ELT Connections (Inaugural Issue) Volume 1, Issue 1,May 2022

CONNECTIONS
MAY 2022
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
ISSN 2735-7147
ELT
What should teachers
know about assessment,
and what should they
be able to do with it?
EFL pre-service teachers’
experiences in the third
space of an early
community practicum
The younger the better?
Assumptions in ELT

Letter to the Editor (María Jesús Inostroza)
Letter to the Editor (Diego Monasterio)
An interview with María Paz Pavez
An interview with William Godoy
What should teachers know about assessment and
what should they be able to do with it? Thom Kiddle
EFL pre-service teachers’ experiences in the third
space of an early community practicum
Mirona Moraru and Lucas Ríos
Coursebook Evaluation Using A Cluster Approach
Thomas Baker, Kathy Montoya, Paddy Odu,
Carola Villegas
Marking the English past tense: the interlanguage of
a Portuguese native speaker Giovanna Brunetti and
Vanessa Revheim
First and Second Language Learning:
Child’s Protolanguage and Adult’s Interlanguage
Juan Oyarzo
Message of the Director of the Editorial Board
INDEX
6-9
4-5
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-29
30-33
34-39
44-46

Director: Dr Manuel E. Cortés, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Universidad Bernardo
O’Higgins
Chief Editor: Prof. Lorena Maluenda, Head of Departamento de Idiomas, Universidad
Bernardo O´Higgins
Prof. Claudia Rodríguez, Departamento de Idiomas, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins
Associate Editors:
Prof. Diego Monasterio, Departamento de Idiomas, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins
Prof. Mirona Moraru, Escuela de Idiomas, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins
Collaborators:
Prof. Ulises Sánchez, Head of Escuela de Idiomas, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins
Prof. Bárbara Echard, President TESOL Chile 2021
Prof. Mireya Aguilera, President IATEFL Chile 2021
Prof. Billy Forward, Vice-president IATEFL Chile 2021
EDITORIAL
BOARD
MESSAGE OF THE DIRECTOR
OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Lorena Maluenda
has been a teacher of English since 2000. She holds a Diploma in English
for Specific Purposes and a Master’s degree in Linguistics from Pontificia
Universidad Católica de Chile. She is a Speaking Examiner for Cambridge
English Assessment, and is currently Head of Departamento de Idiomas
at Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile. Her interests are
related to language learning through technology, teaching English as a
foreign language, and international certifications in English.
Claudia Rodríguez
BA in English Literature and Linguistics and Master’s Degree in Applied
Linguistics in English as a Foreign Language (Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Chile). Currently PhD candidate (The University of Warwick),
and part of the teaching staff at Departamento de Idiomas, Universidad
Bernardo O’Higgins. Her main research interests include EFL teacher
training and teacher identity construction.
Dear Community,
It is a pleasure to be part of this academic project that started last
year — amid the COVID-19 pandemic— and that today rises under
Departamento de Idiomas and Escuela de Idiomas at Universidad
Bernardo O’Higgins, in conjunctionwith the recognised professional
associations TESOL Chile and IATEFL Chile.
On behalf of the Editorial Committee, I would like to thank each of
the authors who are part of this first issue of ELT Connections.
We hope to be a bridge for expanding new knowledge and
an anchor to socialise critical and contemporary issues
emerging from the ELT world that often need more
communication channels, thus giving space to an
audience that requires permanent updates in
the field.
Wetrustthatthis E-zinewill be avaluable
contribution forteachers, students, and
the academic community in general
immersed in the learning, teaching, and
dissemination of the English language
both nationally and internationally.
Kind regards,
Prof Manuel E. Cortés, PhD
Dean Faculty of Education
Universidad
Bernardo O’Higgins, Chile

Facultad de Educación
Vicerrectoría Académica
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PhD in English Language
and Linguistics (University
of Sheffield, UK). She also
holds a BA in Education and
ELT (Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Valparaíso,
Chile). She is an assistant
professor at Universidad de
Concepción and a member
of RICELT (Network of
Chilean Research in ELT).
Email:
minostroza@udec.cl
In the last decades there has been an increase in the number
of children that learn English at school as part of primary
education (Garton & Copland, 2019; Rixon, 2013). This
group of children would be called Young Language Learners
(YLL hereafter) and will be understood as those from 6 to
10 years old learning English as part of the first four years of
their primary school education.
There has been a long time assumption on the younger the
better, with some elements identified in the literature used to
support this early start, such as its enhancement of the use of
LETTER TO
THE EDITOR
Maria-Jesus
Inostroza
Araos
J
J
the language in action (e.g., Moon, 2005) and the promotion of a
positive motivation (e.g., Fenyvesi et al., 2020). This assumption
has influenced policy changes in primary educational curriculum
worldwide (Barahona, 2016; Enever, 2011, 2019; Enever et al.,
2012; Garton et al., 2013; Sayer, 2015, 2018). However, longitudinal
research in the area has shown that attainment outcomes for
early start do not always exceed those of the older learners (e.g.,
Cadierno et al., 2020; Muñoz & Singleton, 2011).
Recently, studies strongly argued that early language learning is
closely related to the experiences in classroom and their learning
conditions(Enever, 2019), and that the creation of an appropriate
learning environment seems to have a great impact on the
effectiveness of an early start (Nilsson, 2020a; Wilden et al., 2020),
particularly regarding exposure, attitude and motivation (Graham
et al., 2016; Muñoz, 2017). For instance, Mihaljević Djigunović
(2009, 2014), described that children learning English in regular
conditions (two class periods of EFL a week, classes not split into
groups where the class size was up to 32 pupils, and the teacher
might not have had much training in YLL) would view English as a
less favourite school subject and would be part of age-appropriate
class activities less often. Moreover, Nilsson (2020b) found that
young language learners’ behaviour and self-concept is highly
influenced by the importance of peers, teacher and classroom
atmosphere, concerns about comparison to others, false fear of
laughter and reluctance to guess (p. 273).
The early onset of EFL learning is an international trend that has
shaped the Chilean curriculum and the Ministry of Education
(MoE) decisions. The Chilean MoE has clearly argued in its EFL
Curriculum Framework for Primary Education that the English
language “is a tool for global communication and a way to access
current knowledge and information about technology, which
allows people to face the demands from society” (Ministerio
de Educación, 2018, p. 264). According to this, the inclusion of
the subject of English in primary education entails access to
good quality education and fair opportunities. These underlying
principles, put forward in good faith, would remedy the segregated
educational system in Chile. However, some authors (Glas, 2008;
Matear, 2008; Toledo Saldoval & Hermosilla González, 2016;
Yilorm Barrientos & Acosta Morales, 2016) indicate that the
idea of being part of the globalised world community is more
related to improving competitiveness by providing qualified
human resources to attract foreign investors. In other words, the
inclusion of English at school seems to be more of an economic
decision than one based on education equity. Consequently, these
economic pressures seem to have led to language policy being
rushed through, and therefore not effectively implemented.
At the beginning of EFL implementation in primary school,
tertiary education institutions were not prepared to enforce the
changes proposed by the MoE, with most Council of Rectors of
Chilean Universities (CRUCH in Spanish) curricula for EFL
teachers focused on secondary education. This situation has not
changed much in the last decade; therefore, and to deal with this
problem, training has been offered by the EODP (English Opens
Doors Program, Ministerio de Educación, 2015). Despite the MoE
showing an increase in the number of teachers with training in
primary, there is still a shortage of qualified teachers at this level.
Regarding early primary schools (6-9 years old), the EODP has
offered training courses as Diplomas in teaching YLL in 2015
and 2016. The situations described here show that instead of
implementing a thorough planning language policy, it seems to
have been carried out through constant remedial actions.
In addition to the shortage of qualified teachers, the theory
underlyingtheprimaryEFLpolicyseemedtobebasedonpractices
and literature very distant from the Chilean educational context.
In fact, in the literature on MoE documents there is no reference
to investigations, local or international, which had informed the
policy. This poor planning based on a result-oriented vision has
led to a discrepancy between the policy expectations and the local
contexts (Aliaga et al., 2015; Barahona, 2016), which has had a
negative impact on learners’ performance (British Council, 2015).
Within this lack of understanding of the school classroom
context, teachers have been targeted by the media as being mainly
responsible for this failure (Aranda, 2011; Muñoz, 2013). In a
study about primary English language teachers and their working
conditions (Inostroza A. & Yilorm, 2017), teachers reported that
most of their planning and material preparation time was done
outside their working hours and that they covered the expenses of
material design for teaching children.
Currently, there is a compulsory curriculum starting from 5th
grade which is implemented with national coverage, there is a
suggested curriculum for early primary education, with partial
coverage, and there is also a suggested curriculum for early years
education, recently launched. The continuity among those three
curriculum guidelines is still pending, as there is a scarce reference
to the way they articulate to support children to achieve the
expected outcomes by the end of primary education. After eight
years of implementation of the suggested Curriculum for early
primary education (Barahona, 2016), little is known about the
learning conditions (Inostroza, 2015, 2018b; Toledo-Sandoval,
2020; Ulloa Salazar & Díaz Larenas, 2018), and less is known about
children’s learning experiences (Inostroza, 2018a; Tabali, 2020).
The crisis in education in Chile demands changes that bridge
the gap in equality. If we assume that learning English at public
schools from an early age could be a way to contribute to solving
this situation, it is necessary to include teachers as key actors in
policy planning. A dialogue between universities, the community,
schools, teachers, learners and policy makers is needed. Finally,
if the Chilean state decides to keep investing more resources in
the development of English language skills, research to understand
the Chilean ELT is crucial. English may open doors, but research
involving teachers and children’s participation is needed to unveil
where, how and why these doors can be opened.
How to cite this article: Inostroza, M.J. (2022). Letter to the Editor. ELT Connections, 1 (1), 6-9.

