The Role of Methods Textbooks in Providing Early Training for Teaching with Technology in the Language Classroom

Abstract: The ability to make effective use of technology is becoming increasingly important for prospective language teachers. As a result, many teacher preparation programs include some form of training in computer assisted language learning (CALL). This study focuses on one component of such training, the textbooks used in methods courses, and employs content analysis to investigate how popular methods textbooks discuss CALL. Criteria based on standards for teacher training and the professional CALL literature revealed that overall, the textbooks can serve as a valuable springboard for early training. Based on the coverage of CALL in their methods textbook (s) and the needs of their particular student teachers, methods instructors should expand the discussion of CALL to provide a solid basis for continued professional development. Several key criteria for such well-rounded training are included in this article.Key words: teacher training, computer assisted language learning, methods course, textbook analysis, instructional technologyIntroductionMuch consideration has been given to the knowledge and skills that prospective foreign/second language (L2) teachers must demonstrate prior to certification. Already consisting of a long list of expectations, the desired skill set and knowledge base have been expanded even further in recent years as computer assisted language learning (CALL) has become an increasingly important part of the teaching and learning process. Researchers (Kessler, 2006; Simon, 2008), educational policy statements (United States Department of Education, 2010) and professional standards all stress the need for the systematic integration of technology. For example, the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, which have significantly shaped K-16 language education in the United States, recommend that technology be woven into language learning as a key curricular element (National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, 2006). Similarly, the ACTFL/NCATE Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (American Council on the Teach- ing of Foreign Languages, 2002) state that teachers should be able to engage language learners with CALL to investigate language variations, integrate culture, and connect with target language communities.In reality, however, it has been pointed out that teachers do not always use CALL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 2011) to its best advan- tage, perhaps because, while most methods courses now include a discussion of technol- ogy (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 2011), such courses may provide the only formal training in CALL that prospective teachers receive. Consequently, how CALL is presented in foreign language methods textbooks plays an important role in aligning professional expectations with actual teaching practice. The present study investigates the ways in which methods textbooks address CALL and is further motivated by the following observations:* Textbooks often significantly impact the curriculum (Heilenman, 1993). In their analysis of L2 textbooks, AngelA­, DuBravac, and Gonglewski (2008) noted:Although individual programs or instruc- tors probably do not slavishly follow textbooks to the letter, it is commonplace that many routinely consign major deci- sions about what is taught and how it is taught and tested to commercial materials developers and authors, (p. 563)* Textbooks shape learning because they often introduce learners to a new topic and later form the basis for assignments and classroom discussions and are subse- quently used to refresh knowledge and skills after a course is completed.Describing the role technology might play in the preparation of L2 teachers, Terry (2007) briefly mentioned how three popular meth- ods textbooks differed in their discussion of CALL. The present study was designed to further investigate this same issue and sought to determine both what prospective teachers learn about CALL from methods textbooks and what the implications may be for teacher training. …