TOPIC 4: Foundations of teacher education in CALLThe state of CALL teacher education

 The scope of CALL education

The scope of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) education is vast and continuously evolving. It encompasses comprehensive language skills development, catering to learners at various proficiency levels and diverse linguistic backgrounds. CALL integrates reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills within interactive exercises and activities, promoting holistic language proficiency. It supports specialized language training for specific purposes and is often integrated into blended learning environments, combining traditional teaching with digital tools. CALL also contributes to teacher professional development, offering training and workshops for effective technology integration. It facilitates inclusive education, providing tailored resources for diverse learning needs. CALL's global reach fosters cross-cultural communication and collaboration, connecting learners worldwide. Additionally, CALL adapts to emerging technologies, ensuring interactive and immersive language learning experiences for learners of all ages.

The state of CALL teacher education

*The production of training and support materials directly oriented toward classroom teachers.

* A small but growing literature in CALL teacher education itself at the levels of both research and practice.

*Frameworks that attempt to define CALL practice on the basis of principles derived from particular language teaching approaches, especially those supported by SLA (second language acquisition) research.

*The use of online collaborative learning techniques in CALL teacher education with a growing interest in the quality of the transfer of skills and expertise from formal courses to the language classroom.

Theory and practice in teaching project-oriented CALL

In the project-oriented classroom, students are challenged to get real, which must manifest itself in interacting with real people and issues, and in students’ taking responsibility for their learning.

Project-oriented learning draws on a number of compatible learning concepts that could be together named as constructivist.

It seems to be a pedagogy that suits the advancement of CALL understood as a design science and is helpful in maintaining the necessary rationalization of CALL without sacrificing the practical dimension of the discipline.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Thomas, M., Reinders, H., & Warschauer, M. (2012). Contemporary Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Lan, Y. J. (2019). The Integration of CALL in EFL Writing Instruction: An Ethnographic Case Study. ReCALL, 31(2), 132-150.