Adjusting Language Level In Teacher-Talk In Elt Microteachings 
With Specific Reference To Distance Education Teacher

Year 2013, Volume: 14 Issue: 2, 165 - 184, 01.06.2013

İskender Hakkı Sarıgoz

Abstract

Foreign language teacher education requires microteaching practices carried out by teacher trainees for learning and assessment purposes. During microteachings, teacher trainees operate many teaching skills concurrently. Interlanguage compatible teacher-talk in the target language is essential for the production of student talk at elementary and intermediate levels in English language teaching (ELT). It is a demanding task for ELT trainees to adjust the language level according to the given interlanguage level. Nevertheless, during the microteaching sessions observed by the author and other teacher trainers attributed whose impressions are disclosed below, critical unintended flaws in teacher-talk adjustment in reference to the predetermined interlanguage levels were observed. Such a mismatch causes critical problems in the comprehension of the lesson. The recognition and discussion of the matter and the search for ways of teaching at the appropriate level play a big part in foreign language teacher education. In the first part of the study, the pre-service teaching performance from this perspective is being explored in a two-part questionnaire administered subsequent to language-skills microteachings carried out by the trainees attending the third year of college with maximum attention on language level adjustment. A parallel questionnaire was administered to the teacher trainers who observed and evaluated similar microteachings. The second part of the study argues the skill of language level adjustment from the perspective of distant foreign language teacher training. It suggests a set of pre, while, and, post microteaching adjustment strategies primarily for distance training.

Keywords

English Language Teacher Training (ELT), Microteaching, Teacher Trainees, Teacher-Talk, Language Level Adjustment, Distance Teacher Training

References

• Bıyık, C. O. (2007). A Preliminary Evaluation of the Distance English Language Teacher
• Training Program (DELTTP) in Anadolu University Turkey. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education – TOJDE,8(1),143-162. Brown, H. D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
• Cook, V. (1991). Second Language Learning and Language Teaching. London: Edward Arnold.
• Coulthard, M. (1977). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis. London: Longman.
• Corder, S.P. (1981). Error Analysis and Interlanguage. Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Hall, D. R. and Knox, J. S. (2009). Language Teacher Education by Distance. In A.
• Burns and J. C. Richards (Edts.), Second Language Teacher Education (pp. 218-229). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hansson, H. and Wennö, E. (2005). Closing the Distance: Compensatory Strategies in
• Distance Language Education. In B. Holmberg et al. (Edts.), Distance Education and Languages: Evolution and Change (pp. 278-294). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. Haworth, T. and Parker, R. (1995). The contribution of a Face to Face Component in
• Initial Teacher Training at a Distance. In R. Howard and I. McGrath (Edts.), Distance Education for Language Teachers: A UK Perspective (pp. 78-94). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. Jones, R. (1980). An ABC of English Teaching. London: Heinemann Educational Books.
• Korthagen, F. and Verkuyl, H. S. (2007). Do you Encounter your Students or Yourself?
• The Search for Inspiration as an Essential Component of Teacher Education. In T. Russell and J. Loughran (Edts.), Enacting a Pedagogy of Teacher Education: Values, Relationships and Practices (pp.106–123). New York, NY: Routledge. Kumaravadivelu, B. (2012). Language Teacher Education for a Society: A Modular
• Model for Knowing, Analyzing, Recognizing, Doing, and Seeing. New York, NY: Routlege Krashen, S. (1978). The Monitor Model for Second Language Acquisition. In R. C.
• Gingras (Ed.), Second Language Acquisition and Foreign Language Teaching (pp. 1-26). Washington, D.C.: Centre for Applied Linguistics. Littlewood. W. (1984). Foreign and Second Language learning- Language Acquisition
• Research and its Implications for the Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Loughran, J. (2006). Developing a Pedagogy of Teacher Education: Understanding
• Teaching and learning about Teaching. New York: Routledge. McGrath, I. (1995). Pre-service Training for Language Teachers: Face to Face or at a
• Distance? In R. Howard and I. McGrath (Edts.), Distance Education for Language Teachers: A UK Perspective (pp. 66-77). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. Nunan, D. and Lamb, C. (1996). The Self-Directed Teacher, Managing the learnin process. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Prescott, W. and Robinson, B. (1993). Teacher Education at the Open University. In
• Perraton, H. (Edts.). Distance Education for Teacher Training (pp. 287-313). Oxon: Routledge. Rhodri, J. (1980). An ABC of English Teaching. London: Heinemann.
• Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. IRAL, 10 (3), 219-31.
• Singh, G. and Richards, J. C. (2009). Teaching and Learning in the Course Room. In
• A. Burns and J. C. Richards (Edts.). Second Language Teacher Education (pp. 201- 208). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Widdowson, H. G. (1979). Explorations in Applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Widdowson, H. G. (1990). Aspects of Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Woods, D. (1996). Teacher Cognition in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Wright, T. (1987). Roles of Teachers and Learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Wright, T. (2005). Classroom Management in Language Education. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.