Archived Content

LTE 2019Society, Identity, and Transformation
in Language Teacher Education
11th International Language Teacher Education Conference

May 30–June 1, 2019
The Graduate Hotel
Minneapolis, MN

Call for Papers

The Call for Papers deadline has passed. Thank you for your interest!


Introduction

The 11th International Language Teacher Education Conference welcomes proposals for papers and symposia on all aspects of the education and professional development of language teachers. Papers and symposia may report on empirical research, theoretical and conceptual analyses, or practices in language teacher education.

The mission of this unique biennial conference is to address the education of teachers of all languages, at all instructional and institutional levels, and in all the many national and international contexts in which this takes place, including: English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) instruction; foreign/modern/world language teaching; bilingual education; immersion education; indigenous and minority language education; heritage language education; and the teaching of less commonly taught languages. The conference aims to bring together teacher educators from these many contexts to discuss and share research, theory, and best practices and to initiate and sustain meaningful professional dialogue across languages, levels, and settings. The conference will focus on four broad themes, which are described below.


Conference Themes

(Click theme title for a description)

Theme I: The Knowledge Base of Language Teacher Education
A central issue in language teacher education is the question of what constitutes the knowledge base of language teaching and how it relates to the processes and content of teacher education. This theme will include research and perspectives on: teachers’ knowledge and beliefs; teacher learning in formal and informal contexts; teachers’ ways of knowing; teacher socialization; professional development; and the nature of disciplinary knowledge.
Theme II: Social, Cultural, and Political Contexts of Language Teacher Education
Language Teacher Education takes place in multiple contexts and with diverse populations, where language, culture and identity are intricately bound together. These contexts are often impacted by actions taken by formal and informal decision-making bodies, which may or may not involve the participation of teacher educators. This theme will include critical and analytical perspectives on: institutions, communities, and discourses within which teacher education practices are situated; language education policy and planning; power, status, and authority in language teacher education; diversity and equity in language teacher education, including issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and language; the socially situated nature of language and learning; and issues related to policy, such as standards, legislative mandates, recruitment and retention, and advocacy by language teacher organizations.
Theme III: Collaborations in Language Teacher Education
A key element in teacher development is effective collaboration between those individuals and institutions preparing teachers and their professional counterparts currently engaged in language teaching and learning. This theme will examine: ways in which teacher education recognizes the shared development of professionals; models or structures of collaboration that stress ongoing teacher development including mentoring and professional development schools; examples of and/or research on collaboration in which teacher development and research inform each other; and research, projects, or practices that recognize teacher expertise and the teacher voice as pivotal in addressing issues of language teaching and learning.
Theme IV: Practices of Language Teacher Education
The practices of language teacher education refer to the ways in which the knowledge base is conceptualized and operationalized in teacher preparation and professional development. This theme will examine: program design; curriculum models; pedagogy; teacher assessment; organization of instruction; field experiences; observation/supervision; self-study of practice; and action research.

All papers must address an audience of language teacher educators and fit within one of the four themes listed above.


Types of Sessions

Symposia (2 hours): A symposium provides an opportunity for a group of individuals (maximum six) to propose a specific issue or topic in the field of language teacher education and examine it from a variety of perspectives. Total presentation time is limited to one hour to ensure that at least half of the session engages presenters and the audience in extended dialogue.

Papers (25 minutes): A paper involves a 25-minute presentation on a topic related to one of the four themes (maximum three presenters). Papers will be grouped thematically when possible. Grouped paper presentation sessions will include three papers followed by 30 minutes of questions and discussion after all of the papers have been presented.

Language Teacher Education

What is Language Teacher Education? The field of language teacher education explores research, theory, and practice related to what and how teachers learn, the various contexts in which teacher learning takes place, and the educators who facilitate teacher learning. Language teacher education, therefore, is not about how students learn or how teachers facilitate student learning. Gaining deeper understanding of topics in language teacher education leads to more robust research and informs practice in teacher preparation programs and language classrooms.

