Things you can do…

Léargas

Avail of a teacher exchange or apply for funding. Léargas manage international and national exchange programmes in education… These exchanges connect people in different communities and countries, and bring an international dimension to the work of organisations across Ireland. 

The Erasmus Plus Virtual Exchange initiative provides opportunities for the development of a range of skills and competences associated with collaborative online activities across time zones and geographical distance. These activities are available to young people between the ages of 18-30 residing in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean region, as well as practitioners working in higher education institutions and youth organisations.

Try an online tandem language exchange for you and/or your students:

 https://www.zfa.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/ils/lernen/index.html.en 

Or 

https://www.tandem.net/ 

Things you can read…

Understanding and Developing Good practice: Language teaching in Higher Education

Klapper, John (2006) 

CILT, the National Centre for Languages 

This book supports the professional development and training of Modern Languages teachers in higher education. It links insights from pedagogical and applied linguistic research to the practicalities of the undergraduate language syllabus… Understanding and developing good practice is divided into three parts, focusing on: (1) teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning, on methodology and key characteristics of the university language learner; (2) general curricular issues central to the work of tutors, including course planning, autonomous learning, and assessment; and (3) core learning and teaching activities. This book is suitable for teachers of both specialist and non-specialist language students… Following an Introduction: Modern Languages and modern linguists, this book is divided into three parts.

Part I, Teachers and Learners, presents: (1) Reflecting on practice: language tutors’ beliefs and professional development; (2) How students learn languages: insights from second language acquisition; (3) Understanding the university language learner; and (4) Approaches to language teaching.

Part II, Curricular Issues, continues with: (5) Course design and lesson planning; (6) Promoting autonomy; (7) Information and communications technology; (8) Managing the language classroom; (9) Assessment: methods and feedback; and (10) Assessment: language testing.

Part III, Core Activities and Skills, concludes with: (11) Speaking and writing skills; (12) Listening and reading skills; (13) Using written texts in class; (14) Developing vocabulary; (15) Teaching grammar; and (16) Translation as a learning experience.

 

Journal of Second Language Writing 

The Journal of Second Language Writing is devoted to publishing theoretically grounded reports of research and discussions that represent a significant contribution to current understandings of central issues in second and foreign language writing and writing instruction. Some areas of interest are personal characteristics and attitudes of L2 writers, features of L2 writers’ texts, L2 writers’ composing processes, readers’ responses to L2 writing, assessment/evaluation of L2 writing, contexts (cultural, social, political, institutional) for L2 writing, and any other topic clearly relevant to L2 writing theory, research, and instruction. Manuscripts should take care to emphasize the pedagogical implications of the work.

Participate in…

A forum for language educators: 

The ECML and the Professional Network Forum

 

Start your own Community of Practice with colleagues: 

Here is an example of the types of CoPs in TESOL

Immersion course providers for Irish language teachers (and adults more generally):