Responding to TESOL’s 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of Young English Learners: Review of Recent Research in Serbia
Keywords:
language teachers as agents of change, innovative approaches in teaching English to young learners, global citizenship, diversity, assessment.
Abstract
Teaching English as a foreign or additional language (L2) at ever-younger ages has become a growing trend in the 21st century. Given the rapidly changing world and technology development, early language learning (ELL) and teaching has experienced a significant paradigm shift that highlights postmethod pedagogy, multilingualism, multiliteracies, whole-child approach, integrated curriculum, intercultural communication, and the implementation of a number of innovative approaches that can prepare children to thrive as global citizens in an uncertain future. The aim of the study was to determine how well the Serbian L2 context had responded to the paradigm shift. We reviewed recent ELL research in Serbia, and mapped the results onto the framework of TESOL Association’s The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners (The 6 Principles), the most comprehensive global guidelines for bridging the gap between the challenges posed by the new paradigm and high-quality L2 education. Our survey dataset comprised 29 empirical studies, written in English and published in the last 10 years. The findings indicated that all studies were embedded in a theory, dealt with L2 learning in pre-primary (2 studies) and primary contexts (27 studies), a majority focusing on teacher perspectives and competencies, a minority investigating learner skills and perspectives, and only two studies examining both teachers’ and learners’ views. Our meta-study showed that The 6 Principles’ requirements had partly been met in ELL and teaching in Serbia, but it also pointed to some huge steps already made in that direction. Implications for future studies are suggested.
References
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Short, D. J., Becker, H., Cloud, N., Hellman, A. B., & New Levine, L. (2018). The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners: Grades K–12. TESOL International Association.
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Zou, D. (2020). Gamified flipped EFL classroom for primary education: Student and teacher perceptions. Journal of Computers in Education, 7(2), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-020-00153-w
Bolitho, R. & Rossner, R. (2020). Language Education in a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities. Multilingual Matters.
Copland, F., Garton, S., López-Gopar, M., Makhmudova, N., Meke, E. S., and Rahman, A. (2024). English as a subject in primary school: Lessons from Bangladesh, Malawi, Mexico and Uzbekistan. British Council. https://doi.org/10.57884/1W3H-6N55
Crandall, J. A. (2021). Foreward. In J. K. Shin et al., The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners: Young learners in a multilingual world (pp. v-vi). TESOL International Association.
Curtain, H., & Dahlberg, C. (2016). Languages and learners: Making the match: World language instruction in K-8 classrooms and beyond (5th ed.). Pearson.
Ellis, G., & Knagg, J. (2013). British Council signature event: Global issues in primary ELT. In T. Pattison (Ed.), IATEFL 2012 Glasgow conference selections (pp. 20–21). IATEFL Publications.
Eurydice (2024). National education systems: Serbia. https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-education-systems/serbia/overview
Farrell, T. S. C., & Jacobs, G. M. (2020). Essentials for successful English language teaching (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing.
Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press.
Hagar, T. (2019). Practical applications of TESOL’s The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners. English Teaching Forum, 57(1), 44-52.
Hays, J., & Reinders, H. (2020). Sustainable learning and education: A curriculum for the future. International Review of Education, 66, 29–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-020-09820-7
Hellman, A. B., Wilbur, A., & Harris, K. A. (2019). The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners: Adult education and workforce development. TESOL Press.
Ibrahim, N. C. (2022). Examining a Northern Sámi-Norwegian dual language picturebook in English language education through a critical translingual-transcultural lens. Intercultural Communication Education, 5(3), 105–124. https://doi.org/10.29140/ice.v5n3.847
Kegan, R. & Lahey, L. L. (2009). Immunity to change: How to overcome it and unlock the potential in yourself and your organization (Leadership for the common good). Harvard Business Review Press.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding language teaching: From method to postmethod. Lawrence Erlboum Associates Publishers.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2012). Language teacher education for a global society: A modular model for knowing, analyzing, recognizing, doing, and seeing. Routledge.
Luo, Z. (2021). Gamification for educational purposes: What are the factors contributing to varied effectiveness? Education and Information Technologies, 27(1), 891–915.
Marcotte, S. N. (2020). The TESOL 6 principles of exemplary teaching of English learners: Perceived effectiveness in the community college ESL classroom. All Theses And Dissertations. 300. https://dune.une.edu/theses/300
Masharipova, F., Saparbayeva, G., & Mamirbaeva, D. (2024). Enhancing learner autonomy in ELT through effective lesson planning in Uzbek schools. Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics, 2(6), 175-191. https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol2-iss6-pp175-191
Mellegård, I. (2024). In-service teacher education in English. In S. Mourão & C. Leslie (Eds.), Researching educational practices, teacher education and professional development for early language learning: Examples from Europe (pp. 175-189). Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003289043-14
Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal design for learning: Theory and practice. Cast Professional Publishing. https://www.cast.org/connect/newsroom/read-universal-design-for-learning-theory-and-practice-for-free-in-clusive/
Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia (MoESTDS) (2017). Bylaw on the first cycle primary education curriculum and the first-grade curriculum. [Pravilnik o planu nastave i učenja za prvi ciklus osnovnog obrazovanja i vaspitanja i programu nastave i učenja za prvi razred osnovnog obrazovanja i vaspitanja] Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia: Education Gazette, 66(10). https://pravno-informacioni-sistem.rs/slglrsViewPdf/f5a145fb-96a0-44ed-bcb3-b00cfb189a72?fromLink=true
Neokleous, G. & Krulatz, A. (2024). Innovations in English language teacher education: Preparing student teachers for the multilingual reality of contemporary classrooms. ELTED, 27, 007, 1-15.
Nikolov, M., & Mihaljević Djigunović, J. (2006). Recent research on age, second language acquisition, and early foreign language learning. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 26, 234–260. doi:10.1017/S0267190506000122
Nikolov, M., & Mihaljević Djigunović, J. (2023). Studies on pre-primary learners of foreign languages, their teachers, and parents: A critical overview of publications between 2000 and 2022. Language Teaching (2023), 1–27, doi:10.1017/S0261444823000095
Nikolov, M., & Timpe-Laughlin, V. (2021). Assessing young learners’ foreign language abilities. Language Teaching, 54(1), 1–37. doi:10.1017/S0261444820000294
Rokita-Jaśkow, J. (2024). An ecological perspective on the challenges in language education: Focus on agency and affordances. Acta Universitatis Wratislaviensis No 4242, Anglica Wratislaviensia, 62(1). https://doi.org/10.19195/0301-7966.62.1.2
Rose, H. & McKinley, J. (2024). Global Englishes and TESOL: An editorial introduction to innovating research and practice. TESOL Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3373
Shin, J. K. (2021). Introduction: Teaching English as an additional language in the 21st century. In J. K. Shin & P. Vinogradova (Eds.), Contemporary foundations for teaching English as an additional language: Pedagogical approaches and classroom applications (pp. 3-12). Routledge.
Shin, J. K., Author, & Machida, T. (2021). The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners: Young learners in a multilingual world. TESOL Press.
Short, D. J., Becker, H., Cloud, N., Hellman, A. B., & New Levine, L. (2018). The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners: Grades K–12. TESOL International Association.
Tucker, C. R. & Novak, K. (2024). Elevating educational design with AI: Making learning accessible, inclusive, and equitable. Impress.
Vogel, S., & Garcia, O. (2017). Translanguaging. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.181
Zou, D. (2020). Gamified flipped EFL classroom for primary education: Student and teacher perceptions. Journal of Computers in Education, 7(2), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-020-00153-w