Language awareness and its relevance to TESOL

Title
Language awareness and its relevance to TESOL
Publication Date
2012
Author(s)
Ellis, Elizabeth M
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7936-7651
Email: eellis4@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:eellis4
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
University of Sydney, Faculty of Education and Social Work
Place of publication
Australia
UNE publication id
une:11983
Abstract
Language awareness (LA) is widely considered to be an important dimension of ESOL teachers' professional knowledge. This paper considers how language awareness has been defined and examines which aspects are foregrounded in various conceptions of language awareness. Samples of professional competency statements and tasks commonly given to pre-service teachers are provided to illuminate the aspects of language awareness that are given prominence in ESOL. The paper examines the aspects of language awareness that are fostered by current practices in teacher education and professional development and discusses which aspects of language awareness are desirable for teachers to develop. Excerpts from studies of pre-service and in-service teachers are used to suggest that teacher LA is strengthened by L2 learning experience, and to argue for the value of language learning awareness. It is argued that LA has been through a pendulum swing from a cross-lingual focus to a focus on English-only, and is now in the process of returning to a renewed and reinvigorated multi-lingual focus.
Link
Citation
University of Sydney Papers in TESOL, v.7, p. 1-23
ISSN
1834-4712
1834-3198
Start page
1
End page
23

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