Editorial

Given the central role of teachers, it is not surprising that a substantial part of this issue is devoted to language teacher education and training. While researchers have mainly explored blended learning in English as a foreign language (EFL) university settings, this synthesis provides an interesting snapshot of the technologies, effectiveness and challenges in the context of language learning at a crucial moment for the adoption of pedagogies based on multimodality and artificial intelligence (AI). For the authors, educational robots have a role to play in language learning as they may strengthen social aspects such as turn-taking, non-verbal communication and mutual peer learner support in multi-learner settings.