Who are Language Teacher Educators? Many people carry out language teacher education, including college of education faculty, directors of language programs, curriculum coordinators, state and district supervisors, cooperating teachers, and practitioners involved in professional development efforts. Together, this diverse group of language teacher educators contributes to meaningful professional dialogue across languages, levels, and settings.


Submission Guidelines


The deadline for submissions has passed. Notification of the status of submitted proposals will take place in early March.

  • All proposals should be appropriate for an audience of language teacher educators (not language teachers) and fit within one of the four themes listed above.
  • You will need a 400-word (maximum) abstract of your paper session or symposium (up to 600 words for a symposium).
  • You will also need a 50-word summary for the printed program.
  • All proposals will be evaluated using the review criteria (see below).
  • Lead presenters will be responsible for contacting all co-presenters with information concerning the conference and presentations.
  • You may propose two sessions as a lead presenter, though you can be listed as a co-presenter for additional sessions.
  • For symposia or presentations with more than one presenter, please include the contact information for all presenters even though information regarding the proposal will only be sent to the first (lead) presenter listed.
  • Audio/visual equipment: Presenters must bring their own laptop. A data projector and screen will be provided in each room at no charge. Any other AV equipment must be rented through the hotel by the presenter.

More information about these details will be sent to presenters of selected sessions at a later date.


Proposal Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated using the following categories and questions:

Scholarly or educational significance Does this paper address an important issue in language teacher education? Does it offer the promise of new knowledge? Is it likely to stimulate discussion?
Theoretical orientation Is a theoretical framework evident? Are the hypotheses or research questions significant? Does the author refer appropriately to previous research, theory, or practice? For the theory-based papers (those which propose a new framework or reinterpret earlier studies), does the discussion appear to be substantive? thought-provoking? insightful? For practice papers, are the practices innovative and do they build on existing theory and/or research?
Quality of research
(if applicable)
Is the research design appropriate and adequately outlined? Will the findings be of interest to teacher educators?
Quality of practice
(if applicable)
Is the practice described innovative? Is it of potential interest to other teacher educators? Does the abstract describe clearly what is involved?
For symposium proposals Will multiple perspectives be shared by presenters? Does the proposal ensure that there will be adequate time for dialogue among presenters and audience?
Quality of presentation Is the abstract focused? clearly organized? well written?


See sample proposals rated with these criteria.

Sociocultural Theory, Concept Development, and Foreign Language Teacher Learning


Summary

This presentation explores concept development in ten university French instructors during a semester-long professional development sequence on lesson planning. The sequence merges everyday and scientific concepts through collaborative, socially mediated activities. Descriptive data illustrate the efficacy of this sequence and point to implications for future research. [word count: 47]

Abstract

As has been widely recognized in research on foreign language (FL) teacher developing and professionalization, building pedagogical expertise and conceptual knowledge related to teaching are long-term endeavors (e.g., Allen, 2011; Johnson, 2009; Rankin & Becker, 2006). Yet, the typical training model for university FL instructors is an orientation workshop followed by a one-semester methods course, with little systematic professional development beyond these initial efforts (Allen & Neguerela-Azarola, 2010). Moreover, because they are formal in structure, the workshop and methods course are often transmission based, such that FL instructors read pedagogical research and attend class and orientation sessions with the expectation that they will appropriate skills and knowledge from the outside in (Johnson, 2009). A further problem related to this training model is FL instructors’ perception that formal activities such as workshops and courses are less helpful than informal interactions with other instructors or the language program director (Brandl, 2000).

Problems with this short-term transmission model of teacher development are compounded by the absence of a unified theoretical framework in which to ground teacher professionalization, explain teacher learning, and generate predictions for enhancing support for teacher-learners (Eun, 2008). Sociocultural theory (Lantolf, 2000; Vygotsky, 1986) is one example of a viable framework for studying FL teacher development and implementing long-term professionalization strategies.

