From Trainee to Teacher

For many novice ESL/EFL teachers the transition from their teacher education program (Cert or MA) to their first year of teaching has been characterized as a type of 'reality shock' because the ideals that novice teachers may have formed during the education program are often replaced by the harsh realities of the classroom, and social and political contexts of the school in which they are teaching. One reason for this may be that teacher education programs are unable to reproduce an environment similar to that teachers face when they graduate. Even though many schools may have induction programs available, many novice teachers are often left to cope on their own in a sink-or-swim type situation, with some ultimately leaving the profession because of difficulties encountered during their first year. EVERY teacher must experience life as a novice when they begin their teaching career in a real classroom, and Reflective Practice for Novice Language Teachers is the book that will make the transition from the training course to the classroom as smooth as possible because it focuses on the needs of the novice teachers in particular. Reflective Practice for Novice Language Teachers outlines and describes a comprehensive framework for the professional development of novice teachers through reflective practice that is grounded in the classroom realities of real teaching contexts so that they can develop beyond their novice years and become expert ESL/EFL teachers. In addition, the suggestions presented in this book can be operationalized as standards for future ESL/EFL teacher education and development programs worldwide.