Bloomsbury Teacher Evaluation in Second Language Education

About the Author Amanda Howard has worked as an English language teacher, teacher developer and lecturer for a number of institutions and universities both in the Middle East and the UK, most recently as TESOL Coordinator in the Faculty of Education at the British University in Dubai. Her research interests include observation and feedback in educational settings, English language teaching pedagogy, analysis of classroom interaction and Young Learner education. Her most recent book is Participant Voices: Observation in Educational Settings, co-edited with Helen Donaghue. Helen Donaghue is a Senior Lecturer in English Language Teaching at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. She has worked in TESOL and teacher education in Hungary, the United Arab Emirates and the UK. Her teaching interests include EAP, teaching L2 reading and language testing and her research interests focus mainly on institutional interaction in educational settings. She is currently researching the co-construction and negotiation of face and identity in post observation feedback meetings. Product Description Effective language learning depends on effective instruction. In order to investigate whether or not this is taking place, teachers classroom pedagogical practices, both in-service and pre-service, are frequently monitored by means of observation and feedback. However, research indicates that although this process has potential value for teacher learning and development, there are also a number of attendant problems and it is therefore important that practitioners share their experience with others in the field in order to expand the existing knowledge base. This volume investigates participant experiences, looking beyond the materials used and examining the way in which language teachers are evaluated and supported throughout their careers. Particular attention is given to the practices and frameworks involved, outlining key approaches and discussing tools for investigation and collaboration. The book highlights the importance of the use of talk to foster reflection and teacher learning, the value of learning from experienced others and the importance of giving voice to all those involved in the process of development and evaluation. Review "Teacher Evaluation in Second Language Education "provides another invaluable piece of the puzzle that helps us to uncover, understand and appreciate the very complex world of second language teacher education. The specific focus on teacher evaluation, moving from the broad framework of reflective practice to a detailed examination of observation and feedback from different perspectives, allows for a more comprehensive discussion around these themes than has been seen previously. Drawing on evidence from a wide range of international contexts, the contributors use evidence-based accounts combined with intelligent interpretations to bring the reader through a myriad of teacher evaluation experiences, tools, methods and accounts. This book is a must read for anyone involved in second language teacher education and will take pride of place on my own book shelf. Congratulations to the editors on a job very well done.This book is timely and very relevant in today's world of increased accountability and performance reviews related to teaching a second language. This edited book provides a wide variety of excellent ideas for reflectively evaluating (e.g. self-peer-mentor evaluation) teachers, whether novice teachers in teacher education programs or experienced teachers in in-service programs and written by practitioners and researchers from a variety of international contexts.This book offers unique insights into the purposes, policies and practices of teacher evaluation. With its combined academic and practitioner perspectives which amplify the voices of those at the centre of the evaluation process, i.e. the language teachers, the volume represents a valuable reference for anyone involved in language