This study recommends using children's literature in teacher training programs with the purpose of developing integrated language skills for primary school teachers and teaching methods for their students. First, to accomplish bifold objectives, the study develops three modules: 1) intensive listening through story books, 2) using in class dialogues through role-playing and 3) developing classroom activities. For presenting the examples of the three modules, Junie B., First Grader (at last!), Freckle Juice, and Jake Drake: Teacher's Pet are used. Next, the study presents teachers' perceptions on both using literature for improving their English skills and using literature in their teaching elementary school children. To investigate the possibility of implementing the program, the researcher surveyed 53 teachers participating in the program. The survey results showed teachers' perceptions on children's literature changed in positive ways, and they recognized that children's literature could develop their own English language skills and then would be a good teaching resource for their students. Based on the results, some suggestions were provided for the teachers, educators, and program developers.

In the dearth of pre-service and in-service teacher education in gifted education, particularly in foreign language education, teachers have difficulty in learning theory and principle. This study describes the secondary teachers" perception of gifted education in foreign language after they participated in a teacher training program. The research questions are: 1) How did the teachers perceive gifted education?; and 2) Did the teacher training program influence the teachers" perception of gifted education? If so, in what ways did it influence the teachers? The data include surveys of the 21 teachers, their class assignments and observations. This qualitative case study indicates despite the teachers" initial negative perception of gifted education, the program helped them see it in a renewed perspective. Briefly, through the program, the teachers familiarized themselves with the basic theory and principle in gifted education. More importantly, they gained hands-on experience by discussing various issues in gifted education and creating class materials. The study concludes with pedagogical implications.

The present evaluation research was conducted to provide program decision makers with judgements about the intensive in-service teacher training (INSET) program"s worth or merits in relation to important criteria. It also purports to provide program staffs with useful information in improving their INSET programs. Setting boundaries and analyzing the context were followed by the procedure of identifying and selecting the evaluation questions and criteria. The overview of recent developments in English language teacher training provided the underlying principle for setting the criteria for evaluation. The criteria were used to describe the characteristics of a successful language teacher training program or implementation. They included features such as goals, curriculum, personnel, and support. Using the specified checklist, evaluation was carried out on the current intensive English language teacher training courses. Information on each area of the checklist was collected from available sources, analyzed and interpreted qualitatively as well as quantitatively. From the findings of the present evaluation study, some implications are drawn for making policies on INSET, for improving the teacher training programs under investigation, and for establishing and operating similar INSET programs.

arched for standards in teacher competency for the different economies in the Asia-Pacific region. We found information about them in several documents contained in the UNESCO and in the Ministry of Education of each economy. After that, we looked for common strategies to propose a model for teacher training with ICT and in the use and introduction of ICT in schools. We found that there are a lot of commonalities, specifically that teachers should be competent in a variety of software and technological tools appropriated to the topic they teach and the students 'age, assess the software and technological tools relevant to the topic they teach and their potential to be used in class, use the computers in a constructive way and to prepare and utilize work plans that incorporate the use of technology. But despite all the advances and recommendations about ICT introduction in teacher training, we still lack a common model that allows us to exchange and share information regarding this issue, even within the Asia-Pacific region. We tried to put these competencies in one single place so that people can access and consider them in developing a teacher training or ICT introduction to classrooms programs.

The purpose of the present study is to compare the use of discourse markers by pre-service training students and in-service training teachers in middle school contexts. For this purpose, 20 participants in each of the pre-service (PS) and in-service (IS) teacher groups were selected and their teaching was videotaped. Then, the data was transcribed with a focus on the use of discourse markers. The results of the study demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the use of macro-markers between the two groups. However, it is interesting that student teachers in the PS group used various expressions for elaboration a little more frequently than the IS group. In addition, significant differences were found in the use of micro-markers between the two groups in terms of segmentation and temporal markers. On the basis of the results, some pedagogical implications on the teaching of listening and teacher training are suggested.

Since 1998, an elementary teacher education institute in Korea has hosted the center for the gifted education. The institute hired undergraduate students to escort and liaison each class of the gifted student participants with assisting classroom activities. These liaison teachers observed the gifted classroom activities and evaluated them by using a given checklist and filling out pre-made evaluation forms. Currently this system is being transferred from part-time jobs for students to earn allowance into well organized pre-service teacher program focusing on the gifted education. In other words, the purpose of system is being shifted from how liaison teachers facilitate the gifted program to how the system helps the liaison teachers to be quality teachers for the gifted who can understand what the gifted are and how to facilitate them. Analyzed were the self reports of the liaison teachers regarding their perceptions and beliefs of the gifted and their education program. It was found participant liaison teachers purposed to have more live experiences with getting along with students as well. Liaison teachers’ perceptions on establishing a gifted teacher professional education sequence were reported in this study. The potential scaffolding of the pre-service teacher education program model of the gifted education was provided as a consequence of this study.