Refer to those ideas as you read the chapters that follow.

2. Describe an experience as a learner or instructor in an online course in the past. How did your experience differ from a class taken face-to-face? What challenges did you face as an online learner? Instructor? What rewards did you experience? Consider these possible pedagogical issues in online learning and teaching: learner engagement, course assignments, class readings (textbook and other external readings), quizzes, tests and other assessment experiences, technology use, and interaction with instructor and fellow classmates.

References

Lin, L. L. (2010) Examining the effectiveness of TESOL master’s programs to prepare graduate students for their current and future careers. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED510734.pdf

Nunan, D. (2002) Teaching MA-TESOL courses online: Challenges and rewards. TESOL Quarterly, 36(4): 617–621. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3588243

Paloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2001) Lessons from the cyberspace classroom: the realities of online teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass..

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• 1 Online Distance Tesol In The 21St Century— From The Trench
• PART I Learning in Online Distance TESOL Settings
• PART II Teaching in Online Distance TESOL
• PART III Administration of Online Distance TESOL Programs
• PART IV Looking Ahead
• List of Contributors
• Index