This presentation contributes to discussions regarding the viability of sociocultural theory as a framework for studying teacher learning. Specifically, we explore concept development in ten French instructors at a large, urban research university during a semester-long teacher professional development sequence on lesson planning carried out in collaborative groups mediated by a language program director. The sequence merges everyday (i.e., experiential) and scientific (i.e., academic) concept development through dialogic mediation to promote internalization, reorganization, and refinement. After defining relevant theoretical notions, we illustrate their application to the lesson planning sequence, which draws upon the lesson study model (Johnson, 2009; Watanabe, 2002). The sequence merges everyday and scientific concepts through a variety of collaborative, socially mediated activities including workshop presentations, lesson plan analysis, discussion and feedback sessions, and lesson plan creation. Descriptive data, including reflective statements, email communications, and lesson plan drafts, illustrate the efficacy of this teacher professional development project and point to implications for future research. [word count: 366]




Weak

Strong

1 2 3 4
Scholarly or educational significance


x
Theoretical framework

x
Quality of research (if applicable)

x
Quality of practice (if applicable)



Quality of presentation


x
Overall recommendation √   Accept Reject
Comments This presentation will be of interest to language teacher educators in postsecondary contexts, and is likely to have implications to secondary teacher educators as well. The theoretical framework is clear and the proposal identifies a need for research in this area. Research questions and methodology are not presented, although the presenters do state that the data provided is illustrative in nature.

Foreign Language Teaching and Technological Literacy

Summary

Teachers need technological literacy and skills, as well as pedagogical knowledge to use computers appropriately in foreign language classrooms. This presentation focuses on best practices in technology use in foreign language teaching and reports on lessons learned through technology integration in undergraduate language courses. [word count: 44]

Abstract

Teachers need both technological literacy and knowledge of foreign language pedagogy to make the best use of computers in instruction, but the specific technical and pedagogical knowledge required are unclear. National organizations such as American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the Modern Language Association (MLA), and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) make broad statements about the importance of integrating technology in instruction, yet the details of how teachers might accomplish this goal remain underdeveloped. Furthermore, most national efforts focus on standards and criteria for the preparation and continuing professional development of K-12 teachers; standards and criteria for postsecondary language instruction are less well developed. As a result, postsecondary instructors do not have adequate guidance for implementing technology in pedagogically sound ways.

To address this gap, we describe best practices in technology use in undergraduate language courses based on 30 years of combined classroom experience. First, we describe our process of learning what technology tools are available for language teaching (e.g., ThingLink, YouTube, Padlet) and which of these tools meet specific language learning goals and reflect principles of communicative language teaching (e.g., communicative competence, fluency development, individual differences). Next, we show how we have integrated technology into lower- and upper-level language courses and the technological and pedagogical resources required to do so effectively. Finally, we reflect on the knowledge gained and lessons learned through technology integration in communicatively-oriented undergraduate language courses. Throughout the presentation, we provide concrete examples of technology tools and classroom activities, and connect these tools and activities to course learning objectives. We conclude by presenting a list of essential knowledge and practices for developing technological literacy and future directions for effective technology use in communicative foreign language classrooms. [word count: 287]



Weak

Strong

1 2 3 4
Scholarly or educational significance x


 
Theoretical framework
x
 
Quality of research (if applicable)

 
Quality of practice (if applicable)
x


Quality of presentation


x
Overall recommendation Accept √   Reject
Comments The proposal does not address language teacher education, as defined on the conference website, but rather presents best practices for teaching with technology. Although the presentation is likely to stimulate discussion and has the potential to be innovative, it is not clear what is innovative about the presentation, how it builds on previous research and practice, and, most importantly, whether it will be of interest to language teacher educators.


 

 

CARLA Mailing List Signup Contact CARLA CARLA Events Donate to CARLA CARLA on Facebook CARLA on YouTube Twitter
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) • 140 University International Center • 331 - 17th Ave SE • Minneapolis, MN 55414