This talk explores the ways teachers work. It investigates the reasoning that shapes planning and classroom teaching, critiques the established notion of teachers applying language learning theories, and outlines ways in which practice can be theorised, understood and improved.
In this task I draw primarily on socio-cultural theory and Wenger’s notion of Communities of Practice and identity formation. Looking at the work of TESOL from a social perspective, I examine the roles of the policy context and the expectations of students, and the ways these limit the agency of the teacher. I draw on data and research findings from my own work to document the complexities of TESOL.
I then outline some ways forward. These include reflective practice, classroom evaluation and teacher research. These activities facilitate the management of change, but are dependent on the dispositions of individual teachers. Through raising awareness of the nature and role of disposition, capacity for teacher learning can be enhanced, and the potential for transformation in TESOL realised.
