The life- story of a Pre-service English Teacher on his professional development

Abstract

The job of a teacher can be quite daunting for inexperienced pre-service teachers as it involves many challenges. Everyone assimilates and reacts to experiences differently. Some of these experiences result in a reshape of identities that constitute the building blocks for professional or personal development. This narrative inquiry was conducted to analyze in what ways a life-story mirrors the professional development of an EFL pre-service teacher and the transition from English Language Learning to English Language Teaching. This question was answered by comparing the data collected from three different sources; the pre-service teacher’s voice, one peer from the B.A. Teaching English as a Foreign Language program from the University and a former director of a well-known Language Center in Colombia. The instruments used for this purpose were a semi-structured interview, four narrative frames and pre-service teacher diary. The results showed that there were different experiences that allowed the teaching language mind to evolve through different identity changes. However, results also revealed that such growth was mainly focused on improving practical skills. From a perspective, this study invites pre-service teachers and professors to reflect on ways to help pre-service teachers move forward in their professional growth by overcoming the overwhelmingness of their practice.