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Aliaga, L., Inostroza A., M.-J., Rebolledo Cortés, P., Romero, G., & Tabalí, P. (2015). RICELT: Creating a research
community in Chilean ELT. ELT Research, The Newsletter of the IATEFL Research Special Interest Group, January(30).
Aranda, A. (2011). Inglés: asignatura reprobada en Chile. America Economía. www.americaeconomia.com/poli-
tica-sociedad/sociedad/ingles-asignatura-reprobada-en-chile
Barahona, M. (2016). Challenges and accomplishments of ELT at primary level in Chile: Towards the aspira-
tion of becoming a bilingual country. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.14507/
epaa.24.2448
British Council. (2015). English in Chile: An examination of policy , perceptions and influencing factors (Issue May).
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Cadierno, T., Hansen, M., Lauridsen, J. T., Eskildsen, S. W., Fenyvesi, K., Jensen, S. H., & Aus der Wieschen, M. V.
(2020). Does younger mean better? Age of onset, learning rate and short-term L2 proficiency in young Danish
learners of English. Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 17, 57–86. https://doi.org/10.35869/VIAL.
V0I17.1465
Enever, J. (2011). ELLiE: Early Language Learning in Europe (J. Enever (ed.); 1st ed.). British Council.
Enever, J. (2019). Looking beyond the local: Equity as a global concern in early language learning. AILA Review,
32(1), 10–35. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.00019.ene
Enever, J., Moon, J., & Raman, U. (2012). Young Learner English Language Policy and Implementation: Interna-
tional Perspectives. World Englishes, 31(3), 406–408. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971x.2012.01766.x
Fenyvesi, K., Hansen, M. B., & Cadierno, T. (2020). The role of individual differences in younger vs. Older
primary school learners of English in Denmark. IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language
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Garton, S., & Copland, F. (2019). The Routledge Handbook of Teaching English to Young Learners. In S. Gar-
ton & F. Copland (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Teaching English to Young Learners. Routledge. https://doi.
org/10.4324/9781315623672
Garton, S., Copland, F., & Burns, A. (2013). Investigating global practices in teaching English to Young Learners.
In S. Sheehan (Ed.), British Council ELT Research Papers Volume 1 (1st ed., pp. 35–68). British Council. http://
englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/sites/ec/files/British Council WEB pdf_0.pdf
Glas, K. (2008). El inglés abre puertas... ¿a qué? Análisis del discurso sobre la enseñanza del inglés en Chile,
2003-2006. Revista Educacion y Pedagogia, XX(51), 111–122.
Graham, S., Courtney, L., Tonkyn, A., & Marinis, T. (2016). Motivational trajectories for early language learning
across the primary–secondary school transition. British Educational Research Journal, 42(4), 682–702. https://
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Inostroza A., M.-J. (2015). Examining challenges and complexities in the Chilean young learner classroom: a case of
teaching English as a foreign language (Issue December). University of Sheffield.
Inostroza A., M.-J. (2018a). Chilean Young Learners’ perspectives on their EFL Lesson in primary schools. Ac-
tualidades Investigativas En Educacion, Universidad de Costa Rica, 18(1), 1–20.
Inostroza A., M.-J. (2018b). Using Language Practice Games to Teach English in Chilean Primary Classrooms.
In F. Copland & S. Garton (Eds.), TESOL VOICES: INSIDER ACCOUNTS OF CLASSROOM LIFE—YOUNG LEARNER EDU-
CATION (pp. 85–91). TESOL Press.
Inostroza A., M.-J., & Yilorm, Y. (2017). Enseñanza Temprana de Inglés (ETI) en Chile: perfil profesional y condicio-
nes laborales del docente en ejercicio.
Matear, A. (2008). English language learning and education policy in Chile: can English really open doors for
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Yilorm Barrientos, Y., & Acosta Morales, H. (2016). Neoliberalismo y proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la lengua inglesa
en Chile: una mirada dialéctica al estado del arte en sectores vulnerables. Revista Cubana de Educación Superior, 3, 125–136.

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Diego
isanEFLteacher.Heholdsan
MA in Applied Linguistics and
is currently part of the EFL
teaching staff at Universidad
Bernardo O’Higgins. His
research interests focus
on neurolinguistics and
grammar.
Email:
diego.monasterio@ubo.cl
These days, being an English teacher can open
doors for international opportunities and
well-paid jobs around the world. Educational
institutions in continents such as Asia or
Europe are posting more and more jobs
with great benefits including fully furnished
accommodation, round-trip tickets home,
insurance, and paid vacations. Moreover, given
the fact that those institutions look for highly
qualified teachers (holding a master’s degree and
teacher qualifications), the salaries offered are
competitive and attractive. I myself have been
attracted to such offers more than once and have
been eager to apply for those teaching positions
abroad. Those of us who love teaching English
are always looking for a chance to work abroad
and get international experience. However,
although I hold all the necessary qualifications,
there is always one requirement in particular I
do not meet: being a native speaker of English.
In this respect, I understand that native English
teachers can provide students with great lessons
to help them learn this foreign language, and
they can be excellent models when dealing with
pronunciation. These might be the main reasons
why institutions around the world insist on
hiring native English teachers only. Nevertheless,
I strongly believe that high-qualified non-
native English teachers from South America, for
example,canalsodothesameandcanhelpforeign
students with the major obstacles they find when
learning English because the teachers themselves
have had to overcome similar difficulties in
their preparation process such as language
interference, pronunciation issues, high-levels of
anxiety, among others. Then, the fact that non-
native teachers of English are left aside by these
international recruiters just because they were
not born in English speaking countries without
even providing the opportunity for an interview
seems like a possible bias.
That being said, I believe that current and future
non-native English teachers in countries like
Chile deserve the chance to demonstrate how
useful and meaningful their lessons are for
those seeking to learn English around the world.
These days, teaching English is seen as a means
for international communication among several
countries around the world, not English-speaking
countries exclusively, and language textbooks are
starting to embrace this by providing teachers
with language activities that talk about the culture
not only in English-speaking countries, but also
in nations such as Japan, Italy, France, Spain,
Morocco, etc. If content creators, experts in the
field, and even native teachers of English have
shared the vision of English as an international
language in conferences and seminars, recruiters
around the world should jump on board the
boat and give non-native teachers of English the
opportunity they deserve.
In conclusion, I am convinced that recruiters will
continue to ask for all the teaching requirements
they want according to their needs but offering
or denying an English teacher the opportunity to
seek for international development because of the
country they were born in cannot continue being
an issue these days. English should always open
doors for all people regardless their nationality.
LETTER TO
THE EDITOR
Diego Monasterio
J J J
How to cite this article: Monasterio, D. (2022). Letter to the Editor. ELT Connections, 1 (1), 10-11.

