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ELT Journal 2006 60(4):355-364; doi:10.1093/elt/ccl026
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.

Allowing for practice: a critical issue in TESOL teacher preparation

Caroline Brandt

Caroline Brandt has a PhD in TESOL and is Assistant Professor of English Communications with the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where she teaches academic language and research skills
Caroline has 22 years of experience in ELT in diverse institutions in Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. She has worked in various capacities, including lecturer, curriculum specialist, centre manager, and teacher trainer. In every position, she has pursued her interest in teacher education and development, having taught Certificate, Diploma, BEd, and MA courses, and contributed to in-service teacher development programmes. She is the author of ‘Success on Your Certificate Course in English Language Teaching: A Guide to Becoming a Teacher in ELT/TESOL’, published by Sage Publications, 2006
Caroline's other research interests include critical pedagogy and qualitative research methods. She is currently engaged in research into how teachers reconcile their own values and beliefs about teaching and learning with those of their students from different cultural backgrounds

Email: c.brandt{at}yahoo.co.uk

This paper considers teaching practice in short, intensive, pre-service TESOL certificate courses, drawing upon outcomes of recent research into the experiences of participants on courses offered internationally by a UK-based provider.

Qualitative methodology led to the identification of 26 critical issues, including several related to the teaching practice component of such courses. It is suggested that the component is used by tutors primarily for assessment purposes while practice and feedback take on a secondary function, leading to an emphasis on assessable performance at the expense of developmental practice.

The implications of this for trainees, tutors, and language students are discussed. An opportunity to improve the quality of initial TESOL training is identified, through courses designed to account for current conceptions of adult learning and reflective practice, in which a more learner-centred approach to both trainees and language learners is taken, and trainees are guaranteed authentic and developmental practice opportunities.


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