The Preparation of Teachers of English as an Additional Language around the World

Book excerpt: This book fills a critical gap in a neglected area in current educational research: international teacher education. It focuses on the preparation of teachers of English as an additional language (EAL) in several world regions. The book consists of chapters by researchers in well-established teacher education programs in 11 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, Greece, New Zealand, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey and the United States of America. It takes a cross-national, comparative approach around four major focus areas: policy, research, curriculum and practice, offering critical implications that can help improve EAL teacher education programs in different parts of the world. Teacher education is an area that has great potential for international cross-pollination of ideas and actions, and this book represents an important first step along this road.