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AN INTERVIEW
WITH
MARÍA
PAZ
PAVEZ
María Paz
is an EFL teacher with more than 20 years
of experience. She holds an MA in Applied
Linguistics and is currently part of the
teaching staff at Colegio San Sebastián de
Melipilla. She specializes in English language
teaching (high school and tertiary levels) and
methodology.
Email:
mariapaz.pavez@sansebastian.melipilla.cl
María Paz Pavez
J J J
1. Is there anything that you wish you’d known as a
first-year teacher?
The importance of empathy when teaching. We have to be able
to put ourselves in our students’ shoes when teaching. That is
something that has helped me a lot in all these years. There are
some very hardworking grades; they are fast-learners and always do
well, and therefore achieve the learning objectives rather quickly.
But there are others who need more time; different methodologies
and a lot of patience. So, after many years I am able to think they are
all learning so, sometimes I have to stop and do things differently
for their benefit. That is something nobody told me and I learnt just
by doing and being empathetic.
2. What’s the best
advice you’ve been
given about teaching?
Keep your students motivated
and as happy as you can.
If students are motivated
to learn, everything will be
easier and also me. I always
try to be smiling; as nice as I
can; to bring encouraging and
fun activities for them to keep
them happy. Therefore, I have
seen those motivated students
are the most hardworking
and the ones who end up
acquiring the language. Not
only because they work
during our classes but they do
manythingswiththelanguage
outside the classroom as well.
3. In your opinion,
what’s the best part of
teaching?
When you receive the
payment! Ha ha… no, when
you build a relationship with
students, and going to school
to teach them makes your day.
4. What’s the hardest
part of teaching?
All the paperwork we have to
do which most of the times
is useless. Also, many times
when we have a problem
at work with students who
do not respect our work…
all that makes you feel so
disappointed.
5. How do you take care
of yourself so you don’t
burn out?
I consider myself a very
organized person; so, I try to
do my things the best I can,
but when I´m not getting the
result I hope I just breath;
relax and turn the page. Some
time ago, someone told me
“don´t work as hard as you
do; nobody is going to build a
monument for you”. I try to do
my best in everything I do but
always thinking this is my job
– a part of my life- the most
important thing is my mental
health; so, I go through life
more relaxed and happier.
6. What is your
approach to classroom
management?
Be patient; try to talk
to students when they
misbehave. Set rules at the
beginning of the year; put
them into practice whenever
it is needed; be empathetic;
speak loudly (that always
helps). That´s all.
7. What has been the
most difficult time
teaching online due to
the pandemic?
To have black screens
and not having enough
communication with
students. In that system you
never know if all the students
are listening and doing things;
so, it is very frustrating most
of the time.
8. What have you learnt
during the pandemic?
To be tolerant. Many students
have had so many problems
related to bad internet
connection; mental health;
socioeconomical issues… and
when a student tells you they
didn’t do their homework,
you never get to know the real
reason behind that. So, we
have to give opportunities to
our students and be patient.
9. What advice would
you give to future
teachers of English?
English is a beautiful language
that opens doors. That´s
true. Teaching English is
beautiful too but it´s related
to vocation. If you want to be
a teacher you have to be aware
you will not be rich in the
future. It´s a career related to
helping people develop their
dreams; to have more tools for
communication… so if you
feel that call for social service
this is your place. Be patient;
prepare yourself mentally and
academically to do your best
to prepare your students for
their future.
10. How do you see
the future of English
teaching?
I think what happened during
this pandemic is a preview of
how teaching in general is
going to be in the near future.
Everything will be more
technological and less face to
face. But that is related to the
system of teaching. I think
leaning English will always
be a necessity for most people
since it´s spoken everywhere
and if you want to reach a
higher role in society you
need to be prepared with
the best tools. English is one
of them.

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An interview with
William Godoy de la Rosa
J J J
1. Is there anything that
you wish you’d known as
a first-yearteacher?
Well, that was a few years ago,
but I would´ve really liked
to know the number of tasks
a teacher has to carry out. I
remember my first year as a
teacher in a high school; I didn’t
know how to complete the class
record book. I guess nowadays it
is possible to get a closer look at
that.
2. What’s the best advice
you’ve been given about
teaching?
I am not quite sure if it is,
actually, a piece of advice about
teaching, but I always remember
all my university teachers
saying: You are always going to
be a model for your students
which means that teaching is a
lot of responsibility.
3. In your opinion, what’s
the best part ofteaching?
The best part, I think, is when
you teach your passion and you
spark interest in your students.
For example, in a foreign
language it could be vocabulary,
pronunciation, grammar, etc.
4.What’sthehardestpart
ofteaching?
I think that the time provided in
certainprogrammesisn’tenough
to reach certain goals. Learning
a foreign language, for example,
takes time and some students
get really frustrated when they
feel their performance is weak
or poorly assessed. In that kind
of situations, it is necessary to
give them support and explain
that learning a language isn’t
easy or immediate. It takes time,
effort and commitment.
5.Howdoyoutakecareof
yourselfsoyoudon’tburn
out?
I try to make some time for
myself and do different
activities such as cycling,
watching TV, reading a
book.
6. What
is your
approach to
classroom management?
Well, I think it is necessary to
reach an agreement with the
group you are teaching, set up
some rules and stick to them.
7. What has been the
most difficult time
teachingonlineduetothe
pandemic?
The hardest time, I think, has
been the reliance on computers
and the internet, especially at
the beginning of the pandemic.
William
is teacher of EFL and holds an MA in Applied
Linguistics, University of Nottingham.
He has written on corpus linguistics and
material design. He is especially interested
in crosslinguistic influence in SLA as well as
formulaic language.
Email: william.godoy@ceelechile.org
William
Godoy
De La
Rosa
Now, I guess, most of the
connection problems as well
as dealing with platforms, for
example, are finally solved.
8. What have you learnt
during the pandemic?
Apart from other real-time
meeting platforms such
as zoom, I also learnt the
importance of setting a time
limit to your work and get
disconnected.
9.Whatadvicewouldyou
give to future teachers of
English?
Be passionate, love what you
do and balance your work and
personal life. Don´t let teaching
absorb your life and interests.
10. How do you
see the future
of English teaching?
Well, I think we are going to
teach in multicultural contexts,
on virtual settings, and the non-
native speaker model would be
enhanced more than now.

