The Plurilingual Tesol Teacher: The Hidden Languaged Lives of Tesol Teachers and Why They Matter (Studies in Second and Foreign Language Education [Ssfle]) (Trends in Applied Linguistics, 25)

This book introduces a new topic to applied linguistics: the significance of the TESOL teacher’s background as a learner and user of additional languages. The development of the global TESOL profession as a largely English-only enterprise has led to the accepted view that, as long as the teacher has English proficiency, then her or his other languages are irrelevant. The book questions this view. Learners are in the process of becoming plurilingual, and this book argues that they are best served by a teacher who has experience of plurilingualism. The book proposes a new way of looking at teacher linguistic identity by examining in detail the rich language biographies of teachers: of growing up with two or more languages; of learning languages through schooling or as an adult, of migrating to another linguaculture, of living in a plurilingual family and many more. The book examines the history of language-in-education policy which has led to the development of the TESOL profession in Australia and elsewhere as a monolingual enterprise. It shows that teachers’ language backgrounds have been ignored in teacher selection, teacher training and ongoing professional development. The author draws on literature in teacher cognition, bilingualism studies, intercultural competence, bilingual lifewriting and linguistic identity to argue that languages play a key part in the development of teachers’ professional beliefs, identity, language awareness and language __learning__ awareness. Drawing on three studies involving 115 teachers from Australia and seven other countries, the author demonstrates conclusively that large numbers of teachers __do__ have plurilingual experiences; that these experiences are ignored in the profession, but that they have powerful effects on the formation of beliefs about language learning and teaching which underpin good practice. Those teachers who identify as monolingual almost invariably have some language learning experience, but it was low-level, short-lived and unsuccessful. How does the experience of successful or unsuccessful language learning and language use affect one’s identity, beliefs and practice as an English language teacher? What kinds of experience are most beneficial? These concepts and findings have implications for teacher language education, teacher professional development and the current calls for increased plurilingual practices in the TESOL classroom. Table of contents Acknowledgements List of tables Abbreviations and acronyms 1 Introduction My story Purpose of the book Objectives Who is this book intended for? What next? Vignette 1 – Lidia 2 The TESOL profession as monolingual monolith TESOL in Australia – the context Structure of the profession Brief history of the ESL profession in Australia Published ESL materials TESOL teacher qualifications and standards in Australia Teachers in NEAS-endorsed ELT Centres Teachers in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) TESOL teacher competencies in Australia and other English-speaking countries Australia Canada USA UK New Zealand Summary and implications of statements of teacher qualifications, standards and competencies Regarding language Regarding the content of teaching Regarding second language learning and the process of becoming plurilingual Research questions Vignette 2 – Stan A native speaker – but not monolingual 3 Three studies of TESOL teachers’ linguistic identities Introduction The three studies Study 1 – Establishing a conceptual framework Method Findings: teachers’ language biographies Demographics Language acquisition experiences Circumstantial plurilinguals Elective plurilinguals Monolinguals Study 2 – Casting the net wider – gathering international data Method Findings: teachers’ language biographies Demographics Language acquisition experiences Study 3 – A survey of the NSW TESOL profession Method Findings: teachers’ language biographies Demographics Language acquisition experiences Languages of the home Additional languages Vignette 3 – Tina Native speaker monolingual with low-level elective learning experiences 4 Bilingualism, plurilingualism and TESOL teachers The field of bilingualism Definitions and dimensions of bilinguality Relative competence Routes to bilinguality The bilingual person Bilingual language use Native and non-native English speaker teachers The conflation of ‘native speaker’ with ‘monolingual’, and of ‘bilingual’ with ‘non-native speaker’ Summary of bilingualism and second language learning 5 Teachers’ identities as learners Beliefs about teachers’ own second language learning Plurilinguals with circumstantial and/or elective experiences Plurilinguals’ views of their own language proficiency Plurilinguals’ views of discontinued attempts at learning languages or failures Plurilinguals’ beliefs about progress and attrition Plurilinguals’ beliefs about plurilinguality Plurilinguals’ belief that language learning is difficult, but possible Monolinguals Monolinguals’ views of their own language proficiency Monolinguals’ views that language learning is