Past Issues of English Teaching Forum

Experienced teacher trainers Jimalee Sowell and Kevin McCaughey offer “suggestions teacher trainers might implement to improve their understanding of the local teachers they work with as well as ways of knowing the self and how the self interfaces with local contexts.” The article describes methods of needs assessment and discusses techniques for examining and understanding the self, all in the context of enhancing teacher training and professional development.

This guide is designed to enrich your reading of the articles in this issue. You may choose to read them on your own, taking notes or jotting down answers to the discussion questions below. Or you may use the guide to explore the articles with colleagues. 

Damir Soldat teaches English in Slovenia, not far from the borders with Croatia and Hungary, and he takes advantage of his region’s multilingualism in his teaching. Author Edwin Harris describes Damir’s approach to teaching in this unique environment and shows how Damir incorporates creativity, resourcefulness, and music—other singers’ and his own—to foster “culture exchange in his small town to help kids achieve their dreams in whatever language they need.”