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Thom
is an EFL teacher with more
than 20 years of experience
teaching English as a second
and foreign language. He has
aMaster’sdegreeinLanguage
Testing from Lancaster
University and the Cambridge
Delta, and is currently the
Director of Norwich Institute
for Language Education
(NILE) in the UK.
Although my main focus in this article
will be on language assessment, I think
that many of the ideas and challenges to
teachers are also very relevant to teachers
of other subjects across the curriculum,
and particularly so when those subjects are
taughtthroughadifferentlanguagefromthe
learners’ own first language. I am also keen
to make the point, somewhat inelegantly
framed in the title, that this is not just about
teachers’ theoretical knowledge, but about
classroom practices, and teachers’ own
competences as designers of assessment
instruments, and users of them, to enhance
their teaching, and their learners’ learning.
As one of my colleagues says, “Practice
without theory has no head; theory without
practice has no feet”.
Having started with a metaphor, I will
keep the ball rolling with another – a
really powerful one from Professor Lynda
Taylor, President of the UK Association
of Language Testing and Assessment. She
invites us to consider the analogy of the
process of taking a photograph – imagining
with the photographer as the teacher, the
camera as the assessment instrument (a
test, for example), and the test-taker as the
subject of the photograph. This allows us to
draw parallels on many levels, but especially
for this article, the empowerment of the
photographer (teacher) to decide the focus
ofthephoto,whatiscapturedintheframeof
the photograph, when and how many times
to take the snapshot, and how to guide the
subject to pose!
This empowerment is something which
I feel is often lacking among teachers’
competences, reflected in a lack of
confidence in their approach to testing
and assessment, and is shared across many
of the global contexts where I’ve worked
with language teachers. We know that
proportionally, very little attention is given
to assessment theory and practice in initial
teacher-training courses and programmes,
whether that’s four-week intensives or four-
year degrees. There are also contexts where
tests and exams can be seen as sticks to
beat the learners, with the accompanying
fear and pressure on teachers, and perhaps
worse, as sticks to beat the teachers, when
their career progress, professional identity,
International Feature with
Thom Kiddle, Director of
Norwich Institute for
Language Education (NILE)
What should teachers know about assessment,
and what should they be able to do with it?
Thom Kiddle
J
or continued employment may be based
on the exam results of their students.
There may also be the fear, particularly
among language teachers, that testing and
assessment is all about complex statistics
and terrifying concepts such as construct
validity and inter-rater reliability. We also
see the impact of standardised assessments
across international education settings, and
the feeling that these reduce learners to
data sets, and neglect the individuality and
whole-learner nature of modern approaches
tolearningandteaching.Andfinally,forthis
article at least, the challenging contradiction
that we as teachers are expected to foster in
ourlearnersthosecritical21stCenturyskills
such as creativity, teamwork, collaboration
and use of digital resources; yet when these
are viewed through a testing lens, they are
seen as leading to one outcome… cheating!
So what are those areas of language
assessmentcompetencewhichIfeelteachers
should feel confident with and empowered
to use for the benefit of their learners?
Firstly, I think teachers need to understand
the principles of Learning-Oriented
Assessment, and particularly its intention to
demystifyassessmenttasksforbothteachers
and learners, and to re-imagine typical test
tasks as learning activities in the classroom.
This is so that exam preparation doesn’t
mean simply taking and reviewing past
papers, but rather collaboratively exploring
the skills which a test task is trying to
measure, building those skills up, and using
the feedback from this practice as feed-
forward, to help learners further develop
that knowledge or the associated skills. A
simple example might be a multiple-choice
Reading Comprehension test, where the
teacher asks the learners to read the text
for a non-testing purpose first, then asks
the learners to make their own questions
for the text, and only then introduces the
M/C questions… but without the answer
options, to see if learners can find the
answer without the cognitive load of four
competing alternatives. And only as a final
stage, introducing the original questions
from the test, and discussing the key words
and phrases from the text which make one
option correct and others wrong.
Second, I think teachers need to feel
comfortable with adapting or designing,
and using, performance descriptors
for assessment of the productive skills
– Speaking and Writing. This includes
using rating scales to give personalised,
useful feedback to learners, and also
validates a focus on productive skills in
the classroom, and encourages learners
to develop self-awareness and even self-
assessment skills. Perhaps one of the most
fundamental resources here is the Common
European Framework of Reference for
Languages (CEFR) and its new (2018)
Companion Volume (https://rm.coe.
int/cefr-companion-volume-with-new-
descriptors-2018/1680787989), which really
supports the understanding of how we can
describe action-oriented language use at
different levels across different domains of
use, and for different skills. So many, if not
all, language assessments claim alignment to
the CEFR these days, that an understanding
of, and ability to work with the original
framework can be very empowering, and
something I’ve worked with teachers on for
many years, in contexts from Trinidad to
Israel to Poland and in Chile!
Third, I believe teachers need to embrace
assessment of the four skills, but to develop
their own critical perspective on the place of
grammar and vocabulary within this – for
example, whether grammar and vocabulary
should be measured independently in a
separate test paper, or whether they are
better seen as enabling competences within
the skills. This demands an awareness
among teachers of different reasons for
assessing learners, or test purposes, different
methodsofassessing,oritemandtasktypes,
and different ways of giving feedback, with a
formative purpose or a summative purpose.
A fourth aspect of teachers’ language
assessmentcompetenceistheunderstanding
of the impact of assessment on the wider
educational environment. This may be at a
locallevelinthewashbackwhichaparticular
choice of end-of-course assessment method
canhaveontheteachingandlearningwhich
precedes it. However, it can also be at the
societal level in the way in which tests and
examsaregatekeepersforaccesstoprivileges
and progress in a given context, perhaps for
entrance to or graduation from university,
or migration and social mobility. The power
of tests has perhaps never been stronger
in a globalised world, and this places huge
responsibility for quality and fairness on
the designers, and also the users of tests and
exams, and teachers are often both.
So, I’ve laid out some key challenges for the
development of professional assessment
competences for language teachers in this
article, and I’m well aware I haven’t even
touched on the ‘elephant in the room’ –
the area of online, digital, and automated
assessment – which has become even more
present for teachers in the last eighteen
months. That’s for another article, but
I firmly believe that the competences
describedaboverelatejustasmuchtoonline
assessment as to face-to-face or pen-and-
paper assessment.
For anyone interested in profiling their own
competencesintheareasofteacherlanguage
assessment outlined above, I recommend
the Eaquals Framework for Language
Teacher Training and Development (https://
www.eaquals.org/our-expertise/teacher-
development/the-eaquals-framework-for-
teacher-training-and-development/), and
specifically the section on Assessment of
Learning. There are a huge number of
resources supporting teachers’ continuing
professional development activities in the
area of language assessment, and it would
be remiss of me not to mention our own
NILE Online Testing, Evaluation and
Assessment course (https://www.nile-elt.
com/product?catalog=Testing-Evaluation-
and-Assessment-Online) which I
developed, and which has supported
hundreds of teachers worldwide to develop
their competence and confidence in
assessment… something I hope I’ve helped
convince you is relevant, important and
achievable in this article!
How to cite this article: Kiddle, T. (2022). What should teachers know about assessment, and what should they be able to do with it?.
ELT Connections, 1 (1), 16-17.

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Mirona
shehasaPhDinLanguageandTranslationStudiesandan
MA in Translation Studies from Cardiff University (Wales,
UK). Her main research interests include EFL teacher
training and the relationship between multilingualism
and immigration in different geographical contexts.
Lucas
is a teacher of English from the Instituto Profesional
Chileno-Británico. He holds an MA in English Language
Teaching & Applied Linguistics (King’s College London).
His main research areas are gender and ELT, sexual
identities and ELT and identity and teacher education.
EFL pre-service teachers’
experiences in the third space of an
early community practicum
Mirona
Moraru
J Lucas
Ríos
J
J
J
1
Mirona Moraru & Lucas Ríos
1
This is a shortened and translated version of an article published by the authors in 2019 entitled “Transitando de estudiante a profesor: rearti-
culaciones en el tercer espacio de una práctica comunitaria temprana”. The original version of this article was published in Spanish and can be
found here: http://revistas.uach.cl/index.php/estped/article/view/4237
The present article explores the
experiences of three third-year Chilean
EFL pre-service teachers who took on
the role of teachers in a community
engagement project based in Santiago,
Chile. During this early community
practicum, the students’ task was
to conduct extracurricular English
workshops for a group of pupils coming
from disadvantaged backgrounds. Using
Homi Bhabha’s concept of third space,
the article focuses on the impact that
this practicum had on the professional
trajectory of the pre-service teachers.
Duringthispracticumtheyfindthemselves
in a third space, being neither students,
nor teachers, but somewhat in-between.
It is argued that this hybrid space entails a
partial transition from student to teacher,
which manifests itself through a series of
tensions that are negotiated during this
process. As a result, the article analyses
some of their most important beliefs that
change as a result of this practicum.
The article consists of four sections.
The first section introduces a brief
literature review focused on the teaching
practicum in Chile. The second section
explains the theoretical underpinnings
of Homi Bhabha’s concept of third space
and its affordances to understand the
experience of pre-service teachers. The
third section presents the community
engagement project and explains why it
could be considered an early community
practicum. The fourth section outlines
1.Introduction
the methodology of the research project.
The fifth section discusses the results
of the article with a focus on how the
early community practicum allows for a
transition process from student to teacher.
2.The teaching
practicum in Chile
According to Ávalos (2002, p. 109), the
objective of the teaching practicum is
not only to allow pre-service teachers
to get closer to the professional world
of teaching but also to facilitate the
construction and the internalization
of the role of the teacher. This is why
the teaching practicum enables pre-
service teachers to link their theoretical
knowledge with the reality encountered
in the practicum centers. However,
one of the most significant challenges
that Chilean higher education
is encountering nowadays is the
ability to offer “a more rigorous and
effective” teaching practicum (Centro
Microdatos, 2017, p. 7). Consequently,
following Contreras et al. (2010, p. 86),
it is necessary to carry out research
regarding the practicum in order to
systematically understand what the
pre-service teachers actually do, what
they think about what they learn, and
what the conditions under which the
practicum is carried out in order to be
able to rethink the development of the
practicum in the teaching programs
across Chile.
There is a considerable amount of
research that has been carried out over
the years regarding the practicum,
referring to issues such as: the efficiency
of the professional practicum (see Báez
etal.,2015;Cornejo,2014);theefficiency W

