In the first book to concentrate on teacher education for English for young learners (EYL) teachers in Asia, Zein and Butler offer a comprehensive coverage of teacher education by addressing various issues and recent developments such as programme evaluation, knowledge base, practicum, classroom discourse, needs analysis, and policy on teacher education. The world’s rapidly changing political, social, economic, and educational landscapes in the 21st century have been distinctively characterized by an increasing number of children who are learning English globally at younger ages. This book tackles the challenges and complexities surrounding teacher education by examining the policies and practices of primary English language teacher education in a variety of educational contexts, namely Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and South Korea. Using a variety of data collection methods like interviews, reflective journals, and questionnaires, the content delves into the different strategies and initiatives that have been implemented or proposed to improve teacher education. A vital read for academics and students in the fields of early language learning, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Applied Linguistics, Educational Linguistics, English Language Education, and comparative education studies, as well as teacher educators aiming to advance the teaching of English in Asia and beyond.

The Routledge Handbook of Teaching English to Young Learners celebrates the ‘coming of age’ for the field of research in primary-level English Language Teaching. With 32 chapters written by international scholars from a wide geographical area including East Africa, Mexico, the South Pacific, Japan, France, the USA and the UK, this volume draws on areas such as second language acquisition, discourse analysis, pedagogy and technology to provide: An overview of the current state of the field, identifying key areas of TEYL. Chapters on a broad range of subjects from methodology to teaching in difficult circumstances and from Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) to gaming. Suggestions of ways forward, with the aim of shaping the future research agenda of TEYL in multiple international contexts. Background research and practical advice for students, teachers and researchers. With extensive guidance on further reading throughout, The Routledge Handbook of Teaching English to Young Learners is essential reading for those studying and researching in this area.

Language teacher education is widely identified as one of the most important areas that needs addressing in order to improve early language instruction, yet research into teacher education for early language teachers remains relatively sparse. This volume responds to this gap by compiling studies with diverse methodological tenets from a wide range of geographical and educational contexts around the world. The volume aims to enhance understanding of early language teacher education as well as to address the need to prepare early language teachers and assist them in their professional development. The chapters focus on the complexity of teacher learning, innovations in mentoring and teacher supervision, strategies in programme development and perceptions, and knowledge and assessment in early language learning teacher education. The volume offers comprehensive coverage of the field by addressing various aspects of teacher education in different languages. The contributions highlight examples of research into current practice in the professional enhancement of early language learning teachers, but with an emphasis on the implications for practitioners.

Contrary to previously held beliefs that bilingualism wonder hinder cognitive and language development in children, research has shown that bilingual children show enhanced cognitive flexibility and an ability to better focus their attention. This book explores both emergent literacy and bilingualism in children in four Asian countries - Hong Kong, Singapore, Myanmar, and Taiwan, giving specific examples of how adults (including parents, teachers, and other education professionals) can use creative interaction – as opposed to rote learning – to increase children’s interest in learning English as a second language. This is especially important in the increasingly computer-connected world, where innovation can be key in making second language learning both interesting and effective. Specific contributions to this volume include a case study of Taiwanese families analyzing home videos of their children’s responses to the task of reading a Mandarin picture book; of vocabulary instruction in Hong Kong which requires children to gain triple language proficiency (Cantonese, English, and Mandarin); of the relation between Cantonese proficiency amongst 5 year olds in Hong Kong and their receptiveness to learning new English vocabulary; of the relation between English reading ability and Mandarin speaking ability amongst Singaporean children; of the importance of teachers’ sensitivity to gender differences among 6 year olds in Singapore learning English as a second language; of the active promotion of storytelling by teachers in Myanmar, in order to develop children’s interest in story structure, and to stimulate early language skills; and of an emphasis on family-based emergent literacy activities for children in Taiwan. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners provides both theoretical and empirical information about assessing the English language proficiency of young learners. Using large-scale standardized English language proficiency assessments developed for international or U.S. contexts as concrete examples, this volume illustrates rigorous processes of developing and validating assessments with considerations of young learners’ unique characteristics. In this volume, young learners are defined as school-age children from approximately 5 to 13 years old, learning English as a foreign language (EFL) or a second language (ESL). This volume also discusses innovative ways to assess young learners’ English language abilities based on empirical studies, with each chapter offering stimulating ideas for future research and development work to improve English language assessment practices with young learners. English Language Proficiency Assessments for Young Learners is a useful resource for students, test developers, educators, and researchers in the area of language testing and assessment.

