Benjamin Luke Moorhouse

Hong Kong Baptist University · Department of Education Studies

The public release of ChatGPT in November 2022 ignited an intense debate about the effects generative AI (GAI) tools will have on language teaching. The advanced capability of GAI tools and their rapid uptake by students has brought both challenges and opportunities to language teachers. This qualitative study, using in-depth individual and group i...

Technostress is a phenomenon in which rapid technological advancement affects teachers' psychological well-being. It is an emerging concern in English language education, which may be exacerbated by the advent of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT. This study explores the factors that influence technostress among Engli...

In 2021, the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong, the funding body for higher education in Hong Kong, initiated a scheme and associated grant fund with the aim of enhancing the use of technology for teaching in higher education institutions in Hong Kong. In the Faculty of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, the funding was used to s...

Developing English speaking skills can be challenging for many English language learners. The advent of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has prompted the emergence of a growing number of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots designed to tackle these challenges. One popular tool is ‘Call Annie,’ a GAI video chatbot that can act as a...

In this chapter, the editors, as project leaders, reflect on the project as a whole and provide lessons learned for other faculty leaders interested in similar kinds of initiatives. The editors suggest future directions for teaching with technology in the social science disciplines and how scholars can engage in interdisciplinary research in the sc...

This chapter provides an overview of the book and its contributions to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). It begins with a brief introduction to the teaching context and a discussion of the aims and rationale for the implementation of the projects reported on in each chapter. The editors argue that by sharing our innovative uses of te...

In this chapter, an innovative way to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in a Spatial History Course to Develop Students’ Digital Literacies and Digital Humanities Skills is introduced. The authors detail the design of the innovation, the two rounds of implementations and, discuss the challenges they faced implementing the innovation. The cha...

As young children need more careful support and guidance than adolescents and adult learners, teachers in lower grades have extra considerations as they shift between teaching modalities. This colloquium seeks to bring attention to the experiences of one Hong Kong primary school English language teacher as she shifted between face-to-face, online a...

This paper proposes and describes a context- and subject-specific professional digital competence (PDC) framework for beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong. Taking a localised approach, the framework was developed through a four-stage data collection process, (1) Literature review of empirical studies conducted in Hong Kong of English la...

The public release of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT) has had a disruptive effect on the assessment practices of higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide. Concerns have largely been associated with academic integrity, cheating and plagiarism. HEIs have had to develop guidelines in response to GAI. As many of the...

Digital technologies have long been a valuable resource for language teachers to use to support their teaching and student learning (Li, 2017). Despite efforts from educators, scho- lars and policymakers, however, the full integration of digital technologies into language teaching, or ‘normalisation’, had not been evident in language classrooms in...

Synchronous online teaching through video-conferencing software (VCS) has become a common mode of instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. This mode brings unique challenges for teachers that require specific professional digital competences. One such challenge is conducting formative assessment. Through the use of in-depth interviews with nine Ho...

ChatGPT is a generative AI-enabled chatbot that can generate outputs responding to varied and complex prompts (e.g., languages, instructions, questions) and engage in sustained human-like interactions. Scholars have reported on the pedagogical benefits of using ChatGPT for language teaching and learning, including acting as a conversation partner a...

In-person teaching abroad experiences, where pre-service teachers spend a defined period teaching in schools in a foreign country, have received considerable research attention in recent years. However, virtual alternatives have yet to be explored. This exploratory study sought to understand the effects a virtual teaching abroad experience had on p...

This article reports on a qualitative study that explored the effects a period of online teaching necessitated by COVID-19 has had on primary school Hong Kong English-language teachers' professional digital competence-the ability to successfully use technology for teaching. In-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen teachers approximately one...

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in English language teaching presents opportunities and challenges for instructors. This study explores the attitudes of higher education English language instructors towards generative AI tools, their intentions to use them and the institutional support and professional development necessa...

