This contribution explicitly responds to Agenda No. 5 of the eight challenges posed by the journal editors, which focuses on politics and practice of language learning and teaching. This agenda deserves specific attention in teacher education research because language is a strong indicator of people's identity.

Indigenous educators are critical levers in promoting positive Indigenous student outcomes. This overview, based on the webinar series "Making a Difference for American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Innovations and Wise Practices," describes key considerations for opening Indigenous educator pathways. These considerations emerged…

This chapter describes and analyses visual linguistic autobiographies of Spanish and French student teachers at Hamburg University, making use of the Dominant Language Constellation (DLC) perspective. In order to determine, compare and explain the constellations depicted by the two groups, the author makes use of dynamic systems' theory and…

An enduring contribution of Richards Sparks' work has been his exploration of the relationship between a learner's first language (L1) and a language that he or she learns subsequently (L2). The present paper considers that relationship from the perspective of learners and teachers of a 'foreign' language in classroom settings. The paper first…

This article discusses how academic writing pedagogies for multilingual students can be transformed by the literacy traditions that these students bring to North American classrooms. This is an embodied and personal rendition, situated in the author's South Asian literacies as illustrative of Global South traditions, and draws from his own…

As English has developed into a global language, comprehensive suggestions have been made for the integration of World Englishes (WE) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) into language education. However, such suggestions have often encountered considerable resistance, in part due to the complexities in the formation of language teacher identity.…

Over the past decade, different scholars in ELT have raised questions about the notion of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and the growing issues related to inequity that such a framework has raised. Our field in Colombia needs to interrogate the very frameworks and concepts we use to define the language and how those definitions will include…

There is a need for Vietnamese language education for the Vietnamese American community in the United States, and the Vietnamese Language Program at Westminster High School (WHS) in Orange County, California, has been able to preserve the Vietnamese language. Students in the program also learn about their heritage and culture to stay connected to…

Effective communication is a fundamental aspect of human relationships and a key interpersonal skill to be considered and developed at an EFL Teacher Education Program. Yet, a variety of challenges are posed for those in the process of becoming (proficient) users of English in an environment where Spanish is the main means of communication. Our…

We provide an exhaustive review of studies in the relatively new domain of research on the influence of orthography on second language (L2) phonological acquisition. While language teachers have long recognized the importance of written input--in addition to spoken input--on learners' development, until this century there was very little…

Singapore is an ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse nation-state that has always practiced deliberate language policy and planning. The bilingual education policy, introduced shortly after the young nation's independence has led to the emergence of English-knowing bilinguals who are proficient in both English and their ethnically…

In this article, the author describes how to use "story retelling wheels" as scaffolding devices to support young learners as they develop the important skill of being able to retell stories that they have heard and comprehended. This tool can be adapted to meet young learners at different English language and literacy levels. It…

In Hong Kong, Chinese and English are considered separate mediums of instruction. English immersion is expected for schools that teach with English as the medium of instruction, and direct instruction in Chinese is often used to teach English in Chinese medium schools. Evidently, a great divide persists in the Hong Kong government curriculum. In…

Teaching English literacy in First Nations Australian communities is bound up with the policy aim of improving the social and economic outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the desire to acknowledge, recognise and respect their unique cultural identities, languages and knowledges. But for English literacy teachers working…

As a World Language teacher, I often focus my efforts on students' language development. However, I have struggled to help students find relevance and meaning in the cultures of people from distant countries and communities. My Spanish classes were full of teenagers with different backgrounds in terms of ethnicity, language, gender, sexuality, and…