IELTS Research Reports

Wayne Sawyer and Michael Singh2.6 International students, teacher education and general supportSuccess in teacher education depends not only on the grades assigned for academic essays and tutorialpresentations, but also on performance during the school-based teaching practicum…It has beenargued convincingly that the language of the classroom differs in its structure from other forms ofdiscourse…and that particular types of interaction are more conducive to student learning than others…Teachers need to be able to correctly model important information, to tailor their language to makeit intelligible to students, to give clear instructions and to process and synthesize learner feedbackwhich may be expressed in non-standard varieties of English. Without high levels of comprehensionand considerable flexibility and fluency of expression it is unlikely that non-native speakers who aretraining to be teachers will perform effectively in this crucial area of their professional education.Effective classroom management will also depend heavily on choice of register and appropriate nonverbalbehaviour, both of which assume an understanding of role relationships between teacher andstudent. The norms underpinning classroom role relationships vary significantly across cultures andthis may cause communication difficulties for those educated elsewhere (Elder 1993b, p 73)Moving beyond the specific issue of language testing, in investigating the optimum kind of supportavailable to NESB students in teacher education, Cruickshank et al (2003) focused on the developmentof provision for a group of 110 overseas-trained teachers undertaking teacher education at theUniversity of Sydney between 1999 and 2003. They concluded that the most effective model ofsupport for international students was one which was centred on content-based units, that is supportwhich linked language with specific course content. This included support courses, individualmentoring, tutoring and self-directed learning (Cruickshank et al 2003, p 245).McCluskey’s (2004) study also focused on the experiences of an international teacher educationstudent in rural Queensland and investigated the two questions: ‘What are the major culturaldifferences encountered in schools by pre-service international teachers in Queensland? To what extentdo these differences impact on their professional roles?’The subject of the study did not perceive largecultural differences that could impact on his professional role, but McCluskey (2008) found that therewere issues not conveyed to the student at a point when strategies could have been implemented tocounteract them.Carpenter (2005) reported on a study in one Australian university in which NESB teacher educationstudents had experienced difficulty communicating with children because of accented Englishlanguage, as well as difficulty managing the culture of schooling and the expectations placed on themduring the practicum. Each student experienced a level of ‘shock’ when confronted with the realitiesof classroom life especially with regard to behaviour management (pp 5-6). These students’ lack ofsuccess on practicum showed their need for greater support than was available from the supervisingteachers. The School of Education put in place a one-to-one mentoring project with a small group ofstudents which, at the time of Carpenter’s reporting on it, appeared to be working successfully. Shecalled for adequate university support for NESB students which was discipline-specific.Campbell et al (2006) studied the perceived concerns and challenges of international students priorto, and during, teaching practicum. They argue that, ‘Whilst NESB student teachers perceived similaranxieties about practicum to their peers, they also confront language, communication and culturaldifferences which may hinder their successful completion of field experiences in schools.’(Campbell etal 2006, p 2). They reported on a program designed to enhance these students’ confidence and skills inundertaking their field experience placements. The main findings from interviews during the programwere that: participants claimed that they were more familiar with teacher-centred approaches (p 7);92 www.ielts.org