Teacher education in CALL and CMC SIG

http://eurocallteachereducation.ning.com/

Forthcoming events

The EUROCALL Computer-Mediated Communication and Teacher Education Special Interest Groups (SIGs) will be holding a joint event at the University of Bologna, Italy, on the themes of openness and sharing in language teaching and learning.

29-30 March, 2012. Joint CMC SIG and Teacher Education SIG workshop. Bologna, Italy

Why have a SIG dedicated to teacher education?

While the use of digital technologies in educational settings has been growing, pedagogical developments and methodological reflection have not always kept pace with language teacher education, for example in the context of Web 2.0 tools. Yet, according to Hubbard (2008), "the future of CALL is closely tied to the future of language teacher education because language teachers are pivotal players". In most educational contexts, teachers are indeed those who select CALL tools, design pedagogical sequences harnessing the potential of ICT, or organise telecollaborative projects.

Digital technologies have radically changed the nature of language learning and teaching – as they have impacted on learning and teaching generally. Increasingly, teachers are using ICT in the classroom, more learning is taking place online in blended settings or at a distance, and e-learning has become a greater focus (as well as a tool) in teacher training. This requires new professional skills that can be either developed hands-on or during specific training sessions aimed at in-service or pre-service teachers. Despite a growing body of research in this area (see Hong, 2010 for a recent review), more evidence is needed regarding the best ways to integrate CALL and CMC-based language learning in teacher training.

The teacher education Special Interest Group (SIG), officially re-launched at the EUROCALL conference in Gandia, wishes to contribute to the reflection on teacher education in CALL and CMC with a specialised forum for networking and exchanging with other colleagues. The SIG aims at exploring traditional and emerging methodologies in research on teacher education and at examining practical, theoretical and ethical issues which emerge when we engage in pre- and in-service language teacher education/tutor training.

What are the SIG’s activities?

The activities of the SIG will include:

Sharing information with other members on recent developments in teacher education through the SIG ning.
Organising dedicated symposia at EUROCALL conferences. Organising regional workshops in members' home institutions which will enable members to make others aware of EUROCALL's work.
Collaborating together on the development of international project proposals.
Encouraging SIG members to visit each others' institutions with the aim of developing collaboration.
Establishing links with other organisations' special interest groups working in related areas.

EUROCALL members who are interested in joining the SIG and taking an active part in its activities should contact Mirjam Hauck (m.hauck@open.ac.uk) or visit the ning site: http://eurocallteachereducation.ning.com/

People

Chair

Mirjam Hauck, The Open University (UK)
Email: m.hauck@open.ac.uk

Secretary

Nicolas Guichon, Université de Lyon 2, Laboratoire ICAR, France
Email: nicolas.guichonniv-lyon2.fr

Forthcoming Events

29-30 March, 2012. Joint CMC SIG and Teacher Education SIG workshop. Bologna, Italy

Past events

26-28 May, 2010 at the Institut National de Recherche Pédagogique (INRP) in Lyon, France. CMC SIG workshop: "European workshop on teacher education in CALL: towards a research agenda"