Providing a series of chapters, written by teacher educators in three continents, this edited volume explores the concepts, challenges, possibilities, and implementations of competency-based instruction for developing English competencies in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. Recent trends in education have emphasized the need to develop competencies that connect learning with real-life performances. This need has brought about a massive increase in the number of studies and scholarly works devoted to research into competency-based education. However, for teachers and learners of EFL, it is challenging to develop competencies for using a language that does not seem to connect with their real-life scenarios. The chapters apply the concept of competency-based instruction in different EFL contexts and are structured around three themes: Theory: current thoughts on theories of competency-based education Research: empirical research on competency-based teacher education Practice: integrating competency-based instruction into teacher education This book offers examples of competency-based EFL teacher education through both research and practical applications. In addition to the innovation in competency approaches, the inclusion of language learning in virtual environments offers a valuable resource for scholars, educators, researchers, and all those concerned with current and future education.

Leading educators explore the meaning and development of competency and the competency-based approach; review complex problems and issues pertaining to program development; examine the role of instruction in achieving competency-based education; describe school and non-school programs being implemented; probe evaluation issues; and examine implications of competency based education for secondary school practice.

Winner of the ELATE Richard A. Meade Award 2018 Identifying key areas of teacher education that cross countries and disciplines, this book provides the first extensive research-based insight into how secondary English teachers are prepared at institutions of higher education in the United States of America (US) since the last major study in 1995. In the two decades since then, English teacher education programs have developed in contextually dependent ways that often have been driven by institutional, economic, social and political considerations. The authors provide an overview of their nationwide study of English teacher educators, which was conducted over a four-year period. They analyze the context under which teacher educators currently prepare pre-service English teachers in the US and support teacher educators in other countries to make comparisons to their own unique historical and cultural settings. The authors also offer a comprehensive evaluation of the content, practices and skills being taught to future teachers of English in university-based teacher preparation programs in the US. The book draws on evidence from a nationwide questionnaire, case studies of teacher educators in their respective programs, course syllabi and focus group interviews to focus on areas of instruction that resonate with teacher educators in countries where English is the dominant language of communication. These areas include: - field experiences - standards and assessment - teaching literacy to integrate reading and writing - working with English language learners to address cultural and linguistic diversity - new technologies in English education