In this technology review, we explore the affordances of the generative AI chatbot ChatGPT for language teaching and learning. In addition to this, we also present debates and drawbacks of ChatGPT. Finally, we present the digital competencies teachers and learners require to use this chatbot ethically and effectively to support language learning.

The present study explored the use of digital tools by English language schoolteachers in Hong Kong. Using a qualitative-dominant sequential mixed-methods design, wherein an online mixed-methods survey of primary and secondary school English language teachers (N = 83) and follow-up in-depth interviews (N = 22) were employed, this study collectively...

More and more students are exploring overseas destinations and English-Medium Instruc- tion (EMI) environments for their postgraduate studies. While it is known that students can often struggle in an EMI environment, the challenges faced by postgraduate students, and the support they receive or need, are not fully understood. By adopting a two-stag...

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) advances technologically, it will inevitably bring many changes to classroom practices. However, research on AI in education reflects a weak connection to pedagogical perspectives or instructional approaches, particularly in K-12 education. AI technologies may benefit motivated and advanced students. Understanding th...

Technology reviews are a specific article genre published in several language teaching and learning journals. Their emergence is likely due to the proliferation of technology that facilitates and supports language acquisition. These reviews aim to increase teachers' and learners' awareness of the forms of technology available and succinctly describ...

This article reports on a study that investigated primary-school English-language teachers' use of digital technologies in their in-person classrooms after a period of online teaching necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explored the perceived effects the period of online teaching had on the teachers' practices. Data were collected throug...

Technology is increasingly being used to foster engagement, enhance classroom dynamics, promote autonomy and improve the student learning experience in language learning environments. Many teachers have begun to employ digital apps and tools (e.g. Mentimeter and GoSoapBox) as a more interactive alternative to traditional activities. One product tha...

In this editorial, I reflect on the reflective essay genre within the journal: International Journal for Student as Partners

Completing homework is a highly common task shared by nearly all primary-and secondary-level learners throughout their compulsory education globally. This mixed-methods study examined whether the estimated amount of homework completed (HW) in primary and secondary education is related to learners' academic achievement (AA), and what learners' perce...

Quality and continuous professional development (CPD) are essential to ensure a highly skilled teaching fore. Today, teachers need to continually update knowledge and skills not only in their teaching subjects but also in online and blended teaching pedagogies (Philipsen et al., 2019).

In this chapter, ‘teaching abroad’ will be introduced and defined, with a brief exploration of its role within initial teacher education and possible reasons for its inclusion. This is followed by an introduction to the author’s first-hand experience of leading a teaching abroad project. It ends with an overview of the content of the book.

In this chapter, the impact of participating in teaching-abroad experiences on the host communities and accompanying teacher educators from the home institutions are discussed. Most of the published research on teaching abroad has considered the pre-service teachers’ experiences and learning while neglecting the host communities, such as students a...

In this chapter, reasons for the inclusion of teaching-abroad experiences in initial teacher education (ITE) will be explored and discussed. The chapter will draw on two main interrelated justifications for the inclusion of teaching-abroad experiences in ITE: Globalisation and human mobility and learning through experience and reflecting on experie...

This chapter acts as a conclusion to the book. It provides important considerations and principles for developing, implementing, and evaluating successful teaching-abroad experiences and projects in initial teacher education, as well as suggestions of future possibilities.

As teaching-aboard experiences in initial teacher education have become more commonplace, there has been an increase in the amount of research on the affordances and benefits of these experiences on participating pre-service teachers (PSTs). The chapter presents the existing research within the five knowledge domains for teaching in a global contex...

In this chapter, literature exploring different types of teaching-abroad practices and projects are reviewed. The types of teaching-abroad experiences reported in the literature are tremendously diverse. They vary in duration, the home and host contexts and the kinds of support and supervision provided. The chapter presents the types of teaching-ab...

Synchronous online language lessons (SOLLs) are distinctly different from in-person lessons. Although digital tools, specifically, videocon-ferencing software, make doing SOLLs possible, these tools have specific affordances and constraints pertaining to how we engage, interact, and relate-creating new literacy practices. This study reports on a pr...

