Knowledge base of language teachers

Language teachers’ knowledge base is a relatively young notion in applied linguistics. Although the professional preparation of language teachers has traditionally drawn from disciplines such as linguistics, literature, cultural studies, education, and second language acquisition (SLA), it was not until Richards and Nunan’s (1990) seminal publication of second language teacher education research that a more systematic inquiry was initiated into what language teachers need to know in order to do their job well. Critical to these debates was a shift in general teacher education research from the predominantly behaviorist and transmission-oriented conceptions of teaching to a deeper appreciation of the less observable and multidimensional knowledge base of teaching, encompassing an elaborate network of teachers’ content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, as well as knowledge of curriculum, learners, educational contexts, and educational ends (Shulman, 1987). In applied linguistics, this shift was reflected in increased empirical activity focused on processes that underlie language teachers’ work and in calls for reconceptualizing the second language teacher education knowledge base (Freeman & Johnson, 1998). Since the first edition of this entry, significant sociopolitical shifts across the globe and the debates that ensued in applied linguistics more generally have brought into a sharper relief the social, ethical, and political dimensions of language, language learning and language teaching. Some of the consequences for the language teachers’ knowledge base are outlined in this brief overview.