This is a note from English Teaching Forum's editor, William P. Ancker, introducing and giving context to this special anthology issue on teacher training.

Rodgers discusses what directions English language teaching might take in the new millennium. His ten paths are: (a) student-teacher matching, (b) combination of popular methods, (c) the reimagining of curricular development, (d) a more basic content-based teaching approach, (e) use of the multiple intelligences model, (f) a return to function and genre, (g) learner strategy training, (h) lexical chunks, (i) the expansion of definitions of language, and (j) adoption of a fuller understanding of communication.

Reflective teaching is highly popular within English language programs, but there is some debate over definitions and best practices for reflective teaching. The author explores current approaches to reflective teaching (e.g., reflection-in-action, action research) and provides guides for a teacher development model using reflective teaching. He concludes that teachers who use reflection will gain freedom from impulse and uncertainty and will redefine themselves as educated and experienced human beings.

Supervision is a standard part of most language programs. However, teachers often respond negatively to supervision. Adopting a teacher-centered, democratic, clear, and systematic model for supervision will create a positive supervisory experience and result in vital professional development. One model that fits this description is clinical supervision. The author's detailed guidelines for implementation of this model are flexible enough to allow for local adaptation.

The author describes teacher training and teacher development as separate concepts through descriptions of how observation occurs in Cameroon. While training is a planned event that gives novices ready-made answers, development is an ongoing, organic process that values teacher innovation and reflection. Observers interested in development make use of a lesson observation cycle that includes pre-observation and post-observation meetings. The role of inspectors and peers in observation is also discussed.

There may be more to the use of L1 in the L2 classroom than previously thought. Recent findings show that L1 usage values the native culture and language of the students, allowing them to feel comfortable taking risks in English. The author distributed a questionnaire on Spanish usage to English language students and professors at a Puerto Rican university. Results showed that both students and teachers felt there were clear instances where Spanish would help understanding. The author also shares his own personal experiences as a Spanish-speaking English teacher.

The author shows how an observation web can be used to track the nature of activities during a lesson so they can be reflected on later. The observer uses a circular chart to mark if action in the classroom is linguistic, pragmatic, informative, teacher-centered, student-centered, individual, and/or interactive. This marking is done every five minutes. The author provides examples of traditionalist, innovative, and balanced teacher observation webs from real observations of Russian teachers. The best lessons came from teachers with more balanced webs.

The author notes that relying on the training of unqualified teachers during service can be costly and inefficient. He underscores the importance of highly structured, comprehensive, pre-service teacher training as a more prudent alternative. Trainees should be preselected based on their general education background, competence in English, competence in teaching, and attitude. The training program should carefully consider topics to be included in the curricula. The author suggests several areas of instruction and explains the different modes of training necessary for success.

This brief article introduces the reader to the microteaching procedure. Teachers in training will prepare a short microlesson of five to ten minutes in length for, normally, fewer than ten students. Students may be real students or teacher trainees. The lesson is videotaped and discussed with colleagues and/or supervisors. The teacher then re-teaches the lesson. This helps teachers reflect and grow as well as consult with peers. Suggestions for preparation and teaching of microlessons are provided.

Non-native English-speaking teachers in a foreign context will sometimes experience difficulty with the words used in their training courses. This article presents a six-step method for helping these teachers learn new, relevant vocabulary. The method is effective and does not require a large amount of class time. Once words have been selected, individual students are each given a word for which to create a word profile. Presentation and review follows.

Teachers ask many questions in the classroom, but not all are useful. Questions that the teacher already knows the answer to are known as display questions. These are often asked for the student to display knowledge. Questions where the teacher does not already know the answer are meaning based and known as referential questions. This article explains the problems with relying on display questions in the L2 classroom. This distinction applies to reading comprehension questions as well as oral questions.

There are a number of reasons why students forget, ignore, or reject homework, but what can a teacher do to encourage students to complete homework? The author argues that students' habits are a reflection of the teacher's attitudes about homework. The article introduces eight points that can help create a more homework-positive classroom. They include assigning the right amount of homework, always remembering to correct homework, accepting late submissions, and changing the time during the lesson you assign homework.

In areas of the world such as Nigeria where reading is not a central part of the culture, teachers may face a shortage of reading materials. One way to address this problem is by asking students to create their own reading materials. The activity described in this article focuses on a way students can engage in process learning by writing down oral folktales. Because students work in groups, they must communicate with each other in English to write and prepare their book. Students produce a tangible object from their learning that can be used to build a reading library.

An "in-house" journal is a publication that is produced by a single institution with article contributions coming from only professionals working at that institution. Creating an in-house journal gives teachers the opportunity to discover new ideas from their colleagues and to voice their own ideas. It also contributes to institutional development by keeping teacher-to-teacher conversations alive and educational policy relevant and innovative. This article presents a series of concrete steps for journal publication as well as some problems to avoid.

This collection of three small articles on how English Teaching Forum has been used in teacher training was created for this issue's anthology. Writers describe training sessions in Poland, Peru, Congo, and Togo. Teachers and teacher trainers all around the world have found innovative ways to take advantage of the availability, accessibility, and immediate applicability of Forum articles.

The author provides a simple warm-up procedure for jumpstarting a teacher training session. Her activity requires teachers to think about and physically align themselves with their teaching philosophy. Once decided, teachers communicate how their past experiences have helped shape their philosophy. The focus is on sharing ideas and opinions through thoughtful discussion. A suggested extension is also provided for teacher trainers who prioritize group decision-making.

This page of thoughtful quotes and sage advice accompanies the teacher training warm-up activity introduced in Polatsek's article.