Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Recently a dichotomy has developed in the field of TESOL between native English speaker teachers (NESTs) and non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) with some in each camp promoting one over the other, but this only separates rather than unifies our profession. In this article I suggest that it is not in anybody’s interests to continue with this dichotomy if we are to be recognized as a profession within the wider academic community and that we should be debating critical competencies related to effective teaching instead, regardless of if one is a NEST or NNEST. In this paper, I point out that it is not who you are in terms of your ethnicity, culture or race as a TESOL teacher, but what you know in terms of your effectiveness as a teacher regardless of your background.

Keywords

NESTs NNESTs Reflective practice effective teaching

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Berliner

(2004) Describing the behavior and documenting the accomplishments of expert teachers. Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society 24(3): 200–12.

Bereiter

Scardamalia

(1993) Surpassing Ourselves: An Inquiry into the Nature and Implications of Expertise. Chicago, IL: Open Court.

Day

(1999) Developing Teachers: The Challenges of Lifelong Learning. London: Falmer Press.

Edge

(2011) The Reflexive Teacher Educator in TESOL. New York: Routledge.

Ethell

McMeniman

(2000) Unlocking the knowledge in action of an expert practitioner. Journal of Teacher Education 51(2): 87–101.

Farrell

TSC

(2013) Reflecting on ESL teacher expertise. System 41(4): 1070–82.

Farrell

TSC

(2015) Promoting teacher reflection in second language education: a framework for TESOL professionals. New York: Routledge.

Johnson

(ed.) (2005) Expertise in Second Language Learning and Teaching. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Mahboob

Gordon

(2013) Looking for native speakers of English: discrimination in English language teaching job advertisements. Voices in Asia Journal 1(1): 72-81.

10.

Medgyes

(2001) When the teacher is a non-native speaker. In: Celce-Murcia

(ed.) Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, 3rd Edition. Boston: Heinle and Heinle, 429–42.

11.

Muijs

(2006) New directions for school effectiveness research: towards school effectiveness without schools. Journal of Educational Change 7(3): 141–60.

12.

Muijs

Reynolds

(2001) Effective Teaching: Evidence and Practice. London: Paul Chapman Publishing.

13.

Reis

(2011) Non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) and professional legitimacy: a sociocultural theoretical perspective on identity transformation. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 208: 139–60.

14.

Richards

(2010) Competence and performance in language teaching. RELC Journal 41(2): 101–22.

15.

Richards

(2014) Key Issues in Language Teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press.

16.

Shulman

(1987) Knowledge and teaching: foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review 57(1): 1–22.

17.

Turner-Bisset

(2001) Expert Teaching. Knowledge and Pedagogy to Lead the Profession. London: David Fulton Publishers.

18.

Tsui

(2009) Teaching expertise: approaches, perspectives, and characterization. In: Burns

Richards

(eds) Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 190–97.

19.

Zeichner

(1983) Alternative paradigms of teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education 34(3): 3–9.

It’s Not Who You Are! It’s How You Teach! Critical Competencies Associated with Effective Teaching

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References