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- IntroductionPublication . Silva, Elisabete MendesIt is of common sense to acknowledge the important role that languages play in all areas of life, from business and finance to education or cultural frameworks. It is of common sense that learning languages opens many doors, facilitating a myriad of educational and work prospects. In fact, speaking two or more languages proficiently or even in a rather holistic way is a vehicle for an endless world of possibilities not only in education but also in the most diverse political, social and cultural settings. Nonetheless, language learning has not always been a door open to the world and it was only accessible to merchants, travellers, businessmen, intellectuals or to the ones who could afford an education, either at home or at educational institutions. The concept of formal education was non-existent until the eighteenth century when the Enlightenment movement raised important questions about education and the need to improve peoples’ mind through its power and via the creation of schools and universities (Feldges, 2022). However, the concept of popular education would only come to the fore of the political debate in the late nineteenth century. More schools were then built, schools for teachers also became forcefully needed as education was made available to an ever-growing proportion of the population. Teaching was thenceforth based on rote-learning and on rational and empirical approaches to life which reflected on the way learning was instilled into the students’ minds. Reading, writing, arithmetic, plus religious instruction, were part of the school curriculum, and teachers were merely instructors (Morgan, 2011). At university, classical languages such as Greek or Latin had a strong tradition, whereas modern foreign languages would only be adopted as a university discipline in the early twentieth century. However, only in the last three or four decades of the twentieth century would modern languages digress from their almost exclusive literary input and grammar focus and sociolinguistics started to realise the importance of the spoken and social aspects of language (Coleman, 2004), coinciding with the emergence of the communicative language learning approach in the 1970s. In secondary schools, modern foreign languages would only be widely integrated in the curriculum in the 1970s, because of a national curricular change in England, also in line with European developments in that field (Dobson, 2018).
- Primary English teacher education in Portugal: an exploratory studyPublication . Vieira, Flávia; Mourão, Sandie; Andrade, Ana Isabel; Cruz, Mário; Reis-Jorge, José; Leslie, Carolyn; Orega, Maria Isabel; Pinho, Ana Sofia; Silva, Elisabete Mendes; Simões, Ana RaquelThe expansion of early language learning has fostered the need to prepare qualified teachers of English to young learners. This paper presents findings from a multi-site case study of initial teacher education programmes created in 2015 in Portugal when English became compulsory in grades 3 and 4. The study investigated intended professional learning competences and tasks as described in curricula, as well as teaching and inquiry practices developed in practicum settings. A multi-method approach was used, involving the analysis of ten higher education institutions’ curricula, a sample of practicum reports, the responses of former student teachers to an online survey, and reflective records from student teachers, faculty supervisors, and cooperating teachers. Findings portray a reflective, inquiry-oriented view of professional development and the enactment of current teaching approaches. The study stresses the role of curricula and practicum arrangements in creat- ing meaningful professional learning scenarios and promoting lear- ner-centred teaching in schools.
- Formação de professores e escolas: que desafios num mundo interconectado?Publication . Mesquita, Cristina; Silva, Elisabete Mendes; Pires, Manuel Vara; Lopes, Rui Pedro; Vaz, Paula Marisa FortunatoNa atualidade, os desafios que se colocam na formação de professores e de educadores, além de complexos, são também, indiscutivelmente, resultado do mundo interconectado em que vivemos. Movimentação de pessoas, dispositivos móveis, redes sociais e inteligência artificial emergem como quatro desafios principais sobre os quais é preciso refletir com profundidade e com urgência, sob pena de acordarmos demasiado tarde para uma realidade que parece ter tanto de deslumbrante como de assustadora.
- Implementation of digital language learning opportunities in Higher Education: guidelines for good practicePublication . Silva, Elisabete Mendes; Moraldo, Sandro; Zingaro, Anna; Gómez-Parra, María-Elena; Szabó, Ildikó; Chodzkienė, Loreta; Ghiviriga, TeodoraThis publication, containing important theoretical and practical guidelines, is aimed at Higher Education policy makers, as well as Languages for Specific Purpose (LSP) lecturers, to improve the implementation of digital based language learning opportunities in higher education systems. It also intends to present, examine and reflect on the opportunities related to the use of digital technology in the language learning and teaching process. This publication brings together contributions from the six partners that integrate the QuILL project consortium. Therefore, it consists of six chapters: Chapter one - Quality in Digital Language Education State of the Art Chapter two - Quality Criteria and Quality Indicators in OER-Integrated Language Learning Chapter three - Innovation in Language Teaching Chapter four - Higher education Student’s Motivation to Learn Languages using Digital Technologies and Resources Chapter five - Implementing Digital Technologies in Language Teaching at a Systemic Level in the HE Sector Chapter six - Digital Education and LSP Contents in Language Learning and Teaching
- Incerteza e desafios da investigação em educaçãoPublication . Mesquita, Cristina; Pires, Manuel Vara; Silva, Elisabete Mendes; Lopes, Rui PedroA formação de professores tem sido desafiada, neste princípio de século, a transformar- se para transformar. Espera-se que a formação se coloque ao serviço dos desafios societais, preparando educadores e professores, os que estão a aprender a profissão e os que já são profissionais, para formar cidadãos ativos, profissionais competentes, flexíveis e com capacidade de adaptação, em cenários de incerteza. Neste sentido, as expectativas colocadas na formação vão muito para além do desenvolvimento de competências relacionadas com o ato de aprender e ensinar, esperando-se que estes formandos sejam agentes transformadores, capazes de assegurar que todas as crianças e jovens sejam bem- sucedidos numa sociedade volátil, culturalmente diversa, tecnológica e interconectada.