Ambiguities And Tensions In English Language Teaching: Portraits Of Efl Teachers As Legitimate Speakers (esl & Applied Linguistics Professional Series)

"The central theme of this book is the ambiguities and tensions teachers face as they attempt to position themselves in ways that legitimize them as language teachers, and as English speakers. Focusing on three EFL teachers and their schools in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, it documents how ordinary practices of language educators are shaped by their social context, and examines the roles, identities, and ideologies that teachers create in order to navigate and negotiate their specific context. It is unique in bringing together several current theoretical and methodological developments in TESOL and applied linguistics: the performance of language ideologies and identities, critical TESOL pedagogy and research, and ethnographic methods in research on language learning and teaching. Balancing and blending descriptive reporting of the teachers and their contexts with a theoretical discussion which connects their local concerns and practices to broader issues in TESOL in international contexts, it allows readers to appreciate the subtle complexities that give rise to the "tensions and ambiguities" in EFL teachers' professional lives"--"Exploring the ambiguities and tensions EFL teachers face as they attempt to position themselves in ways that legitimize them as language teachers and as English speakers, this book balances descriptive reporting with a theoretical discussion connecting teachers' local concerns and practices to broader issues in TESOL in international contexts"-- Read more... Chapter 1: Exploring the contradictions of language teaching Setting the scene Chapter 2: Three English teachers Chapter 3: Squeezing more juice: Portraits of local English teaching in Oaxacan communities Chapter 4: Legitimacy, symbolic competence, and teaching English Chapter 5: So they can defend themselves a little: The meanings and contradictions of teaching English Chapter 6: Hey, take it easy!: Ambivalence and language ideologies Chapter 7: I lasted one day and then I was gone: Performing legitimacy Chapter 8: Conclusions: (Re)legitimizing through tensions and ambiguities "The central theme of this book is the ambiguities and tensions teachers face as they attempt to position themselves in ways that legitimize them as language teachers, and as English speakers. Focusing on three EFL teachers and their schools in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, it documents how ordinary practices of language educators are shaped by their social context, and examines the roles, identities, and ideologies that teachers create in order to navigate and negotiate their specific context. It is unique in bringing together several current theoretical and methodological developments in TESOL and applied linguistics: the performance of language ideologies and identities, critical TESOL pedagogy and research, and ethnographic methods in research on language learning and teaching. Balancing and blending descriptive reporting of the teachers and their contexts with a theoretical discussion which connects their local concerns and practices to broader issues in TESOL in international contexts, it allows readers to appreciate the subtle complexities that give rise to the "tensions and ambiguities" in EFL teachers' professional lives"-- "Exploring the ambiguities and tensions EFL teachers face as they attempt to position themselves in ways that legitimize them as language teachers and as English speakers, this book balances descriptive reporting with a theoretical discussion connecting teachers' local concerns and practices to broader issues in TESOL in international contexts"-- "The central theme of this book is the ambiguities and tensions teachers face as they attempt to position themselves in ways that legitimize them as language teachers, and as English speakers. Focusing on three EFL teachers and their schools in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, it documents how ordinary practices of language educators are shaped by their social context, and examines the roles, identities, and ideologies that teachers create in order to navigate and negotiate their specific context. It is unique in bringing together several current theoretical and methodological developments in TESOL and applied linguistics: the performance of language ideologies and identities, critical TESOL pedagogy and research, and ethnographic methods in research on language learning and teaching. Balancing and blending descriptive reporting of the teachers and their contexts with a theoretical discussion which connects their local concerns and practices to broader issues in TESOL in international contexts, it allows readers to appreciate the subtle complexities that give rise to the "tensions and ambiguities" in EFL teachers' professional lives"-- Provided by publisher Front Cover......Page 1 Ambiguities and Tensions in English Language Teaching......Page 6 Copyright Page......Page 7 Contents......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 16 List of Abbreviations......Page 18 1 Exploring The Contradictions of Language Teaching......Page 20 2 Three English Teachers......Page 37 3 Squeezing More Juice: Portraits of Local English Teaching in Oaxacan Communities......Page 58 4 Legitimacy, Symbolic Competence, and Teaching English......Page 96 5 So They Can Defend Themselves a Little: The Meanings and Contradictions of Teaching English......Page 116 6 Hey, Take it Easy!: Ambivalence and Language Ideologies......Page 148 7 I Lasted One Day and Then I Was Gone: Performing Legitimacy......Page 180 8 Conclusions: (Re)legitimizing Through Tensions and Ambiguities......Page 202 Appendix Doing Ethnography with Language Teachers......Page 212 Notes......Page 238 References......Page 245 Index......Page 256 "Exploring the ambiguities and tensions EFL teachers face as they attempt to position themselves in ways that legitimize them as language teachers and as English speakers, this book balances descriptive reporting with a theoretical discussion connecting teachers' local concerns and practices to broader issues in TESOL in international contexts"-- Provided by publisher