Page 161 - The SpeakTeach method - Esther de Vrind

Epilogue
As a researcher, I obviously want to have contributed to the research-based knowledge in the domain of teaching foreign languages and professional development of teachers with this dissertation.
As a teacher educator I hoped that the research would actually lead to a contribution to solutions for experienced problems in teaching practice. The reactions that suggest that this has been successful are beyond expectation. Several teachers of foreign language already showed great interest in the SpeakTeach method. My estimation is that through workshops and lectures I have given at language conferences, good practice days, in ICLON professional development and in teacher education courses, more than 500 teachers have become acquainted with the adaptive teaching approach. In addition, publications in professional journals (Levende Talen Magazine) and scientific journals (Pedagogische Studiën and Levende Talen Tijdschrift) have contributed to the dissemination of knowledge about SpeakTeach. I know from many mails and stories from teachers that they have tried to apply the design principles in their teaching in secondary schools in the Netherlands. In addition to teachers, I know of three other groups who have expressed an interest. Some authors of teaching materials have reported that they have been inspired by publications about the research to design activities to improve speaking performances and to revise alignment between learning objective, speaking activity and other learning activities on the basis of the design principles of the adaptive teaching approach. Furthermore, language teacher educators at other universities have said that they discuss the design principles of the adaptive teaching approach in courses about teaching speaking skills. Finally, I receive a lot of requests from student teachers from our and other universities who want to do research on the use of the design principles of the SpeakTeach method in teaching practice.
As a final word, I am grateful to have been privileged to conduct this investigation and hope that this research would inspire teachers as well as researchers to make teaching practice more adaptive to learning needs and easier to organize.
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