Addressing the Basics of EFL Classrooms

Key Elements for Pre-Service Teachers

This textbook is intended for pre-service English teachers who are beginning their teaching path. It examines the key aspects that can guide better a comprehension in their teaching contexts. In this textbook, the reader will find useful theoretical principles followed by a series of practical exercises. This textbook is divided into ten elements. Elements one and two focus on helpful terminology related to education. Elements three and four emphasize some of the factors that affect foreign language learning. Element five explores communicative competence. Element six suggests that depending on the context, there are diverse roles a teacher might assume to account for students’ needs. Element seven emphasizes some of the Colombian educational policies pre-service teachers need to be aware of in order to adjust to their teaching contexts. Element eight provides insightful principles to teach in diverse contexts. Element nine is about teaching in rural contexts. The final element helps pre-service teachers reflect upon the importance of reviewing and reflecting. All of these aspects might meaningfully influence preservice teachers’ pedagogical practices through reflection about classroom realities they may face.
  1. Jahir Aguirre Morales
    • Jahir Aguirre Morales

    • Professor at Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC) in Tunja, Boyacá, holds an M.A. in English Didactics from Universidad de Caldas. He belongs to the research group “TONGUE”. He currently teaches at the Modern Languages Teaching Program at UPTC. He was an ESL teacher in North Carolina and a Spanish language teacher in Virginia, USA.

      jahir.aguirre@uptc.edu.co

  2. Bertha Ramos-Holguín
    • Bertha Ramos-Holguín

    • Professor at Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC) in Tunja, Boyacá, holds a PhD in Education Sciences from UPTC, and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics for the Teaching of English from Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. She is the leader of the research group “TONGUE”. She currently teaches at the Modern Languages Teaching Program at UPTC, the M.A. in Language Teaching Program, and the Education Sciences Doctoral Program at the same university.

      https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4468-1402

      bertha.ramos@uptc.edu.co

  3. Nombre
    • Ilba Yaneth Rodríguez Tamayo

    • Professor at Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC) in Tunja, Boyacá. She holds an M.A. in Applied Linguistics for the Teaching of English from Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. She belongs to the research group “AVE”. She currently teaches at the School of Languages, and the M.A. in Language Teaching Program at the UPTC.

      ilba.rodriguez@uptc.edu.co

INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................15

ELEMENT 1: HELPFUL TEACHING TERMINOLOGY-PART I................................19

    Education.........................................................................................................................19

    Pedagogy..........................................................................................................................20

    Didactics...........................................................................................................................22

    Curriculum......................................................................................................................23

    Syllabus............................................................................................................................25

ELEMENT 2: HELPFUL TEACHING TERMINOLOGY-PART II..............................27

    Approach..........................................................................................................................27

    Method..............................................................................................................................28

    Procedure........................................................................................................................29

    Technique........................................................................................................................31

ELEMENT 3: FACTORS THAT AFFECT FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING (FLL)-PART I.............................37

    Some Factors that Affect FLL..................................................................................37

    Age......................................................................................................................................39

    Language levels.............................................................................................................41

    Individual Variations..................................................................................................42

ELEMENT 4: FACTORS THAT AFFECT FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING (FLL)-PART II..............................47

    Learning Styles.............................................................................................................47

    Learning Strategies.....................................................................................................49

    Aptitude............................................................................................................................52

    Tolerance of Ambiguity.............................................................................................52

ELEMENT 5: DEALING WITH COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE.....................57

    Terminology Related to Communicative Competence.................................57

    Communicative Competence...................................................................................60

    Main Components in Communicative Competence.......................................61

ELEMENT 6: UNDERSTANDING TEACHERS’ ROLES.............................................67

    Factors that Affect the Roles Theachers Play..................................................68

    Teachers’ Characteristics.........................................................................................73

ELEMENT 7: COLOMBIAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE POLICIES................................79

    Main Colombian National Policies........................................................................79

    Political Constitution of Colombia........................................................................81

    General Law of Education (Law 115 of 1994)..................................................83

    National Bilingualism Program (NBP)...............................................................84

    Basic Learning Rights and Suggested Curriculum........................................84

ELEMENT 8: TEACHING IN DIVERSE CONTEXTS...................................................89

    Diversity...........................................................................................................................90

    Some Principles to Teach in Diverse Contexts................................................95

ELEMENT 9: TEACHING IN RURAL CONTEXTS.......................................................99

    Teaching in a Rural Context.....................................................................................99

    Rural Education............................................................................................................101

    Rurality.............................................................................................................................102

    Ruralities.........................................................................................................................102

    Rural School....................................................................................................................102

    Multigrade.......................................................................................................................102

    New School......................................................................................................................103

    Active Pedagogy...........................................................................................................103

    Rural Education Principles in Colombia.............................................................104

ELEMENT 10: THE IMPORTANCE OF REVIEWING AND REFLECTING.........109

    Reviewing........................................................................................................................110

    Reflecting........................................................................................................................111

REVIEWING AND REFLECTING ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED..........114

CONCLUSIONS..........................................................................................................................119

REFERENCES............................................................................................................................123

  • FOR000000 ESTUDIO DE IDIOMA EXTRANJERO > General
  • CJ
  • 370 Sociología y Antropología > Educación > Educación