Call for Submissions

Revisioning the Practicum Experience
in TESOL Teacher Education

Key Dates

April 15, 2015: Proposed submission abstract deadline (mandatory)
July 1, 2015: Full manuscript submission deadline

Special Theme Issue Guest Editors

Priya Abeywickrama, David Olsher, Maricel G. Santos
San Francisco State University

Submission Details

To signal your intention to submit a full manuscript, please email a title (maximum 12 words), an abstract (maximum 300 words), and author contact information to cj2015@sfsu.edu by April 15, 2015. Abstract submission is mandatory. Full submissions will be due July 1, 2015. All submissions for the special issue will go through the normal peer-review process, with no guarantee of acceptance. All submissions must follow conventions specified in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), policies regarding prohibition of multiple submissions and duplicate publication, and other requirements for submission to The CATESOL Journal as noted in Information for Authors.

Theme of Special Issue

Revisioning the Practicum Experience in TESOL Teacher Education
The practicum experience is a ubiquitous component of TESOL teacher education programs, although the content, design, and duration of practicum courses may vary across teacher-education contexts. With the emergence of new theories and research on teacher cognition and teacher identity, along with the increasing globalization of language teacher education, our expectations for the practicum experience in a teacher’s professional training are also shifting. These expectations reflect beliefs in the capacity of the practicum experience to fuel and transform teacher growth. This special issue aims to promote dialogue and reflection about the practicum experience as a professional activity in its own right, worthy of greater attention in our professional discussions and literature.

This special issue of The CATESOL Journal welcomes research articles, scholarly essays, and other more innovative kinds of professional writing that address the centrality of the practicum experience in TESOL teacher education. Themes and topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Innovative approaches to practicum course designs, such as the integration of service learning, or the use of technology in support of teacher practice
• Empirical studies of teacher growth in the context of practicum experiences
• The moral, sociopolitical dimensions of the practicum experiences
• Perspectives from mentor teachers, reflecting on the challenges and successes of supporting teacher growth
• Perspectives from teachers who are enrolled in teacher-education programs or have recently graduated, reflecting on their practicum experiences, including the role of reflection, the development of teacher competence and confidence, the pivotal experiences that contributed to teacher growth.

The following article types will be considered for submission:

• Feature articles (25-30 pages, double-spaced, including bibliography): These articles may focus on theory, research, pedagogy, and/or educational policy. Feature articles should show evidence of rigorous scholarship, make an original contribution to the field of TESOL, contain ample references, and provide readers with insights that they can generalize to their own educational settings. More details about research-based articles can be found in Information for Authors.
• Perspectives from the classroom (7-10 pages, double-spaced, including bibliography): These articles are meant to showcase the perspectives of student-teachers (at the undergraduate and graduate level), mentor teachers, practicum supervisors, and English language learners who are directly involved in the practicum experience. These articles should be grounded in the author’s own experience, which may be informed by theory and research. Submissions ideally contain a detailed narrative that highlights the particulars of a practicum context and the author’s reflective insights.
• Reviews of books and other published materials (up to 4 pages): Please see Journal Book Review Guidelines for more details.

For More Information

Please send all submissions and inquiries to the guest editors:

Priya Abeywickrama, David Olsher, and Maricel G. Santos
English Department, San Francisco State University
Email: cj2015@sfsu.edu