Virtual Exchange (VE) in higher education often involves small, online working groups who meet outside of class time. This lack of teacher presence in the meetings has its advantages (e.g. more student-centred, more autonomous environments); however, it also presents challenges for assessment. This chapter introduces an online platform called…

The translanguaging theory encourages language teachers to view their learners' linguistic backgrounds as a resource for creative expression. This article proposes an autoethnographically oriented application of the translanguging approach to studying emergent bilingual creativity in online communication. It includes three steps--storytelling,…

With the onset of COVID-19 and the continuing need to move both teaching and professional encounters online, novel approaches providing effective ways of doing both are gaining increasing attention. There was of course considerable work being done in virtual worlds long before COVID-19 became a factor, but now that it is becoming the norm for…

Professional isolation, a familiar issue in world language education, has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article addresses this issue by providing world language educators with practical guidance related to establishing high-functioning professional networks online. Empirical findings related to computer-mediated communication…

Language teachers are often masters of using the physical space in their language classrooms, rearranging furniture, groups, and artifacts to facilitate meaningful encounters with and among learners. Indeed, during the COVID-19 crisis, many language teachers are sharing that these human encounters--reading learners' needs through body language,…

Researchers and educators in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) have long been interested in the role of corrective feedback (CF) in language teaching and learning (Cohen, 1975, 2018; Ellis, Loewen, & Erlam, 2006). The main goal is to explore how to provide CF, the kind of feedback to provide, when, and by whom in order to…

Perusall, a web-based collaborative reading platform characterised by its social annotation functionalities, was introduced in a postgraduate teacher-training language-awareness course in Hong Kong during the shift to online teaching and learning brought about by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Tasks were designed on Perusall to engage the…

The aim of this personal reflection is to revisit the major concepts that have informed my academic research in the area of applied linguistics and second language development, and show how my overall pedagogical approach has evolved, thanks to the contribution of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory (SCT). The main focus of this paper is on the…

In pedagogical debates about Global Englishes (GE) and English as a lingua franca (ELF), there is widespread agreement concerning an urgent need for liberating teachers and students from the normative constraints of ELT's orientation towards standard English by raising their awareness of the characteristics and complexities of GE/ELF…

Although English language teaching professionals are committed to ongoing continuous professional development, economic and workload factors may impede their ability to attend a traditional 2-day annual conference. Teachers have turned to social media as an alternative approach to self-directed professional development. In particular, Twitter has…

English language education nowadays is not merely about the instruction and acquisition of linguistic knowledge and skills. Instead, it has progressed to the real-life applications of the target language, which further requires a mastery of cultural knowledge and skills. In terms of culture, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, compared…

This chapter outlines the ASSESSnet project [ASSESSnet: Language assessment in Virtual Mobility (VM) initiatives at tertiary level -- teachers' beliefs, practices and perceptions; grant number 845783; https://www.assessnet.site/home]. First, its underlying mission is explained in this introduction, before a detailed description of the compilation…

Teachers are cultural informants. The resources teachers use and their interactions with students convey meanings that are both linguistic and cultural. It is important for ESOL teachers to guide students toward integrated intercultural/language learning that will carry them through diverse life experiences. This book goes beyond theoretical…

English language instructors regularly witness how various social, pedagogical and individual elements intersect and influence one another in their classrooms. Every language program is shaped by the characteristics of their local, regional and national contexts. On a similar vein, knowledge and skills are framed under particular linguistic goals…

Teaching English as a Foreign Language from a New Literacy Perspective (2nd edition) is intended to be both a guide for EFL student teachers (i.e. prospective teachers of English enrolled in pre-service EFL teacher education programmes provided by faculties of education at the undergraduate level), and a resource book for EFL teacher educators…