part calls for an understanding of the nature-
nurture interactions in learning, the complexities
of assessing language proficiency and the
importance of understanding the diverse abilities
of the student populations. Our intent and goal in
adopting an the interdisciplinary approach like
that described above is that new teachers in the
field will not only know the target language, but
they will also be able to adapt their knowledge to
the heterogeneity of the classroom, understand
diversity and be able to cope in the complex, fast
world of the present.
In essence, a good teacher needs a ‘barrelful’ of
knowledge to take out a ‘cupful’ and present the
right ‘spoonful’ to the students.
However, these changes do not take place in a
vacuum, but within contextual changes in the
college. A case has been made that by combining
many theoretical courses, all pre-service language
teachers will be provided with a solid basis for
excellence in language teaching. In this way,
English can no longer be a peripheral department
but has become an integral part of the new model
of teacher education (Cochran-Smith, 2005).
The Author
Carol Goldfus received her doctorate in Applied Linguistics
from the University of Birmingham, England. She is currently
Head of the Adam Research Center for Language Abilities
and Multilingualism, Levinsky College of Education in Tel
Aviv, and until recently, was Head of the English Department
there. Her research interests include cognitive intervention
in adolescents with learning disabilities, the development
of metacognition, reading comprehension and memory.
Within the field of teacher education, she has developed a
model for the new professionalism of the foreign language
teacher educator. Furthermore, she is developing a practical
application of brain research for teaching and learning.
Carol is an executive member of the International Academy
of Research into Learning Disabilities.
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