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of the supervisor or mentor teachers
(see Cornejo, 2014; Díaz & Bastías,
2012; Jofré & Gairín, 2009; Labra, 2011;
Latorre, 2009; Montecinos, Barrios &
Tapia, 2011); the tensions and challenges
that emerge during the professional
practicum (see Gorichon, Ruffinelli,
Pardo & Cisternas, 2015; Hirmas &
Cortés, 2015; Montecinos & Walker,
2010); or the relationship between
theory and practice (Montecinos et al.,
2011). Nevertheless, there is a need
to further understand the pre-service
teachers’ perceptions and reflections
during the teaching practicum. Some
authors, such as Bobadilla, Cárdenas,
Dobbs y Soto (2009) and Nocetti (2016a)
think that it is necessary to explore the
pre-service teachers’ experiences by
taking into consideration their voice as
main agents in the practicum. Therefore,
there are some studies which refer to this
aspect (Bobadilla et al., 2009; Cornejo &
Fuentealba, 2008; Díaz & Bastías, 2012;
Díaz, Sanhueza, Martínez & Roa, 2010)
or which explore more in depth certain
pre-service teachers’ reflections (see
Barahona, 2014, 2015a, 2015b; Nocetti,
2016a, 2016b; Rittershaussen et al., 2004;
Tagle et al., 2012; Williamson et al., 2015).
One of the most relevant recent studies
whichhasfocusedontheEFLpre-service
teachers’ voices is the one conducted by
Barahona (2014; 2015a), who explores
whether her participants’ reflections
are in line with the objectives set out by
the university and the teacher trainers.
Barahona (2014, p. 119) highlights
that the practicum does not only help
the pre-service teachers get experience
working in a school, but it also allows
them to compare and contrast the
knowledge acquired at university and
the reality of the school. Consequently,
pre-service teachers develop a more
critical attitude regarding what they
learn in their teacher training program
and a more effective ability to deploy
their knowledge in different contexts.
Nevertheless, Barahona (2015a, pp.
79-92) explains that the EFL pre-
service teachers interviewed highlight
a series of contradictions between their
university teacher training program
and their practicum performance
with regards to three aspects. First,
university-based EFL teacher trainers
expect pre-service teachers to employ
specific methodologies and teaching
strategies that are not always context-
appropriate. Second, the EFL pre-
service teachers face difficulties trying
to balance their work load, between
planning their practicum classes and
carrying out the rest of the university-
based tasks. Third, the teacher training
program expects pre-service teachers
to behave as teachers inside their
practicum classrooms while the school
perceives them as students who cannot
be granted full autonomy. These three
contradictions are fundamental when
trying to understand the role that the
teaching practicum plays in the process
of becoming a teacher.
3.Homi Bhabha’s “third
space”, education, and
the practicum
The concept of “third space” was
suggested by Homi Bhabha in his search
for a new conceptualization of cultural
transformation and change (Rutherford,
1990). It is a concept whose roots can
be found in postcolonial theory, given
that one of Bhabha’s main focus was
on analyzing the social and cultural
phenomena that emerged as a result of
the end of the British Empire during the
second half of the 20th century. On the
one hand, these phenomena referred to
the composition of the British society,
its new characteristics and the emerging
identities of the immigrant population
which started arriving in the “mother
country”especiallyaftertheSecondWorld
W War (see Bhabha, 2002). On the other
hand, this concept has been employed to
analyse other different phenomena, such
as postcolonial literature (see Bhabha,
2002; Rutherford, 1990). Furthermore,
the concept has been extended by Bhabha
himself to understand the relationship
between theory and practice (Bhabha,
1988), cultural difference (Bhabha, 2002),
or political change (Bhabha, 1988), among
others.
Therefore, with the concept of “third
space” Bhabha (2002) tries to bypass
the “politics of polarity” (p. 59) and
“cultural binarism” (Rutherford, 1990,
p. 211), suggesting the possibility of an
articulation between the two entities.
Starting from the idea that the two entities
(e.g. two different cultures, two languages,
two power positions) never represent
fixed positions (Rutherford, 1990, pp.
210-211), the encounter between these
two manifestations generates a third
space (Bhabha, 1988, 2002; Rutherford,
1990). Consequently, the third space, also
referred to as a “hybrid” space refers to the
development of positions, cultural forms,
identities, or other entities that emerge
as innovative articulations between two
supposed binaries. In Bhabha’s words,
hybridity [or the third space] bears the
traces of those feelings and practices
which inform it, just like a translation
so that hybridity puts together the
traces of certain other meanings of
discourses. It does not give them the
authority of being prior in the sense
of being original: they are prior only
in the sense of being anterior. The
process of cultural hybridity gives rise
to something different, something
new and unrecognizable, a new
area of negotiation of meaning and
representation (Rutherford, 1990, p.
211).
Therefore, the third space refers to
something essentially new, tangible or
intangible. Following Moje et al. (2004)
hibridity represents that possibility to
challenge and remodel the two “binaries”
towards new alternatives, practices,
discourses, or knowledge forms. It refers
to a transformation understood by Bhabha
(2002, pp. 39-60, p. 273; Rutherford,
1990, p. 211) as a form of translation and
negotiation of tensions and disjunctions
which allows for the generation of new
positions which are “neither One not the
Other but, something else besides, in-
between” (Bhabha, 2002, p. 219).
Given its affordances for examining
complex phenomena, the concept of third
space has also been employed in order
to explore the teaching practicum from
the perspective of two interlinked issues:
the relationship between the school
and the university and the relationship
between theory and practice (see Cuenca,
Schmeichel, Butler, Dinkelman & Nichols,
2011; Elsden-Clifton & Jordan, 2015;
Forgasz, Heck, Williams, Ambrosetti &
Willis 2018; Grenfell, 1998; Jordan &
Elsden-Clifton, 2014; Martin, Snow &
Torres, 2011; McDonough, 2014; Trent,
Gao & Gu 2013; Zeichner, 2010). This
emphasis emerged as an extensive critique
towards the disconnection between the
university-based theoretical training and
the practical school reality. Consequently,
the specialized literature employs the
concept of third space to explore different
interaction strategies between the two
spheres. One of the most recurrent
strategies is the construction of a third
space in the shape of an innovative
collaboration between the university
and the practicum centers with the aim
of balancing both the power relations
between university-based teacher
trainers and the school-based teacher
trainers, and the type of knowledge
acquired by the pre-service teachers (see
Cuenca et al., 2011; Grudnoff, Haigh &
Mackisack, 2017; Martin et al., 2011;
Zeichner 2010).
Most studies which employ the concept
of third space focus on the university-
school and theory-practice dichotomies;
nevertheless, in line with Gannon (2010)
and Sinner (2010), the objective of the
present study is to explore the EFL
pre-service teachers’ partial transition
from student to teacher through an
early community practicum. The article
employs the third space as a concept
which, as Jordan and Elsden-Clifton
(2014) argue, offers “a framework
to acknowledge the tensions and
dilemmas of pre-service teachers on
placement as they [struggle] to negotiate
unfamiliar terrain”. Understanding the
early community practicum that the
participants of the present study carried out
as a “professional rite of passage” (Gannon,
2010, p. 21), the present article explores
the perspectives of the pre-service teachers
regarding this transition, with a focus on the
negotiations of different value systems, their
identityreconfigurationandthereinterpretation
ofwhat it means to be a teacher.

