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1. DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE BASE IN EFL
TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Yamith José Fandiño
Universidad de La Salle

2. Introduction

3. Introduction
… the focus of research on teacher education needs to shift
from examining what it is that good teachers do in
particular situations to investigating how it is that good
teachers think about particular situations... The nature of
situations
teacher knowledge is much more about how teachers
interpret the complexity and the situated variability of the
practical problems of the classroom, how those
interpretations evolve over time and across settings, and
how and when those interpretations influence decisions and
actions in the classroom. (Doerr & Lesh, 2003, p. 3).

4. Knowledge base

Traditional knowledge base = Basic skills for teaching
Competency in subject matter
Pedagogy (didactics)

Other critical variables
The classroom context Learners' characteristics
Ts' personal experiences Ts' reflective practices Ts' research skills

A need to envision a more complete framework of reference for
professional application (Pineda, 2002).

5. Knowledge base

Teacher's knowledge base (Fenstermarcher, 1994).
Formal knowledge
Based on literature, derived from research and related to
effective teaching. Social, universal, and explicit.
Practical knowledge
Generated by teachers and derived from every day
experimentation and reflection. Personal, situational and
tacit.

6. Knowledge base

Types of knowledge base (Kaur, Yuen & Kaur, 2011)
An effective T needs two types of basic knowledge:
Content knowledge: the knowledge a teacher should posses in
a subject.
Pedagogical knowledge: the teaching and learning of subjects
and their curricula.

7. Knowledge base

Teacher's professional base (Shulman, 1987)
General dimensions of teacher knowledge
- Knowledge of educational ends
- Knowledge of educational contexts
- General pedagogical knowledge
- Knowledge of learners

8. Knowledge base

Teacher's professional base (Shulman, 1987)
Content-speficic dimensions of teacher knowledge
- Curriculum knowledge
- Subject-matter or content knowledge
- Pedagogical content knowledge: a combination of content
and pedagogy that helps Ts make a subject comprehensible
to others.

9. Knowledge base of L2 teachers

Knowledge base in L2 teaching (Faez, 2011)
The expertise, understanding, awareness, knowledge, and
skills that L2 teachers need to possess in order to be
effective teachers.

Lafayette's 3 domains (1993)
- Language proficiency
- Civilization and culture
- Language analysis (L2 acquisition and processing)

10. Knowledge base of L2 teachers

Day's 4 domains (1993)
- Content knowledge (subject-matter)
- Pedagogic knowledge (practices of teaching: classroom
management, lesson planning, etc.)
- Pedagogic content knowledge (specialized teaching of an L2:
grammar, speaking, etc.)
- Support knowledge (different disciplines that inform teachers'
approaches: linguistics, psychology, etc).

11. Knowledge base of L2 teachers

Richard's 6 dimensions (1998)
- Theories of teaching (theoretical bases)
- Teaching skills (teachers' repertoire)
- Communication skills and language proficiency
- Subject matter knowledge
- Pedagogical reasoning and decision making (Complex cognitive
and problem-solving skills)
- Contextual knowledge (educational settings and linguistic
policies)

12. Knowledge base of L2 teachers

Freeman and Johnson's reconceptualization (1998)
Premise: examining how language teachers come to know what
they know and do what they do.
Focus: the activity of learning to be a language teacher.
3 interrelated domains:
(a) the T as learner of language teaching,
(b) schools and schooling as sociohistorical and cultural contexts
for teacher learning, and
(c) the T's pedagogical thinking about language teaching.

13. Knowledge base of L2 teachers

Tarone and Allwright (2005)
A lacking element: the L2 language learner.
L2 teacher's knowledge needs to include a clear understanding
of who learners are and why and how they learn L2.
L2 language teaching is different from other teacher education
disciplines, and should draw on and help develop SLA
research.

14. From L2 base knowledge to pedagogical
reasoning and action

Adapted from Wilson, Shulman and Richert, 1987.

15. From L2 base knowledge to pedagogical
reasoning and action

Models
Calderhead Wallace (1991) Freeman (1991)
(1988)
Integrative model  The craft model (expert  Teaching as doing
and learner relationship) (skills development)
 Practical knowledge
 Academic knowledge  The applied science  Teaching as thinking
 Metacognitive model (theory and and doing (knowledge
processes practice) implementation)
 Conceptions of
learning to teach  The reflective model  Teaching as knowing
(knowledge construction) what to do (contextual
a) pre-training interpretation)
b) professional education
c) professional - Interteaching: from
competence dependence to self-
sufficiency.

