Identity and Reflection in Foreign Language Teacher Education: From imagination to practice

For the last two decades, second/foreign language teacher education (S/FLTE) has focussed on a shift from searching for better ways to train teachers to trying to describe and understand the process of how they learn to teach through self-awareness and reflection (Richards, 2008; Gebhard & Oprandy, 1999). In line with this recent shift of emphasis, the idea of teacher exploration in teaching (Gebhard & Oprandy, 1999) has entailed a focus on the concept of 'development', which deals with the individual teacher on the process of reflection, examination and change, which can lead to personal and professional growth (Freeman, 1982). Equating professional development with professional identity development, this book mainly focuses on student teachers' (STs') professional identity construction (formation) and reconstruction (development). The significance of the concept of teachers' professional identities comes from the assumption that who we think we are influences what we do (Danielewicz, 2001). Therefore, a link is present between professional identity and professional action (Watson, 2006).