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4.An early community
practicum
During the first semester of 2017, third-
year English pre-service teachers from a
Santiago-based university participated in
a pilot project that offered extracurricular
English language workshops. The project
was developed in a subsidized school
and was directed towards primary school
pupils(1st-4thgrades).AlthoughinChile
English is compulsory starting from the
fifth grade (Ministerio de Educación,
2012), the school offers English classes
to all its pupils starting from the pre-
kindergarten level. Located in the second
commune with the highest poverty rate
in Santiago (Ministerio de Desarrollo
Social, 2014), the school serves socio-
economic vulnerable pupils; in this
context, the teaching of English at an
early age is understood as a tool that can
potentially lead to social and economic
mobility. However, the school receives
pupils from other establishments who
have not had the opportunity to learn
English. Additionally, pupils with a low
proficiency in English need additional
support to keep up with the required
pace. It is towards these two types of
pupils that the workshops were directed,
in order to level their English proficiency
and increase their level of motivation.
The project consisted of several stages.
First, the project was presented to the
pre-service teachers in charge of carrying
it out. Second, the pre-service teachers
attended an induction session conducted
by the coordinator of the school’s
English department, where they became
familiar with the school’s disciplinary
and pedagogical environment. Third,
the students observed the classes in two
instances. Fourth, the group participated
in a guided reflexive session around their
observations, on the basis of which they
did the exercise of planning a simulation
class after which they received feedback
from the project coordinators. Finally,
the English workshops were developed.
The pupils were divided into two groups:
first and second grade (17 pupils) and
third and fourth grade (19 pupils). The
total number of pre-service teachers
involved in the project was 22. Given
certain time restrictions imposed by the
school, during the workshops the pre-
service teachers played different roles.
Three pre-service teachers fulfilled the
role of teachers. The rest of the students
fulfilled the role of monitors, following a
voluntary rotation model. The monitors
offered both classroom management
and personalized support in order to
help the teacher meet their objectives. In
addition, the entire group of pre-service
teachers was divided into smaller groups
in charge of planning the classes offered
by the teachers and monitors.
The project could be considered an
early community practicum because
of four key aspects. First, it is an early
practicum from a temporal perspective:
it was carried out one semester before
the group of pre-service teachers were
supposed to officially undergo their first
practicum. Second, the project can also
be considered an early practicum based
on the incipient pedagogical knowledge
that the pre-service teachers had before
this project. This is a consequence of
the fact that during the first two years,
the English teacher training program
was mainly focused on disciplinary
aspects, rather than pedagogical. Third,
we consider the project to be an early
practicum in light of its distinction with
an initial practicum in which the focus is
on observation and reflection rather than
on participation. On the contrary, during
the project the pre-service teachers had
the opportunity to actively participate in
the classroom, having a leading role. In
addition, they had complete autonomy
in the workshops, but they had the
necessary support from the university
and the coordinating teachers in the
planning and design stages of the classes.
Fourth, the workshops were carried out
with the aim of offering a set of tools to
pupils who needed extra help in their
language acquisition process. Given that
these pupils tended to find themselves
in situations of socio-economic
vulnerability, it can be argued that the
project functioned as an early community
practicum.
In this context, the main objective of the
article is to explore the experiences of
the pre-service teachers involved in this
project and, through the patterns found,
analyze the potentialimpactofthistypeof
early community practicum on their
trainingasEnglishteachers.
5.Methodology
Given the focus on pre-service teacher
experiences, a qualitative approach was
employed.Inordertogainacomprehensive
perspective on this process, we collected
data through three types of instruments:
field diaries, reflective essays, and semi-
structured interviews.
First, participant observation was carried
out during all the workshops. The aim
was to generate a field journal of the
workshops, which served as an initial
exploration of this early community
practice. Second, the 22 pre-service
teachers were asked to write a reflexive
essay about the influence the project had
on their initial training as teachers. Third,
based on information collected through
the first two instruments, semi-structured
interviews were conducted with key
project participants: the three students
who fulfilled the role of teachers. It should
be noted that, given the focus of the
study, this article is based mainly on the
information provided in the interviews
with the three pre-service teachers. The
rest of the information was used as a
complement that allowed juxtaposing and
verifying the emerging themes, especially
in the initial stages of the analysis.
6.Results and
discussion
The proposed analysis is divided into
two main parts. First, we introduce the
main aspects that allow the development
of a hybrid space between being a
student and a teacher. Second, since “the
hybridization process is accompanied by
critique, rupture, and challenge towards
established orthodoxies” (Grenfell, 1998,
p. 20), we focus on the negotiation of
transitions, reconfigurations and (self-)
translations experienced by the students
during this process.
6.1.Going through a role change:
recognition and self-recognition
as teachers
It can be argued that the main aspects
that lead to the reconfigurations
experienced by the pre-service teachers
have a common denominator: the
change of their role from students
to teachers. This section details the
consequences of this change in the
construction of a third space.
For Isabel, Andrea, and Diego,
assumingtheroleofateacherrepresents
a fundamental change of position;
leading the English workshops does
not only involve teaching, but also a
symbolic recognition of their position
from the perspective of the pupils and
the establishment, as well as from their
own perspective. It is interesting to note
that the process of recognition of our
pre-service teachers as teachers by the
pupils was not always straightforward,
but it rather went through a series of
negotiations:
At the beginning [the children] did
not take us seriously ... one day their
teacher had to talk to them and
tell them that we are teachers and
that we do the classes for them and
then little by little they began to pay
more attention but at the beginning
it was difficult for us (Andrea)
Given that initially the pupils did
not recognize Andrea in her role as
teacher,refusingtoobeyher,thecourse
teacher intervened as a negotiating
agent between the group and the new
teacher, giving her power. At the same
time, Andrea began to negotiate her
recognition by the students, not trying
to change the context, but trying to
adapt to the reality of the classroom.
On the other hand, Isabel’s experience
demonstrates the alternative where the
new teacher is recognized without the
need for the same level of negotiation:
The fact of being a teacher gives
you certain authority because in
the end children see you as the
teacher ... they do not measure the
difference between being a student
and an English teacher, if you are
the teacher, you are the teacher
and it’s over, so being a teacher
gives you that authority that you
use in your favor to silence the
children, to set rules, and to teach
(Isabel)
It can be argued
that this type of
recognition works
as a bridge for
the position
that the pre-
serviceteachers
occupy both in
front of their pupils,
and in relation to
their professional
career. This is so
because of the power
they acquire in front
of the pupils.
Apart from the pupils, the
pre-service teachers were also
recognized as teachers by the
establishment:
At school they make us feel part
of the educational community ...
they treat us as teachers, we are
teachers there ... they don’t look at
you as a student carrying out the
practicum, they look at you as a
teacher (Andrea)
We were like any other teachers
there, everyone greeted us as if we
were part of the school ... the school
authoritiesgaveusabsolutefreedom
... we made and unmade there, that
is, we were the teachers (Isabel)
It is important to underline that the
institution makes pre-service teachers
feel part of the educational community
in a position of relative power, that is, as
peers of other teachers. This is carried
out through two strategies: on the one
hand, the treatment that pre-service
teachers receive from the establishment
outside the classroom is that received
by the teachers themselves; on the
other hand, inside the classrooms,
pre-service teachers have a very high
level of autonomy, similar to that of
school teachers. Consequently, they are
not seen as pupils or even as students
during their practicum, where the
establishment is responsible for their
performance. On the contrary, power
relations are balanced thanks to the fact
that the workshops support the school
and the community. This is remarkable
as it empowers pre-service teachers in
their new role and helps them reach
a certain level of self-recognition as
teachers:
What I liked the most [was] having
the opportunity to feel like a
teacher… [the project gives us the]
freedom to believe we are teachers,
to be teachers, for me to go and do
my class with my pupils (Andrea)
The recognition and self-recognition
as teachers is the key element that
generates a third space in the trajectory
of future teachers, allowing them to
go through a series of fundamental
reconfigurations in their professional
identity.
6.2.The transition from student
to teacher
Being in front of their pupils,
negotiating their recognition and self-
recognition as teachers has a profound
effect on Isabel, Andrea, and Diego.
They find themselves in a third space
that allows them to rearticulate a
series of established orthodoxies; in
turn, this gives rise to their transition
from student to teacher. Specifically,
we focus on two key reconfigurations
that the participants emphasize in the
interviews: rethinking the role of the
teacher and the learning environment.
6.2.1.Rethinking the role of
the teacher
Contact with the school
reality and with the pupils
involved rethinking the
role of the teacher for the
participants:
W

