LA17.006_Inclusion in english language teacher training and education
Nội dung đề tài: “Inclusion in english language teacher training and education”
This study synthesises the literature from three fields of education
(English language teaching (ELT), education and training for new teachers,
and education for disabled learners) to develop an understanding of how new
English language teachers are prepared for their responsibilities in an
inclusive classroom, and to recommend changes to the present system that
would further promote inclusiveness in ELT.
A broad survey of ELT professionals in the UK was carried out to
examine how initial training and professional development matched teachers’
requirements as they progressed through their careers. The branch of ELT
known as EFL (English as a Foreign Language) is generally perceived by its
practitioners to be student-centred and strongly inclusive in ethos, and so their
experiences of and attitudes towards learners with disabilities and learning
differences were also explored to determine what factors might affect the
teachers’ ability or willingness to include learners who had additional support
needs. This survey was supplemented by in-depth interviews with teacher
trainers and course designers.
The findings suggest that EFL teacher training does go some way
towards fostering inclusive beliefs and practices, but that because of the lack
of an explicit focus on disability issues, many teachers feel under-prepared
and lack confidence when asked to work with disabled learners. In the new
climate of governmental control of ELT in the UK, new initial qualifications are
ii
being developed to comply with state-sector regulations. This thesis
recommends that the opportunity is taken to fuse the inclusive features of the
intensive TEFL courses with the broader PGCE courses, to offer ELT
professionals the chance to gain a qualification that not only allows them to
work in both the private and the state sector but also prepares them
thoroughly for working in the inclusive language classroom