Universities around the world have suspended in-person teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic with lecturers required to teach their courses exclusively online. Although this situation is potentially challenging for lecturers of any discipline, for teacher educators, there is the added demand of needing to prepare students with the skills to teach i...

This book explores Teaching Abroad During Initial Teacher Education, an increas- ingly common practice in the initial preparation of teachers. Teaching abroad involves pre-service teachers spending a defined period teaching in a foreign country or in an alternative, and preferably a distinctly different, education system from the one in which they...

The global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus has had a disruptive and profound impact on English-language teaching. To reduce the spread of the virus, teachers and learners had to suspend in-person teaching and learning. This led to the widespread adoption of synchronous and asynchronous online teaching. Obviously, this period has led to immens...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on schools around the world with many forced to suspend in-person classes. This has meant teachers have been required to find ways to continue teaching remotely. Remote teaching requires specific and extended skills and knowledge from those required in the in-person classroom. This two-stage qualitati...

Hong Kong was one of the first public school systems in the world to shift to online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary and secondary school language teachers had to adapt instruction to cater to their students' diverse linguistic and educational needs. Drawing from the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators...

Beginning teaching is challenging during normal circumstances. Yet, in the summer of 2020, the newly qualified teachers (NQTs) from initial teacher education (ITE) programmes in Hong Kong, as well as many other global contexts, entered schools that were severely disrupted by COVID-19. This qualitative study, through the use of a qualitative online...

This two-stage qualitative-dominant sequential mixed-method study, using an online survey of elementary and secondary school English language teachers (N = 73) and follow-up interviews (N = 10), collectively explores how teachers in Hong Kong adapted their instruction to online teaching in responses to COVID-19. The findings indicate that teachers...

The year 2020 was one of unprecedented uncertainty for initial teacher education (ITE) with newly qualified teachers (NQTs) enter- ing schools in the summer of 2020 still disrupted by COVID-19. Unfortunately, these disruptions have continued into 2021. This study explored the advice a group of NQTs have for student- teachers graduating during the d...

This article reports on a collaborative self-study conducted by the authors (two teacher educators) as we attempted to implement a pedagogy of care during the disruptions to teacher education caused by COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, we were required to conduct our teacher education courses synchronously online through video-conferencing software. A...

Assigning homework is a common practice of teachers internationally. However, we know little about teachers' perceptions of the qualities of good homework. This article reports on the findings of a study that investigated teachers' perceptions of good homework activities and their beliefs about homework's effectiveness as a teaching and learning to...

COVID-19 has forced universities around the world to suspend in-person teaching and adopt emergency remote teaching (ERT). To compensate for the suspension of in-person teaching, many universities mandated that teachers utilise video-conferencing software (VCS) to deliver synchronous online lessons conducted through VCS. This study explored the imp...

COVID-19 has led to dramatic changes in the way teachers teach and students engage in higher education (HE). To cater for social distancing and learners' diverse needs, including being in different geographical locations from their HE instruction, different modes of teaching and learning have been adopted. One such mode is HyFlex. HyFlex sees teach...

Interaction is seen by many English language teachers and scholars as an essential part of face-to-face English language classrooms. Teachers require specific competencies to effectively use interaction as a tool for mediating and assisting learning. These can be referred to as classroom interactional competence (CIC). However, the situation create...

This small-scale exploratory study explores the practices and experiences of two experienced Hong Kong Education Bureau Advisory Teachers (ATs) engaged in school-based professional support (SBPS) of teachers during school closure caused the COVID-19 pandemic. It documents the ATs usual practices, conditions for effective SBPS, the effect the pandem...

Technology reviews are becoming an increasingly common genre within English language teaching and learning journals. This is due to the proliferation of technologies and their affordance in language learning. Although journals provide editorial guidelines for how to write technology reviews, they can be quite general. This short article offers some...