16. From L2 base knowledge to pedagogical
reasoning and action

Models
Day (1993) Manouchehri Ohata (2007)
(2002)
- The apprentice-expert model Attention to social From better ways to
(observation, instruction, and interaction in professional train teachers to
practice.) development. alternatives to teach
through self-awareness
- The rationalist model (learn- Entering a culture with and reflection.
the-theory-and then-apply-it normative structure and
model) social norms. Challenge and explore
how or why classroom
- The case studies model Guided and systematic actions are influenced
(discussion and analysis of communication and by experiences and
actual case histories ) collaboration are needed. beliefs.
- The integrative model
(pedagogic, content, and
support-based experiences)

17. EFL knowledge base in Colombia
Álvarez (2009)
• Ts’ knowledge base construction = continuous process that involves:
- Ts’ experiences in and out of the classroom
- Ts’ beliefs at different moments of educational life
- Interaction between pre-training knowledge, teacher education knowledge
and teaching activity.
• Colombian Ts seem to look for a balance between the technical dimension of
teaching (content and methodology) and a more social and humanistic view
(role awareness, student and professional settings, etc.)
• Ts’ professional and personal self-perception as pedagogues plays a
significant role in the construction of knowledge base.

18. EFL knowledge base in Colombia
Cárdenas (2009)
• Knowledge transmission and skills development-based models are present, but
more personal and social-oriented models are observable.
• Existence of behaviorist, humanist, constructivist, social constructivist and
reflective perspectives = eclecticism in TE programs. Two interpretations: a lack
of conceptual clarity or an awareness of the need for a multifaceted model.
• Methodological programs seem to focus on: the experiences and beliefs of future
teachers, reflection-based processes, real context practices, ethnography and
action research and performance and process-based evaluation.
• Four basic variables: (a) attitude towards the profession, (b) knowledge that
transcends L2 issues to include specific contexts,(c) immediate use skills and
professional development skills, and (d) awareness about what being a L2
teacher means and demands.

19. EFL knowledge base in Colombia
Usma (2009)
Standardization, internationalization, accreditation, and recent
linguistic and educational policies
• undermine possibilities to acknowledge and promote awareness,
autonomy, diversity and contextualization;
• impose foreign discourses and practices at the expense of local
knowledge; and
• stratify and exclude teachers and institutions based on scores and
rankings.

20. EFL knowledge base in Colombia
Sharkey’s proposal (2009)
• Infuse inquiry into all aspects of the curriculum so that Ts can
generate local knowledge, theorize their practice, and interrogate
the theory and research of others.
• Professional and learning communities of praxis operating on
collaboration and critical reflection.
• A commitment to praxis to transform educational practices and
policies.

21. EFL knowledge base in Colombia
González and Quinchía (2003)
Four main focuses:
- knowledge of local realities
- command of the language
- broad experience in teaching EFL
- experience in research
TEPs must be sensitive to the sociocultural milieu in which learning
and teaching take place, in order to create knowledge.

22. EFL knowledge base in Colombia
González (2007)
The current teacher development model is a representation of colonial, traditional,
and central discourses in ELT that must be reshaped by the new, local, and
peripheral knowledge constructed by Colombian ELT scholars and teachers.
Desired characteristics of EFL TEPs
- application of a post method framework (particularity, practicality, possibility and
macro strategies)
- peripheral knowledge construction
- adequate communication with local scholars and policy makers
- acceptance of counter-discourses and critical theory

23. References
Álvarez, J. (2009). An exploration of Colombian EFL teachers’ knowledge base through teachers’ reflection. Revista Linguagem &
Ensino, 12(1), 73-108.
Calderhead, J. (1988). The development of knowledge structure in learning to teach. In J. Claderhead (Ed.), Teachers’ professional
learning (pp. 51-64). London: The Falmer Press.
Cárdenas, R. (2009). Tendencia globales y locales en la formación de docentes de lenguas extranjeras. ÍKALA, revista de lenguaje y
cultura, 14(22), 71-106.
Day, R. (1993). Models and the knowledge base of second language teacher education. Working papers in second language studies,
11(2), 1-13. Retrieved from http://hawaii.edu/sls/uhwpesl/11(2)/Day.pdf
Doerr, H., & Lesh, R. (2003). Designing research on teachers’ knowledge development (online). Retrieved from
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González, A. (2007). Professional Development of EFL Teachers in Colombia: Between Colonial and Local Practices. ÍKALA, Revista de
lenguaje y cultura, 12(18), pp. 309-332.

24. References
González, A., & Quinchía, D. (2003). Tomorrow's EFL teacher educators. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, 5, 86-104.
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