Teacher Educators’ Funds of Knowledge for the Preparation of Future Teachers

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study is to examine the funds of knowledge that a group of teacher educators drew on as means of professional development and quality provision. The study was carried out with 13 teacher educators working at a pre-service English language teacher education (ELTE) programme in Argentina. Data were collected between 2014 and 2019 by means of interviews and an arts-based form instrument called significant circle. Findings show that the teacher educators deployed a wide range of individual-based as well as community-based funds of knowledge to enhance their knowledge of English language teaching and evidence-based practice. Based on the findings, a taxonomy is proposed to understand teacher educators’ funds of knowledge.

TESOL teacher educators in higher education: A review of studies from 2010 to 2020

“…To illustrate, qualitative research is essentially a process of discovery and learning, and it requires researchers to immerse themselves in an ongoing process of data collection and interpretation to discover how people think, believe, and behave in specific time and space (Creswell, 2007). Considering that research on language teacher educators is an emergent area, qualitative approaches, including case study (e.g., Asaba, 2018; Yuan & Yang, 2020a) and narrative inquiry (e.g., Yuan, 2017a; Barkhuizen, 2021b), allow the researchers to march into this unchartered territory, investigating language teacher educators’ cognition (e.g., Banegas, 2020a), collaboration (e.g., Yuan & Mak, 2016), and identities (e.g., Trent, 2013) with an open and exploratory lens. More pointedly, compared with the survey-based quantitative studies, which depict general patterns of language teachers’ perceptions, the utilization of qualitative research data (e.g., interviews and field observation) shows sensitivity and respect towards the personalized, situated meanings constructed by language teacher educators through their social engagement and interactions in particular socio-cultural environments.…”

“…Therefore, the role of language teacher educators has remained vaguely defined and poorly understood in higher education settings. Following the emergence of practice-based research paradigms (e.g., action research and self-study) in both general education and TESOL (e.g., Burns, 2005; Loughran, 2005; Richards, 2008), research on language teacher educators has gradually picked up the pace over the past decade, exploring their situated practice and inner worlds within and across diverse professional communities (e.g., Banegas, 2020a; Barkhuizen, 2021b; Yuan & Lee, 2014). More importantly, a growing number of language teacher educators (e.g., Peercy, 2014; Yazan, 2019) have made endeavors to actively and reflectively investigate, understand, and improve their professional work with the dual aim of seeking their own self-transformation and facilitating language teachers’ learning to teach.…”

“…The most comprehensive study on language teacher educators’ knowledge is Banegas (2020a) who conducted interviews and developed an arts-based form instrument called significant circle that was used in the context of Argentina. Besides identifying and acknowledging the knowledge components (e.g., knowledge of ELT and knowledge of LTE pedagogy) that were deemed critical for language teacher educators to fulfill their multiple duties, his study took a further step to shed light on the funds of teacher educators’ knowledge at personal and community levels.…”

Editorial: What is at the Heart of Teaching and Learning in a Post-pandemic Recovery World?

“…• by collaborating with language teachers, content teachers' attitudes towards English medium instruction (EMI) teaching became more positive (Lu, 2022); • experience of engagement with multiliteracies' pedagogies throughout their professional preparation provided teachers with a source of professional knowledge and created opportunities to change their pre-conceptions about English language teaching (Maia, 2022); • teachers navigated their Action Research identity construction across the four stages: Plan, Act, Observe, and Reflect (Nazari, 2022); and • Teacher educators utilized a variety of individual and community "funds" of knowledge in order to enhance their understanding of English language teaching and evidence-based practice (Banegas, 2022).…”

The Imperatives of Voice and Context in the Preparation of Community Teachers: Conceptualizing Learning-To-Teach Cycles

“…The second stance underlying the argument for the preparation of community teachers is that the source of knowledge critical for the preparation of effective classroom educators is not, contrary to the views of many, held entirely in the minds and hands of those who work within the halls of higher education (see, for example, Banegas, 2020; Richmond, 2017; Zeichner & Payne, 2013). We hold that this obligation of teachers to be both knowledgeable about and responsive to individuals and groups beyond those in their classroom is in part the result of recognizing that students have powerful learning experiences outside of school (Engeström, 2017; Kinloch et al, 2017; Kirkland, 2013), and that often this learning takes place in non-traditional venues and as a result of using rapidly evolving participatory social media platforms (e.g., Tik Tok) which are not typically sanctioned as school-based ways of knowing.…”