English Language Teacher Education (eBook)

Minh Hue Nguyen is a lecturer in TESOL Education at the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia. Her research, supervision, teaching and engagement are in the areas of second language teacher education and second language teaching and learning. Minh Hue is interested in creating productive learning experiences for preservice teachers, helping them transition into the teaching profession. She is passionate about finding ways for institutions to support both preservice teachers and teacher educators in this transition. She has been involved in TESOL, TESOL teacher education, curriculum development and research at a number of Vietnamese and Australian institutions for over 15 years. Her research has been recognised through, for example, the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA)/Kay Martinez Award for Best Paper at the 2013 ATEA Conference, Monash Education Research Community's Publication Award, Monash University's Postgraduate Publication Award, Penny McKay Award Special Commendation for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis in Language Education, Monash Dean of Education's ECR Project Award, and Monash's Advancing Women's Research Success Grant.

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This book examines a range of complex issues concerning the professional experience (i.e., practicum) in English language teacher education with regard to curriculum design and implementation, as well as professional learning. Drawing on a sociocultural perspective, it explores the context of the professional experience, preservice teachers as learners of English language teaching, and the activity of learning to teach English language in connection with interrelated contextual and personal issues: contextual issues such as policies, curricula, university-school partnerships, and mentoring relations are investigated in relation to personal issues such as the beliefs, expectations, prior educational experiences, previous teaching experiences, and cultural-linguistic backgrounds of preservice teachers. In turn, the book addresses professional learning issues, including professional identity development, emotional experiences, and pedagogical learning, in depth. The book delves into the qualitative "e;fine-grained"e; aspects of the professional experience while also making valuable conceptual contributions through a sociocultural analysis of the professional learning experience, which can also be applied to research in other teacher education contexts. The findings presented here hold practical implications for English language teacher education in terms of developing a knowledge base for English language teaching and an effective model of professional experience to prepare English language teachers for working in today's expanded, diverse and dynamic neoliberal contexts.