1st Edition
Researching Educational Practices, Teacher Education and Professional Development for Early Language Learning Examples from Europe
Recognising the urgent need for further progress in teacher education and preparation for the success of early language learning, this volume presents research on the education and professional development of teachers, exploring how they can foster multilingual spaces in the early years of formal education.
Investigating a range of European contexts, the book examines the effectiveness of teacher education for early language learning, covering contexts of multilingualism and English as a foreign language (EFL) with children under the age of 12. Split into three parts examining research into teacher practices, education, and curricula, chapters cover emerging topics such as teacher education and local linguistic encounters; global citizenship and transcultural education; linguistic landscapes and visual narratives; mixed-age classrooms and literacy skills; pre-service and in-service teacher education; and teacher and teacher educator competencies and beliefs.
Offering a unique combination of foci on teachers, teacher education and classroom practice, this book will be of great interest to researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of early language education, multilingualism, EFL and teacher education more broadly. Student teachers and teachers working in early language learning contexts may also find the volume of interest.
Author biographies
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Sandie Mourão and Carolyn Leslie
Part 1: Researching Teacher Practices
Chapter 1. The transformative power of local language encounters: Implications for teacher education
Malika Pedley, David Roxburgh, Lorna Anderson and Joanna McPake
Chapter 2. An investigation into linguistically and culturally responsive practices in early childhood education in Iceland
Hanna Ragnarsdóttir
Chapter 3. Teachers’ perceptions, classroom practices and needs in developing students’ FL literacy skill: A transnational study
Mateja Dagarin Fojkar, Katarzyna Brzosko-Barratt and Raquel Fernández-Fernández
Chapter 4. Mixed-age primary classroom foreign language teaching: Implications for teacher education
Tomáš Kos
Chapter 5. Early English language learning: Exploring pedagogical practices in a pre-primary EFL class in Catalonia through systematic observation
Alexandra Vraciu and Elisabet Pladevall-Ballester
Part 2: Researching Teacher Education
Chapter 6. Exploring multi and translingual perspectives through dominant language constellation artefacts in teacher education: Shifting perspectives
Nayr Correia Ibrahim
Chapter 7. Preparing teachers for multilingualism in Norwegian early childhood education and care provision through student active learning methods
Elena Tkachenko, Nina Gram Garmann and Anna Sara H. Romøren
Chapter 8. Climbing the ladder of global citizenship: The discourses and practices of pre-service primary English teachers in Portugal
Mónica Lourenço
Chapter 9. Linguistic landscapes as a resource in language teacher education
Jana Roos and Howard Nicholas
Chapter 10. Teaching-based master dissertations to support reflective practices when using story in early English language learning
Annett Kaminski
Chapter 11. In-service teacher education in English: Theorizing and critical reflection as tools for transforming teaching practices
Ingebjørg Mellegård
Part 3: Researching Teacher Education Curricula
Chapter 12. Professional learning competences and tasks in primary English teacher education curricula in Portugal
Flávia Vieira, Sandie Mourão, Ana Isabel Andrade and Ana Raquel Simões
Chapter 13. Language ideologies at play in early childhood teacher education: A study of syllabi and textbooks
Gunhild Tomter Alstad
Chapter 14. Looking at different formats of professional development in the context of EFL teacher education in CLIL programmes: An exercise in reflective practice
Ana Halbach
Afterword
Index
Biography
Sandie Mourão is a research fellow at Nova University Lisbon, Portugal.
Carolyn Leslie is an Assistant Professor at Nova University Lisbon, Portugal.
"Mourão and Leslie’s edited collection of research studies from across Europe is a must-read for everyone concerned with teacher professional development in early language learning. Papers authored by experienced teachers, teacher educators and university professors illustrate rich experiences in professional development while also revealing how much still needs to be done if teachers are to attain a coherent professional identity rather than simply complete a checklist of so-called competencies. This volume serves as a call to action for proper investment in high quality development programmes for all teachers of early language learning."
Dr Janet Enever, Professor Emerita of Language Education, Umeå University, Sweden.
"Good quality teacher education is widely recognised as critical to set the foundations for successful professional practice. High quality teacher education in the early/primary years, and in multilingual contexts, is equally vital yet comparatively under-researched. This volume, which brings together colleagues from across Europe presenting a diverse mix of chapters addressing key issues within teacher practices, education, and curricula, is a must-read primer for anyone interested in better understanding how to develop high quality teaching and teacher education in multilingual classrooms in the foundational stages of formal education."
Dr Victoria A. Murphy, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Oxford University, UK.
"Focused on teacher education and early language learning, this collective effort by esteemed experts in the field fills a critical void, offering empirical insights into teachers’ professional development, and higher education contexts. Spanning diverse European contexts, it addresses multilingualism and English as a foreign language with children aged 3 to 12 in relation to both generalist and specialist teachers. From Iceland to Spain, the book intricately explores teacher practices, education, and curricula, employing case studies and innovative methodologies to ensure an active, hands-on learning experience in teacher education."
Dr Danijela Prošić-Santovac, Associate Professor, University of Novi Sad, Serbia.