This collection offers a distinctly Asian voice for English language education and addresses some of the unique needs of Asian learners in EFL contexts. Teachers and researchers from nine Asian countries present some of the most current and innovative research in five distinct and fascinating areas of EFL teaching and learning.

This volume describes both the history and the contemporary forms, functions, and status of English in Southeast Asia. The chapters provide a comprehensive overview of current research on a wide range of topics, addressing the impact of English as a language of globalization and exploring new approaches to the spread of English in the region.

This book on teaching through story is the first to highlight the rich storytelling cultures of Australia and Asia. It presents insights from practicing storytelling educators from Black and White Australia, China, India, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam, who share their art of storytelling as pedagogy. Designed for early childhood and primary teachers, teacher educators and student teachers across Australia and Asia, Storytelling Pedagogy in Australia & Asia provides inspiration to teach through storytelling to promote intercultural understanding, imagination, active citizenship and language and literacy learning. Each chapter includes told stories, and teaching and learning ideas to guide and encourage those who are new to the art of storytelling pedagogy and those wishing to expand their understanding of storytelling in Australia and Asia.

Post-colonial Curriculum Practices in South Asia gives a conceptual framework for curriculum design for English Language Teaching, taking into account context specific features in the teaching–learning settings of post-colonial South Asia. It reveals how the attitudes prevalent in post-colonial South Asian societies towards English negatively influence English language learning. The book provides a comprehensive analysis to design a course for English language teaching that aims at building learner confidence to speak English. Based on original research, the study covers Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The book focuses on the context-specific nature of learners and considers a curriculum design that binds teaching materials and teaching methods together with an aligned assessment. Chapters discuss language attitudes, learner characteristics and English in the context of native languages, and introduce a special type of anxiety that stems from existing language attitudes in a society, referred to as Language Attitude Anxiety. The book will appeal to doctoral and post-doctoral scholars in English language education, students and researchers of sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics as well as curriculum designers of ELT and language policy makers.

This authoritative volume is a practical, comprehensive, and state-of-the-art overview of current knowledge and research on second and foreign language teaching and learning. Thorough and reader-friendly, the Handbook is organized logically into six parts that address all major areas of L2/FL teaching and learning: Part I: Learning Contexts and Language Teaching covers the diverse populations of language learners, their needs, and the challenges they face Part II: Curriculum and Instruction addresses curriculum and materials design, and includes exemplars of instructional approaches with wide applicability across contexts Part III: Listening and Speaking overviews listening pedagogy, speaking skills, and pronunciation, among other key topics Part IV: Reading and Writing includes chapters on all practical matters related to learning to write in another language, with attention to spelling, orthography, extensive reading, and more Part V: Vocabulary and Grammar discusses assumptions and practical approaches on vocabulary and grammar instruction, with attention to important topics such as academic writing and multiword expressions Part VI: Intercultural Communication and Pragmatics concludes the Handbook with an examination of language learning across social, cultural, and regional differences Bringing together leading experts in the field, the contributors offer important perspectives on major, established, and emerging topics. Each chapter overviews important developments, key research, and considerations and applications for effective second language instruction. A well-rounded, readable, and up-to-date resource, the Handbook is a compendium of the ongoing changes, innovations, and practices in L2/FL teaching and learning. It is an essential resource for students, teachers, faculty, and professionals.