Events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have required second language (L2) educators to move away from face-to-face (F2F) lessons and adopt online teaching. Educators have utilized a range of online synchronous meeting tools (SMTs) to facilitate student learning. One of the popular, immersive and easy-to-use SMTs these days is Zoom. It includes seve...

Teachers in Hong Kong endured an unprecedented 2019–2020 school year with widespread civil unrest followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These events placed a great deal of stress on teachers as they navigated them with students in face-to-face and virtual environments. The current study examines how social uncertainty impacted ten primary and secondar...

The affordances and pedagogical benefits of technology in the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classrooms are widely acknowledged. One potential use of technology is in eliciting and managing students’ responses, which is an area where EAP/ESP teachers often report difficulties. Traditionally, teachers eit...

Opportunities for pre-service teachers to participate during their initial teacher education (ITE) in teaching-abroad experiences, where they spend time teaching in a foreign country, have become increasingly popular. However, studies to date have collected data during or soon after the participant’s return. Little is known about how recently quali...

This report describes the adaptations made to one initial teacher education course at a Hong Kong university designed for face-to-face instruction that was required to be delivered exclusively on-line due to the suspension of face-to-face classes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes the adaptations the tutor made, and the challenges faced...

The author introduces the literature selection bookmark, a tool that inservice and preservice teachers who are teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in international contexts can use to guide them in selecting authentic children’s English literature and analyze its utility in the elementary English‐language classroom. Authentic children’s En...

This report introduces a children’s English literature library project the author implemented in his undergraduate English language teacher education programme. Through modelling literacy practices found to be effective with young English language learners, he aimed to increase his students’ readiness for teaching. The project was found to be benef...

This book is about the teaching of writing with young English language learners. Teaching writing to young learners can be challenging to even experienced teachers. Students can often find writing the most difficult of the four skills to master. The book is structured around the idea that if we give ownership of the writing to the learners and prov...

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This study explores the professional learning of ten pre-service teachers from Hong Kong and ten host teachers in a school in China who participated in a teaching abroad project. The participants’ professional learning during the project is conceptualised within five knowledge domains of quality teaching for the twenty-first century: personal, cont...

Involving parents in their children’s school-based English language learning is beneficial to learners’ academic achievement as well as their language and literacy development. However, involving parents can be challenging. This study reports on one teacher’s use of a digital learning platform, Seesaw, with his third-grade (7 to 8 year-olds) Englis...

This co-authored reflective essay is a collaborative exploration of a mentoring partnership between a university teacher educator (Benjamin) and a first-year English language teacher (Melanie) from August 2018 to January 2019. It explores our collective attempt to build a partnership less like the traditional “unidirectional oversight and guidance”...

Reading instruction in English language lessons in Hong Kong primary schools was long dominated by the use of textbooks designed to prepare learners for high-stakes assessments. However, recent educational reforms have placed a new prominence on the teaching of reading with English language teachers advised to allocate 40% of lessons to reading and...

This classroom exploration reports on a one-year longitudinal blogging project conducted by a teacher with his class of fifth-grade English learners in a Hong Kong primary school (N = 34). Analyzing the published work and comments made by students on the blog, this article examines the extent to which blogging raises students’ awareness of audience...

Homework is an important and commonly expected part of students’ out-of-class learning internationally; however, homework practices as experienced by teachers are little understood. This study draws on the experiences of two English language teachers working in primary schools in Hong Kong to explore how standardized homework practices affect their...

This article reports on a small-scale exploratory study that examined how native-speaking English teachers (NETs) working in the Primary Native-speaking English Teacher (PNET) Scheme construct their professional identity(ies) and explored the barriers to their professionalism that exist within their role and context. Data were collected using quest...

This report introduces an experiential learning project in a pre-service undergraduate teacher education programme at a major Hong Kong university in which 10 pre-service English language teachers and myself, their teacher educator, participated in a two-week overseas teaching experience in a primary school in Ningbo, China. I report on my experien...