difficult and humiliating Teachers’ beliefs about students’ learning of English as a second language The difficulty or ease of learning English compared to other languages Beliefs about which aspects of English are difficult or easy for students Difficult aspects of English for students Easy aspects of English for students Beliefs that learning English or language learning in general is a difficult task for students Summary of teachers’ beliefs about language learning 6 The value of language learning Policy statements from past to present Intellectual benefits of language learning Language awareness Language learning awareness Cultural benefits of language learning Other benefits of language learning Language apprenticeship Exhilaration Social equity The undesirability of monolingualism Summary of the value of language learning and the implications for TESOL teachers 7 Teachers’ knowledge and insights about language and language use General beliefs about the value of language learning for teachers Language learning as a major formative influence on ESL teaching Beliefs about the value of language experience for ESL teachers Insights about language and language use derived from teachers’ own experience Insights about language in general Insights from comparing other languages to English and to each other The usefulness of studying other grammars Insights about life as a plurilingual and pluricultural Code-switching Linguistic aspects of migration Subtractive bilingualism Plurilingual identity Insights about the use of other languages as a pedagogical tool in ESL Summary 8 Teacher cognition: understanding how knowledge and beliefs underpin professional practice Teacher cognition studies in general education Teacher cognition studies in second language teacher education Establishing the knowledge base of ESL teachers Knowledge derived from experience Research on language learning experience in teacher education The structured language learning experience (SLLE) as a teacher development tool Discussion of content knowledge and procedural knowledge desirable for ESL teachers Content knowledge Procedural knowledge Which kinds of knowledge are Australian ESL teachers expected to have? A framework for examining teachers’ knowledge and beliefs Summary 9 Applying insights about language learning and language teaching from eachers’ own learning experience Insights into learning and communication strategies from their own learning experience Insights into the affective aspects of being a language learner from their own learning experience Identifying oneself as a model of a learner to the students Identifying with or empathising with students in one’s own mind Experience of the frustration and/or difficulties that students undergo Experience of the humiliation and threat to one’s ego posed by language learning Insights into different teaching approaches from the perspective of a student Experience of the medium of instruction not being L1 Experience of different teaching methods as a student How insights from their own experience are applied Knowledge of issues relating to teaching one’s own first language Insights into the demands of varied language teaching contexts from their own experience as teachers Summary of how teachers’ language learning experience contributes to their knowledge and beliefs in ESL teaching 10 A survey of the NSW TESOL profession Insights about other languages and comparisons with English Empathy Language learning awareness Use of other languages in the TESOL classroom The case for ‘No’ – languages are not valuable for TESOL teachers Uninformed English is the only option You can be a good teacher without languages Inclusivity 11 Rejecting the monolingual monolith: the way forward Review Implications of teachers’ languaged lives Imagining the future – TESOL as a plurilingual space Recruitment and education of teachers Ongoing professional development Materials in the plurilingual TESOL centre Language maintenance Classes Conclusion References Appendix A – List of languages in Study 1 Appendix B – Pre-interview questionnaire from Study 2 Appendix C – Interview protocol for Studies 1 and 2 Appendix D – Survey questions used for Study 3 Appendix E – Summary chart of teachers’ biographies in Study 1 Index The series Trends in Applied Linguistics meets the challenges of the rapidly growing field of applied linguistics. In a very broad sense, applied linguistics is understood by focusing on the application of theoretical linguistics to current problems arising in different contexts of human society. Given the interdisciplinary character of applied linguistics, the series includes cognitive, psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic and educational perspectives. The following topics are included in the series: Second language acquisition and the acquisition of additional languages Bilingual and multilingu This book explores the language biographies of plurilingual and monolingual teachers, drawing on theories of teacher cognition and linguistic identity. It shows how circumstantial and elective experiences constitute powerful resources contributing to their professional knowledge and beliefs, and calls for the valuing of these resources in teacher education