This chapter critically reviews three trends that exemplify Western perspectives on the professional
development of English language teachers at the turn of the century. Both reflective practice and action research aim to engage teachers directly in their own professional growth, while investigations of teacher thinking represent a complementary research perspective. All three, it is argued, are responses to, and symptoms of, a loss of certainty in former grand narratives of English language teaching (ELT). All three are evaluated in relation to their cultural assumptions concerning appropriate support for teacher development. The chapter concludes with a discussion of possible future directions in the in-service professional development of teachers that may represent either an evolution or a rejection of current
approaches. |