Meeting the Demand for TESL/TEFL Teachers: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Increasing Program Accessibility and Effectiveness.

1. Introduction The expansion of English as a world language combined with globalization and immigration trends have resulted in a need for new and innovative ways to deal with the increasing demand for trained professionals to work with English language learners across a variety of contexts. Teacher training programs need to focus on not only training novice teachers, but giving tools to practicing teachers to deal with the variety of issues presented in modern classrooms around the worlds (1). English as a world language has resulted in the formal linguistic and sociolinguistic study and classification of different varieties of English, known as World Englishes. Classification of varieties of English worldwide has resulted in first-, second and third-circle countries (2). In Europe and North America, comprised mainly of first- and second-circle countries, cultural and linguistic diversity has become the norm in urban schools, as illustrated by the following statistics: from 1994 to 2004, enrollment of English Language Learners (ELLS) in US K-12 schools increased 60.8% vs. 2.7% growth for non-ELL students (3); currently, over 10% of K-12 students in the US are ELLS; 25% of the school population in California are ELLs (4); 40% of the school population in Amsterdam were born outside of the Netherlands; 50% of the school population in Toronto and Vancouver are ELLS; and 85% of secondary school students in the European Union study English (5). While diversity is increasing in circle one English-speaking countries (6), so is the role of English as a world language of communication in circle 2 and 3 countries. With this expanded global role for English comes an increased global demand for English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) teachers. Particularly in second- and third-circle countries, considered peripheral social contexts, there is a lack of TESL/TEFL teacher training programs. One problem currently facing institutions which prepare ESL/EFL teachers is the ability to meet the demand for teachers and the needs of potential teachers. Kose, Ozkul and Ozyar noted in 2002 (7) that TESL/TEFL (8) programs can not keep up with enrollment. Ozkose Biyik notes the same in 2007 (9), and writes that in Turkey alone 7,000-10,000 EFL teachers are needed per year, but in the 2006-2007 academic year, only 5,853 students were admitted to on-site degree programs in Turkey. Ozkose Biyik reports from survey data that many potential students have difficulty accessing education because of full-time careers, limited access to funding, and family commitments. Additionally, many students drop out because the coursework overloads their English skills, or they have personal challenges, financial challenges, sociopolitical challenges, or time management issues. Thus, TESL/TEFL programs are not as accessible or student supportive as they need to be. Many institutions are addressing the accessibility issue by offering TESL/TEFL programs through Distance Learning (DL). However, Ozkose Biyik also reports from surveys that such program graduates do not perceive themselves as adequately prepared after completing a program consisting of exclusively online courses. Thus, a second problem is that TESL/TEFL programs (DL programs in particular) need to be more effective and accountable to all involved stakeholders, including the program instructors, the TESL/TEFL teacher trainees, their potential future students and the institution within which the programs are offered. Indeed, because information/communication technology gives such quick and easy access to large amounts of information, it has become important for accredited institutions to critically review curriculum in terms of both accessibility (to learning) and accountability (of skills and knowledge) (10-11). It is the need for TESL/TEFL programs to be more accessible, more instructionally effective and accountable (particularly in DL situations), and more student supportive (particularly for students from second- and third-circle countries) that motivates the current paper, whose purpose is to propose solution strategies for contemporary TESL/TEFL curriculum development. …