Teacher Resources: Web Guide

Professional Development Opportunities for English Language Teaching

This handout contains information on freely available sites with information and practical resources related to professional development in ELT in the areas of:

Non-Profit Organizations and Government Institutions

Publications, White Papers, and Research

Email Lists and Discussion Forums

Online Courses and Workshops

Non-Profit Organizations and Government Institutions

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
Standards for teaching language in K-12 classrooms.

American Educational Research Association (AERA)
AERA is a prominent international professional organization with the primary
goal of advancing educational research and its practical application in the classroom.

Annenberg Media
Free professional development programming for K-12 educators.

The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
A private, nonprofit organization involved in applying research and information about language and culture to educational, cultural, and social concerns.

iLoveLanguages
A free, a comprehensive catalog of language-related Internet resources.

International Association of Teachers as a Foreign Language (IATEFL)
An organization for language teachers worldwide.

IATEFL Young Learners Special Interest Group (SIG)
EFL / ESL specific resources and general education sites. Sites which refer to specific age groups have been color-coded in the following way:
Very Young Learners (<7 years old)
Primary (7-12)
Secondary (13-17)

International Association of Language Learning Technology (IALL)
A professional organization whose members provide leadership in the development, integration, evaluation and management of instructional technology for the teaching and learning of language, literature and culture.

International Reading Association
As an advocate of excellence in the teaching of reading, the International Reading Association participates actively in the process of shaping sound public policy in education. Research-based positions on critical issues are disseminated through a series of policy statements, resolutions, and other publications.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators
NAFSA promotes the exchange of students and scholars to and from the United States. Our members share a belief that international educational exchange advances learning and scholarship, builds respect among different peoples and encourages constructive leadership in a global community.

National Center for ESL Literacy Education
Resources for working with adult English language learners.

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA)
A large repository of lesson plans, articles, and research for English language educators, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE)
Many reports on the integration of various computer-based tools and resources in writing and reading-related activities. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to open these PDF reports.

National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL)
An organization for educators involved in teaching foreign languages to children.

National Research Center on English Learning & Achievement (CELA)
Conducts research dedicated to gaining knowledge to improve students' English and literacy achievement in schools across America.

ProLiteracy Worldwide
ProLiteracy Worldwide is represented in 45 developing countries as well as in the U.S. and serves more than 350,000 adult new learners around the world each year. Its purpose is to sponsor educational programs and services to empower adults and their families by assisting them to acquire the literacy practices and skills they need to function more effectively in their daily lives and participate in the transformation of their societies.

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
An international organization for second and foreign English language educators. For information on affiliate organizations.

U.S. Department of Education
Teaching resources, research and policy statements.

Publications, White Papers, and Research

The Educator’s Reference Desk (formerly AskERIC)
Thousands of resources on a variety of educational issues. This collection includes Internet sites, lesson plans, articles, educational organizations, and electronic discussion groups. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Internet TESL Journal (I-TESL-J)
Articles from ESL and EFL educators around the world.

Language Learning and Technology (LLT)
A refereed online journal for second and foreign language educators.

Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (TESL-EJ)
A refereed online journal for second and foreign language educators.

Email Lists and Discussion Forums

Asynchronous Learning Network, from the Sloan Consortium
Research, discussions, interviews, and statistics available.

Distance Education Online Symposium (DEOS-L)
DEOS-L is a moderated listserv that facilitates discussion of current issues in distance education. This forum now serves over 3,000 subscribers in 74 countries. Ideas, news, or job announcements posted on DEOS-L are likely to receive comments, questions, and responses from around the world.

ESL Café Discussion Center
Discussion forums for teachers and for students.

ESL Teacher Forums
General teaching discussion forums plus a forum for setting up projects.

ITESL-J, Discussion (Directory)
A list of discussion forums for ES/EFL educators.

TESL-L Discussion List
TESL-L is an independent entity that maintains cordial relationships with all professional organizations in the field of English language education, including TESOL and IATEFL.

The Teacher's Guide, Mailing Lists (Directory)
Dozens of mailing lists to which you can subscribe if you would like to join colleagues in discussions on educational topics. (An even larger, more general, directory is Lizt http://www.lizt.com/)

Online Courses and Workshops

BBC Learning
Free mini-courses in skill areas such as writing and in a wide range of content areas (in English).

Campus Alberta Repository of Educational Objects (CAREO)
A searchable, web-based collection of multidisciplinary teaching materials for educators. Free. Registration required.

Free Online Courses & Tutorials
A directory of resources.

Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT)
MERLOT is a free and open resource designed primarily for faculty and students of higher education. Links to online learning materials are collected here along with annotations such as peer reviews and assignments.

MIT Open Courseware
A free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners around the world.

Peterson’s Education Portal
A searchable database of programs around the world. Searching is free but most of the programs are fee or tuition-based.

Word2Word, Free Online Language Courses (Directory)