Full Description
How can teachers and teacher educators enact positive change in their working environments? How can they develop professional learning communities? How can they support educational policies on intercultural competence, multilingualism and plurilingualism while improving students' language skills? This inspiring collection gives clear and practical advice on how action research can help achieve all of those goals, from primary through secondary, higher and adult education settings.
Action Research Communities for Language Teachers, funded by the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe, collects practical first-hand accounts of action research projects, with a shared focus on practical, replicable advice and achievable results. Readers can use these examples to develop small, evidence-based interventions that address their own common challenges and concerns. Spanning fourteen European countries and a similar range of taught languages, these real-life examples of shared problem-solving and collaboration are a crucial contribution to the theory and practice of language teaching and teacher education.
Contents
Foreword, Jean McNiff (York St John University, UK)
Introduction, Angela Gallagher-Brett and Christine Lechner (Action Research Communities for language teachers, ECML)
1. Action Research Communities for Language Teachers: Our approach, Angela Gallagher-Brett and Christine Lechner (Action Research Communities for language teachers, ECML) and Tita Mihaiu (Zentrum für Lehrerfortbildung, Romania)
2. Sustainable teacher development through conducting action research, Kenan Dikilitas (University of Bergen, Norway)
3. Reflective pedagogies and action research in English language teacher education: Examples from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Larisa Kasumagic-Kafedžic, Nejla Kalajdžisalihovic and Lejla Mulalic (University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
4. Action research communities in Montenegro - from the organizer's perspective, Nataša Peric (Bureau for Education Services, Montenegro)
5. An action research study in four EFL primary schools in Montenegro: Enhancing students' speaking skills, Nikolina Becanovic (Ivan Vusovic Vidrovan Elementary School, Nikšic, Montenegro)
6. Action research on integrated lessons: Student and teacher perspectives on integrated teaching and its impact on learning, Zorka Radonjic (English teacher, Elementary school "Kekec" Sutomore)
7. Enhancing novice English language teachers' speaking skills instruction: An action research study in EFL primary school classrooms in Montenegro, Marija Mijuškovic (University of Montenegro)
8. Action research on the observation of linguistic input quality in scenario-based German as a Second Language teaching, Marjan Asgari and Renata Zanin (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy)
9. Establishing an action research community to develop language teaching: A case study from Armenia, Sona Hakobyan and Louisa Marabyan (European University of Armenia)
10. A series of action research communities workshops for Swedish language teachers - a report from the organizers' perspective, Corina Löwe, (Linnaeus University, Sweden) and Brita Bodin (Karlstad Municipality, Sweden)
11. Intercultural learning in language teaching - - a teacher's perspective, Anna Lundström (Linnaeus University, Sweden)
12. Enhancing multilingual approaches to language learning and teachers' professional development through action research projects in Norway, Sigrunn Askland (Fagskolen i Agder and Dahlske upper secondary school, Norway), Eli-Marie Danbolt Drange (Department of Foreign Languages and Translation, Agder University), Anette Haugen (Kristiansand katedralskole Gimle upper secondary school, Norway), Melanie Eik and Stine K. Heiseldal (Tangen upper secondary school, Norway)
13. 'I think action research is feasible, but not enough teachers know the methods' - Experiences with action research training in Denmark, Ana Kanareva-Dimitrovska (Aarhus University, Denmark) and Christine Lechner (Action Research Communities for language teachers, ECML)
14. Action research as professional development for teachers working with adult learners in Luxembourg's trilingual context in the language classroom, Nicolas Maraite (Institut national des langues Luxembourg)
15. Action research as part of language teachers' professional development: Challenges in the Icelandic context, Brynhildur Anna Ragnarsdóttir (Action Research Communities for language teachers, ECML) and Hólmfríður Garðarsdóttir (University of Iceland)
16. Developing whole-school Professional Learning Communities in action research - language teachers take the initiative at Kuršenai Laurynas Ivinskis Gymnasium, Lithuania, Valdone Verseckiene, Asta Mazuraite, Jolanta Reimeriene, Raimonda Rumbinaite and Vita Šventickiene, Sigita Každailyte-Kontene, Inga Klinauskiene, Ramune Radžiute-Backauskiene and Stasele Riškiene, Jelena Medvedeva and Ina Prialgauskiene (Kuršenai Laurynas Ivinskis Gymnasium, Lithuania)
17. Engaging learners of the Irish language at primary level in Ireland: Exploring Action Research as an approach to support language educators and learners (in endangered or minority language settings), Jane O'Toole and Ann Devitt (Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland)
Conclusion, Angela Gallagher-Brett and Christine Lechner (Action Research Communities for language teachers, ECML)
