Language Teacher Identity in TESOL

Bedrettin Yazan is Assistant Professor of Educational Linguistics at the University of Alabama, USA.Kristen Lindahl is Associate Professor of TESOL/Applied Linguistics at the University of Texas at San Antonio, USA.

On the seemingly well-travelled terrain of Language Teacher Identity work, this new collection distinguishes itself in several important ways. For one, greater awareness of LTI complexities and contingencies—of alignments and intersections less considered—has been advanced through a remarkable range of geographical settings and sites of practice. The diversity and novelty of research methods and data types (dinner discussions, illustrated identity portraits, etc.) is an additional strength of this book. Perhaps most important are the innovative, identity-based pedagogies (emotional scaffolding, for example) that effectively bridge theory and practice across these insightful chapters. The editors are to be commended for bringing these contributors together in this inspiring LTI collection. Brian Morgan, Glendon College, Toronto How does the existing research base on language teacher identity (LTI) inform language teacher education practice? This question is at the heart of this edited volume. While noting the significant theoretical contributions in the LTI field, Yazan and Lindahl prod us to shift our gaze from focusing on research framework to classroom practice. What I find most attractive about Yazan and Lindahl’s work is placing the teachers and their identity work in practice at the center--a result of a dialogic relationship between researchers and classroom teachers. Ultimately, grounded in identity approach, bridging theory to practice allows teachers and researchers alike to place more emphasis on the role of reflexivity in understanding the self, the other, and the context in which learning and teaching occurs. The 15 chapters in this volume will continue to challenge what it means to promote practices of teacher identity work in the fields. Bravo to the contributors!Gloria Park, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA With a focus on identity in teacher education practices, Language teacher identity in TESOL: Teacher education and practice as identity work includes a wide range of theoretical constructs, innovative methodologies, and lived experiences. From intersectionality to otherization, from multiethnography to multimodality, from microaggressions to scaffolded emotions, this book is an inspiring addition to the growing language teacher identity literature. Anne Feryok, University of Otago, New ZealandAs a collection of empirical research works informed by diverse conceptual frameworks, this book moves forward our discussion of teacher identity in the field of TESOL. It is a must-read for language researchers and teacher educators who are interested in understanding the complex issue of teacher identities and developing identity-oriented pedagogy for effective classroom teaching.Rui Eric Yuan, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong This robust volume assembles diverse perspectives on language teacher identity into an interesting and coherent whole. I consider it a vital resource for a range of stakeholders, notably language teacher educators who aspire to highlight identity in their curricular and instructional practices.Jason Martel, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, California, USA

• Introduction. Language teacher learning and practice as identity work: An overview of the field and this volume ; Part I. Teacher Identity Work in Narratives and Writing ; 1. Repurposing Identity Reconstruction as Transformative Pedagogy: Multilingual Teachers in The US First-Year Composition Context; 2. Writing Narratives, Shifting Identities: Developing Language Teacher Identity and Practice in Working with Students with Limited/Interrupted Formal Education ; 3. At the Dinner Table: Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Identity Negotiations and Resources ; Part II. Teacher Identity Work in Multimodal Spaces ; 4. Understanding Language Teacher Identity: Digital Discursive Spaces in English Teacher Education and Development ; 5. Multimodal Identity Construction of Technology-Using Language Teachers via Stance Taking in an Online Learning Space ; 6. Unpacking professional identity: The use of multimodal identity texts and duoethnographies in language teacher education ; Part III. Teacher Identity Work vis-à-vis Race, Ethnicity, and Language ; 7. Reading, Writing, and Race: Sharing the Narratives of Black TESOL Professionals; 8. Anti-Oppressive Pedagogy in Language Teacher Education: A Collaborative Case Study of Identity Texts ; 9. Reality check: Identity struggle and experiences of NESTs Living and Teaching Abroad ; Part IV. Teacher Identity Work vis-à-vis Teacher Emotions ; 10. Teacher Emotion as Pedagogy: The Role of Emotions in Negotiating Pedagogy and Teacher Identity ; 11. Identity, Noticing, and Emotion among Pre-Service English Language Teachers; 12. Our Job, Too: International Full-time Non-tenure-track Faculty, English Language Teacher Education, and Emotionally Distressed Students in South Korea ; Part V. Teacher Identity Work in Teacher Educator-Researcher Practices ; 13. Intercepting and Fluid Identities: From Reflective Teacher Educators to Reflective Teachers ; 14. Strengths-Based Mentoring for Preservice ESL Teacher Professional Identity Development: A Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices ; 15. The Autoethnography of an [Re]-Emerging Researcher Identity and Its Impact on EAP Teaching Pedagogy ;