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I [realized] what the role of the
teacher is in the classroom, that
they are not only people who
transmit information, but who go
beyond that (Isabel)
[Ilearnedthat]beingateacherisnot
[only about] studying and knowing
the contents, being a teacher is a
lot of things… it is standing up to
teach a class, worrying about your
students’ progress, [motivating
them], considering the parents
(Andrea)
Despite their long trajectory as pupils and
students interacting with teachers on a daily
basis, it is mainly in the encounter with the
educational community from this new posi-
tion that the interviewees begin to seriously
reflect on the multidimensional role of the
teacher. In particular, they emphasize the
importance of pedagogical knowledge over
disciplinary knowledge. In addition, they
realize the complementary role that teachers
have, delivering values, motivating, and su-
pporting the student emotionally. The inter-
viewees also highlight the role of the teacher
as a link between the school and the family
and the need to possess the necessary tools
to negotiate this relationship.
6.2.2.Classroom management
and methodology
Another two aspects that the three
interviewees emphasized were classroom
management and methodology. To
begin with, all three point out their low
expectations of both the pupils and
themselves before starting the workshops:
W
I thought they were going to be
troublesome children ... that we
were going to have to begin by
trying to impose discipline ... I also
thought that I would not be able to
cope with the situation in case it got
out of hand ... the first time I went
I was super nervous, I did not know
how to teach, I had never been in
front of children like that, in a real
classroom, so my expectations
of myself were also low because I
said, I don’t know [the Necessary]
Methodology, I know the basics,
how am I going to do it? (Isabel)
At first I was a little scared ... I was
always afraid of how to manage
the children’s behavior ... it was
a challenge because we were all
aware that the level is different,
they get bored easier, so you have
to keep them busy and that was
a challenge for us, how do I do it?
(Andrea)
From their role as students, the
interviewees had low expectations
regarding their ability to effectively
structure the learning environment,
especially in terms of classroom
management.Thismaybetheconsequence
of not having had subjects related to this
aspect. However, once in the role of the
teacher, they reflect on the relationship
between effective classroom management
and the methodology used since they see a
connection between the behavior of their
pupils and the strategies they use.
The interviewees’ expectations were
partiallymetsinceclassroommanagement
represented one of the most significant
challenges that they highlighted in the
first workshops:
[The biggest challenge] was
classroom management
[especially in] my first teacher
session (Diego)
[The biggest challenge] at
the beginning was classroom
management, maintaining order,
trying to make them pay attention
and stay calm (Andrea)
However, given the duration of the
project and the certain freedom to make
decisions, the interviewees had the
opportunity to find ways to negotiate
their role as teachers, experiment with
different strategies to obtain an effective
learning environment, and thus exceed
their low expectations:
During the first 3 weeks it was a bit
messyandwhenIrealizedwhatIwas
doing wrong, [when I understood]
how to treat the children, once I
discovered the problem and found
the solution, they also responded in
the expected way
(Andrea)
This represents a process of discovery and
self-discovery, as the pre-service teachers
began to reflect on their weaknesses and
potential solutions.
On the one hand, the interviewees break
an established classroom orthodoxy where
the teacher only delivers information and
must be strict to maintain order:
At the beginning [I was strict] and
then I began to realize that it did
not work and I began to try to
see what happened if a girl was
allowed to distribute the guides,
the girl was motivated ... you begin
to understand that they want to
participate in one way or another
in the classroom so if you allow
them, with certain limits, they will
participate and they will answer
(Isabel)
[The pupils] prefer interacting
rather than me explaining [all the
time] (Andrea)
What I learned to notice [is] the
proactivity of the pupil ... I learned
to interact with the pupils ... I
learned that the pupils themselves
have to be the ones who manage
their education, so I am going to be
a guide rather than a know-it-all in
the classroom (Diego)
From their new position, the
interviewees realize that the teacher-
pupil dynamic does not necessarily
have to be vertical and, once this
relationship is rearticulated, they begin
to experiment with different other
ways of relating to pupils. In addition,
they also discover that it is not only
the teacher who constructs meaning in
the classroom, but that the teaching-
learning process is rather a negotiation
and a co-construction between the
teacher and the pupils.
Along the same lines, pre-service
teachers rearticulate the relationship
between the knowledge they have to
deliver and the ways to deliver it:
As a future teacher [I
understood] that what is
more important is how we
teach rather than what we
teach because there are
several ways, that is, I can
teach the verb to be in a super
boring way but if I relate it to
something [the pupils] enjoy, I
will probably capture 100% of
their attention ... I was always
thinking: What I can do now
to make them like [what they
have to learn]? What video
can I show them so that they
can entertain themselves,
but at the same time learn?
(Isabel)
We have seen that the change of role from
student to teacher during the English
workshops has represented a key aspect
which led to a radical reconfiguration of the
interviewees around aspects that influence
the construction of their professional
identity. The following testimony serves
to understand the dimensions of this
reconfiguration:
Before the project I used to see
myself as a pedagogy student,
I was learning English, learning
how to be a teacher and that’s it,
I thought: I graduate and dedicate
myself to being a teacher, but with
the project I see it much closer, I
no longer see being a teacher as
something far away, now it’s like I
am a teacher (Andrea)
In other words, the early community
practicum served as a third space where
the interviewees were able to begin their
transition from student to teacher through
a series of reconfigurations and ruptures of
the orthodoxies established in their role as
students. As we have seen, in the case of our
participants, the rearticulated orthodoxies
refer mainly to their expectations about
themselves as teachers and to the way of
creating an effective learning environment.
The result of being located in this hybrid
space that allowed them to negotiate
tensions and disjunctions is the possibility
of getting involved in a process of radical
identity reconstruction. In turn, this
experience brings them a little closer to
being a teacher on the student-teacher
continuum, or as Andrea says, it allows
them to “be” teachers.
To conclude, it should be noted that the
aspects explored in this article represent
only part of the transition from student to
teacher. Consequently, it is important to
continue exploring this transition process
with a focus on student experiences. This
type of research is significant in that it
allows understanding both the students’
negotiations with the practicum centers,
as well as their co-construction of their
professional training process at university.
This represents a key aspect when teacher
training programs negotiate curricular
changes in order to bridge the distance
between theory and practice, as well as
between universities and practicum centers.
How to cite this article: Moraru, M. & Ríos, L. (2022). EFL pre-service teachers’ experiences in the third space of an early community practicum.
7.Conclusion

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Coursebook
Evaluation
Using A Cluster
Approach
This article describes a coursebook evaluation instrument
using a cluster approach. We propose this instrument for a
pre-use evaluation. It makes good use of the limited time
teachers have available. It aims to develop a group consensus
about the merits of a coursebook. This is important because
the perfect coursebook does not exist. Thus, the support of
the group is vital to the successful implementation and use
of the coursebook.
Abstract
Carola
is an English-Spanish
Interpreter, with over 13 years
of EFL teaching experience.
Currently, she is teaching
English at Universidad de
Chile, and doing an MA in TEFL
at UNAB in Santiago, Chile.
Email:
villegas.carola@gmail.com
Paddy
hails from Nigeria, and he
iscurrentlyanAmbassador
to English Opens Doors
Program Chile. He has
6 years international
teaching experience and
is currently doing an MA in
TEFL at UNAB.
Email:
paddysworldsix@gmail.com
Kathy
currently works in the
elementary and preschool
levels in a school in Chile
and is currently doing an
MAinTEFL.Sheperiodically
teaches EFL for the British
Council Chile.
Email:
Kath.montoyar@gmail.com
Thomas
has worked with EFL
students from elementary
to university level. He is the
Past-President of TESOL Chile
(2010 – 2011). Currently, he
is doing an MA in TEFL at
Universidad Andres Bello in
Santiago, Chile.
Email:
thomasbaker1999@gmail.com
Carola
Villegas
Paddy
Odu
Kathy
Montoya
Thomas
Baker
The purpose of this article is to describe
a pre-use, coursebook evaluation
instrument using a cluster approach. A
group of four MA TEFL students followed
thesameprocedureoutlinedbyTomlinson
(2003, p. 23), to evaluate the Chilean 6th
grade English coursebook, “Get ready
with English 6!” (Mineduc, 2021). The
evaluation instrument contained one
hundred and one (101) questions.
We used an innovative cluster approach,
in five categories, to facilitate both a
pragmatic and pedagogic appraisal of the
coursebook. Our evaluation is important
because recent studies in Chile (Guernica
Consultores, 2016; Estudios y Consultoría
Focus, 2017; EDECSA, 2017) have found
that many teachers have an unfavorable
opinion of the English textbooks provided
by the Ministry of Education (hereafter
Mineduc). Therefore, there is a need for
this kind of teacher-designed, coursebook
evaluation.
Firstly, the development of our evaluation
instrument was a collaborative process.
To begin, each member of our team
independently designed an assessment
instrument. This included the pragmatic
and pedagogic concerns we believe the
coursebook should address. Next, we met
to consolidate our efforts into one final
instrument. At this meeting, rather than
select the best model of the four presented,
we decided to respect the knowledge and
experience of each group member by
clustering all of our questions into five
categories. Consequently, a potentially
time-consuming task (answering 101
questions), now requires only 15 – 20
minutes. This makes the best possible use
of the limited time teachers have available.
Secondly, this instrument is intended
for use as a collective evaluation tool by
any group of teachers working in the
same English department. It aims to
help develop a group consensus about
the merits of a textbook. Using a 5-point
Likert scale provides a quantitative
reference while still allowing a subjective,
individual judgement. This helps build a
consensus within the group.
Consensus building is a Chilean cultural
characteristic. This is leveraged to have
the support of the group for the final
decision. It is important because the
perfect textbook does not exist. According
to Tomlinson (2003), modifying, adapting
and supplementing this coursebook
is to be expected. The support of the
group, therefore, is crucial to the
successful implementation and use of this
coursebook.
Thirdly, with our instrument now in
place, we could proceed to the next stage,
the actual evaluation of the coursebook.
In order to avoid biased impressions, we
decided to evaluate the coursebook in
isolation, with no input, knowledge, or
guidance from any of the other members.
That said, collectively our group has
accumulated over 50 years of EFL teaching
experience.
This is an asset for us, because we bring
a wide range of teaching and learning
experiences to this task. For example, one
member of the group currently works
in the private sector, with a binational
organization. Previously, this member
was part of the English Opens Doors
Program, a joint effort by the United
Nations and Mineduc to promote the
teaching and learning of English in Chile.
Another works in the tertiary system,
teaching English to future lawyers at one
of the leading universities in the country.
Another teacher is employed in the private
sector, working with elementary students
at the target level for this evaluation, sixth
grade. Finally, one member of the group
has over twenty years of experience,
working in both the public and private
system, from tertiary level to elementary
level, even serving one term as the
President of TESOL Chile in 2010.
As might be expected, given the wide
range of experience within the group, our
individual results were not convergent.
One member tallied 70 points out of a
possibletotalof85.Anotherteachertallied
60 points and a third teacher tallied only
42 points. We had the foresight, however,
to hold one teacher’s evaluation in reserve

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to facilitate an odd number of evaluators.
The evaluation of the teacher-centered who
teachesfuturelawyersattheuniversitylevel
was not among the evaluations mentioned
already. The average score we arrived at
was 57 points. We believe another group
of evaluators will likely have a different
average score than we did.
Nonetheless, we had a significant
difference (28 points) between the highest
and lowest scores. We therefore asked
our classmate who had not originally
evaluated the textbook to do so now,
without being told any of the original
scores. The result was 70 points. The
reason given by both teachers (who
scored 70 points) was the fact that the
book covered all of the learning objectives
stated in the curriculum. This was very
important to them in their scoring.
The teacher scoring the coursebook at
the lowest level stated that the teacher’s
guidebook used the PPP paradigm
throughout the book. This behavioristic
approach, based on the belief that learning
happens in a linear fashion, has been
widely discredited in ELT over the past
20 years. Moreover, it is teacher centered
in the presentation and practice phase. In
the production phase, it prescribes that
the grammar presented and practiced
now be produced. This is not how real-
world communication works. Overall, it
is inconsistent with the communicative
methodology the curriculum calls for.
The more moderate teacher (who tallied
60 points) mentioned neither of these
points. They felt that the book had much
to recommend itself to teachers. The major
observation against the book, however,
was that it often failed to account for
students’ prior knowledge. This teacher
identified many instances where activities
began by pre-teaching vocabulary, but
totally disregarded what students already
knew about the topic.
We highlight our differences here for a
reason. Our aim with this instrument
is not to condemn the book. On the
contrary, our goal is to facilitate a group
consensus. The team’s ultimate decision,
to accept or reject, will have a solid
pragmatic and pedagogic foundation
underpinning it. If the team feels like the
book, despite its known shortcomings,
will benefit their students’ learning, they
will accept it for implementation. If on the
other hand, the book will not benefit their
students’ learning, the team will reject it,
even if it has known strengths. This group
consensus, we believe, is critical to the
successful implementation and use of the
coursebook.
In conclusion, we recommend this
evaluationinstrumentwithoutreservation
for teachers working in contexts similar
to our Chilean context. Obviously, that
includes all of Latin America. Further,
we believe it holds value even for teachers
who do not have the possibility to choose
their own coursebooks, as we do in Chile.
As a final reflection, we would like to share
four reasons for our recommendation.
One, evaluating coursebooks is a good
professional practice in order to continue
growing and developing as an educator
(Tomlinson, 2003). Two, it acquaints
you with the strengths and weaknesses of
your coursebook. Three, it puts you in a
position to recommend a coursebook to
your school leadership team that will better
serve your students’ needs. Four, and most
importantly, it ultimately makes you aware
of your own strengths, weaknesses and
preferences as a teacher. These potential
benefits are well worth the time you invest
in evaluating your coursebook.
REFERENCES
Dunne, B. & Newton, R. (2021). Get ready with English 6. Richmond Publishing. https://www.curriculumnacional.cl/614/arti-
cles-145464_textoescolar_muestra.pdf
EDECSA, (2017). Proyecto de usabilidad de textos escolares en enseñanza básica: Informe final. [Usability project for elementary
school books: Final report.] Encargado por [Commissioned by] MINEDUC y PNUD, Chile.
Estudios y Consultorías Focus, (2017). Recursos digitales y su impacto en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje: Informe final.
[Digital resources and their impact in the teaching and learning process: Final report.] Encargado por [Commissioned by]
MINEDUC y PNUD, Chile.
Guernica Consultores S.A. (2016). Estudio de Uso y Valoración de Textos Escolares: Informe final. [Study of the use and valuation
of textbooks: Final report.] Encargado por [Commissioned by] MINEDUC y Oficina Regional de Educación para América Latina
y el Caribe (UNESCO). Santiago, Chile: María Pía Olivera Vidal.
Tomlinson, B. (2003). Developing materials for language teaching. London, UK: Continuum.
APPENDIX 1
*SCALE: 1 = TOTALLY DISAGREE / 2 = DISAGREE / 3 = NEUTRAL / 4 = AGREE / 5 = TOTALLY AGREE
Category & Subcategory 1 2 3 4 5
Category 1. Curriculum – Objectives aligned w/curriculum? Integrated skills?
A. Methodology: Does the methodology match the curriculum?
B. Speaking – Contextualised? Challenging? Interesting? Right Level?
Motivating? Promotes meaningful communication?
C. Listening – Pre-, While- Post Activities? Challenging? Contextualized?
Right Level? Progression in complexity?
D. Reading - Pre-, While- Post Activities? Challenging? Right Level?
Diversity of topics? Adequate quantity of text?
E. Writing - Purpose? Audience? Genre? Interesting? Right Level?
Challenging? Motivating?
F. Vocabulary – Contextualised? Cognates? Lexical sets? Right Level?
Progression? Concrete and abstract vocabulary? Recycling?
G. Grammar - Accuracy? Fluency? Collocations? Functional? Socio-culturally
situated? Progression from simple to complex? Recycling?
H. Pronunciation – Phonology practice adequate, contextualized and
recycled? Connected speech? Appropriate?
I. Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) – Analysis? Synthesis? Inference?
Evaluation? Creativity? Critical thinking? Problem solving? Debate?
J. Metacognition – The processes used to plan, monitor, and assess
one’s understanding and performance.
K. Learning Strategies – Helps students learn how to learn? A person’s
way of organizing and using a particular set of skills in order to learn
content or accomplish other tasks.
Category 2. Topics – Current? Unbiased? Culturally relevant? Motivating?
A. Authentic: Real world? Interesting? Local and target culture inclusion?
Motivating? Disability? Progression of knowledge?
B. Sensitivity: Gender? Social class? Cultural? Economic? Political? Environmental?
Category 3. Activities - Fun? Challenging? Right level? Cater for different
learning styles? Pairwork? Groupwork? Teamwork? Gamification?
A. Projects – Variety? Posters? Presentations? Roleplays?
B. Social skills – Holistic Development? Citizenship? Democratic?
Category 4. Layout - Attractive? Color? High-quality images? Print? Graphics?
Contextualised? Informative?
Category 5. Cost – Good value? Teacher’s Guide present and matches the
student book? Workbook? Multimedia? Published within the last 2 years?
Teacher’s guide is useful for lesson planning and yearly planning?
TOTAL POINTS 85
85
How to cite this article: Villegas, C., Montoya, K., Odu, P., & Baker, T. (2022). Coursebook Evaluation Using A Cluster Approach.

ELT Connections (Inaugural Issue) Volume 1, Issue 1,May 2022

ELT Connections (Inaugural Issue) Volume 1, Issue 1,May 2022

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